Behind closed doors, Ted Cruz had a lot to say—and none of it was pretty.
Explosive leaked audio obtained by Axios reveals that Senator Ted Cruz, long seen as a loyal Trump ally in public, torched both Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance in a series of donor calls last year. The recordings, nearly 10 minutes in total, capture Cruz slamming Trump’s economic policies, warning of electoral disaster, and suggesting that Vance is little more than a puppet of Tucker Carlson.
According to the recordings, Cruz fumed over Trump’s tariffs, describing how he banned his staff from using the phrase “Liberation Day” when Trump announced the sweeping tax hikes. He detailed a late-night call with Trump and other GOP senators where he warned the then-president of a coming economic collapse and potential impeachment threats.
BREAKING:
USA – Secret audio obtained by Axios captures Senator Ted Cruz harshly criticizing Trump and JD Vance in a private conversation.
Cruz recounts warning Trump: “You’re going to lose the House, you’re going to lose the Senate, you’re going to spend the next two years… pic.twitter.com/89enKOA8A3
— 𝐀𝐋𝐏𝐇𝐀 ® (@Alpha7021) January 25, 2026
“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 allegedly said. The response from Trump? A blunt and furious: “F— you, Ted.”
Despite this, Cruz’s office is now playing damage control. While not denying the recordings’ authenticity, they insisted the Texas senator “battles every day in the trenches to advance [Trump’s] agenda.”
The leak couldn’t come at a more sensitive time. Cruz is widely expected to launch another presidential campaign in 2028 and sees himself as a traditional conservative alternative to the Trump-Vance brand. But standing in his way is Vice President JD Vance—Trump’s handpicked successor—who prediction markets like Kalshi currently show as the frontrunner for the Republican nomination.
Vance didn’t escape unscathed in Cruz’s donor rants. According to Axios, Cruz ridiculed Vance as a “pawn” of conservative commentator Tucker Carlson. “Tucker created JD,” Cruz reportedly said. “JD is Tucker’s protégé, and they are one and the same.”
The feud appears to go back to Cruz’s public spat with Carlson over U.S. military action in Iran. Cruz, a vocal supporter of intervention, accused Carlson and Vance of orchestrating the ouster of former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz after Waltz pushed for strikes on Iranian targets.
“F**k you, Ted”
In secret recordings, Ted Cruz trashes Trump tariffs and JD Vancehttps://t.co/z2uHhVAH4T pic.twitter.com/5U6ZUi6upc
— Julia Davis (@JuliaDavisNews) January 25, 2026
Carlson flatly denied involvement when asked by Axios.
Trump and Cruz have always had a volatile relationship. During the 2016 GOP primary, Trump branded Cruz “Lyin’ Ted” and even mocked his wife, Heidi. But Cruz eventually fell in line, backing Trump in the 2020s and campaigning for him in 2024.
These latest leaks, however, reveal a much deeper rift—one that could shape the battle lines in the post-Trump Republican Party.
