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Willie Robertson endorses Trump one week after his dad endorsed Cruz

It is a "Duck" house divided between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.
Willie Robertson welcomes Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to the stage during the Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel's 16th annual Outdoor Sportsman Awards, Jan. 21, 2016, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Isaac Brekken/AP)
Willie Robertson welcomes Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to the stage during the Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel's 16th annual Outdoor Sportsman Awards, Jan. 21, 2016, in Las Vegas. 

It's a "Duck" house divided.

Willie Robertson, star of A&E’s hit show “Duck Dynasty,” announced his support for GOP front-runner Donald Trump on Thursday, one week after his father, Phil Robertson, endorsed Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for president.

The younger Robertson appeared alongside Trump Thursday at the Outdoor Sportsman Awards in Las Vegas, where he introduced the Manhattan real estate mogul. Robertson also made a crack about his dad’s support for Cruz.

“The man I have the honor of introducing is not afraid to tell it like it is, he’s not very politically correct, he’s very bold, he loves his country and he firmly stands behind the Second Amendment,” Roberston said. “I’m not talking about my father, OK? Phil’s not here, he had to cruise on back to Louisiana, so he’s unfortunately missing this event.”

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Trump returned the kind words.

“Willie is an amazing guy, he’s a friend of ours and just incredible, and it was very hard for him to get here. This was not easy for Willie. And you know, he’s got a hot show, to put it mildly,” Trump said. Later, he vowed to protect outdoorsmen and “what they love.”

All told, Thursday’s endorsement was less showy than that of the elder Robertson, who appeared in a highly produced video with Cruz last week. The two were shown duck hunting together in full camouflage.

“My qualifications for president of the United States are rather narrow: Is he or she godly, does he or she love us, can he or she do the job, and finally, would they kill a duck and put him in a pot and make him a good duck gumbo?” said Robertson. “I’ve looked at the candidates. Ted Cruz is my man.”

The video, entitled “Cruz Commander,” will run on both radio and TV as part of a $700,000 ad buy. It will air during “Duck Dynasty” and the NFL playoffs, the Cruz campaign announced last Tuesday.