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"I am saying that Ted Cruz has made this up because he needs it politically because he's losing so badly," Donald Trump said in a telephone interview Monday morning. | Getty Trump: Cruz accusing me of planting story because he’s ‘losing so badly'

Donald Trump has an explanation for why Ted Cruz is accusing him of planting a National Enquirer story alleging multiple affairs — because he's "losing so badly."

"I am saying that Ted Cruz has made this up because he needs it politically because he's losing so badly," Trump said in a telephone interview on "Fox and Friends" on Monday. "It's very easy. And he's doing very badly and he's choking and he's making things up. He's bringing 'em out. I had nothing to do with the National Enquirer story, and frankly, I hope it's not true. Because it's pretty bad. I hope it's not true."

Cruz has repeatedly denounced the story as "garbage," telling "Fox News Sunday" that "it is a smear that has come from Donald Trump and his henchmen," reiterating a claim he made last Friday after mainstream news media began reporting on it and the Texas senator's reaction to it.

Trump rejected that assertion last Friday, and on Monday he responded to Cruz's comments the previous day in which the Texas senator remarked that Trump has "no answers for how to keep America safe from radical Islamic terrorism. So instead, he attacks my wife, he attacks my family, he goes to garbage and sleaze and lies."

"Well first of all, first of all, I have the ultimate answer as to keeping America safe from radical Islamic terrorism, far better than him, far better, everybody knows it. Number one," Trump said. "Number two, I had nothing to do with the National Enquirer. I knew nothing about it. I just saw it yesterday for the first time."

Referring to an article in The Daily Beast ("no friends of mine"), Trump said the outlet "wrote a story that Marco Rubio was behind it, and it was a pretty conclusive story that Marco Rubio's been peddling that story for a long time." Trump on Sunday also tweeted a video of one of the story's reporters on MSNBC the previous day discussing the story.

See Lyin' Ted, even the @DailyBeast (no fan of mine) says this story came from Rubio, not Trump! pic.twitter.com/Okc8XajVnz — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 27, 2016





The Daily Beast's article does not, however, state that Rubio himself was behind the rumors, only that "allies of former GOP presidential hopeful Marco Rubio were involved in spreading the smears."

"I knew nothing about it, I know nothing about it. I have no idea whether or not it's true, but it's likely he should try and blame me because he's losing by a lot," Trump said. "I mean, I have many, many more delegates than him. I have millions of more votes than him in the primary. He's losing by a lot, so he's not going to blame Rubio, 'cause Rubio's out … I just want to tell you, I had nothing to do with that story. Absolutely zero."