Ted Cruz accused his Republican rival Donald Trump Monday of exhibiting inconsistent conservativism and said the billionaire investor is becoming �rattled� and �dismayed� by his gains.

Both Cruz and Trump were campaigning Monday in New Hampshire, which holds the second contest in the country�s critical primary season.

The war of words between Cruz and Trump has intensified in recent days, with Trump going on the offensive over Cruz�s eligibility to be on the ballot given his Canadian birth and for Cruz�s failure to disclose loans received from Citibank and Goldman Sachs for his 2012 Senate race.

Trump on Sunday called Cruz a �nasty guy� who no one likes. Cruz tried to turn the insult into a joke Monday, posting a message on Twitter saying Americans feel �nasty� towards the �Washington Cartel.� Cruz posted a link to the video of Janet Jackson�s hit song �Nasty.�

�Donald seems to be a little rattled,� Cruz told reporters before a town hall in Washington, New Hampshire Monday. �For whatever reason he is very, very dismayed. I guess as conservatives continue to unite behind our campaign, as his poll numbers continue to go down, he�s a little testier.�

Polls show Cruz and Trump locked in a tight race in Iowa, but Trump is polling considerably better in New Hampshire. Cruz embarked on the five-day swing through the Granite State this week as his numbers began to show new strength.

Cruz questioned whether Trump is a true conservative, noting donations he�s made to Democrats over the years, including $50,000 in 2010 to Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the former chief of staff to President Barack Obama. And Cruz rejected Trump�s self-comparison to Ronald Reagan, saying he was �pretty sure� Reagan never supported or made large donations to Democrats.

(AP)