I disagree. Trump did not force Cruz onto the stage, nor is there any evidence Trump baited Cruz into a non-endorsement.
On the contrary, Trump gave Cruz the opportunity to get on board and set himself up for the next opportunity, be it a later presidential run or some appointment. Instead Cruz gave the world his own bitterness. Cruz set himself up. If he couldn’t control his pride and bitterness Cruz should have declined the invitation.
If Cruz is the standard for principled conservatives, it’s no wonder many Republicans have lost patience with principled conservatives.
It was a win-win situation for Trump. If Cruz endorsed Trump, great. If Cruz didn’t endorse, it removes Cruz as a threat down the line as Cruz would’ve burned a YUGE bridge.
Also, something that’s been bumping around in my mind since Cruz’s speech last night...something that left a sour taste in my mouth over Cruz’s speech. I’ll cut and paste my comment from another thread...
“...Cruz stood on the body of a dead policeman just to violate his promise to endorse the Republican nominee.”
I, for one, had hopes initially that Trump and Cruz would partner up as in “Trump/Cruz 2016”, but that ship has sailed.