Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) endorsed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump Friday afternoon after holding out at the Republican National Convention over the summer. When Trump, now the GOP nominee, went after Cruz’s dad and wife, Cruz said, he “abrogated” a GOP unity pledge all the candidates signed previous year.
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“Second, even though I have had areas of significant disagreement with our nominee, by any measure Hillary Clinton is wholly unacceptable – that’s why I have always been * a class=”_58cn” href=”https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/neverhillary?source=feed_text&story_id=10154476728267464″ data-ft=”{“tn”:”*N”,”type”:104}” *#NeverHillary”.
Cruz’s endorsement of Trump left behind a tense relationship between the two top Republican contenders, which was full of sarcasm, acrimony and even animosity.
Mr Cruz responded by calling his rival “utterly amoral” and “a narcissist at a level I don’t think this country’s ever seen”.
This announcement comes after a contentious primary season that culminated with the Texas firebrand telling supporters to vote their conscience at the Republican National Convention rather than the party’s nominee.
During the RNC, Cruz received a standing ovation as he took the stage but was booed offstage after he withheld the endorsement and instead advised Americans to “vote your conscience”.
Trump undoubtedly has a passionate base of support, seen clearly among the thousands of backers who fill the stands at his signature rallies.
Since the convention speech, polls have suggested that Cruz’s popularity was slipping nationally and in Texas – where he could face a primary challenger for re-election in 2018, The Associated Press reported.
Trump had dubbed Cruz “Lyin’ Ted”, mocked his wife’s looks on Twitter, and accused his father of possibly being involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It also followed news of Heidi Cruz, his wife, rejoining Goldman Sachs in the Houston office. Cruz had been facing growing pressure from donors to back Trump after staying on the sidelines since July.
Cruz and Trump had traded harsh words during the primary race and the tones of their statements Friday reflected their differences. Ted Cruz is suddenly endorsing his tormentor for USA president.
Ted Cruz may have made a decision to endorse Trump on the merits he mentioned in his Facebook post, but many are having a hard time believing, after looking at the numbers, that they didn’t influence him even a little.
Many Trump supporters such as Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Fox TV personality Sean Hannity welcomed Cruz’s change of heart.
“This election, some people who are discouraged, demoralized, who say “I’m going to go fishing” – I understand that sentiment, I promise you”, he said.
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Wednesday, Trump’s campaign expressed support for a Cruz-backed, Internet-related proposal in government funding talks in the Senate. At the time, it seemed like a risky, but worthwhile strategy: Sanders voters seemed to be coming around to Clinton and down-ballot Democrats could tie their opponents to Trump’s vile policies and comments. Trump ranted about Cruz at a news conference and replied that he didn’t want his endorsement anyway. “While my brother and I might disagree as to which of the two lists is better, they’re both great lists and I’m flattered to be on this one”.
