Trump takes time from victory lap to swat at Ted Cruz

[rooster59]

Trump takes time from victory lap to swat at Ted Cruz

JONATHAN LEMIRE, Associated Press


CLEVELAND (AP) — A day after accepting the Republican presidential nomination, Donald Trump pivoted back to the GOP primaries on Friday, choosing to re-litigate a pair of monthsold battles with rival Ted Cruz.

In what should have been a feel-good victory lap the morning after his thundering acceptance speech, Trump instead defended his decision to retweet an unflattering photo of Cruz's wife, Heidi, and returned to wondering about possible links between Cruz's father and President John F. Kennedy's assassin. He also declared that he would never accept the Texas senator's backing.

"He'll come and endorse. It's because he has no choice. But I don't want his endorsement," Trump said. "Ted, stay home. Relax. Enjoy yourself."

Cruz, in Georgia on Friday to campaign for a Republican congressional candidate, never mentioned Trump but received a standing ovation upon his entrance and again when he mentioned "a little-noticed talk that I gave in Cleveland."

That "talk" was perhaps the most dramatic moment of the GOP's four-day convention. Dormant since ending his campaign in early May, Cruz reignited the personal feud between the top two finishers in the Republican primaries when he spoke at the convention but would not urge his hundreds of delegates to vote for Trump in November. Boos echoed across the arena.

Trump made no mention of his former rival during his acceptance speech Thursday night, but he switched gears Friday morning. The invitation-only event, billed as a thank-you reception for supporters and staff at Trump's Cleveland hotel, at first looked like it would simply consist of Trump and his running mate, Mike Pence, making perfunctory remarks saluting the convention and pledging to win in November.

Then Trump bore in on Cruz, calling his non-endorsement "dishonorable" before revisiting the hubbub over the celebrity businessman March's retweet of a post that juxtaposed an unflattering photo of Heidi Cruz with a glamour shot of Trump's wife, Melania, a former model. At the time, Cruz criticized Trump for involving his wife and Trump's responded by accusing a super PAC affiliated with Cruz of sending a risque photo of Melania Trump to Utah voters.

"I didn't start anything with the wife," Trump said Friday. "Then when I saw somebody tweeted a picture of Melania and a picture of Heidi, who I think, by the way, is a very nice woman and a very beautiful woman."

"I think (she's) the best thing he's got going and his kids if you want to know the truth," he continued during a nearly 15-minute ramble about Cruz.

Trump turned to justifying how, on the eve of the Indiana primary, he touted a story in the National Enquirer tabloid that printed a photo that purported to show Cruz's father, Rafael, with Lee Harvey Oswald.

"All I did was point out the fact that on the cover of the National Enquirer there was a picture of him and crazy Lee Harvey Oswald having breakfast," the GOP nominee said. "Did anybody ever deny that was the father? They're not saying, 'Oh that wasn't really my father.' It was a little hard to do. It looked like him."

Cruz, in May, denied that his father was in the photo.

The senator ignored questions Friday in Georgia about Trump's comments and about whether a personal apology from Trump might coax his endorsement. In a 25-minute speech, he called for Republicans to "come together and unite in the defense of liberty" to "defeat Hillary Clinton in the presidential election."

-- (c) Associated Press 2016-07-23

[NumbNut]

How small-minded is this flea? Like a young immature child, he can't let go of anything he perceives to have crossed him. What gravitas! So Presidential!

And you Trumkins are thinking of giving this bloke the freakin' launch keys... what's going to happen if someone 'annoys' him once he's Prez?

Don't you reckon it would be a good idea to have an adult as the leader of the free world, hmmm?

[Jingthing]

I think trump is certifiably insane but of course with his great (but obviously overstated) wealth that won't disqualify him from the presidency, if the American people are insane enough to vote for him.

What a contrast to Hillary Clinton's VP pick Tim Kaine ... probably too boring and moderate to excite the left wing, but obviously a very cheerful, optimistic, mentally BALANCED man.

Temperament is an issue. trump's temperament is SHOCKINGLY inappropriate for the presidency.

Edited July 23, 2016 by Jingthing

[Buzzz]

"Trump Takes Time For a Victory Lap at a thank-you reception for supporters and staff at Trump's Cleveland Hotel"

LOL The campaign donations are going to Trumps hotel and catering services.

I'll bet his hotel and ballrooms were booked solid all week with rooms paid for (full price) by donations and government employees.

"I made a killing...LOL" he tells his kids.

He probably has one of his sons giving him hourly reports on the campaign profits.

[Berkshire]

How small-minded is this flea? Like a young immature child, he can't let go of anything he perceives to have crossed him. What gravitas! So Presidential!

And you Trumkins are thinking of giving this bloke the freakin' launch keys... what's going to happen if someone 'annoys' him once he's Prez?

Don't you reckon it would be a good idea to have an adult as the leader of the free world, hmmm?

Trump supporters can't think that far ahead.

[Chicog]

It's a measure of just how thin-skinned Trump is that his first thoughts after what was supposed to be a landmark speech are to whinge about someone who wouldn't endorse him.

Can you imagine the tweets the stupid man would come out with when called into question by a foreign power?

[Chicog]

Delusional paranoia: Exactly what Trump is stoking, and trying to feed off.

Gullible lot eh?

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed. This topic is not about the Boston Police turning their back on President Obama. The topic is not about Obama attending the Dallas Police funeral either.

Edited July 24, 2016 by metisdead
Added note.

[Briggsy]

This is standard Trump behaviour. There are many first-hand reports on the internet, often from journalists, Trump's favourite target, but also from a range of people from other professions of Trump sustaining one-sided vendettas for years and years after the perceived slight or snub. This behaviour goes back decades to when Trump was relatively young.

Standard tactics include childish insults, both public (tweets / public comments) and private (abusive e-mails), pressure applied to the person's employer or manager to fire the target of his ire, endless litigation and use of staffers and aides to create a barrage of negative publicity about the target.

Edited July 24, 2016 by Briggsy

[Suradit69]

How small-minded is this flea? Like a young immature child, he can't let go of anything he perceives to have crossed him. What gravitas! So Presidential!

And you Trumkins are thinking of giving this bloke the freakin' launch keys... what's going to happen if someone 'annoys' him once he's Prez?

Don't you reckon it would be a good idea to have an adult as the leader of the free world, hmmm?

Trump supporters can't think that far ahead.

Sort of like the Brexit supporters who said they just wanted to send a message but didn't think it would actually happen.

Electing Trump would immediately shift Kim Jong-un and Robert Mugabe to second and third place on the list of petty, childish, egocentric & laughable world leaders.

I look forward to the debates (shudder) when he's actually going to have to explain policies or do anything besides trash talk about other people.

[dunroaming]

This has sunk to school playground stuff now. It would be great to find anyone who was worthy of the Presidency but we are just left with a corrupt untrustworthy candidate and a complete moron. Just remember America, you get what you vote for, so you will only have yourselves to blame!

God save America because neither of these two will.

[bassman]

Trump did what had to be done, shut the door on Lying Ted....Matter of fact, news today Kasich may endorse Trump. Train is leaving the station and rolling over the former Democrat Party now reduced to the Socialist Party that panders to cop killers; are shameless down right lairs, and conniving scumbags. Is their anyone left in the Demo party with any morale fiber left?

[Johnpound46]

How small-minded is this flea? Like a young immature child, he can't let go of anything he perceives to have crossed him. What gravitas! So Presidential!

And you Trumkins are thinking of giving this bloke the freakin' launch keys... what's going to happen if someone 'annoys' him once he's Prez?

Don't you reckon it would be a good idea to have an adult as the leader of the free world, hmmm?

My thoughts exactly when I read this: he's like an 8-year-old bully on steroids.

[Jingthing]

Many call him a baby man.

[PTC]

Trump did what had to be done, shut the door on Lying Ted....Matter of fact, news today Kasich may endorse Trump. Train is leaving the station and rolling over the former Democrat Party now reduced to the Socialist Party that panders to cop killers; are shameless down right lairs, and conniving scumbags. Is their anyone left in the Demo party with any morale fiber left?

Your words.

"Take a Kool Aid break, your (sic) a real tool"

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/933860-hacked-emails-show-democratic-party-hostility-to-sanders/page-2 Post 26

[Pinot]

How small-minded is this flea? Like a young immature child, he can't let go of anything he perceives to have crossed him. What gravitas! So Presidential!

And you Trumkins are thinking of giving this bloke the freakin' launch keys... what's going to happen if someone 'annoys' him once he's Prez?

Don't you reckon it would be a good idea to have an adult as the leader of the free world, hmmm?

Trump supporters can't think that far ahead.

Sort of like the Brexit supporters who said they just wanted to send a message but didn't think it would actually happen.

Electing Trump would immediately shift Kim Jong-un and Robert Mugabe to second and third place on the list of petty, childish, egocentric & laughable world leaders.

I look forward to the debates (shudder) when he's actually going to have to explain policies or do anything besides trash talk about other people.

Trump is a thin skinned fraud. He just made an important speech that should set off warning bells for every American...and the world. Forget Cruz. The Republicans just made Donald Trump the Republican nominee.

What an interesting time we live in. Who would have thunk it? Donald (Cheeto Jesus) Trump. YUGE.

I wanted to do more than just like this post and that line.

Electing Trump would immediately shift Kim Jong-un and Robert Mugabe to second and third place on the list of petty, childish, egocentric & laughable world leaders.

[dunroaming]

Well it all comes down to the numbers now. People will vote and one of the candidates will win and the American people will end up with the President that they want. After that it will be business as usual or the dire consequences of Trump in the White House. The people will decide but will those who voted the other way accept that? Doubtful I would say and then where does that leave us. A country even more divided than it is now? Four more years of hatred and vitriol or will things escalate even more? I think that 2017 will prove to be a pivotal year for the USA

[Scott]

Off-topic post and reply removed.