Recordings Reveal Cruz Criticized Trump And Vance To Donors

Two secret recordings provided to a news outlet by a Republican source show U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz criticized President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance during private donor meetings in early and middle 2025, totaling nearly 10 minutes.

In the recordings, Cruz warned that Trumps tariff policies could leave Americans 401(k)s down 30% and supermarket prices up 10–20% by Nov. 2026, saying such outcomes would produce a "bloodbath" at the polls, according to the recordings.

Cruzs office did not deny the contents and said in a statement he remains "the president's greatest ally in the Senate," while the White House did not respond to requests for comment, a person familiar with the matter said.

Cruz also called Vice President J.D. Vance a "pawn of" conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and alleged they pushed out a former national security aide, claims that were not independently confirmed and are contested, according to the recordings and sources.

Political analysts said the disclosures could complicate Cruzs positioning ahead of a possible 2028 presidential bid and intensify intra-party tensions with Vice President Vance, who remains favored in prediction markets.