Pushes conspiracy theory linking Cruz’s father to Lee Harvey Oswald

On the morning of the crucial Indiana primary, Trump phoned into Fox & Friends and cited a National Enquirer story to claim that Ted Cruz’s father, Rafael, had been photographed with John F. Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, shortly before the president was murdered. Treating a tabloid smear as fact, he told viewers that Rafael Cruz was "with Lee Harvey Oswald" and suggested this should be a major scandal for his rival. Multiple outlets quickly pointed out there was no credible evidence for the allegation, and fact-checkers later documented how the story originated in conspiracy circles and the Enquirer’s own hit piece. By amplifying the claim on national television anyway, Trump used baseless conspiracy theory as a campaign weapon against a named opponent, further normalizing disinformation as a tool against his targets.

"His father was with Lee Harvey Oswald prior to Oswald being, you know, shot. What was he doing with Lee Harvey Oswald shortly before the death? Before the shooting? It’s horrible." — Fox & Friends phone interview on the morning of the May 3, 2016 Indiana primary, where Trump cited a National Enquirer story to suggest Rafael Cruz had been photographed with Lee Harvey Oswald before the Kennedy assassination