GOP front-runner Donald Trump on Friday night followed up a Twitter assault on rival Ted Cruz with a barrage of insults at a campaign event in Iowa, appearing to signal an end to his friendly relationship with the Senator from Texas.
But on Saturday morning, the billionaire New York real estate developer tried to downplay the unpleasantness, saying he was "having a little fun with Ted" at the rally.
"We have had a very good relationship," Trump told Fox News'
"Fox and Friends Weekend" on Saturday. "I'm sure it will end because, you know, he has got to come after me at some point. I'm leading by a lot as you know, so at some point he is going to come after me but I like him and I think he likes me. And we have had some fun on the trail."
The tension has been growing between the Trump and the Texas Senator since earlier this week, when a
New York Times article reported that Cruz had said at a private fundraiser that Trump is facing a "challenging question" about whether he has the "judgment" to be president.
According to an
audio recording provided to the Times by a person who attended the Madison Avenue meeting along with about 70 other people, Cruz discussed the election, tying Trump in with Ben Carson.
"Both of them I like and respect,” Cruz is heard saying in the recording. “I don't believe either one of them is going to be our president.”
Cruz was still aiming for peace on Friday afternoon,
tweeting that a fight with Trump is just what establishment Republicans want:
Cruz posted his conciliatory tweet after Trump's earlier barrage against him:
But even after Cruz insisted that he liked Trump, the businessman's gloves came off in Des Moines, reports
The Washington Post.
In his speech, Trump slammed Cruz repeatedly for not supporting subsidies for ethanol, a major business for farm-centric Iowa, and said that the Texas senator was taking the stand against ethanol because he is tied to major Texas oil companies.
Trump also questioned Cruz' appeal to Iowa evangelicals, making a reference to Cuba, where Cruz' father is from.
“We're doing really well with the evangelicals,” Trump said. “And, by the way — and again, I do like Ted Cruz — but not a lot of evangelicals come out of Cuba, in all fairness. It's true. Not a lot come out. But I like him nevertheless. But I think we're going to do great, and we are doing great with evangelicals.”
Cruz' campaign didn't respond to the taunts, reports
the Post, but radio show host Steve Deace, considered a surrogate for Cruz in Iowa, posted on
Facebook that the senator has already locked down his support in the state and advised him not to "go to war" with Trump.
Trump also slammed super PACs, calling them "no good" and pointing out that none of the fundraisers are supporting his candidacy. Meanwhile, Cruz' super PACs have raised almost $38 million since his campaign started, reports the Post.
On TV Saturday morning, Trump insisted he and Cruz have some similar ideas, but there also are differences.
"There is a difference in temperament and I would give myself the advantage in temperament, you know, putting people together," Trump said.
However, even in slamming Cruz, Trump still called the Texan a "nice guy," the Post reported.
Trump and Cruz could lose out if they attack each other, the Post suggests, because both appeal to the same types of voters, and a fight between them could push some supporters to follow other candidates.
Cruz has avoided attacking Trump, and has defended him, including after the businessman's campaign announcement statements about Mexicans drew fire.
However, Cruz did reject Trump's call to bar Muslims from coming into the United States, while still saying, "I like Donald Trump."
A Cruz aide said the campaign is preparing for the possibility of Trump striking harder if Cruz threatens his status as a front-runner, but will not resort to "petty attacks."
"We have done our homework. There's nothing that they will hit us with that will surprise us,” the unnamed aide said.
One of those attacks could come on whether Cruz, who was born in Canada, meets the legal requirement to run for president.
His father was from Cuba, Cruz' wife, Heidi, explained at an appearance in Missouri this week, but his mother was born in the United States. Legal scholars have determined he is a natural-born citizen, which meets the Constitutional requirement for president. Still, she predicted, "Trump will probably attack him on it."
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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