Last Thursday, in the sixth GOP Presidential Debate, Senator Ted Cruz attempted to expose Donald Trump’s liberal foundations by connecting the businessman to New York City. Stating that New York politicians and the majority of New Yorkers in general exhibit democratic standings on issues, Cruz attempted to link such proposed “New York values” to Trump.

“Not a lot of conservatives come out of Manhattan. I’m just saying.”

Watching this bit live, my jaw dropped. Ted Cruz did the impossible; he managed to make liberals disapprove of him more than they do of Trump (at least for a few minutes). As New York Times writer Marc Santora wrote, “It aligned Mr. Trump, a leading Republican contender for president, with three Democrats: New York’s governor, Andrew M. Cuomo; New York City’s proudly liberal mayor, Bill de Blasio; and even presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.”

Following the debate, Clinton, de Blasio, Cuomo and Trump each called for Cruz to issue an apology to the state of New York. In response, he made this statement. Take a look.

Let’s break down each "apology" to New York, shall we?

1. “I apologize to the hard-working men and women of the state of New York who’ve been denied jobs because Governor Cuomo won't allow fracking even though there have been many high paying jobs just south of Pennsylvania, New Yorkers are denied the ability to provide for their families.”

Andrew Cuomo has banned fracking in New York because it is severely hazardous to the environment and has been proven to inflict health problems on those living in the surrounding areas. According to Margie Alt, executive director of Environment for America, just some of the problems surrounding fracking include water contamination, increased air pollution, and deadly sicknesses. The jobs being taken away from “families” in need of work, as Cruz mentioned in his statement, do not outweigh the deadly threat being placed on workers and neighboring areas influenced by fracking. Not to mention that these jobs are only temporary to begin with and cannot support a family. Learn more about why fracking is so detrimental to the United States.

2. "I apologize to all the pro-life and pro-marriage and pro-second amendment New Yorkers who were told by Governor Cuomo that they have no place in New York because that’s not who New Yorkers are.”

First off, being pro-choice, for marriage equality, and in support of increased gun control regulations in no way changes a citizen’s right to be the pro-life, pro-marriage, or "pro-second amendment." Following Cruz’s attack, Cuomo stated, “In one 30-second sound bite, he [Cruz] was offensive to gays, he was offensive to women, he offended 18 million New Yorkers.” Secondly, Cuomo also made it clear that New York has a visible conservative population of about 30 percent and that their voices are not silenced.

3. “I apologize to all the small businesses who’ve been driven out of New York City by crushing taxes and regulations.”

Yes, running a small business in New York City is expensive, yet this is not solely New York problem. All around the country, running a small business anywhere has become increasingly difficult due to the growing influences of large corporations all around the country. This problem, although important, shouldn’t be pinned on one city when places all over the country experience the same issue.

4. “I apologize to all of the African-American children who Mayor de Blasio tried to throw out of their charter schools that were providing a lifeline to the American dream.”

This statement is incredibly general and wrong. Mayor Bill de Blasio is in no way targeting African American children and “throwing them out of charter schools.” De Blasio is continuing to reform the New York City public education system, encouraging all families to utilize the public school system instead of continuing to separate from it. Cruz’s statement is incredibly dramatic and full of propaganda. In Sept. 2015, de Blasio announced new policies in hopes of mending the relationships between charter schools and district public schools around the city, along with increasing graduation rates and starting new programs to advancing student interest in math and technology.

5. “I apologize to all the cops and the firefighters and 9/11 heroes who had no choice but to stand and turn their backs on Mayor de Blasio because Mayor de Blasio over and over again stands with the looters and criminals rather than the brave men and women of blue.”

This last “apology” is the most far off from the truth. Simply put, no matter one’s opinion on whether or not Mayor de Blasio should have taken such a strong stance advocating for police reform following the death of Eric Garner, no one can deny that Cruz placing men such as Garner and others who were mistreated and murdered while in police custody, in the category of “looters and criminals” is painfully wrong and uninformed. In response, de Blasio stated, "I find myself for once in agreement with Donald Trump—I think it was right for Donald Trump to defend New York City and to talk about the heroic actions of the people of this city after 9/11.”

Watching Cruz's statement, Gov. Cuomo's words continue to ring true, "He [Cruz] is practicing the politics of division. He's trying to divide people. He's trying to divide this country. It doesn't work and it's antithetical to who we are."