Donald Trump said Friday that rival Ted Cruz has received the "jinx" from Sen. Lindsey Graham, who backed Jeb Bush after he himself dropped out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
The front-runner said on Twitter:
Graham, who quit the race in December, backed Cruz on Thursday.
He told reporters that the Texas senator was "the best alternative to Donald Trump" and that he would "help Ted in every way I can.
"I think Ted Cruz is a reliable Republican, strong on Israel, would repeal and replace Obamacare, would be good on the Supreme Court.
"We have many things in common, but we also have many differences," he said.
The South Carolina senator also will also hold a fund-raiser for Cruz on Monday during the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Conference in Washington.
During the campaign, Graham was one of Cruz's harshest critics — next to Trump — and
said in January that deciding between the two was tantamount to being "shot or poisoned."
He even joked about Cruz's murder on the Senate floor in remarks last month at the Washington Press Club Foundation Dinner.
"A good Republican would defend Ted Cruz after tonight," he said. "That ain't happening.
"If you killed Ted Cruz on the floor of the Senate and the trial was in the Senate, nobody could convict you," he said.
Graham also poked at his own luck during the campaign.
"I ran for president, and I had to get out," he said. "I endorsed Jeb Bush, and he had to get out. I'm the Dr. [Jack] Kevorkian of the Republican primary."
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He then donned a baseball camp touting Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan.
"Tonight, I endorse Donald Trump and hope the Graham magic still exists," he quipped.
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