Donald Trump was back to his usual self on Wednesday, reversing his humble acceptance of second place in Iowa to slam Ted Cruz on Twitter.
"Ted Cruz didn't win Iowa, he illegally stole it. That is why all of the polls were so wrong and why he got more votes than anticipated. Bad!" Trump wrote before deleting his tweet and re-posting it without the word "illegally."
Trump's accusation against Cruz likely comes from an email circulated by Cruz's campaign that seemed to imply Ben Carson was dropping out of the race; Carson's team responded to say that no such claim was true. However, The Washington Post points out that because Carson's support was already so low in Iowa, there is no evidence to suggest the email from Cruz's campaign made any difference in the outcome of the caucus:
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Even if that had been what sank Carson in the polls, there's nothing illegal about it — much less suggestive that Cruz stole the state. Cruz beat Trump by more than three points, which is a pretty big margin considering the crowded field.While the focus of the tweet isn't clear (we reached out to the campaign), it's easier to guess why "illegally" was removed. Suggesting without basis that someone broke the law is the sort of thing that lawyers like to argue over during defamation lawsuits. [The Washington Post]
Trump is never one to let a perceived wrong go unaccounted for; you can bet any follow-up will appear on his Twitter.
-
5 critical cartoons about the proposed Russia-Ukraine peace dealCartoons Artists take on talking turkey, Putin's puppet, and more
-
Could Trump run for a third term?The Explainer Constitutional amendment limits US presidents to two terms, but Trump diehards claim there is a loophole
-
Political cartoons for November 28Cartoons Friday's political cartoons include economic diagnosis, climate distractions, and more
-
Judge halts Trump’s DC Guard deploymentSpeed Read The Trump administration has ‘infringed upon the District’s right to govern itself,’ the judge ruled
-
Trump accuses Democrats of sedition meriting ‘death’Speed Read The president called for Democratic lawmakers to be arrested for urging the military to refuse illegal orders
-
Court strikes down Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read The Texas congressional map ordered by Trump is likely an illegal racial gerrymander, the court ruled
-
Trump defends Saudi prince, shrugs off Khashoggi murderSpeed Read The president rebuked an ABC News reporter for asking Mohammed bin Salman about the death of a Washington Post journalist at the Saudi Consulate in 2018
-
Congress passes bill to force release of Epstein filesSpeed Read The Justice Department will release all files from its Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation
-
Trump says he will sell F-35 jets to Saudi ArabiaSpeed Read The president plans to make several deals with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this week
-
Judge blasts ‘profound’ errors in Comey caseSpeed Read ‘Government misconduct’ may necessitate dismissing the charges against the former FBI director altogether
-
Ecuador rejects push to allow US military basesSpeed Read Voters rejected a repeal of a constitutional ban on US and other foreign military bases in the country
