Ted Cruz won the Wisconsin Republican primary tonight, making it much more difficult for Donald Trump to win the GOP nomination before the convention in July (indeed, he now needs the same percent of remaining delegates as Bernie Sanders does to win the Democrat primary). As the results were coming in, The Donald released a pitiful, nasty statement unworthy of a presidential candidate.
Look up “sore loser” in the dictionary, and you’re likely to find the Trump campaign statement after Wisconsin. Yes, it is that bad. Don’t believe me? Fine, here it is in all of its glory:
NEW: Trump campaign statement tonight pic.twitter.com/ycqP3IJYWn
— Robert Costa (@costareports) April 6, 2016
In one statement, Trump denounced Cruz as a liar(no surprise there), a “puppet,” and an establishment “Trojan horse.” Furthermore, The Donald accused Cruz of coordinating with Super PACs and being “totally” controlled by them.
A Tea Party conservative might find it ironic that Trump compares Cruz (once nearly universally hated among GOP elites) to the “establishment,” declaring that he had “the entire party apparatus behind him.” It is true that more moderate Republicans such as Mitt Romney, Lindsey Graham, and Jeb Bush have supported Cruz, but the Texas senator is still a far cry from an “establishment puppet.”
These are less the arguments of a confident challenger and more the complaints of a spoiled child. Some have characterized such comments as “extreme whining,” not without merit. Trump also complained about being treated unfairly on other occasions, especially by Fox News. Here’s a newsflash: Presidents do not get treated fairly. If you really want to win this thing, you need to accept that.
Trump breaks a lot of political rules, but one that amazes me most is his extreme whining — normally that kills campaigns — Benjy Sarlin (@BenjySarlin) April 6, 2016
Compare this statement with Marco Rubio’s concession speech, or don’t. After all, it’s impossible to compare petulant whining with dignified withdrawal.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member