Ted Cruz warned Trump of nonstop impeachment over tariffs, attacked Vance in leaked audio
WASHINGTON, DC: Secret recordings of Ted Cruz's conversations with GOP donors in early and middle 2025 have shown the senator lambasting President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
The 55-year-old Republican, who is planning to run for the Oval Office in 2028, criticized Trump's tariff policy and also accused Vance of being Tucker Carlson’s pawn.
Trump yelled at Ted Cruz, cursed him over tariffs
As per the leaked recordings, shared by a Republican source with Axios, Cruz told donors that he had warned his staff members of termination if they mentioned "Liberation Day" — the day when the Trump administration announced a broad tariff hike.
“I've told my team if anyone uses those words, they will be terminated on the spot. That is not language we use,” he apparently added.
While speaking with the donors, the politician also shared that when he and other senators shared their displeasure with the tariff in a phone call with Trump, it “did not go well”.
He said the commander-in-chief began “yelling” and “cursing” them.
“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,” Cruz had apparently told 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,” he added.
But Trump apparently said, “F--- you, Ted,” in response.
Cruz called JD Vance Tucker Carlson's protege
The recordings also revealed Cruz’s take on Vance whom he called “Tucker's protégé”.
“Tucker created JD. JD is Tucker's protégé, and they are one and the same,” Cruz had claimed.
He even alleged that the former national security adviser Mike Waltz was dismissed from the Trump cabinet by Carlson and Vance.
Waltz "supported being vigorous against Iran and bombing Iran — and Tucker and JD took Mike out," Cruz reportedly shared with the donors.
During the private meeting, he also mentioned that the army veteran Daniel Davis, a staunch critic of US support for Israel, was appointed to a top national intelligence position because of Vance and Carlson.
He branded Davis as “a guy who viciously hates Israel”.
Cruz's office, Carlson respond to leaked clip
However, following the leakage of the recordings, a spokesperson for Cruz asserted that he’s “the president's greatest ally in the Senate and battles every day in the trenches to advance his agenda.”
They further claimed, “Those battles include fights over staffers who try to enter the administration despite disagreeing with the president and seeking to undermine his foreign policy.”
“Senator 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,” the spokesperson added.
