Thursday on CNN’s “New Day,” when asked about questions about his eligibility to run for president because he was born in Canada, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) declared it to be a ” silly side show” and claimed he has never had a Canadian passport.

Cruz said, “Look the legal issue is straightforward. The son of a U.S. citizen born abroad is a natural-born citizen … The Constitution and laws of the United States are straightforward. The very first Congress defined the child of a U.S. citizen born abroad as the natural-born citizen. And many of the members of the first Congress were framers at the constitutional convention. At the end of the day this is a non issue but my response is I tweeted a link to a video of Fonzie jumping a shark. You know, I’m not going to engage in this. And the reason is simple. there are far too many serious issues facing this country. Last night North Korea claims to have tested a hydrogen bomb. What the American people are looking for is who is prepared to be commander in chief, who has the seriousness, who has the judgment, the knowledge.”

When asked if he ever had a Canadian passport, Cruz said, “It’s not true … look the media with all due respect love to engage in silly side shows. we need focus on what matters.”

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