Republican presidential candidate Texas Senator Ted Cruz stated that “no one should be surprised that Donald Trump is trying to stir up riots” in reaction to Trump’s prediction that there would be riots if he was denied the nomination after being just shy of the necessary 1,237 delegates and challenged Trump to a debate when both are in Washington, DC for AIPAC’s conference on Wednesday’s “Kelly File” on the Fox News Channel.

Cruz said, “Well, listen, no one should be surprised that Donald Trump is trying to stir up riots. I wish we had a presidential candidate that bringing us together instead of encouraging such things. But let’s talk about the math, because a lot of people get the math wrong, to be the Republican nominee takes 1,237 delegates. There are only two candidates that have any plausible path to getting there, Donald Trump and me. Now, by the way, if Donald continues getting delegates at the same rate he has so far, he won’t get to 1,237.”

Earlier, Cruz commented on Trump skipping Fox News’ planned March 21st debate by telling host Megyn Kelly, “[F]or whatever reason, it seems that Donald Trump finds you a very, very terrifying person. He skipped the debate in Iowa because you were going to be moderating. And I guess he doesn’t like when anyone challenges him. You know, he was saying just a week ago that he was eager to get one-on-one with me. Well, this debate, the field is narrowed even more, and he could have had a direct debate with me, and yet Donald apparently is ducking, He’s afraid of being challenged. And I think that’s because the race has shifted to a terrain that is not favorable for him. Even though the media is already ready to put a coronation on him, the reality is going forward, the closer we get to a one-on-one battle, the worse Donald Trump does. He’s been benefited by having a wide field, and [Sen.] Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) decision to suspend his campaign last night was a bad blow for Donald Trump, because it means the opposition to Trump continues to unify, and Republicans continue to unify behind our campaign.”

Cruz added that Trump’s reason for cancelling, that he had a speech at AIPAC at the same time is “silliness, and it reflects his assumption that he thinks the voters can’t figure out that he’s not telling them the truth. Listen, AIPAC would have allowed him to spoke at any time, it’s a multi-day conference. He chose to speak right in the middle of the debate because he’s scared to debate. And he just — he looks down on the voters. He thinks they’re gullible and will believe whatever he’s saying. So I’m going to be in DC for AIPAC as well, and since Donald is running away from the debate, I’m happy to debate him there. If he wants, we can debate foreign policy, but the problem is, Donald doesn’t do well on foreign policy because he doesn’t have even a basic modicum of knowledge. Two debates ago, Donald explained that if he were president, he’d be neutral between Israel and the Palestinians. That is a stunning statement. It’s the nonsense you hear from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. I’ll tell you, Megyn, if I’m president, I will not be neutral. America will stand unapologetically with Israel. And it says something about Donald Trump, if he can’t tell the difference between our friends and allies, if he can’t tell the difference between Israel and Islamic terrorists who want to murder us, that raises real questions about his fitness and his judgment to be commander-in-chief. And so, I’m happy to debate him in Utah, where the debate was supposed to happen, or DC, or anywhere else. But I suspect Donald will continue to running and hiding and basking in the protection from the network media, that is trying to do everything they can to make him the nominee, because they know he’s the one candidate on the face of the planet that Hillary Clinton can beat in the general election.”

Cruz further criticized the media’s coverage of Trump arguing, “[T]he media has given him the equivalent of about $2 billion in free media. If you turn on the television at any given moment, it is a is wall-to-wall infomercial.” He added, “Donald Trump practically goes to the bathroom and it gets carried live on network television. Every speech he gives, he does a press conference that’s like watching the shopping channel. He’s up there selling steaks and steak knives and wine. The media desperately wants him to be the nominee, and as a result, they don’t cover anything about his record, about the fact that he had a $1 million fine against him for hiring illegal aliens. You didn’t see the media cover that till we brought it up in the debates, and they never brought it up again. You didn’t see the media covering the fact that his hotel down in Florida hires foreign workers instead of American workers because he can pay them. You didn’t see — you don’t see the media — when’s the last time any of the network news have mentioned the fact that he refuses to hand over his tax returns? The media is doing everything they can to cover up his background. You’ve seen no reporting on his multiple business interaction with members of the mob. You’ve seen no reporting of that, and every bit of that Megyn, if he’s the nominee, I guarantee you, September, October, November, every station, they’ll cover all of that aspect.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett