Donald Trump turned his sights on fellow Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz on Friday morning after reports that Cruz questioned his "judgment."
Trump addressed the comments via Twitter, writing that Cruz "should not make statements behind closed doors to his bosses, he should bring them out in the open - more fun that way!"
During a closed door fundraiser earlier this week. Cruz told supporters that "judgment" was a "challenging question" for both Trump and Ben Carson, according to audio obtained by the The New York Times. Cruz has shied away from publicly criticizing Trump thus far.
When asked about his remarks at a separate event on Thursday, Cruz would not comment on anything he “may or may not” have said, NBC News reported. His campaign said the coverage of his remarks was “misleading.”
"In the course of a Presidential election, the voters are going to make a decision about every candidate," the campaign said in a statement. "And ultimately the decision is, who has the right judgment and the right experience to serve as Commander in Chief?"
Trump wrote, however, that it seemed Cruz was "getting ready to attack."
“I am leading by so much that he must," Trump wrote. "I hope so, he will fall like all others. Will be easy!”
Cruz responded a few hours later with his own tweet, trying to quell reports of any animosity between the two presidential hopefuls.
"The Establishment's only hope: Trump & me in a cage match," Cruz wrote.
"Sorry to disappoint," he added, saying he thinks Trump is "terrific."
Meanwhile, in the Middle East and around the world, Trump continues to face heat for his recent call to ban Muslims from entering the United States.
On Friday, Trump’s name and image was removed from parts of a golf course and housing development in Dubai, according to The Associated Press. The general manager of Trump Towers Istanbul, which Trump licenses, has said the company is “assessing” its partnership with the real estate mogul in light of his comments.
U.S. & World
In the United Kingdom, a petition garnered over 400,000 signatures to ban Trump from the country.
His Democratic rival Hillary Clinton said on "Late Night with Seth Myers" that Trump's controversial plan "really plays into the hands of the terrorists."
A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that nearly six in 10 Americans oppose Trump’s proposal to bar Muslims from the country. However, among Republicans, the percentages of those who support and oppose Trump’s plan are evenly divided.
The Cruz and Trump campaigns did not immediately return requests for comment.
