We have fought the battle and he was a tough and brilliant opponent.
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Dismissing Cruz’s early overtures, Trump had attacked the Texas senator, dubbing him “Lyin’ Ted” and suggesting he wasn’t eligible to be president because he was born in Canada (most experts say that he was eligible since his mother was American).
“Ted’s support brings great value to the Trump team as our party coalesces and all conservatives unite to elect Trump and defeat Hillary Clinton”.
In May, Texas senator Mr Cruz said of the NY billionaire: “This man is a pathological liar”.
“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”.
Donald Trump and Ted Cruz at an ABC News Republican Debate at St. Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Meanwhile, Trump campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, who previously worked for a super PAC supporting Cruz, expressed her relief on social media. The endorsement surprised – and even angered – a host of conservatives who had looked to Cruz as the standard-bearer of the #NeverTrump movement, a man who had publicly refused to endorse the nominee at the Republican National Convention, declaring instead: “Vote your conscience!”
“I am greatly honored by the endorsement of Senator Cruz”, Trump said in a statement obtained by CNN.
“After months of careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience, I have decided that on Election Day, I will vote for the Republican nominee, Donald Trump”, Cruz said in a Facebook statement on Friday.
But it did, and now many conservatives and those in Cruz’s orbit are dismayed that the candidate they saw taking a principled stance against Trump is now backing the businessman.
In his statement, Cruz cited two reasons for his shift: his pledge to support the party nominee and his disdain for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Mr Cruz responded by calling his rival “utterly amoral” and “a narcissist at a level I don’t think this country’s ever seen”.
Cruz said he made a decision to back his former foe due to six key policy differences between Trump and Hillary Clinton, including the fate of the Supreme Court, Obamacare, immigration and energy. He faces a possible Senate primary challenge from Texas Representative Michael McCaul, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. Cruz wrote that Trump’s campaign has been “focusing more and more on freedom” over the past few weeks by emphasizing school choice and economic growth for Hispanic and African-Americans. Cruz had been facing growing pressure from donors to back Trump after staying on the sidelines since July.
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Mr Trump’s naming of key Cruz ally, Utah senator Mike Lee, in his updated list of potential Supreme Court picks announced on Friday helped ease tensions between the two camps.
