The attack Trump most frequently deployed against Cruz was the nickname the real estate mogul turned politician used to describe his competition: “Lyin’ Ted”.
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After dissing Donald Trump at this summer’s “Republican” national convention – and paying a hefty political price – U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas has made a decision to drop his indifference and make good on his prior pledge to back the GOP presidential nominee.
Cruz, the Junior Senator from Texas, who lost out to Trump after a bitter primary fight involving at times hitting below the belt early this year, on Friday said he would vote for Trump in the November general elections.
“That pledge was not a blanket commitment that if you go slander and attack Heidi, then I’m going to nonetheless come like a servile puppy dog and say thank you very much for maligning my wife and maligning my father”, Cruz said.
Cruz endorsing Trump are not completely surprising, in the last few weeks Mike Pence who is Trump’s vice presidential nominee started to exchange communications with Ted Cruz and even met at Capitol Hill.
“For the first time in many decades, American voters have the chance to turn their backs on the political elite, an elite both Democrat and Republican, that has chosen as its leader Hillary Clinton, a dedicated foe of both the First and Second Amendments and the most dishonest, corrupt, and incompetent politician ever to seek the American presidency”, the statement read.
Trump responded to the news by saying he was “greatly honored” to have the endorsement of “a tough and brilliant opponent”.
“It’s easy to say ‘Make America Great Again, ‘ ” Cruz said in one often-repeated riff. “And I have not been at all reluctant to articulate exactly why I believe that I should be the nominee instead of him”, Cruz said.
Cruz also cited Trump’s opposition to Obamacare and his views on immigration. Even supporters were angry he wasn’t backing Trump despite promising to do back whoever the eventual nominee was.
Mr Cruz and Mr Trump had traded harsh words during the primary race for the party nomination, and the tone of their statements on Friday reflected their differences.
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.
The endorsement may also be calculated to help Cruz’s chances for reelection in 2018.
Hours before the endorsement became official, Trump added Sen.
“This really now unifies conservatives and Republicans around Donald Trump”, said Corey Stewart, Donald Trump’s Virginia campaign chairman.
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Cruz offered little defense of Trump’s most outrageous positions and comments, including his proposed ban on Muslim immigrants. More importantly, donors who had bet on Cruz excoriated him for not being a Trump team player.
