Trump Says Kasich Should Drop Out of 2016 Race, Calls Cruz a 'Dirty, Rotten Cheater'

Donald Trump says the Republican Party should disqualify Ted Cruz

Photo: AP Photo/David J. Phillip

GOP front-runner Donald Trump lashed out at rivals Ted Cruz and John Kasich Sunday night, declaring the Texas senator a “dirty, rotten cheater,” and calling for the Ohio governor to drop out of the race.

Trump, who is trailing Cruz by 10 percentage points in some polls for the crucial Wisconsin primary on Tuesday, spent the weekend campaigning in the Midwestern state – and bashing the Texas senator.

“I’m going to save your Social Security! Cruz wants to cut it in half,” Trump told supporters in West Allis, Wisconsin, on Sunday night. Referencing an incident in which a Cruz campaign staffer falsely told Iowa caucusgoers that Ben Carson planned to quit the race, Trump continued, “Frankly, if we had leadership in the Republican Party, they would have disqualified [Cruz] for what he did in the state of Iowa … He’s a cheater! He’s a cheater! He’s a dirty, rotten cheater!”

“Wisconsin is going to be such a big surprise on Tuesday. We are doing so well,” Trump added.

Also on Sunday, Trump took aim at Kasich, arguing that it wasn’t fair for the governor, who has only won his home state, to continue collecting delegates if he has no chance of becoming the GOP nominee.

“Kasich shouldn’t be allowed to continue, and the R.N.C. shouldn’t allow him to continue,” Trump told reporters in Wisconsin, according to The New York Times.

Trump, who last week met with R.N.C. officials in Washington, D.C., said he shared his concerns about Kasich with R.N.C. officials, including party chairman Reince Priebus.

“I said, ‘Why is a guy allowed to run?’ ” he said. “All he’s doing is just he goes from place to place, and loses, and he keeps on running.”

“He doesn’t have to run and take my votes,” added Trump.

Chris Schrimpf, a spokesman for Kasich, responded with an alternate suggestion – that the billionaire businessman should be the one to drop out of the race.

“Ted Cruz also has no possibility of accumulating enough delegates and Trump also will not receive a majority of delegates before the convention,” Schrimpf said. “Since he thinks it’s such a good idea, we look forward to Trump dropping out before the convention. Trump living up to his own self-declared standard is best for the party since he will lose the White House by a historic margin to Hillary Clinton and also cause Republicans to lose control of the Senate.”