President Donald Trump said on Friday that he will host a “major rally” for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) in October—but several of the president’s mocking tweets about the senator from the 2016 presidential campaign have popped up, taking the thunder out of his announcement.
I will be doing a major rally for Senator Ted Cruz in October. I’m picking the biggest stadium in Texas we can find. As you know, Ted has my complete and total Endorsement. His opponent is a disaster for Texas – weak on Second Amendment, Crime, Borders, Military, and Vets!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 31, 2018
While Trump said that Cruz has his “complete and total endorsement” on Friday—just days after a poll found the race between Cruz and his Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke to be a near tie—his views on the senator were quite different in the heat of a presidential campaign.
In fact, in February 2016, the president wondered why anyone in Texas would vote for Cruz, a notion he clearly doesn’t still hold as he said he wants to hold a rally for him in “the biggest stadium in Texas we can find.”
“Why would the people of Texas support Ted Cruz when he has accomplished absolutely nothing for them. He is another all talk, no action pol!” the president wrote.
Why would the people of Texas support Ted Cruz when he has accomplished absolutely nothing for them. He is another all talk, no action pol!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2016
Trump also bashed Cruz a month later for failing to reach out to evangelical voters.
“The reason lyin’ Ted Cruz has lost so much of the evangelical vote is that they are very smart and just don’t tolerate liars-a big problem!” Trump wrote in March 2016.
The reason lyin’ Ted Cruz has lost so much of the evangelical vote is that they are very smart and just don’t tolerate liars-a big problem!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2016
Trump also questioned why voters in Texas would vote for Cruz if he was born in Canada.
“Why would Texans vote for ‘liar’ Ted Cruz when he was born in Canada, lived there for 4 years-and remained a Canadian citizen until recently,” the now-president wrote in February 2016.
Why would Texans vote for “liar” Ted Cruz when he was born in Canada, lived there for 4 years-and remained a Canadian citizen until recently
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2016
Of course, all of Trump’s old tweets about the senator were brought up on Friday in light of his announcement that he will campaign for him.
2018: Ted Cruz has Trump’s “complete and total endorsement”.
— Dave Hogg ✨ (@stareagle) August 31, 2018
2016: https://t.co/n9izx7K1fp
https://twitter.com/jchaltiwanger/status/1035577274089852928
“Why would the people of Texas support Ted Cruz when he has accomplished absolutely nothing for them. He is another all talk, no action pol!”
— diego (@diego__exe) August 31, 2018
-Donald J. Trump, February 28, 2016 https://t.co/189z8XseF6
At that rally will Trump pardon Ted Cruz’s father for killing JFK? https://t.co/MUIiQZmpxD
— RyanAdams.bsky.social 🎞 🌊 🏳️🌈🇺🇦🇹🇭 (@filmystic) August 31, 2018
https://twitter.com/thejamietaylor/status/1035597719866417153
However, it is possible the relationship between Trump and the senator may have changed since the heated presidential race.
In April, Cruz wrote a glowing blurb about the president for Time Magazine‘s Top 100, a list of the most influential people in the world, which was mocked online almost immediately.
“The same cultural safe spaces that blinkered coastal elites to candidate Trump’s popularity have rendered them blind to President Trump’s achievements on behalf of ordinary Americans,” the senator wrote.
Perhaps a write-up in a magazine the president has been known to enjoy is all it took to wash away the vitriol of a presidential election?
READ MORE:
- Texas GOP’s attempt to attack Beto O’Rourke over his old mugshot backfires
- Conservatives’ latest flag controversy is over a Neil Armstrong movie
- Trump’s disapproval rating just hit an all-time high
