Donald Trump hits back at stunning Ted Cruz snub

TED Cruz threw the Republican convention into chaos when he gave a “giant middle finger” to Trump, who has hit back.

DONALD Trump has responded to Ted Cruz’s stunning snub, described as “one of the most remarkable speeches at a convention in modern history”.

Cruz threw the entire convention into chaos as he wrapped up his speech, refusing to throw a hard endorsement Trump’s way.

It was undeniably the most controversial — and exciting — moment of the GOP convention so far, the Republican presidential nominee publicly snubbed by his former rival in front of a crowd of more than 20,000.

Within hours, Trump took to Twitter to claim Cruz’s smackdown was “no big deal”.

“Wow, Ted Cruz got booed off the stage, didn’t honor the pledge!” Trump tweeted.

“I saw his speech two hours early but let him speak anyway. No big deal!”

Wow, Ted Cruz got booed off the stage, didn't honor the pledge! I saw his speech two hours early but let him speak anyway. No big deal!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 21, 2016

It was a ballsy move for Texas senator Cruz, who had to know he was likely to be booed off stage in front of such an overwhelmingly Pro-Trump crowd.

And yet, he refused to cave in to the mounting pressure from the fired up attendees, who began chanting “say his name, say his name!” as the speech stretched on without endorsement.

The unrest within the stadium grew so loud that the final five minutes of Cruz’s otherwise well-received address was drowned out, and all that could be heard was shouts of “Trump!” and “We want Trump!”

Ted Cruz was booed during and after his speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

Cruz’s wife, Heidi Cruz, began to be heckled by Trump supporters, who shouted “Goldman Sachs!” as she is an employee of the company. She was soon escorted out by security.

Responding to the upheaval, Mr Cruz simply said to the delegates on the floor: “I appreciate the enthusiasm of the New York delegates,” not realising, or perhaps not caring that the chorus of boos was also coming from the balconies.

Crowd goes wild with their "America Deserves Better" signs during Gov. Scott Walker's speech. @newscomauHQ pic.twitter.com/UPvAerY6zW

— Charlotte Willis (@lottiewillis) July 21, 2016

He then wrapped up his endorsement-less remarks, smiled calmly and waved as he exited stage left — a stark contrast to the beginning of his speech, where he received a prolonged standing ovation as he emerged.

The whole thing was made even more awkward by the fact the Donald himself stepped out just as it began to sink in that Cruz was indeed planning to withhold his endorsement.

The audience began to turn away from the stage and direct their attention towards the back of the floor, where Trump had emerged to sit alongside his family in a VIP area. His only response was a quick thumbs up, flashed towards the protesting delegates.

While Cruz’s remarks were a striking rebuke of the presidential nominee, they weren’t entirely surprising, given this is a man who referred to Trump back in May as “utterly amoral,” “a pathological liar,” and “a narcissist at a level I don’t think this country has ever seen”.

Trump watches on as Cruz delivers his controversial speech.

With that in mind, Cruz’s speech could have been far worse. Still, you have to wonder what possessed Trump’s team and the RNC to allow Cruz to speak on ay three without the promise of an endorsement.

In fact, the only time Cruz mentioned Trump at all was at the outset of his speech.

“I congratulate Donald Trump on winning the nomination last night,” he said, possibly misleading the crowd for a moment or two. “And like each of you, I want to see the principles that our party believes prevail in November.”

The stunning political showdown between the two men inside the Quicken Loans Arena tonight blew open divisions in the Republican Party that it was hoping to mend this week.

It also left convention-goers with no doubt in their mind that Cruz believes Trump will lose in November.

OUTSIDE THE HALL

Cleveland police say 17 people were arrested following a chaotic protest near the arena hosting the convention.

The arrests happened as a protest group tried to burn an American flag near Quicken Loans Arena. It was the most turbulent protest since the four-day convention began Monday. The chaos delayed delegates and members of the media from getting into the arena for the evening’s proceedings.

Trump will close the four-day convention with a speech tomorrow accepting the nomination.