The new, old Trump brings back ‘Lyin’ Ted’

INDIANAPOLIS — Donald Trump apparently isn’t finished with “Lyin’ Ted.”

The real estate mogul and Republican frontrunner revived his favorite nickname for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at a rally here, repeatedly using it to trash his rival for his alleged close ties to special interests and for his efforts to outmaneuver Trump in the race for delegates to the party convention.

“I’m millions of votes ahead of ‘Lyin’ Ted,’” Trump boasted, slamming the Texas senator for trying to exploit a “rigged” and “corrupt” delegate system.

Trump’s taunts came just a day after he revealed a new, more restrained side at his New York primary victory event Tuesday night, referring to his rival as “Senator Cruz” and offering a more disciplined message. The GOP frontrunner has frequently bragged that he can be “presidential” when he chooses, and his change of tone spurred speculation that he was embracing a more general-election friendly message on the advice of new campaign aides, including convention manager Paul Manafort.

Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Indianapolis, April 20, 2016. (Photo: Aaron P. Bernstein/Reuters)

But in his first campaign appearance here ahead of Indiana’s May 3 primary, Trump was back to his rambunctious self, whipping up the crowd with his taunts of Cruz and the Republican Party establishment. He also verbally tangled with protesters, who repeatedly interrupted his hour-long remarks here.

“Get ’em out of here,” Trump growled repeatedly, as supporters cheered wildly.

But there were none of the violent encounters between Trump’s supporters and the hecklers that marked some of his earlier rallies. When one man left quietly with police, Trump made fun of him from the stage.

“These protesters aren’t very tough around here,” Trump said. “That’s good.”