(José Niño, Headline USA) Texas Senator Ted Cruz delivered harsh private criticisms of President Trump and Vice President Vance during donor gatherings last year, according to recordings obtained by Axios.
The nearly ten minutes of audio reveals Cruz positioning himself as a traditional free trade Republican while undermining the current administration’s economic and foreign policy directions. The recordings provide unfiltered insight into how the potential 2028 candidate distinguishes himself from the less interventionist vice president.
Cruz characterized Vance as completely controlled by conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson during these private sessions. The senator has previously clashed publicly with Carlson over accusations of promoting antisemitism and opposing Israel.
The most explosive revelation involves a midnight phone call following Trump’s April 2025 tariff announcement. Cruz told donors he and several senators urged the president to reverse course during the extended conversation.
“Trump was in a bad mood,” Cruz informed his audience. “I’ve been in conversations where he was very happy. This was not one of them.”
Cruz described warning Trump about electoral consequences, saying he told the president, “Mr. President, if we get to November of [2026] and people’s 401(k)s are down 30% and prices are up 10–20% at the supermarket, we’re going to go into Election Day, face a bloodbath.”
“You’re going to lose the House, you’re going to lose the Senate, you’re going to spend the next two years being impeached every single week.”
According to Cruz, Trump responded with profanity. “F**k you, Ted.”
Trump to Ted Cruz: “Fuck you, Ted.”
The remark came after Ted Cruz reportedly bemoaned the effect of Trump’s tariffs, trying to scare the President into reversing course, saying it would destroy Trump in the Midterms, prompting Trump’s reply.
Cruz also attempted to force a… pic.twitter.com/F4dsXN4y3E
— AF Post (@AFpost) January 25, 2026
When donors mentioned Liberation Day, Trump’s branding for his tariff rollout, Cruz joked about forbidding staff from using the phrase. “I’ve told my team if anyone uses those words, they will be terminated on the spot. That is not language we use.”
Cruz repeatedly linked Vance to Carlson throughout the recordings. “Tucker created JD. JD is Tucker’s protégé, and they are one and the same,” Cruz stated.
The senator accused both men of orchestrating the removal of former national security adviser Mike Waltz over support for bombing Iran and installing Daniel Davis, whom Cruz called “a guy who viciously hates Israel,” in an intelligence position.
A Cruz spokesperson defended the senator’s actions, stating Cruz remains “the president’s greatest ally in the Senate” while battling staffers “who try to enter the administration despite disagreeing with the president.”
Carlson denied involvement in personnel decisions. White House representatives declined comment.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
