Top Republican Sucks Up to Trump Over Humiliating Nickname

Ted Cruz has lamely praised Donald Trump’s “political genius” for coming up with the humiliating nickname that helped destroy the senator’s presidential campaign a decade ago.

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Cruz and Trump have ridden a political rollercoaster, going from allies in 2015 to bitter rivals during the 2016 Republican presidential primary, when Trump branded the Texas senator “Lyin’ Ted.” The pair eventually reconciled, with Cruz becoming a Trump loyalist in the Senate.

On the latest episode of Sean Hannity’s podcast, the Texas senator was asked whether Trump’s infamous 2016 attack on him as “Lyin’ Ted” had upset him at the time.

“No, because I respect the fight,” Cruz said. He went even further, praising the tactic as “political genius” and describing Trump as having “an instinctual marketing genius.”

Cruz said the nickname worked precisely because it targeted what he claimed was his biggest political asset: his reputation for keeping his word.

“If you look at that race, my biggest strength was people trusted me,” Cruz said. “People trusted that I believed what I said. That when I said I would do something, I would do it. And that had been my whole record of doing what I said.”

He likened Trump’s strategy to martial arts, saying, “Lyin’ Ted, it was effective because it literally went to my greatest strength.”

“Like you do martial arts, it’s jiu-jitsu. It’s using your opponent’s strength against him. It was brilliant,” Cruz said.

Cruz added that he was unsure whether Trump deliberately calculated the move or simply relied on instinct.

“And I don’t know that he reasons it through as compared to just instinctual.”

Hannity summed up Trump’s approach: “He’s a gut instinct guy.”

Trump’s “Lyin’ Ted” nickname for Ted Cruz emerged during the bitter 2016 Republican presidential primary, when the two men went from early allies to fierce rivals.

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Trump repeatedly accused Cruz of dishonesty and questioned his eligibility to serve as president because he was born in Canada. Cruz responded by calling Trump a “pathological liar,” “narcissist,” and “sniveling coward.”

The feud became intensely personal, with Trump attacking Cruz’s wife, Heidi, and making a baseless claim linking Cruz’s father to JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

Cruz ultimately finished second to Trump in the Republican primaries, ahead of now-Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Cruz later refused to endorse Trump at the Republican National Convention, urging voters to “vote your conscience.”

However, Cruz reversed course two months later and backed Trump over Hillary Clinton in the general election. Trump soon softened his attacks, referring to Cruz as “Beautiful Ted.”

Cruz has gone on to become one of Trump’s most dependable allies in the Senate. He defended Trump during his first impeachment and supported his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.

In 2024, Cruz again backed Trump for president.

Their alliance remains intact in 2026, with Cruz calling Trump an “extraordinary president” and “fearless” in a MS Now interview last week.

His latest remarks come as he positions himself for a possible 2028 presidential bid, putting him on a collision course with Vice President J.D. Vance, the leading Republican contender to succeed Trump.

Just days after telling MS Now that he does not consider Vance the inevitable 2028 Republican nominee and declining to spell out his own plans, Cruz told Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s podcast: “It’s no secret that I want to be president.”

Asked if he intends to run, the 55-year-old said, “Time will tell.”