Cruz Says Trump Campaign 'Immensely Beneficial' to His Run

Donald Trump’s run for the White House has been “immensely beneficial for our campaign,” by clarifying the type of candidate primary voters want, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, another Republican presidential hopeful, said in an interview taped for NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”

Trump, a billionaire real estate developer and reality show host, has led most Republican polls for months. “He’s framed the central issue of this Republican primary as, ‘who will stand up to Washington?’" Cruz said of Trump in a partial transcript made available by the network ahead of Sunday’s broadcast.

Cruz said his record of “actually standing up and taking on the Washington cartel” had created “grassroots momentum” for his White House bid. “Conservatives are coalescing behind our campaign” as they spend more time studying the candidates, he said.

An average of recent national Republican polls from Real Clear Politics showed Cruz in sixth place behind Trump, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and businesswoman Carly Fiorina. In Iowa, which will be the first state to hold a nominating contest, Cruz is running fourth.

“Others have gone out of their way to smack him. I haven’t,” Cruz said of Trump. “I like Donald.”