Ted Cruz feels vindicated in his attack on Donald Trump's "New York values" after winning the Iowa caucus on Feb. 1.

"As I travel the country here in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada, everyone knows what New York values are," Cruz told ABC News, minutes after delivering his victory speech, once again using a phrase that had first pitted him against Trump during a Republican presidential debate hosted by the Fox Business Channel on Jan. 14.

Cruz: Americans Know What 'New York Values' Are

Unlike Trump, most Americans had no trouble in defining just what those "New York Values" are, the senator argued.

"It's the values of the elite liberals that have done enormous damage to New York, and they're a bunch of cops and firemen and hardworking men and women in the great state of New York who are fed up with the out-of-touch values of Manhattan," he said.

The Tea Party favorite once again used the opportunity to underline his conservative credentials, which arguably catapulted him to victory in the Hawkeye State.

"This is a center-right country," he said.

"The values of this country are reasonable, common sense. Their Judeo-Christian values are the reason our campaign is resonating and resonating among Reagan Democrats in particular is because getting back to the principles that built America and those principles bring us together."

Cruz Glad Bold, Brash Trump is in the Race

The Jan. 14 debate had marked the definite break between Cruz and Trump, both previously treating each other with a level of deference, CNN noted. The real-estate tycoon himself had acknowledged that night "the bromance" with the Texan was "over."

But Cruz insisted, on Feb. 1, he never meant to "insult" his rival, and he was happy with Trump in the race.

"I will praise Donald Trump. He's bold, I think he's brash, I'm glad he's running. He's energized a lot of people," Cruz said. "Now, I'm willing to draw differences on policy. Policy is fair game."

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