Trump: Cruz ‘will fall like all others’

Donald Trump on Friday called out Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) as the two rivals grow increasingly hostile in their quest for the GOP’s 2016 presidential nomination.

Looks like @tedcruz is getting ready to attack. I am leading by so much he must. I hope so, he will fall like all others. Will be easy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 11, 2015

Trump chastised Cruz for not challenging him publicly after reports emerged Thursday that he had questioned the front-runner’s judgement in a private meeting with donors.

“TedCruz should not make statements behind closed doors to his bosses, he should bring them out in the open,” Trump wrote. “More fun that way!”

{mosads}Cruz reportedly pondered whether Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson are capable of actually leading the nation.

“You look at Paris, you look at San Bernardino, [and] it’s given a seriousness to this race that people are looking for: Who is prepared to be commander in chief? Who understands the threats that we face?” he asked, citing recent extremist violence at home and abroad.

“Who am I comfortable having their finger on the button?” Cruz continued. “Now, that’s a question of strength, but that’s also a question of judgement. And I think that is a challenging question for both of them.”

Cruz later refused to offer insight on the purported comments during a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington on Thursday afternoon.

“I’m not going to comment on what I may or may not have said at a private fundraiser,” he said.

Trump and Cruz have typically enjoyed a warm relationship on the 2016 campaign trail earlier this year. Both men have expressed mutual admiration toward one another’s outspoken rhetoric and independence from the political establishment.

Over the summer, the pair even held a joint rally in front of the Capitol protesting President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.

Previous Republican White House hopefuls have struggled with damaging Trump’s popularity while attacking him directly.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) all suspended their Oval Office bids earlier this year after personally challenging the real estate tycoon.