Cruz flirts with jumping back into GOP race

Sen. Ted Cruz

Sen. Ted Cruz, who suspended his campaign for the Republican nod for the presidency after a devastating loss to Donald Trump in the Indiana primary, is having second thoughts, apparently.

The Blaze is reporting that Cruz, in an interview with talk-show host Glenn Beck, said he could revive his bid for the White House if the right circumstances providing "a path to victory" would develop.

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"I am not holding my breath; my assumption is that will not happen," Cruz said in the interview. "But listen, let's be very clear — if there is a path to victory, we launched this campaign intending to win."

He said he suspended the race after the Indiana loss because, "I didn't see a viable path to victory. If that changes, we will certainly respond accordingly."

As for supporting the presumptive nominee, Trump, Cruz explained that's not a choice to be made "today."

"The Republican convention isn't for another two-and-a-half months, the election isn't for another six months," he said.

The interview:

After Cruz suspended his campaign, WND reported that Trump said on the "O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News he would definitely consider giving Cruz the vice presidential slot.

The comments shocked some, based on the antagonism that developed between the two in recent weeks.

"I respect Ted, he was a very strong competitor," Trump told host Bill O'Reilly. "He really competed hard and tough."

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"He's certainly a capable guy," Trump said, in reference to Cruz, according to the Hill. "It's something we can think about."

Trump said the fiery rhetoric that marked his run against Cruz – which included publicly traded barbs over the physical attributes of each others' wives, as well as constant Trump camp characterization of the Texas senator as a "liar" – was in the past and he's moved past any feelings of resentment. But he then offered up a subtle jab on Cruz's honesty again.

"It's an easy thing," Trump said of the process by which candidates are nominated. "He said some things and he made some things up and he took some things that were said out of context."

Pundits and media analysts suggested former neurosurgeon Ben Carson might actually be the most talked-about vice presidential pick among higher-ups in the Trump camp. But Trump put that notion to rest – mostly – during his chat with O'Reilly, saying Carson wasn't that interested in the job.

CNN reported Monday that Cruz was not releasing his delegates in at least three states, "a sign he may hold onto some clout" at this summer's Republican National Convention.

In a letter to Kansas party officials, he said, "I do not release any Republican National Convention delegates bound to me as a result of the 2016 delegate selection process that took place in your state."

The New York Times speculated that Cruz supporters wanted to "seize control of the Republican platform and the rules governing" the convention.

After the Indiana primary decision, in which Trump won all 57 of the state's delegates, Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, called him the "presumptive GOP nominee."

Cruz, in announcing his departure from the race then, said, "We gave it all we got. But the voters chose another path. We are suspending our campaign. But hear me now, I am not suspending our fight for liberty."

Watch Cruz's full speech announcing his campaign suspension:

As WND reported, the animosity between Trump and Cruz had reached a fever pitch just days before the Indiana decision, after the GOP front-runner cited an unsubstantiated National Enquirer story claiming Cruz's father was Rafael Cruz was photographed standing beside Lee Harvey Oswald three months before President Kennedy was shot and killed.

Trump gave the story an extra boost on national television when he called into Fox News on election day and said: "[Cruz's] father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswald's being – you know, shot. I mean, the whole thing is ridiculous. What is this, right prior to his being shot, and nobody even brings it up. They don't even talk about that. That was reported, and nobody talks about it. I mean, what was he doing – what was he doing with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the death? Before the shooting? It's horrible.”

Cruz responded to Trump's "kooky" attack, calling him a “pathological liar,” an “utterly amoral bully” and a “narcissist” who essentially makes President Obama look like an amateur by comparison.