'Please stay off': Trump adviser publicly begs Cruz as TV appearance ends in boos from audience

Texas Republican Ted Cruz appeared on ESPN’s 'College GameDay' to discuss the Protect College Sports Act
A top Trump adviser urged Sen Ted Cruz to avoid TV interviews, saying Republicans needed to focus on winning the upcoming elections (Getty Images)
A top Trump adviser urged Sen Ted Cruz to avoid TV interviews, saying Republicans needed to focus on winning the upcoming elections (Getty Images)


WASHINGTON, DC: After Texas Senator Ted Cruz was brutally booed during the Texas Longhorns game in Austin, a President Donald Trump adviser begged him to stay away from television interviews as the GOP is trying to win the election.

Texas Republican Ted Cruz appeared on ESPN’s “College GameDay” from the stadium to discuss the Protect College Sports Act, which would create federal guidelines for college athletics.

Cruz was heckled during the live segment, drowning out his interview with loud chants of "Ted, you s**k.”

Trump adviser wants Ted Cruz off TV

Alex Bruesewitz, a prominent adviser to President Donald Trump, pleaded with Ted Cruz on Saturday, September 12, to stay away from television interviews.

U.S. Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, presides over a hearing in the Russell Senate Office Building on January 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Committee held a hearing on the Panama Canal and its impact on U.S. trade and national security, focusing on fees and foreign influence. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, presides over a hearing in the Russell Senate Office Building on January 28, 2025, in Washington, DC (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

In an X post on Saturday, after Cruz’s interview spread online drawing criticism, Bruesewitz wrote that as the GOP is trying to win the election, they want to attract more young voters, not drive them away.

“We’re trying to win elections over here bro. That means attracting more young voters, not driving them away,” he said.

The Trump adviser added that Cruz is acting as a repellent. “Your appearances on mainstream television act as a repellent to our efforts. Please stay off it. Respectfully​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​,” he wrote.

Ted Cruz booed during ESPN appearance

Cruz was on set to promote the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan bill that would create a national framework for regulating college athletics and is scheduled for a Senate vote next week.

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX - FEBRUARY 27: U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) during a stop at a fast food hamburger restaurant on February 27,2026 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Trump visited Texas to speak on affordability and economic issues less than a week before the state's midterm primary elections on March 3rd. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump shakes hands with Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) during a stop at a fast-food hamburger restaurant on February 27, 2026, in Corpus Christi, Texas (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)

Reflecting on student-athlete gambling, repeated transfers, extended eligibility, and inadequate compensation, Cruz said, “What we have right now is chaos. There are no rules.”

Shortly after the interview began, however, boos from the crowd at the University of Texas at Austin stadium swelled, at times making it difficult to hear the senator.

Notably, the University of Texas at Austin campus gave Cruz less than 20% of the vote in his 2024 election.

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