'Most of the things he says have no basis in reality': Heidi Cruz attacks Donald Trump after he threatens to 'spill the beans' on her in retaliation for advert which 'slut-shamed' Melania

  • Conservative PAC Make America Awesome run an anti-Trump campaign
  • They issued an ad using a nude picture of Melania Trump from a GQ shoot
  • It is captioned: 'Meet Melania Trump. Your next First Lady. Or, you could support Ted Cruz on Tuesday'
  • Trump quickly hit back, threatening to 'spill the beans' on Cruz's wife Heidi 
  • Cruz replied that if he went after her, he's 'more of a coward than I thought' 
  • He also defended his wife on TV, using a misquoted line from film The American President 
  • Cruz won Utah, taking all of the state's 40 delegates after getting almost 70 percent of the vote
  • For the latest on the GOP primaries, visit www.dailymail.co.uk/gopprimary
By KHALEDA RAHMAN and JESSICA CHIA FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 11:02 EST, 23 March 2016 | UPDATED: 13:32 EST, 23 March 2016
Heidi Cruz came out to attack Donald Trump after he threatened to 'spill the beans' on her after a conservative super PAC backing Ted Cruz used an advert that slut-shamed his wife Melania.
The ad, circulated on social media, shows the Trump's wife, a former model, in a nude 2000 GQ photo shoot captioned: 'Meet Melania Trump, your next First Lady. Or you could vote for Ted Cruz on Tuesday.'
The GOP frontrunner responded in characteristic bombastic fashion on Twitter, misidentifying Cruz's campaign as the ad's source.
He wrote: 'Lyin' Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad. Be careful, Lyin' Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!'
Trump did not indicate what he intended to divulge about Heidi Cruz, who is on leave from an executive job at Goldman Sachs while campaigning, but her husband quickly came to her defense on Twitter. 
Cruz wrote: 'Pic of your wife not from us. Donald, if you try to attack Heidi, you're more of a coward than I thought. #classless.' 
In a campaign appearance for her husband in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Heidi Cruz addressed the uproar briefly.
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Heidi Cruz (pictured) came out to attack Donald Trump after he threatened to 'spill the beans' on her after a conservative super PAC backing Ted Cruz used an advert that slut-shamed his wife Melania.
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Heidi Cruz (pictured) came out to attack Donald Trump after he threatened to 'spill the beans' on her after a conservative super PAC backing Ted Cruz used an advert that slut-shamed his wife Melania.
The super PAC Make America Awesome, which describes itself as an independent group focused on 'unconventional and cost-effective tactics' created this ad attacking Donald Trump through his wife Melania (pictured, in a GQ photo shoot in 2000)
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The super PAC Make America Awesome, which describes itself as an independent group focused on 'unconventional and cost-effective tactics' created this ad attacking Donald Trump through his wife Melania (pictured, in a GQ photo shoot in 2000)
'You probably know by now that most of the things that Donald Trump says have no basis in reality,' she told reporters. 'So we are not worried in the least.'  
She added: 'I have one job in this campaign and that is to help Ted win this race. I think it is the easiest job in the world. 
'All I have to do is speak the truth about what I know about my husband and our family.'
Speaking at a rally at Women's National Republican Club in New York on Wednesday, Cruz further defended his wife, saying Trump's threat was 'gutter politics' and that he had 'reached a new low.'
The Texas senator said Trump tries to 'attack and bully people' but should know that spouses and children are off-limits. 
He also said that Trump launches personal attacks when he wants to change the subject, suggesting the billionaire wanted to divert attention from Utah, where he lost to Cruz on Tuesday night.
Cruz also addressed the conflict in television interviews, using a misquoted line from 1995 film The American President starring Michael Douglas.
'If Donald wants to get in a character fight, he's better off sticking with me 'cause Heidi is way out of his league,' Cruz told CNN. 
Cruz's comeback is strikingly similar to a line uttered by Douglas in the film. 'You want a character debate, Bob?' he says. 'You better stick with me, 'cause Sydney Ellen Wade is way out of your league.'
Meanwhile, it was unclear what exactly Trump was threatening to reveal regarding Cruz's wife.
However, it is well documented that she suffered from depression a decade ago, culminating in a 2005 incident when police found her with her heads in her hands beside a Texas expressway. 
A police report said she was a 'danger to herself'.
Furious: Trump hit out at Ted Cruz for the advert, saying he would 'spill the beans' on his wife Heidi Cruz. It was unclear exactly what he meant although she has a history of depression
Furious: Trump hit out at Ted Cruz for the advert, saying he would 'spill the beans' on his wife Heidi Cruz. It was unclear exactly what he meant although she has a history of depression
Careful Donald: Cruz quickly responded, saying if he tried to attack Heidi, he would be 'more of a coward than I thought'. He also called it 'classless'
Careful Donald: Cruz quickly responded, saying if he tried to attack Heidi, he would be 'more of a coward than I thought'. He also called it 'classless'
Cruz said Trump's threat was 'gutter politics' and that he had 'reached a new low' at a rally (pictured) in New York on Wednesday
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Cruz said Trump's threat was 'gutter politics' and that he had 'reached a new low' at a rally (pictured) in New York on Wednesday
The Texas senator said Trump tries to 'attack and bully people' but should know that spouses and children are off-limits during a speech at the Women's National Republican Club (pictured) in New York
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The Texas senator said Trump tries to 'attack and bully people' but should know that spouses and children are off-limits during a speech at the Women's National Republican Club (pictured) in New York
Meanwhile, Cruz clung to the hope of catching up to Trump after winning the Utah caucuses and receiving further backing from the party establishment which is desperate to stop the outspoken billionaire.
Often shunned by party moderates because of his hawkish stance on fiscal issues, Cruz picked up an endorsement from former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, an establishment Republican who was a candidate for the party's nomination for the November 8 presidential election until he dropped out last month.
Cruz won all of the 40 Republican delegates from Tuesday's Utah contest, although Trump won the 58 delegates up for grabs in Arizona, partly due to his tough message on illegal immigration.
Republican strategist Liz Mair, who founded the super PAC Make America Awesome, toldBuzzfeed that their ads have been targeting Mormons, who have been shown in previous election results to dislike The Donald.
The Make America Awesome campaign also includes an ad highlighting Romney, a devout Mormon, and his public condemnation of Trump. 
A third ad quotes the Donald on his previous pro-choice stance, although the candidate has now flip-flopped in the abortion debate and declared himself pro-life.
Mair told Buzzfeed the online campaign, which is the group's first endorsement of a specific candidate, is expected to reach 10,000 Mormons a day.
Ted Cruz lifted a line uttered by Michael Douglas in The American President to defend his wife
Cruz's comeback to Trump was strikingly similar to Douglas's line in the film. 'You want a character debate, Bob?' he says. 'You better stick with me, 'cause Sydney Ellen Wade is way out of your league.'
Ted Cruz lifted a line uttered by Michael Douglas (right) in The American President to defend his wife

HEIDI CRUZ'S BATTLE WITH DEPRESSION

Ted Cruz and wife Heidi wave to supporters during a campaign stop earlier this month in Concord, NC
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Ted Cruz and wife Heidi wave to supporters during a campaign stop earlier this month in Concord, NC
A 2005 police report that was uncovered last year details an incident where Heidi Cruz was taken in by a police officer after she was found sitting just feet away from a major roadway in Austin, Texas.
On August 22, Cruz left her home shortly after 10pm and walked for miles before sitting down by the MoPac Expressway.
Officer Joel Davidson was dispatched after reports came in of a woman sitting dangerously close to the side of the road with her head in her hands.
When Davidson arrived on the scene Cruz identified herself and revealed she was not on any medication and had just two sips of a margarita that night, something Davidson confirmed saying she was not intoxicated at the time.
Davidson 'believed she was a danger to herself' and eventually Cruz left with him in his patrol car.
At the time, Cruz had recently left her job working for National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to be with her husband, who was serving as Solicitor General.
Cruz had been commuting between Washington DC and Texas for an entire year as the couple's jobs kept them 1,500 miles apart.
She had also just begun a new job working at Goldman Sachs as a private wealth manager.
After the police report was released, an advisor to Senator Cruz put out statement saying; 'About a decade ago, when Mrs. Cruz returned from D.C. to Texas and faced a significant professional transition, she experienced a brief bout of depression.
'Like millions of Americans, she came through that struggle with prayer, Christian counseling, and the love and support of her husband and family.' 
She also said the Melania ad will be promoted on Instagram specifically targeting LDS women. 
Election results in Wyoming and Idaho, where there are significant Mormon populations, show the religious group favor Cruz and Kasich over Trump. 
History professor Matt Bowman told ThinkProgress.com that Mormons, who have historically experienced religious persecution, dislike the Republican frontrunner for his Islamophobic comments.
He added: 'Mormons place a high premium on being nice, and Trump is not nice.'  
Make America Awesome is described on its website as 'a SuperPAC dedicated to blocking and reversing Donald Trump's political ascent'. 
It adds: 'We are an independent group, and are not authorized by any presidential candidate or candidate committee. Our focus is on using unconventional and cost-effective tactics, as opposed to stereotypical high-cost, limited-yield methods with the objective of providing maximum donor value.'
In reference to an anti-Trump ad they ran in January criticizing his business methods, the super PAC tweeted: 'If Trump's opponents are serious about defeating him, they need to start running attacks that work with his voters now...'
The Make America Awesome campaign also includes an ad highlighting Romney, a devout Mormon, and his public condemnation of Trump
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The Make America Awesome campaign also includes an ad highlighting Romney, a devout Mormon, and his public condemnation of Trump
A third ad quotes the Donald on his previous pro-choice stance, although the candidate has now flip-flopped in the abortion debate and declared himself pro-life
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A third ad quotes the Donald on his previous pro-choice stance, although the candidate has now flip-flopped in the abortion debate and declared himself pro-life
But the photo slut-shaming Melania has attracted criticism from across the political spectrum. 
In an article on Mic.com, Anna Swartz wrote there were plenty of other reasons to attack Trump, from his 'racist tirades' to his 'extreme anti-immigration rhetoric'. 
Others defended Melania and pointed out the fact that she is fluent in five languages and studied architecture and design before working as a model and running her own businesses.
Conservative news websites called the ad 'despicable' while others have pointed out the PAC's strategies could backfire. 

'I am pro-choice': Cruz uses Trump's own words to attack him

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Commentators across the political spectrum have slammed the tasteless ads and defended Melania. The former model, pictured with her husband and son Barron, married Trump in 2005
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Commentators across the political spectrum have slammed the tasteless ads and defended Melania. The former model, pictured with her husband and son Barron, married Trump in 2005