Sorry but it’s very well known about Cruz’s memory ability...that does not mean he isn’t going to miss speak or flub things....there’s no guarantee of perfection for any candidate. They can all fall into the traps and bait shifting.
Trump doesn’t think on his feet as much as shifts and manipulates his environment to protect his ego....be it lashing out, telling people what they want to hear in the moment, or outright altering the facts....it’s all to hide and protect his fragile ego...it’s not a gift, it’s learned behavior to handle his inner turmoil. For Ted it’s a gift he has that comes with the package.
Though it has been claimed that Ted has a certain kind of memory, he has only exhibited it once, IF it was for real. He does have a fairly good ability to memorize; everything he says is thoroughly scripted, memorized, and the regurgitated. Elsewise, he gets that "deer in the headlights" look and is unable to answer in any way; cogent or not.
Some people learn aurally ( that's by listening ), or by reading. A very few are able to do it both ways. I know that you and others find his parroting ability to somehow be "amazing"/make him "brilliant", but frankly, it's no big deal.
Yes, Trump is all over the place. It doesn't bother me, but I can understand that it might be bothersome to others. The thing is, his brain is going faster than his mouth can, so he jumps around somewhat, but eventually, he brings it back to where he left off and ties it all together. He is NOT a "public speaker", nor a professional politician.
Your biases and lack of education is showing. Bless your heart.
Re Teddy's memory trick; it's NOT a "gift"; it's a many hundreds of years mental trick, which is learned and has been taught to many others.