Defiant Ted Cruz defends Trump snub: I won't 'come like a servile puppy dog' if you attack my family

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was as defiant as ever with Texas GOP delegates during a Thursday morning breakfast meeting, even as they scolded him for not endorsing Republican nominee Donald Trump on Wednesday night.

Specifically, Cruz referenced controversies that have still smoldered even after the end of the Republican primaries.

Cruz said that it's not in his nature to obey "like a servile puppy dog" and endorse a man who made fun of his wife's appearance and insinuated his father had something to do with the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963.

"I'm not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my father," he said.

Cruz's statement was met with applause from the audience of Texas delegates.

During the primaries, Trump posted side-by-side an unflattering photo of Cruz's wife Heidi next to a photo of his own wife Melania. The caption under the photos read, "The images are worth a thousand words."

On the same day that Trump clinched the GOP nomination by winning the primary in Indiana, he linked Cruz's father to JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald.

Check out a video of Cruz ripping Trump for attacking his family below.