Trump brands Cruz a 'nasty guy'

The fracas between the Republican presidential front-runners escalated Sunday as Donald Trump went after Ted Cruz’s likability, calling the Texas senator a “nasty guy.”

“Nobody likes him, nobody in Congress likes him, nobody likes him anywhere once they get to know him,” Trump said in an interview airing on ABC’s “This Week.”


After weeks of the candidates circling each other, the gloves came off in Thursday’s debate, as Trump questioned Cruz’s birthright citizenship and Cruz attacked Trump’s “New York values.”

The attacks continued as both men campaigned in South Carolina on Saturday. And Trump was booed when he brought Cruz’s undisclosed bank loan.

Trump revived the charge in his interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC, calling Cruz a hypocrite and “very dishonest.”

“He wants to look like Robin Hood,” Trump said. “That he’s the one protecting the people from the banks, while he’s actually borrowing money and personally guaranteeing it and not disclosing it, which is illegal.”

In response to Stephanopoulos’ question about what kind of judges Trump would appoint, he praised Justice Clarence Thomas and blamed Ted Cruz for advancing Chief Justice John Roberts, who “turned out to be a nightmare for conservatives.”

Opening up a new line of attack, Trump called Cruz “very weak on illegal immigration” and accused him of suddenly echoing Trump’s call to build a wall along the Mexican border.

And Trump said he’ll consider filing his own lawsuit challenging Cruz’s eligibility to be president based on his birth.

“Maybe I’ll talk to them about it,” Trump said. “I’d like to talk to Ted about it, see how he’d feel about it — ’cause you know, when I file suits, I file real suits."