Leaked Audio Exposes Deep Divisions Within Trump Administration
Significant internal discord has surfaced within the Trump administration following the emergence of behind-the-scenes audio recordings featuring Senator Ted Cruz. The Texas Republican, in private conversations with donors, launched sharp criticisms against Vice President JD Vance while openly mocking President Trump's controversial tariff policies. These revelations, obtained exclusively by Axios, shed light on the simmering tensions that could reshape the Republican political landscape in the coming years.
Recordings Reveal Cruz's Strategic Positioning
The nearly ten minutes of audio recordings, provided to Axios by a Republican source, were captured during early and middle 2025. They clearly show Senator Cruz positioning himself as a traditional free trade advocate and pro-interventionist Republican, strategically distancing himself from the less hawkish stance of Vice President Vance. This positioning appears calculated ahead of a potential 2028 primary campaign where Cruz might challenge Vance for the Republican nomination.
During these donor meetings last year, Cruz portrayed Vance as essentially a puppet of conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson, with whom Cruz has had well-publicized disagreements. The senator previously accused Carlson of promoting antisemitism and advocating for an anti-Israel foreign policy during their public spats.
Economic Warnings and Heated Exchanges
In one particularly revealing segment of the recordings, Cruz issued stark warnings to donors about the potential economic consequences of Trump's tariff policies. He cautioned that these tariffs could decimate the economy and potentially lead to Trump's impeachment. Cruz recounted a lengthy phone call with Trump that stretched past midnight in early April 2025, shortly after the president introduced the tariffs.
"The call did not go well," Cruz told donors, describing Trump as "yelling" and "cursing" during the exchange. "Trump was in a bad mood. I've been in conversations where he was very happy. This was not one of them."
Cruz claimed he delivered a blunt warning to the president: "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. 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."
According to Cruz, Trump's response was equally blunt: "**** you, Ted."
Policy Disagreements and Internal Battles
The recordings reveal Cruz's disdain for Trump's branding of the tariff unveiling as "Liberation Day." The senator joked with donors: "I've told my team if anyone uses those words, they will be terminated on the spot. That is not language we use."
Cruz also detailed his efforts to push the White House toward accepting a trade agreement with India, mentioning White House economic adviser Peter Navarro, Vice President Vance, and "sometimes" President Trump himself as obstacles to reaching such accords.
Foreign Policy Clashes and Personnel Conflicts
Throughout the recordings, Cruz repeatedly connected Vance to Tucker Carlson, accusing them of advancing an anti-interventionist foreign policy agenda. "Tucker created JD. JD is Tucker's protégé, and they are one and the same," Cruz asserted.
The senator alleged that Vance and Carlson were instrumental in the ousting of former national security adviser Mike Waltz, who supported bombing Iran—a position Trump ultimately embraced. "Waltz supported being vigorous against Iran and bombing Iran—and Tucker and JD took Mike out," Cruz told donors, noting that Vance had publicly supported the bombings of Iran's nuclear sites in June of last year.
Cruz further claimed that Vance and Carlson were behind the appointment of Army veteran Daniel Davis to a top national intelligence position. Davis, a sharp critic of U.S. support for Israel, was described by Cruz as "a guy who viciously hates Israel." The senator said he helped get Davis quickly removed from the position.
Official Responses and Denials
In response to the leaked recordings, a Cruz spokesperson issued a statement defending the senator's relationship with the president: "Senator Cruz is the president's greatest ally in the Senate and battles every day in the trenches to advance his agenda. Those battles include fights over staffers who try to enter the administration despite disagreeing with the president and seeking to undermine his foreign policy. Sen. 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."
Tucker Carlson, when contacted by Axios, denied any involvement in the personnel decisions mentioned by Cruz, stating he "didn't have anything to do" with the ousting of Waltz or the hiring of Davis.
These leaked recordings provide unprecedented insight into the internal dynamics of the Trump administration, revealing significant policy disagreements and personal tensions that could have far-reaching implications for Republican politics and U.S. foreign policy in the years ahead.
