This week, Ted Cruz gave up his long-spanning Donald Trump hate fest and publically announced his endorsement of the Republican nominee as the only force strong enough to take on Hillary Clinton. While the Texas senator and former presidential candidate hopeful has never even been a member of the Trump fan club, he’s reluctantly been made its new president. (Hey, at least he can say he’s the president of something now!) In light of this announcement, we’re looking back at the long-standing feud between the two men, and examining new developments that have emerged since the endorsement. In addition, we’ve also included a compilation of gifs that highlight some of Cruz’s most memorable (embarrassing, funny, and awkward) moments on the campaign trail.
1. The two have never liked each other. Ever.
We’re going to say this a lot: Cruz has never been Trump’s biggest fan, and Trump has always been quick to insult Trump. Each man has, on several occasions, roasted the other for their views, specific actions in the primaries, and/or comments made about each other’s spouses. Trump has accused Cruz’s wife of having an affair, hinted that his father was involved in the JFK assassination, and has even given Cruz the affectionate nickname, “Lyin’ Ted Cruz” in all of his tweets about his opponent. Cruz has fired back in the past, calling Trump a “sniveling coward,” “consistently disgraceful,” and failing to endorse Trump at the Republican National Convention, telling the audience to vote with their conscience.
2. The feud goes beyond the men.
Cruz and Trump have been butting heads since the beginning of election season when they announced their candidacies, but side from a (probably) personal dislike for each other, the two fundamentally differ on their political platforms. Cruz and Trump respectively represent a great divide in the Republican party that has been earning a lot of buzz. More conservative, religiously-affiliated Republicans have found favor in Cruz, whereas those that align with more extremist views have named Trump their guiding light. This divide is causing a serious commotion within the party that may result in a large backlash, like the splitting of the party, or talks of reform.
3. Cruz refused to answer the question; “Do you believe Donald Trump is fit to be president?” Even after his endorsement…
In perhaps the least inconspicuous way possible, Cruz danced around that question and answered a completely different one. In an interview with the Texas Tribune, Cruz refused to say that Trump is fit to be president, but rather discussed the notion that this election has come down to a process of choosing the lesser of two evils. “I think we have one of two choices.” the senator said, shortly before refusing to defend a number of Trump’s most controversial platforms, including the wall on the border of Mexico, the banning of Muslims from America, the institution of a national stop-and-frisk policy, and others.
“I have no intention of defending everything Donald Trump says and does,” said Cruz. “I have been very clear that I have significant disagreements with him.” Rather than defend Trump’s positions, he elected to instead take the offense, saying a Trump presidency will be better for the country than a Clinton one.
4. Cruz called the decision to endorse Trump “agonizing.”
Yep, that’s the exact word he used. Like we stated earlier, Cruz has never been Trump’s biggest fan. That being said, he didn’t hold back in the description of his thought process on the decision. Cruz also discussed the political and professional ramifications of his decision, including a loss of support and respect from the public.