Overview
- Axios reports that Ted Cruz is laying groundwork for a 2028 bid, building a small‑dollar network through his podcast and radio show, ramping up paid speeches, and planning a donor retreat next year.
- Cruz has castigated Tucker Carlson over a friendly interview with white nationalist Nick Fuentes, calling Carlson a coward at the Republican Jewish Coalition and warning at the Federalist Society that the episode spread a dangerous poison.
- Carlson dismissed the strategy in a text to Axios, calling Cruz’s effort “hilarious” and adding, “Good luck.”
- Top Republicans tell Axios that Cruz’s posture is resonating with pro‑Israel donors, as conservative institutions face fallout from the Fuentes interview, including reported resignations at the Heritage Foundation.
- The positioning sets up a likely clash with Vice President J.D. Vance, an early GOP frontrunner aligned with Carlson; Vance has disavowed Fuentes even as he champions a more isolationist approach.