Donald Trump trolls John Kasich: 'He can't make a deal work'
During a Monday campaign stop in Philadelphia, Kasich told his Indiana supporters to vote for him, despite only hours earlier announcing that he was essentially ceding the state to Cruz.
In a tweet on Monday, Trump derided Kasich for failing to commit to asking his supporters to back Cruz in Indiana.
"Kasich just announced that he wants the people of Indiana to vote for him. Typical politician - can't make a deal work," wrote, who often on the campaign trail chides politicians' deal-making abilities.
On Sunday, Kasich and Cruz announced an alliance to consolidate anti-Trump support in a series of upcoming primary states in order to deny Trump the 1,237 delegates needed to secure the Republican presidential nomination. In states like Indiana, Kasich agreed to cancel events and essentially halt campaigning, while Cruz agreed to "clear the path" for Kasich to pick up Cruz supporters in New Mexico and Ohio.
Trump immediately fired back, slamming his Republican rivals in a series of tweets and releasing a lengthy statement calling the alliance a "horrible act of desperation."
"Shows how weak and desperate Lyin' Ted is when he has to team up with a guy who openly can't stand him and is only 1 win and 38 losses," Trump tweeted on Monday, using a frequent moniker for Cruz.
Though the Kasich campaign has reportedly been attempting to make a pact with Cruz for months, the governor himself attempted to downplay the agreement's significance Monday.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kasich told reporters that the alliance wasn't a "big deal."
"I don't see this as any big deal. I'm not going to spend resources in Indiana. He's not going to spend them in other places. So what? What's the big deal?" he said.