Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump claims he sent former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush so far into “oblivion” that it’s no wonder the ex-White House hopeful chose to endorse Ted Cruz.
“Low energy Jeb Bush just endorsed a man he truly hates, Lyin’ Ted Cruz,” Trump tweeted Wednesday afternoon. “Honestly, I can’t blame Jeb in that I drove him into oblivion!”
Hours before Trump’s latest Twitter rampage against his erstwhile Republican rival, Bush announced his support for Cruz in a statement provided to CNN.
“Ted is a consistent, principled conservative who has demonstrated the ability to appeal to voters and win primary contests,” he said. “Washington is broken, and the only way Republicans can hope to win back the White House and put our nation on a better path is to support a nominee who can articulate how conservative policies will help people rise up and reach their full potential.”
Bush’s endorsement, Trump also claimed Wednesday, is a liability for the Texas senator, who’s proudly worn the anti-establishment badge throughout his campaign.
I think having Jeb’s endorsement hurts Lyin’ Ted. Jeb spent more than $150,000,000 and got nothing. I spent a fraction of that and am first!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 23, 2016
Cruz, however, believes his ability to earn Bush’s support sends a clear signal to Republican voters that his appeal transcends traditional conservatives and the Tea Party movement.
“If you think about it, in the last 10 days, we’ve been endorsed by Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, Mike Lee and Mark Levin,” he noted Wednesday morning on CNN.
