What Ted Cruz Promised His Daughters if He Wins the Presidency
Cruz's daughters are 7 and 5 years old.
— -- Presidential candidate Ted Cruz has two very important requests to fulfill if he makes it to the White House.
Cruz's daughters, seven-year-old Caroline and five-year-old Catherine, were part of their dad's decision-making process when the Texas senator was weighing a presidential bid.
"We sat down with them and we talked to them," Cruz told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview. "Talked with them and said, 'Okay, we're thinking of running for president. What do you think of this?'"
The girls, who sometimes appear with their parents on the campaign trail, used some bargaining power with their father.
"They have right now a little white fluff ball. It's a rescue dog named Snowball. And we live in a condo that doesn't have a backyard," Cruz said. "And Caroline, she thinks about it for a few minutes. And then she looks at me and says, 'Okay, Daddy. I've decided it's okay if you run for president. Because if you win it means Snowball will have a backyard to pee in.'"
While Snowball will get a backyard, the girls also want another furry friend for Snowball and Cruz has vowed to give them a second dog if he wins the presidency.
There's also another thing the girls will get: their own bedrooms. They currently have bunk beds.
"We had to make another promise, which is the girls will get their own bedrooms," Cruz said. "And then Caroline tried to say, 'Okay, and can I paint my walls black and have, like, multicolored neon on them?'"
The redecorating of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue may be one thing Cruz won't be able to give his girls.
"I said, 'Sweetheart, there is no universe on Earth in which your mother would possibly allow black walls,'" Cruz said with a laugh. "It just, it ain't going to happen. And my advice is, don't try this fight. Pick your battles and this is not one mom's going to give in on."
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