"Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet -- he is a Trojan horse": Spoiled Donald Trump throws a temper tantrum after losing Wisconsin primary

Predictably, Trump lashes out at "Lyin' Ted" after suffering his first election night without a win since Iowa

By Sophia Tesfaye

Senior Politics Editor

Published April 6, 2016 3:15AM (EDT)

Donald Trump, Ted Cruz   (Reuters/Carlos Barria/Jeff Malet, maletphoto.com/Photo montage by Salon)
Donald Trump, Ted Cruz (Reuters/Carlos Barria/Jeff Malet, maletphoto.com/Photo montage by Salon)

Wisconsinites just don't like Donald Trump very much. On Tuesday, Republican voters rejected the loud-mouthed billionaire for the more demure but no less radical Texas Senator Ted Cruz and boy did that make Trump pretty upset.

Shrugging off his disastrous performance in recent weeks, the Republican presidential frontrunner predicted a win in Wisconsin a day before voters in the Badger State headed to the ballot boxes, despite polling showing a likely upset by Cruz. Campaigning in the state on Monday, Trump pointed to a key endorsement for one-time rival and also-ran Marco Rubio in the early state of South Carolina. "It was over and then I won in a landslide," Trump reminded supporters in Wisconsin.

But when the Associated Press declared Cruz, not Trump, the winner in Wisconsin, the thin-skinned candidate snapped and sent out a press release that reads like the tantrum of a 12-year-old, as the real-estate magnate turned reality-TV star hasn't faced an election day without a win since losing the first contest in Iowa.

"Lyin' Ted Cruz had the Governor of Wisconsin, many conservative talk radio show hosts, and the entire party apparatus behind him," a Trump campaign press release reads, accusing the Tea Party Senator of illegally coordinating with a supportive super PAC and the Republican Party of unethically working to sabotage Trump's campaign.

Trump, seemingly sensing an overwhelming loss in the Badger State, did not hold any campaign events Tuesday night but also didn't hold back from lashing out at Cruz and accusing the Republican Party of conspiring to unduly deny him the nomination. "Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet -- he is a trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump":

For his part, Cruz mostly kept focused on the enemies he's spent an entire career attacking -- Democrats.

"Tonight, Wisconsin has lit a candle guiding the way forward. Tonight, we have hope for the future," Cruz said during his victory speech, calling his win in Wisconsin a "turning point." A top Cruz adviser, however, did comment on Trump's snappy statement to Washington Post's Robert Costa: “Donald Trump has a real problem when he gets his tail kicked"


By Sophia Tesfaye

Sophia Tesfaye is Salon's senior editor for news and politics, and resides in Washington, D.C. You can find her on Twitter at @SophiaTesfaye.

MORE FROM Sophia Tesfaye


Related Topics ------------------------------------------

Donald Trump Election 2016 Elections 2016 Gop Civil War Ted Cruz Wisconsin Primary