Overview
- Axios says nearly 10 minutes of audio from early and mid‑2025 were provided by a Republican source, and the outlet has not released the recordings publicly.
- Cruz warned donors Trump’s sweeping tariffs could tank markets and raise prices before the 2026 midterms, recounting a tense late‑night call where he says Trump replied, “F**k you, Ted.”
- He told donors he was battling the White House on a U.S.–India trade deal and named Peter Navarro, JD Vance, and sometimes Trump as resisting progress.
- Cruz portrayed Vance as aligned with Tucker Carlson and alleged they influenced national‑security staffing moves, claims Carlson denied to Axios.
- A Cruz spokesperson called the senator the president’s strongest ally in the Senate and dismissed efforts to sow division, while the White House and Vance did not immediately comment.