WASHINGTON — An all-out war broke out Wednesday between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, with the Texas senator all but daring his GOP presidential rival to make good on a threat to sue over hard-hitting ads.
“Donald, if you want to file a lawsuit challenging this ad, claiming it’s defamation, file the lawsuit,” Cruz told reporters in South Carolina.
It didn’t take long for Trump to fire back.
“He is a liar and these ads and statements made by Cruz are clearly desperate moves by a guy who is tanking in the polls — watching his campaign go up in flames finally explains Cruz’s logo,” Trump said.
“If I want to bring a lawsuit, it would be legitimate. Likewise, if I want to bring the lawsuit regarding Senator Cruz being a natural-born Canadian, I will do so. Time will tell, Teddy.”
The fierce fight over Cruz’s campaign ad led Trump to send a cease-and-desist letter demanding that it be taken down.
The ad includes a clip from a 1999 interview where Trump says: “I’m pro-choice in every respect.”
Trump insists he’s changed his position and the ad is an attempt to smear him.
As the feud was raging, Marco Rubio scored a big boost with the endorsement of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley — just days before the Palmetto State’s GOP primary this Saturday.
“If we elect Marco Rubio, every day will be a great day in America,” Haley told a Rubio rally in Chapin, SC.
Jeb Bush had been courting the governor’s support and his brother, former President George W. Bush, met privately with her Monday.
Jeb said he was “disappointed” by Haley’s endorsement of Rubio, his onetime Florida protégé, who Bush insists doesn’t have the experience or leadership qualities needed to be president.