“I thought they were saying, ‘CROOOZ.’” Photo: John Moore/Getty Images

Recently, Donald Trump suggested that Ted Cruz’s wife was ugly and hiding terrible secrets, while Cruz’s father was a likely co-conspirator in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Despite this history — and despite Cruz informing him in advance that he had no plans to make an endorsement — Trump allowed Cruz to give a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night. During that speech, Cruz did not make an endorsement, opting instead to say several cryptic things about this fall’s election that could easily be interpreted as a tacit suggestion to vote for Trump — or else, to do the very opposite.

“Did we live up to the values we say we believe in? That’s what elections should be about.” - Ted Cruz — David Frum (@davidfrum) July 21, 2016

To those listening, please don't stay home in November. If you love our country, stand and speak and vote your conscience #RNCinCLE — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) July 21, 2016

When Cruz implored the convention’s attendees to “vote your conscience,” the convention hall erupted with boos and chants, commanding Cruz to formally endorse the party’s standard-bearer. These boos may or may not have been initiated by Trump himself.

Two sources tell me Trump team actively whipped the “boos” at the end of Cruz speech — Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) July 21, 2016

But early dispatches from the convention hall suggest outrage over the snub was felt in virtually every corner of the 2016 GOP’s coalition. From this Evangelical who spoke to the Washington Post’s Philip Rucker:

Incredible reaction from a New Mexico GOP delegate to @PhilipRucker re: Cruz: pic.twitter.com/vwhbWGURjS — Ed O'Keefe (@edokeefe) July 21, 2016

To the country-club set in their glass boxes:

From @DanaBashCNN: Some people on donor suite level so angry at @tedcruz they called him disgrace to his face; one man had to be restrained… — Dylan Byers (@DylanByers) July 21, 2016

To the profane populists of the Trumpian proletariat:

HEIDI CRUZ escorted out by security as crowd gets angry at Cruz for his speech. One Trump supporter shouting "Goldman Sachs!" at her — Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 21, 2016

To the staffers of the Republican National Committee:

RNC sources: @tedcruz "speech different than version he gave RNC in advance." Officials + Cruz had to be physically separated after. #GOP — David Shuster (@DavidShuster) July 21, 2016

To the hypocrites who deserve every ounce of humiliation they receive:

"It was an awful, selfish speech," Chris Christie tells NBC News about Ted Cruz — Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) July 21, 2016

But at least it played well with the conservative intellectuals who seem to have forgotten that Ted Cruz’s initial primary strategy was to normalize Donald Trump so as to harvest the fruits of his hateful demagoguery once the mogul dropped out: