Thread: Donald Trump after primary win: Ted Cruz 'has got an amazing future'

Donald Trump after primary win: Ted Cruz 'has got an amazing future'

S.P. Sullivan
May 04, 2016 at 2:28 AM

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump struck a much friendlier tone following his sweeping victory in the Indiana primary Tuesday night, offering praise for his former GOP rival and curbing criticisms of his likely Democratic opponent.

"We had a tremendous victory tonight," Trump told staff and supporters gathered at his New York City skyscraper, Trump Tower.

His comments came as his chief party rival, Ted Cruz, bowed out of the race only an hour earlier. Ohio Gov. John Kasich remains the only other contender in the GOP contest.

The competition between Trump and Cruz frequently took turns toward the personal in recent weeks, but shortly after Cruz conceded the race, Trump had nothing but praise for the former Texas senator.

"He is one hell of a competitor," Trump said of Cruz, whom he had dubbed "Lyin' Ted" in the race, suggesting at one point that Cruz's father had a hand in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. "He is a tough, smart guy, and he has got an amazing future."

Trump said Republicans will have to bring "unity" to the party ahead of November.

As he turned his attention to his main opponent, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, his criticisms were decidedly policy focused — a contrast to his controversial statement a week earlier that Clinton was playing "the woman card."

"She will not be a great president," the billionaire businessman and former Atlantic City casino mogul said. "She will not be a good president. She will be a poor president."

Trump's only specific attack on Clinton was her husband, former President Bill Clinton's, support for the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he said was causing Americans to lose jobs.

Trump's nicer tone may signal a shift in attitude as the bombastic real estate mogul seeks a broader base for the general election.

"This is going to become one big, loving country," he told supporters.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf...ctory_ton.html

Donald Trump Praises 'Tough, Smart' Ted Cruz After Senator Drops Out of Race

By Meghan Keneally
May 3, 2016, 9:37 PM ET

Donald Trump has formally turned his attention to November's general election after Sen. Ted Cruz dropped out of the Republican presidential race Tuesday night, following Trump's projected win in Indiana's primary.

Before even naming either Cruz or Ohio governor John Kasich -- who remains in the race -- in his post-primary win speech at Trump Tower in Manhattan, Trump took a shot at Hillary Clinton.

"We're going after Hillary Clinton," Trump said of the Democratic presidential front-runner. "She will not be a great president, she will not be a good president. She will be a poor president."

He then spoke fondly about Cruz, who he regularly referred to as "Lyin' Ted" throughout the campaign.

"I've competed all my life...and I have to tell you, I have met some of the most incredible competitors that I have ever competed against right here in the Republican party," Trump said. "Ted Cruz, I don't know if he likes me or doesn't like me, but he is one hell of a competitor. He is a tough, smart guy. And he has got an amazing future."

Earlier Tuesday, Cruz called Trump "a pathological liar," among other insults.

Trump started out the speech by thanking Indiana for his win in the state tonight.

"The people of Indiana have been incredible," Trump said, calling his win in the Hoosier State a "tremendous victory."

"It really looks like a massive victory, and it looks like we win all 57 delegates," he said.

Trump's speech came shortly after Sen. Ted Cruz suspended his presidential campaign. Now Trump and Kasich are the only Republican candidates remaining.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donal...ry?id=38858187

4 Issues That Hurt Ted Cruz Ahead of the Suspension of His Campaign

By Meghan Keneally
May 3, 2016, 9:20 PM ET

There were warning signs that things were going south for Ted Cruz ahead of his loss in Indiana tonight and the subsequent suspension of his presidential campaign.

A combination of momentum working against him and some last-ditch efforts that were perceived by some as desperate landed Cruz squarely in second place in the Indiana Republican primary.

"We gave it everything we've got, but the voters chose another path and so with a heavy heart, but with boundless optimism, for the long term future of our nation, we are suspending our campaign," Cruz said tonight, adding that he is not "suspending our fight for liberty."

Here are four issues that appear to have led to the end for Cruz:

Momentum Mess

Going into Indiana, it appears that Donald Trump had accrued enough momentum to help him win the state.

The Indiana primary came a week after the so-called "Acela" primary of five northeastern states, which Trump swept, and two weeks after Trump's dramatic victory in his home state of New York.

James Campbell, a professor of political science at the University at Buffalo, said that there was "something of a momentum shift" in the Republican race after those primaries that impacted the results in Indiana.

"That kind of got people thinking that Trump was inevitable and that usually brings some undecideds or torn voters to a candidacy," Campbell told ABC News.

A Less-Than-Stellar Endorsement

Cruz hoped to replicate his Wisconsin victory in Indiana as both are Midwestern states with similar demographics. And in both Indiana and Wisconsin, Cruz had the endorsements of their respective Republican governors.

That said, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's endorsement was not quite as enthusiastic as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's.

While Walker regularly campaigned alongside Cruz, Pence made his endorsement during a radio show appearance and went on to give Trump a shout-out during his endorsement of Cruz, saying, "I like and respect all three" of the Republican candidates.

A Failed Alliance

Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Cruz paired up, in theory, agreeing to coordinate their campaigns in order to raise their party's chances of beating Trump.

But, according to a NBC/WSJ/Marist poll in Indiana released on Sunday, there were more voters in the state that disapproved of the short-lived "alliance" than those that did.

Fifty-eight percent of likely Republican primary voters in Indiana said they disapproved of Cruz and Kasich teaming up to beat Trump in the Hoosier State, while 34 percent said they approved of the move.

'Desperate' Move

Cruz added his name to the history list, becoming the second Republican candidate ever to name a vice presidential nominee before becoming the nominee himself.

It didn't help Ronald Reagan back in 1976 when he was the first person to do it, and it didn't help Cruz the second time around.

According to a CNN/ORC national poll released Monday, 67 percent of Republicans said that Fiorina's addition did not have much effect on how they would vote, while 18 percent said it made them more likely to vote for Cruz and 14 percent said less likely.

Marjorie Hershey, a political science professor at Indiana University, said that the Fiorina announcement showed "increased desperation on the Cruz campaign."

"It's not normally regarded as the action of a likely winner. ... Why would he need to do that if he felt really confident?" she told ABC News.

Campbell said that both the alliance and the Fiorina announcement were likely an effort to not only stop the bleeding but also turn the race around.

"I think those moves were meant to short circuit or reset the campaign that seemed to be drifting away from them," Campbell said. "I don't think they caused the drift, I think the drift was caused by momentum and other things."

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/issue...ry?id=38857816

Now, get Kasich off the campaign trail and back to Ohio to ready his state for a wonderful, unified Republican National Convention.

Ted Cruz 'has got an amazing future' ... in Canada. Throw this little rat out of government and ship him back to Canada ... or Cuba ... or where ever.

Did Trump promise Cruz something to get him to drop out? Is this what he means by having "an amazing future"?

I was thinking with a law firm. I think Ted Cruz political career is over. I don't think Texas will send him back to the Senate when his time comes up. They were sort of tricked into sending him to DC to begin with.

I think his marriage might be over, did you see that elbow to Heidi's head when he hugged his dad?

I think so too, joe s. Did you see those long hugs with Carly during the campaign? Strange. And where was her husband?

You guys are unreal. All the hate and empty rhetoric during his campaign and now, after he bows out, you want to imply his marriage is over and that his hugs are somehow inappropriate. Cruz is out so can we please put him behind us and move on to beating Hillary?

Cruz is still in the US Senate. He's not bowed out of that yet. He voted for TPP, wrote an OpEd with Paul Ryan supporting and promoting the TPP, and went on a PR tour promoting the TPP to talk radio and breitbart and others. Cruz also supported legalization of illegal aliens, increasing H1B's by 500% and doubling green card immigration.

Lyin' Ted won't be getting any slack from me.