Elections

How Ted Cruz and Donald Trump went from frenemies to foes

By ELIZABETH KOH

ekoh@mcclatchy.com

May 04, 2016 07:04 AM

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, walks off the stage following a primary night campaign event, Tuesday, May 3, 2016, in Indianapolis. Darron Cummings AP

When Ted Cruz became the first Republican candidate to announce he was running for president last year, it was hard to imagine he would lose to Donald Trump.

Cruz had made his name as a self-described “Washington outsider,” methodically harnessing the grassroots conservative movement to a U.S. Senate seat in 2012. He hoped to do so again, tapping into the same current of voter frustration and anger. At that time, Trump was still a loud, crass businessman whose public flirtation with running for office had gone on for years.

So when the real estate mogul announced he would be a contender for the White House last June, Cruz embraced Trump rather than denounce him:

June 16, 2015
">

Pundits expected Trump’s candidacy to fall apart: the candidate had little infrastructure and a predisposition to inflammatory statements. But as Trump suggested he would deport Mexicans and claim Sen. John McCain was not a war hero, his polls numbers went up, not down.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Jeb Bush challenged Trump and failed. But Cruz continued to play nice. When Cruz held a rally against the administration’s deal with Iran last summer, Trump got an invite and a shoutout:

August 27, 2015
">

Even as Trump began to raise concerns about Cruz’s past Canadian citizenship and suggest he was a “maniac,” Cruz continued to insist that they wouldn’t turn on each other. He told fundraisers he would continue to “bear hug” the front runner in hopes of later tapping into his support, the New York Times reported.

December 11, 2015