Trump and Cruz Spar Over Wives

| published March 23, 2016 |

By Thursday Review staff

The two main Republican candidates for President are trading barbs about their wives, and—in the case of Ted Cruz—paraphrasing famous movie lines in the process.

Front runner Donald Trump is angry about some anti-Trump social media ads being run which show Trump’s wife Melania Trump posing in a racy, mostly nude image from her early modelling days, under the ironic caption “Meet Melania Trump, your next First Lady….or, you could vote for Ted Cruz on Tuesday.” The image is arguably racier and more provocative than any image ever seen of a First Lady in U.S. history, but that’s the point. No other U.S. First Ladies have posed nude for a magazine or a photo portfolio.

The photos of Melania were taken more than a decade ago for GQ magazine, and the images are no particular secret.

But Trump, irate that the photos have resurfaced and are being used by an anti-Trump political group, blames the mess on Cruz, accusing the Texas Senator of creating the ads, or at least endorsing their use on social media. Cruz says the ads are none of his business, and rightly points to the fine print, which says that ad is paid for by a group called Make America Awesome, which has no affiliation to any candidate or political party. Using Facebook, the ads were run heavily in Utah and parts of Idaho, and according to a spokesperson for Make American Awesome, the ads targeted those of the Mormon faith (Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints) in the days prior to the Utah and Idaho primaries.

But Trump isn’t accepting that explanation, and blames Cruz for dirty tricks. Furthermore, Trump says if Cruz doesn’t cease and desist with the provocative ads, Trump will “spill the beans” on Heidi Cruz, wife of the Texas Senator. Trump actually tweeted a message which read “that is some low level ad you did using a picture of Melania in a GQ shoot…be careful of I will spill the beans on your wife Ted.”

Followers of Trump noted that the Twitter message was deleted from the thread only seconds later, only to be revived in a follow-up message, similar to the first, a few minutes later.

“Lyin’ Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a GQ shoot in his ad,” Trump tweeted a little later, “Be careful Lyin’ Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!” Trump has not clarified what information he possesses about Heidi Cruz.

Cruz also took to social media to fight back. Borrowing a classic line from the 1995 political drama/comedy The American President, which starred Michael Douglas, Martin Sheen, Annette Bening and Michael J, Fox, Cruz retorted to Trump on ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday.

“She is way out of his league,” Cruz said to ABC News reporter George Stephanopoulos, “if he wants to get into to character fight, he should stick with me.”

Using Facebook, the ads featuring Melania in the GQ shoot were run heavily in Utah and parts of Idaho, and according to a spokesperson for Make American Awesome, the ads targeted those of the Mormon faith (Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints) in the days prior to the Utah and Idaho primaries. Facebook allows for paid ads to reach specific audiences based on age, location, religion and specific denomination, and political inclination. The PAC which placed the ads is a Republican anti-Trump organization.

Cruz has publicly denounced the Melania ads as unacceptable, but Trump still blames Cruz for fracas. It is not clear whether the ad featuring Trump’s wife will continue to run on social media in the near future.

Related Thursday Review articles:

Trump Campaign to Add Hired Security for Rallies; Keith H. Roberts; Thursday Review; March 21, 2016.

Kasich's Ohio Victory and the Brokered Convention; R. Alan Clanton; Thursday Review; March 17, 2016.