Trump’s problem is that he has some kind of mental block against the idea of accepting defeat. Always surrounded by sycophants reminding him of his awesomeness, the pain of reality biting him in the a** is more acute.
And no.. Cruz didn’t “cheat” Trump out of his assumed victory. Trump lost.
So get over it, kids.
I would say Trump does know how to personally accept defeat as he has likely had to do countless times throughout his business career (though I agree it is probably very hard for him), but what he can’t deal with is allowing anyone else to perceive he has been defeated. The latter goes to his image, his brand as he would put it.
This is how a bankruptcy, for example, becomes a victory. He knows he’s lost, but he attempts to project that loss as a victory to everyone else.
This is why, in his mind, 2nd place in Iowa was so deadly. The narrative was spreading that Cruz had simply out campaigned him (which he did). If that became the story, there is no excuse for Trump and he can’t spin 2nd place as some moral victory that was unexpected.