Donald Trump isn’t taking losing the Iowa caucuses lightly. After a brief effort to appear statesmanlike and spin his success positively, Trump is now accusing Texas Sen. Ted Cruz of stealing his first-place victory and calling for Cruz’s win to be nullified or for a new Iowa vote to take place.
“Ted Cruz didn’t win Iowa, he illegally stole it,” Trump wrote in a tweet, since deleted. “That is why all of the polls were so wrong any[sic] why he got far more votes than anticipated. Bad!”
In now-deleted tweet, Trump claims Cruz “illegally stole” Iowa victory pic.twitter.com/RsT2AlCIID
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) February 3, 2016
Trump quickly deleted his original tweet, and then tweeted it again without the word “illegally” and fixing the typo.
Ted Cruz didn't win Iowa, he stole it. That is why all of the polls were so wrong and why he got far more votes than anticipated. Bad!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2016
Trump went on to reference allegations that Cruz’s campaign wrongly telling caucus-goers that Ben Carson was dropping out of the race—a tactic Cruz apologized for Tuesday.
During primetime of the Iowa Caucus, Cruz put out a release that @RealBenCarson was quitting the race, and to caucus (or vote) for Cruz.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2016
He went on to call for action to remedy what he saw as inappropriate action.
Based on the fraud committed by Senator Ted Cruz during the Iowa Caucus, either a new election should take place or Cruz results nullified.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 3, 2016
On Tuesday, Trump declared the Cruz campaign’s efforts around Carson “a disgrace.”
“What he did to Ben Carson was terrible,” Trump said. “When they said Ben Carson is out of the race and come vote for him, I thought it was terrible.”