Ted Cruz was “a little bit of a maniac”, “a totally unstable individual” and “Lyin’ Ted”. Donald Trump was a “braggadocious arrogant buffoon”, “a snivelling coward” and a “pathological liar”. In early 2016, when the two men were battling it out to become the Republican nominee for president, they were bitter enemies.

With the midterm elections days away, however, the Cruz-Trump relationship looks remarkably different. Trump travelled to Texas on Monday to support Cruz in his race against the Democrat Beto O’Rourke, and informed reporters that Cruz is “not ‘Lyin’ Ted any more. He’s Beautiful Ted.”

This metamorphosis is indicative of the obvious shift in power between the two men. Cruz has kowtowed to Trump ever since he was forced to endorse him and stood by him after the scandal over the Access Hollywood “grab them by the pussy” tape. With Cruz now clear in his role as a supplicant to the president, Trump is happy to show him a little largesse.

The new nickname is also a sign that the Republicans may be worried that rumours of a Democratic “blue wave” are not greatly exaggerated and that they will lose control of the US Congress. This would stall many of Trump’s plans, and may be spurring him to present more of a united front.

The race in Texas is likely to be costing Trump some sleep. The last time the Democratic party won a statewide race was 1994; Cruz’s seat should be safe. However, the charismatic O’Rourke has been doing very well, particularly in terms of fundraising: he raised $38.1m for his campaign in the third quarter of 2018, triple Cruz’s haul. While the incumbent still has a lead in the polls, the race is proving to be far closer than most expected.

Trump is well aware of the power he has to energise people. His nicknames are part of that, shorthand to indicate who is Team Trump and who is not. For now, then, Cruz is Beautiful Ted. If he loses to O’Rourke, however, Trump may start calling him something else.