Donald Trump claims Ted Cruz 'illegally' robbed him of victory in Iowa

(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

published 3 February 2016

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:

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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]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.