Using his Facebook page, with its 2.1 million followers, Texas senator and defeated Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz told his supporters he was endorsing Donald Trump. Some were thrilled, others . . . less so.

At the time of the writing, the page has over 36,000 likes with about a dozen or more being added every second, and over 30,900 shares. It has over 41,000 loves compared with nearly 1,300 sads. But what are people saying in the comments? How are Cruz’s Facebook followers feeling about this move?

The Happy Ones

Few of the commenters seemed to be full-blown Trump supporters, like Crystal Covill, who wrote: “TRUMP is and has always been the right choice. Do your part and vote trump in Nov.”

Most of the supportive comments came from people who were either pleased without being open supporters of Trump or pleased because they completely oppose Clinton. Chris Stephens declares: “I know this wasn’t easy for you and I know you haven’t sold out. You’re doing what you’ve been doing since you took office: protected, preserved and defended the Constitution. I applaud you, and, even though you and I have prayed very much on this issue, I will do the same on election day.”

In the same spirit, Pete Var tells Cruz, “You are a Godly man of principle and came to this decision after much counsel, prayer and soul-searching I’m sure. It takes a big man to step out boldly. You are still who the United States needs, but I will support you and your position in this fight for our country’s veritable survival.”

Most of those praising Cruz’s decision see it as a necessity because Hillary Clinton must be defeated — the reason Cruz  himself gave at the very end of his endorsement. “So happy to hear this. I have struggled with this decision too,”writes Taimi Jenkins Henderson. “All of your reasons make sense and despite our desire for a better candidate in many ways, this is what we have.”

Anthony Williams argues that (the ellipses are his): “HRC would be a complete disaster as president..Donald Trump was not exactly my first choice as our Republican Candidate but, in the end, he will hopefully be MUCH better than Hillary…here’s hoping?!” And Dave Booth explains: “I am waaayyy more never Killary than I am Never Trump.” Clinton, says David Newhall, “is EVIL and a HUGE threat to our nation, Constitution and the world!”

Speaking to those who find Trump “disgusting,” Betty Anne Mason Bostianwrites: “please think about Hillary’s appointees to the Supreme Court. It horrifies me. It will be more of the type such as Beyer, Ginsberg, Kagan, Sotomayor. Think about it.” Responding to the “NeverTrumpers,” Randall Piacentini writes “It’s funny to see how some people here are willing to let the country go to the gutter with Hillary even after Ted Cruz articulated his reasons to support Donald J. Trump. I never seen such a level of dumbness.”

The Unhappy Ones

Of the unhappy commenters, some, like Sophia Tsilidas Wirkkala, argue that Cruz was acting from necessity. Cruz, she writes, “did not state anything pro-Trump he was very much anti Hillary.”

But a lot of the unhappy commenters are very angry. Many former supporters felt bitter about being betrayed. “You have to be kidding me,” exclaims Greg Gaines:

What a sellout. I am ashamed to have supported you. By endorsing him you are endorsing everything he has said about you and so many others. What happened to, “I’m not in the habit of supporting people that attack my wife and my father?” You are endorsing his liberal polices and the destruction of the conservative portion of the Republic Party. You just lost a voter, Mr. Cruz. The last standing conservative has bent his knee to the liberals running this country into the ground.

Some, like Gaines, believe Trump to be a liberal. He’s “a progressive fraud,” says John Mann. “I will never vote for a NY liberal democrat even if he pretends to be a republican,”writes Migdalia Negron. “This is truly a sad day for the conservatives in our country. Time to find a real leader for our movement.” 

And Daniel Pulliam just gives up:

I’ve had a Ted Cruz bumper sticker on my car from day one. I’d never been more proud it being there as I was AFTER Trump became the nominee. It was a symbol of what I stood for. A man of principles who didn’t back down, and who stood by his vow before God to honor his wife before his vow to support a nominee before Republicans. I’m taking it off of my car right now.

A clearly annoyed Carl Hancock writes: “You said ‘Vote your conscience’ at the RNC. Apparently your conscious is telling you to vote for someone that you have personally said is a ‘pathological liar,’ a ‘serial philanderer” and an ‘utterly amoral’ ‘bully.’ … That is some conscience you have there Ted.”

Josh M. Parker declares Cruz “officially dead to me,” and Bob Sarr that “It is political self-preservation, regardless of how he spins it.” Many brought up Trump’s insulting Cruz’s wife and father and asked how he could endorse a man who did that.

It’s the Internet

What it means is hard to say. It’s the internet, where passion rules. Cruz’s disappointed supporters were more provoked to comment than the supporters he made happy.

We might guess one thing, though, from surveying the comments and replies: The Cruz supporters who agree with his endorsement do so not in support of Donald Trump but in opposition to Hillary Clinton. As Cruz says at the end of his endorsement:

Our country is in crisis. Hillary Clinton is manifestly unfit to be president, and her policies would harm millions of Americans. And Donald Trump is the only thing standing in her way. . . . And if you don’t want to see a Hillary Clinton presidency, I encourage you to vote for him.

Note: the commenters’ spelling has been corrected when needed.