TRUMP: My 'bromance' with Ted Cruz is probably over
"I guess the bromance is over," Trump said, according to CNN and a video posted by The Hill.
For months, Cruz had painstakingly refused to publicly criticize Trump, even as almost every other candidate piled on the Republican front-runner's provocative statements.
But after Trump started hammering Cruz for his Canadian birthplace two weeks ago, the Texas senator began punching back.
During the Fox Business Network debate, Cruz said Trump was desperate by claiming that his ties to Canada could disqualify him from the presidency.
"Back in September, my friend Donald said he had his lawyer look at this from every which way and there was no issue there. There was nothing to this 'birther' issue. Since September, the Constitution hasn't changed. But the poll numbers have," Cruz said to whistles and cheers from the crowd.
"And I recognize that Donald is dismayed that his poll numbers are falling in Iowa," he added. "But the facts and the law here are really quite clear."
The two also sparred on other issues, including Cruz's claim that Trump embodies "New York values." Trump said the next day that Cruz knocking New York was "disgraceful" and cited the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.
"He came at me last night," Trump recalled Friday on MSNBC. "It was inappropriate. And I hit him very hard."