Ted was sandbagged

Everybody on the Squirrel-Hair campaign team knew how Ted's speech was going to go down, and they saw an opportunity to try to harm his standing in the Pub party:

1. Donald Trump knew Cruz’s speech text in advance.
2. Cruz told Trump two days in advance that he would not endorse him.
3. The speech itself congratulated Trump on winning the nomination, ripped Hillary Clinton, extolled freedom, and then told Americans to vote their conscience.
4. When Cruz gave the pre-approved speech clearly ripping Hillary and telling Americans to vote based on principle, Trump minions reportedly began whipping the crowd into boos. Paul Manafort reportedly “grinned and chuckled when asked by Mark Halperin if Trump aides encouraged boos of Cruz from the floor.”
5. Trump obviously knew what was coming, too, and entered the arena as Cruz concluded his speech, before Cruz was booed off the stage.

Trump has now tweeted out a slap at Cruz: “Ted Cruz booed off the stage, didn’t honor the pledge! I saw his speech two hours early but let him speak anyway. No big deal!” Sean Spicer of the pathetic Republican National Convention said that he was “hoping for better,” even though the text was pre-screened. Donald Trump Jr. appeared with Sean Hannity to exclaim, “The best unity I saw was everyone booing [Cruz] off the stage.”

So, to summarize, Trump knew what was coming, apparently planned the boos, and planned to take advantage of the situation in order to vindictively rip open a Republican rift that hurts his own campaign, and cast Cruz as a traitor.

Then he lied about it. 

And he did it all because he despises Ted Cruz, because he’s a petty man, and because he’s a stupid boor.

This, folks, is not our party anymore.