Former president Jimmy Carter, who is still alive, says of the Republican candidates that he prefers Donald Trump to Ted Cruz because Donald Trump has no fixed beliefs and his views are malleable:

"I think I would choose Trump, which may surprise some of you," the former Democratic president said during an appearance at Britain's House of Lords on Wednesday afternoon. He was asked who he would pick for the GOP nomination.

"The reason is, Trump has proven already he's completely malleable," Carter explained. "I don't think he has any fixed [positions] he'd go the White House and fight for. On the other hand, Ted Cruz is not malleable. He has far-right wing policies he'd pursue if he became president."

It's not hard to figure out why Carter would think that, given that Trump has had close relationships with Democrats for most of his adult life.  In Trump's own words:

I always had a decent relationship with Reid, although lately, obviously, I haven't been dealing with him, so he'll actually use my name as the ultimate – you know, as the ultimate of the billionaires in terms of, you know, people you don't want. I always had a great relationship with Harry Reid and frankly, if I weren't running for office I would be able to deal with her or Reid or anybody. But I think I'd be able to get along very well with Nancy Pelosi and just about everybody.

Trump went on to speak well of Schumer, saying, "I'll be able to get along well with Chuck Schumer – I was always very good with Schumer. I was close to Schumer in many ways. It's important that you get along."

Since 1996, Trump has contributed more than $10,000 to Schumer's campaigns for House and Senate, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Now Trump has disavowed the politics of 98% of his adult life, but it's easy to see that if you don't disregard most of his past, Trump, who has switched political parties five times in his life, has gone back and forth on most of the major issues of the day, including immigration and partial-birth abortion.

Trump supporters say that he's changed, and his liberal views and giving "yuuuge" sums of money to Democrats, as recently as 2013, are a thing of the distant past.  Obviously Jimmy Carter doesn't think so.

Donald Trump compares himself to Ronald Reagan, but Ronald Reagan was a committed Republican for far more than 18 months before he ran for president. 

I believe Donald Trump when he says he would get along with the Democrats and cut deals with them if elected.  That's why I think he should not be the Republican nominee.

This article was written by Ed Straker, senior writer of NewsMachete.com, the conservative news site.