This post was updated at 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday with comments from Trump and Cruz.
It wouldn't be a day on the campaign trail in 2016 if we didn't have Donald Trump saying something shocking?
The example tonight, in Manchester, New Hampshire on the eve of that state's primary, came courtesy of one of Trump's supporters. During a portion of his oration, Trump was lamenting Ted Cruz's statement on waterboarding during Saturday's debate when a fan close to Trump shouted something in regards to Cruz and Trump stopped to ask her to yell it again.
While at the same time egging her on, Trump also admonished her -- playfully, it seems -- before deciding to directly quote her statement for the whole crowd: "She said, 'He's a pussy.'"
If you don't want to watch the complete exchange above, here's the main quote.
Of course, Trump postured with mock admonition, eating up the applause from the crowd, saying, in mock lamentation, "What kind of people do I have here?" Citing another New Hampshire incident in 2015, Trump reminded his followers how mad the press was for him not reprimanding a supporter who called President Obama a Muslim: "For the press, this is a serious reprimand."
Later Monday, a spokesman for Cruz's campaign tweeted that Trump was "turning the campaign into the latest episode of a reality show."
.@realDonaldTrump turning the campaign into the latest episode of a reality show but let's not forget who whipped who in Iowa.— Rick Tyler (@rickwtyler) February 9, 2016
On Tuesday morning, Trump appeared on "Morning Joe" where he was asked about the remark. "We were all just having fun. It was a great moment. I got a standing ovation, the place went wild," said Trump. "All I was doing was repeating because people couldn't hear it, so I was doing everybody a favor."
Donald Trump on why he called @tedcruz a p*ssy: "All I was doing was repeating because people couldn't hear." pic.twitter.com/2naaxPnFvA— Mashable News (@MashableNews) February 9, 2016
Later Tuesday, when pressed by NBC's Lester Holt, Trump continued on the defensive, saying, "And it wasn't my word, it was a word that a woman kept shouting. And she was shouting it from-- and I repeated-- I only repeated the word. And the place was wild. Standing ovation, everybody."
Trump did admit, though, "When you're president, or if you're about to be president, you would act differently."
Cruz himself didn't seem too upset about the incident, refusing to respond even as he acknowledged it.
Responding to being called a "pu--y" last night, @tedcruz says profanity is Trump's style & says it's not surprising pic.twitter.com/VqhGaggDhg— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) February 9, 2016
Where the race stands today