How Ted Cruz and Donald Trump went from frenemies to foes | McClatchy Washington Bureau

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:

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:

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.

But by January, as Cruz’s poll numbers improved in Iowa, the bromance fizzled. Trump and Cruz directly butted heads at the sixth Republican presidential debate in North Charleston, and Cruz began punching at Trump in earnest.

It seemed to work, at first. Cruz won Iowa, the nation’s first contest. But Trump seized on reports that Cruz’s campaign had incorrectly told voters candidate Ben Carson was dropping out and began accusing him of stealing the state. In response, Cruz began using hashtags like #DuckingDonald and #Trumpertantrum, seeking to paint the brash candidate as unreliable and cowardly.

Then Trump won New Hampshire, and kept winning. His attacks on Cruz as “Lyin’ Ted” only grew more frequent. As his poll numbers wilted, Cruz insisted Trump would never be the nominee as recently as the end of March, when he hammered the businessman for attacking his wife Heidi on Twitter.

By the time Trump swept five Northeast states in mid-April, Cruz turned to desperate measures.

He struck a bargain with John Kasich, the only other remaining challenger, to step aside in delegate-rich Indiana in an attempt to go one-on-one with Trump. But by the time Cruz made his final stand there, he had foundered, futilely challenging Trump to a debate in the state and calling him a “pathological liar” and a “serial philanderer.”

It made no difference on Tuesday night. After polls closed, the race was immediately called for Trump, who carried the state by more than 15 points. Less than two hours later, Cruz took the stage in Indianapolis to say he was suspending his campaign.

“From the beginning I said I would continue on, as long as there was a viable path,” Cruz said. “Tonight, I’m sorry to say, it appears that path has been foreclosed.”

He never mentioned Donald Trump.