Story highlights "Nobody likes him," Dole said.

Dole said only Trump seemed to be able to take Cruz on, and he added that the real estate mogul seems to have "toned down" his rhetoric

Washington (CNN) Former Sen. Bob Dole said in a new interview Wednesday that Sen. Ted Cruz would be even worse for the Republican Party than Donald Trump were he to win the presidential nomination -- describing "cataclysmic" and "wholesale losses" for the GOP if Cruz prevails.

In an interview with The New York Times , the former presidential nominee said Cruz would also be worse at governing than Trump, saying the Texas senator has made enemies in Washington.

"I don't know how he's going to deal with Congress," Dole told the Times. "Nobody likes him."

Trump, on the other hand, could "probably work with Congress, because he's, you know, he's got the right personality and he's kind of a deal-maker," Dole added.

Dole has endorsed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and previously said he might "oversleep" on Election Day if Cruz ends up the nominee. He has taken issue with the way Cruz has spoken about party leadership and Dole's era of lawmakers in the Senate.

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