In a significant endorsement that sent ripples through party politics, one of the most formidable rivals to Donald Trump in the 2016 election has thrown his support behind him.
During an appearance on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show on Tuesday night, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) declared full support for Trump after his historical landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses, the same location where Cruz narrowly defeated Trump eight years ago in his own presidential bid.
“Congratulations to President Trump on that dominating victory,” Cruz told Hannity.
“At this point, I believe this race is over, so I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for President of the United States,” Cruz continued, adding, “I look forward to supporting him enthusiastically.”
Watch:
Senator Ted Cruz: “I believe this race is over, so I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for President of the United States.” pic.twitter.com/qQ3RWRFw33
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) January 17, 2024
Fox News reported:
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz endorsed Donald Trump for president Tuesday night and called for the country to unify behind the Republican frontrunner.
“I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for President of the United States,” Cruz said on “Hannity.” “I look forward to supporting him enthusiastically.”
Cruz, who fiercely battled Trump in the 2016 election primaries, argued that the results of the Iowa caucuses showed there is only one viable Republican nominee.
“[Iowa] was a dominating victory for Donald Trump: I’ve got to say, there’s no place like the Iowa caucuses. I know it intimately. The men and women of Iowa, they take their responsibility incredibly seriously. They scrutinize the candidates,” Cruz said.
Earlier this week, President Trump scored another huge Senate endorsement from Florida’s Marco Rubio (R-FL).
Cruz is the 24th US Senator to endorse President Trump.
From The Hill:
Cruz joined with at least 23 other U.S. senators who have endorsed Trump in the GOP presidential primary. The Texas senator has endorsed Trump in his two other election bids in 2020 and 2016.
Cruz backed Trump in 2016 after dropping his own presidential bid in the primaries that year. Trump had hurled personal insults at him throughout the campaign — insults that he later reportedly apologized for.
Cruz has also recently defended Trump amid his ongoing criminal cases, accusing Democrats of “weaponizing the legal system.”
On Monday night, President Trump secured an impressive 51% of the vote and 98 out of the state’s 99 counties, significantly outperforming Ron DeSantis, who came in at a very distant second place with 21.2%. Despite a substantial super PAC investment on his behalf, DeSantis narrowly surpassed Nikki Haley, who was gaining momentum rapidly and nearly surpassed him.
Following these results, both Vivek Ramaswamy and Asa Hutchinson, who finished fourth and sixth, respectively, opted to suspend their campaigns.
As Breaking Digest previously reported, following the Iowa caucuses on Monday night, Vivek announced his withdrawal from the race and endorsed Trump.
