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Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) criticized President Trump’s tariff strategy and Vice President JD Vance during private donor meetings last year, as revealed in recordings obtained by Axios. These tapes highlight significant divisions within the GOP regarding trade and foreign policy.
The recordings, which last nearly 10 minutes, were shared by a Republican source and were recorded during two donor gatherings in early and mid-2025.
In the discussions, Cruz specifically targeted JD Vance and Tucker Carlson, accusing them of promoting an anti-interventionist foreign policy within the Trump administration. Cruz alleged that their influence contributed to the ousting of former national security adviser Mike Waltz, who advocated for military action against Iran, a stance Trump later adopted.
“Tucker created JD. JD is Tucker’s protégé, and they are one and the same,” Cruz asserted to the donors, referencing his ongoing public disputes with Carlson on social media.
Cruz further claimed that Vance and Carlson were involved in the temporary appointment of Army veteran Daniel Davis to a senior intelligence role, describing Davis as “fiercely hostile to Israel” and stating that their actions led to a backlash resulting in Davis’s removal.
During a second recording, Cruz recounted a tense late-night phone call with Trump following the announcement of his tariff plan in early April 2025. Cruz and other senators attempted to dissuade Trump from the policy. The call extended past midnight and, according to Cruz, “did not go well,” with Trump reportedly “yelling” and “cursing.”
“Trump was in a bad mood,” Cruz remarked. “I’ve been in conversations where he was very happy. This was not one of them.”
Cruz cautioned Trump that the tariffs could damage the economy and jeopardize the GOP’s electoral prospects.
“Mr. President, if we get to November 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 facing a bloodbath,” Cruz recounted telling Trump.
“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.”
Trump’s response, Cruz noted, was direct: “F**k you, Ted.”
As per the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the trade deficit decreased to $29.4 billion in October, the lowest since June 2009 and down 39% from September’s $48.1 billion. The economy also expanded at an annualized rate of 4.4% in the third quarter, marking the fastest growth in two years.
When a donor mentioned “Liberation Day,” the term Trump used for the tariff launch, Cruz ridiculed it, stating he had instructed his staff that anyone using the phrase would be “terminated on the spot.” He added, “That is not language we use.”
Cruz informed donors that he had been “battling” the White House to secure a trade agreement with India. When queried about opposition within the administration to such agreements, Cruz named economic adviser Peter Navarro, Vice President Vance, and “sometimes” Trump.
A spokesperson for Cruz downplayed the significance of the recordings, asserting that Cruz is “the president’s greatest ally in the Senate and battles every day in the trenches to advance his agenda.”
“Those battles include fights over staffers who try to enter the administration despite disagreeing with the president and seeking to undermine his foreign policy,” the statement continued. “Sen. Cruz is proud of those fights, his accomplishments, and his close relationship with the president. These attempts at sowing division are pathetic and getting boring.“
