[Uncle Miltie]

"he’d be splitting the party and destroying the nation for no reason whatsoever other than personal pride and ego"

Or Cruz could still be championing conservatism.

Let's say your original observation of Trump is correct: He's a populist.

When Trump shows up with a plurality of the vote, and Cruz is a strong second, Cruz could merely ask Trump:

"What's it worth to you today to have a coronation rather than a fight?"

And the answer is some agreement by Trump to Cruz for actions on behalf of conservatism. Some Supreme Court picks, pre-announced, for example.

It is not necessarily for ill that Cruz fights on, in my opinion.

[Big E]

“And the answer is some agreement by Trump to Cruz for actions on behalf of conservatism. Some Supreme Court picks, pre-announced, for example.”

I like that. If Trump ends up the nominee, I’m going to have to think long and hard about whether to pull the Trump lever in November. If Trump pre-announced the Scalia replacement prior to the election, then I would feel much better about voting for him.