Trump and Cruz are back at it again.

For the last several days, the two have been in a Twitter-based Battle of the Wives, pitting Melania and Heidi against one another in the race for the GOP nomination.

The dispute began when an anti-Trump Super PAC, Make America Awesome, advertised risque photos of Melania from a GQ shoot 16 years ago. The photos were accompanied by the caption “Meet Melania Trump, your next first lady.” In an attempt to connect with conservative women and their value of modesty, the photos were distributed all across the state of Utah leading up to the primary last Tuesday the 22.

Following the release of the photos, Trump supporters responded through social media. One fan in particular made a photo collage featuring a flattering picture of Melania and a not so flattering picture of Heidi scowling with the caption “No need to ‘Spill the Beans’. The images are worth a thousand words.”

On primary night, Trump himself responded to the photos saying, “Lyin’ Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad. Be careful, Lyin’ Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife.” The next day, he shared the collage that had already been widely circulated, out to his 7.8 million twitter followers.

The backlash from Cruz that followed was intense. In numerous interviews, Cruz spoke outwardly of his “disgust” with Trump saying he “sank to sleaze because of his lack of knowledge about the issues”. In a public statement about the photos of his wife, Cruz stated “Donald, real men don’t attack women. Your wife is lovely, and Heidi is the love of my life,” in an attempt to not only protect his wife, but also support the family values he pushes in his campaign.  

Many believe this weaponization of women by the GOP party, will give fuel to the Democratic party and their race for the presidency.