Steve Deace may be one of Ted Cruz's biggest supporters. But after Cruz's third place finish in South Carolina, the Iowa-based radio host has seemingly had enough with his candidate of choice's performance.

Deace, who was part of Cruz's Iowa leadership team and has given his advice and name in support of the senator, has gone on a tirade against Cruz on social media, his nationally syndicated radio show, and in two parts on Conservative Review. He has denounced Cruz's current messaging and stance against Trump as weak, despite explaining that he is still a “Cruz guy.”

During the February 22 episode of The Steve Deace Show, Deace criticized Cruz's performance in South Carolina, saying, “Third place is third place. There is no excuse for Ted Cruz to finish in third place in South Carolina. ... I love him, we are friends, but I don't believe in victims.”

Deace said the voters in South Carolina were responding to Cruz's reluctance to fight with Trump and his apologies to Rubio and Carson: They are “sending Cruz a message, and I think that message is that they want him to go back to being that alpha male conservative leader that people fell in love with.” Deace continued:

If anyone with the Cruz campaign ever apologizes to Ben Carson again, I may eunuch myself, which will make my wife very, very upset. I am desperate at this point. I will do anything, name it, name the price. As a Cruz guy, I will do anything the universe demands, that they never apologize to Ben Carson or really anybody else again.

I don't think they should have apologized to Marco Rubio today. “Well Steve, they put out a phony video.” Yeah they did. It was dumb, and you know what they did, they fired the guy that did it. That's all. All Ted needed to do was stand up there and say, “Yeah this idiot did it. He's fired. He's gone. That's why he is gone. Next question.” I mean, why are we apologizing to people?

[...]

The most craptastic figure that's ever attempted to run for president in the history of this republic, who right now has got 70 delegates ... , and second place has 11, and people want nice? They don't want nice. When your home is on fire, you have no idea, you have no idea when the firemen comes crashing through your front door to rescue your kids, you have no idea if he has kiddie porn on his computer at home. You don't know if he has got a tongue ring and a john account online. You don't know that and you don't care.

Deace's critique of Cruz's strategy continued on Twitter as the host condemned the campaign's aversion to engage Trump on big issues:

Every moment Team Cruz plays hand-slap with Rubio is a moment they don't focus on their true enemy. https://t.co/dlyOAoSABp

-- Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) February 22, 2016

At first Team Cruz was brilliant not to attack Trump from a position of weakness, like so many others did early and failed.

-- Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) February 22, 2016

But once Cruz won Iowa, the sole focus should've been on Trump instead of worrying about Rubio doing an end-run.

-- Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) February 22, 2016

Cruz-Rubio bicker over bronze medals, mailers, and robocalls. Trump debates the pope and Islam.

-- Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) February 21, 2016

IMO, Cruz going to war with Rubio helped Trump get evangelical voters he doesn't deserve. Trump projects strength while Cruz/Rubio bicker.

-- Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) February 21, 2016