My new best friend Ted Cruz

If all three R’s stay in the race, the only other means to beat Trump would be to deny him the needed 1,237 delegates — in which case Cleveland convention delegates would choose the nominee.

(In 1976, Ronald Reagan supporters tried, but failed, to bump out front-runner Gerald Ford with a convention vote.) The surest way to dump Trump is with a rival who wins more delegates than The Donald.

Being famous gave the reality TV star access to priceless free airtime.

Breathless TV pundits then marveled at Trump’s genius for getting away with crude, childish remarks.

Because (sarcasm alert) that’s never happened before with a celebrity.

Trump also won the most states and delegates, thanks to a crowded field that helped him despite polls that show most Republican voters don’t want Trump.

Or maybe as Cruz spokesman Ron Nehring wrote in an email, “Donald Trump as the nominee gives you President Hillary Clinton, a Democratic Senate and a Supreme Court that’s lost for a generation.”