On Friday, Ted Cruz waved hello to the darkness and endorsed Donald Trump. The announcement was preceded by speculation, after which Cruz issued a not so enthusiastic message to his Facebook page. He had deliberated for many months “of prayer and searching my own conscience,” and in the end, he decided to vote for Trump. He added that he was honoring the previous endorsement pledge taken by all Republican candidates, which leads to the conclusion that Cruz is playing the long game with the GOP. He may sense a Trump loss and hope to mend fences after his defiant and deliciously public endorsement refusal at the RNC. This may all be for a Cruz 2020 bid.
Cruz also listed the many points why he’s committed to his “#NeverHillary” stance. He rants about his distaste for Hillary Clinton’s immigration and health care policies, and Trump seems like an afterthought. However, the internet is not treating this endorsement as an afterthought. Commenters on Cruz’s Facebook post are so disappointed. Folks will be prying Cruz bumper stickers off their cars tonight!
This small sampling from Ted Cruz's Facebook page is BRUTAL. pic.twitter.com/hYbBm9UM6j
— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) September 23, 2016
And Hillary Clinton’s Twitter account swiftly retweeted an old Cruz tweet.
Many of the Twitter reactions call out Cruz for apparently backtracking on all of the insults he’s tossed Trump’s way. Behold.
https://twitter.com/AndrewKirell/status/779407303695015936
After convention bravery, Ted Cruz's polls dropped, so hell with honor. He'll now vote for Trump. #GOP has no soul. pic.twitter.com/sjdzh47FR8
— Bryan Dawson🇺🇸 (@BryanDawsonUSA) September 23, 2016
Ted Cruz and His Conscience Amicably Part Ways
please respect their privacy at this time— Alexandra Petri (@petridishes) September 23, 2016
Ted Cruz walks into a bar. A man spits in his face. Cruz makes a fist, then buys the man a drink.
Nothing mattered. It hadn't for years.
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) September 23, 2016
Just exhilarated by this race between Ted Cruz and Paul Ryan to see who can stand for less.
— Louis Virtel (@louisvirtel) September 23, 2016
CRUZ: [singing] 🎤 No matter what they take from me, they can't take away…
TRUMP: [interrupting] Hand over your dignity, Ted.
CRUZ: Yes, sir.— Sweet Meteor O'Death (@smod4real) September 23, 2016
Ted Cruz releases medical records that show his spine is made of gummy worms.
— Mike Birbiglia (@birbigs) September 23, 2016
Ted Cruz is your "vegetarian" friend who eats steak when there's totally no other options. 😷😷
— Gregory Pizarro Jr. (@gregpizarrojr) September 23, 2016
Naturally, there were some Zodiac Killer jokes in the mix.
https://twitter.com/BobbyBigWheel/status/779406633243971584
TED CRUZ: i endorse domald tronp. now he will please give me all of his skin
ADVISOR: nno– no thats not what 'endorse' means on our planet— jonny sun (@jonnysun) September 23, 2016
Also, the JFK assassination rumor that Trump probably planted in The Enquirer is getting some airtime. Poor Rafael Cruz.
The hardest part of this for Ted Cruz must be admitting that his dad killed JFK.
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) September 23, 2016
Ted Cruz's father rn pic.twitter.com/1rB3YrmFMK
— Marlow Stern (@MarlowNYC) September 23, 2016
Is Ted Cruz's Trump endorsement a tacit admission that Rafael Cruz was Lee Harvey Oswald's co-conspirator?
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) September 23, 2016
But the attention wasn’t all negative. Current Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway declared that she’s in “heaven” right now.
Hell froze over today, and it is feels like heaven. #thankyou #NeverHillary https://t.co/BzvDZ0FIAx
— Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) September 23, 2016
Noted Trump devotees Diamond and Silk are very happy, so that’s something.
.@DiamondandSilk would like to welcome @tedcruz aboard the #TrumpTrain. UNITY always prevail. All Aboard to the White House. Choo Choo… https://t.co/M2SqkZXdOL
— Diamond and Silk® (@DiamondandSilk) September 23, 2016
Finally, people are expecting Trump to turn around and humiliate Cruz at any moment as a payback. Remember how a Trump plane interrupted a Cruz speech at the RNC? Yes, something like that will likely happen.
https://twitter.com/HawkinsUSA/status/779387724407136256
