Former presidential candidate Ted Cruz has announced his endorsement of GOP nominee Donald Trump. In a statement to his supporters Friday, Cruz said he had arrived at the decision after months of "careful consideration" and "prayer." Cruz also outlined what he calls "6 key policy differences" that informed his ultimate endorsement of Trump, including immigration and national security. Trump toldCNN he felt "greatly honored" by Cruz's endorsement and called his former rival "a tough and brilliant opponent."
Cruz's endorsement of Trump and simultaneous partnering with #NeverHillary voters comes just months after he was practically booed off the stage at the Republican National Convention for, interestingly enough, refusing to offer his outright endorsement of the nominee. "If you love our country and love your children as much as I know that you do, stand and speak and vote your conscience," Cruz said at the time.
Though Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton did not directly issue a statement regarding Cruz's endorsement of Trump, she did strategically retweet an old one from Cruz in which he called for the release of Trump's tax returns. Specifically, this old one:
The reaction to Cruz's endorsement has been predictably mixed, though there's one reliable source of commentary who quickly let his thoughts on the matter become public knowledge: Cruz's former college roommate. Craig Mazin, now an accomplished screenwriter, asserted in a series of tweets Friday that no one should be "mystified" by Cruz getting in line behind Trump. According to Mazin, the move makes perfect sense when viewing it within the context of Cruz's political career:
You can read Cruz's endorsement announcement in full below:
