Real estate mogul and entertainment personality Donald Trump gave $5,000 to Sen. Ted Cruz’s leadership PAC in January, according to newly released campaign records.
The Hill reported that Trump’s donation to the tea party-backed Texas Republican — the maximum allowed per election cycle — is the latest indication that the men are becoming political allies.
The relationship between the pair got off to a bumpy start. Last August, Trump said he wasn’t sure whether Cruz could be president because he was born in Canada.
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But at a February Republican Party dinner at his Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, the tycoon called Cruz a "very special guy" and defended his 21-hour filibuster on the Senate floor over Obamacare.
"One of the reasons I like Ted Cruz so much, is that he’s not controversial," he said, to laughs from the audience.
"He shouldn’t be controversial because what he is doing is right. He took a stand recently, that if he had just a little backing — and Ted and I have spoken about this — from other Republicans … he would have negotiated one hell of a deal. It might not have ended Obamacare, but you would have really gotten a big chunk out of it."
A Cruz spokeswoman has described the two men as "friends," saying they speak often on the phone and that Cruz visited Trump’s offices during a trip to New York.
Trump special counsel Michael Cohen told The Hill, however, that it is too early to say whether the tycoon is backing Cruz or anyone else for president.
The Washington Post has reported that during a recent speech in New Hampshire, Trump lambasted another possible candidate, Jeb Bush, over his "act of love" comments about illegal immigrants.
In 2012, Trump eventually endorsed Mitt Romney.
FEC records show Trump has donated more than $127,000 during this election cycle to Republican and conservative fundraising organizations, according to The Hill.
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