Proving politics really does make for unusual bedfellows, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump warmly embraced the endorsement of former rival, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, even as numerous latter’s supporters denounced the move.
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Republican Texas Senator and former presidential hopeful Ted Cruz has finally endorsed GOP nominee Donald Trump for U.S. president, ending a long-running feud with the NY businessman.
An announcement would be the latest twist in a contentious relationship between Trump and Cruz, his closest competitor in the Republican nomination race.
Kasich, who earlier took a pledge to support the eventual GOP presidential nominee when he was in the field with Trump and others, said he is still not comfortable enough with Trump to sign on in support of the NY tycoon.
At the convention, Cruz dramatically declined to endorse the nominee.
Mr Cruz responded by calling his rival “utterly amoral” and “a narcissist at a level I don’t think this country’s ever seen”.
Most Republican primary voters tuned this out; and of course, most delegates booed when Cruz suggested that there were principles keeping true conservatives from backing Trump. Trump called Cruz “Lyin’ Ted”, personally attacked his wife, and floated rumors that his Cuban-born father was involved in John F. Kennedy’s assassination.
The question of whether to back Mr. Trump has divided Mr. Cruz’s top aides for months.
Cruz said he talked to Trump Friday, and that Trump has not apologized for the attacks. “Trump has said he would sign it”.
Start here: Cruz’s high-profile snubbing of Trump in a speech at the Republican National convention did two things.
“It’s easy to say ‘Make America Great Again, ‘ ” Cruz said in one often-repeated riff.
But Mr. Cruz’s statement went beyond the perfunctory, praising the policy aims and recent campaign promises of a man he once called a “pathological liar”.
The issue has weighed heavily on Cruz, 45, who faces re-election to the Senate in 2018 and has kept the door open to running for president again. Today, a rote news release informed reporters that Trump was “greatly honored” by the endorsement.
Yet Cruz expressed real concern about the political ramifications of his decision, characterizing it as “agonizing” and aware that he was certain to upset a large swath of his supporters.
But on Friday night, hours after finally endorsing Trump, Cruz said he is willing to put the personal acrimony behind him. The Texas senator released nine years of his returns, while Trump has refused to release any.
Cruz’s concession comes after a contentious Republican primary, where Trump launched a vitriolic, no-holds-barred offensive on Cruz and his family.
Earlier Friday, Trump added 10 names to the list he says he’d use to fill Supreme Court vacancies if he becomes president.
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Mike Lee wasn’t going to let Ted Cruz down. First, it made the Trump forces – and many rank-and-file Republicans – very angry.
