In a newly leaked audio, Texas Senator Ted Cruz reportedly criticized U.S. President Donald Trump. The 10-minute recording from two meetings with Republican donors has offered an insight into the alleged tensions within the Republican Party.
Donald Trump seemingly slammed by Republican Party senator Ted Cruz in leaked audio
Senator Ted Cruz, a longtime supporter of Donald Trump, has reportedly criticized some major decisions made by the President. In a newly leaked audio recording obtained by Axios, the Republican lawmaker can be heard slamming Trump’s tariff policies, among other issues.
At one point in the 10-minute audio, Cruz ripped into Trump’s “Liberation Day” event in April 2025. He said, “I’ve told my team if anyone uses those words, they will be terminated on the spot. That is not language we use.”
The Texas Senator also spoke about warning Trump that the tariffs could “decimate the economy” and put his presidency in jeopardy. “I’ve been in conversations where he was very happy. This was not one of them.”
In one recording, Cruz warned, “[I said to Trump,] 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.”
The Senator reportedly added, “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 allegedly responded to the warning with, “F— you, Ted.”
Cruz also remarked on JD Vance and his relationship with conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson. “Tucker created JD. JD is Tucker’s protégé, and they are one and the same,” he said in the recording.
However, in light of the leaked audio, a spokesperson for Cruz has recently stated that the Senator continues to be “the president’s greatest ally in the Senate and battles every day in the trenches to advance his agenda (via People).”
