Ted Cruz resisted a golden opportunity to go after a Donald Trump candidacy in a very public forum on Sunday. In an interview with Meet the Press host Chuck Todd, Cruz refused to rise to the bait and attack his rival.

“Now, when it comes to Donald Trump, I like Donald Trump,” said Cruz. “He’s bold, he’s brash. And I get that — that it seems the favorite sport of the Washington media is to encourage some Republicans to attack other Republicans. I ain’t gonna do it. I’m not interested in Republican on Republican violence.”

Todd tried again, pressing Cruz – himself the son of an immigrant – to take a position on whether Trump’s angry rhetoric, at least was bad for the political debate.

“I salute Donald Trump for focusing on the need to address illegal immigration,” Cruz said. “The Washington cartel doesn’t want to address that. The Washington cartel doesn’t believe we need to secure the borders. The Washington cartel supports amnesty and I think amnesty’s wrong.

Read the article “Ted Cruz: ‘I Salute Donald Trump’” on cnbc.com.