Audio Reveals Ted Cruz Blamed JD Vance, Peter Navarro For Stalling India Trade Deal: Report

Last Updated:January 25, 2026, 23:54 IST

Cruz also warned donors that Trump’s tariffs could severely damage the economy and lead to impeachment if Republicans suffer major losses in the 2026 midterms.

Republican senator Ted Cruz. (File image)

The proposed India–US trade deal faced resistance from within the Trump administration, with US Vice President JD Vance and White House economic adviser Peter Navarro among those who blocked progress, according to a report by Axios citing Republican senator Ted Cruz.

A purported audio recording of Cruz surfaced in which he criticised Vance and mocked US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy during private meetings with donors. The recordings have not been made public in the Axios report. However, the outlet independently verified its authority and reported that Cruz was especially critical of Trump over his tariff policies.

In the recordings, Cruz said he had been “battling" the White House to move forward on a trade deal with India. When asked who was opposing such agreements, Cruz named Navarro, Vance and, at times, Trump.

The claims emerged even as Trump has publicly struck an optimistic note on India–US trade ties. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump expressed confidence about the proposed India–US Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA).

“I have great respect for your Prime Minister. He’s a fantastic man and a friend of mine, and we are going to have a good deal," Trump told Moneycontrol.

According to Axios, Cruz also warned donors that Trump’s tariffs could severely damage the economy and lead to impeachment if Republicans suffer major losses in the 2026 midterms.

Cruz said that after Trump introduced the tariffs in early April 2025, he and several other senators held a call with Trump, urging him to reverse course. The call, which reportedly extended past midnight, “did not go well," with Cruz claiming Trump was “yelling" and “cursing."

“Trump was in a bad mood," Cruz told donors. “I’ve been in conversations where he was very happy. This was not one of them."

Cruz said he told Trump, “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."

Trump’s response, according to Cruz: “**** you, Ted."

When a questioner at the donors’ session mentioned “Liberation Day" — Trump’s branding for his tariffs unveiling — Cruz joked, “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 repeatedly targeted Vice President Vance in the recordings, linking him to conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and accusing both of promoting an anti-interventionist foreign policy.

“Tucker created JD," Cruz said. “JD is Tucker’s protégé, and they are one and the same."

He alleged that Vance and Carlson played a role in the removal of former national security adviser Mike Waltz and the brief appointment of Army veteran Daniel Davis to a senior intelligence role.

Cruz has publicly feuded with Carlson over foreign policy but has generally avoided linking Carlson and Vance in public. The recordings show Cruz making that connection explicitly in private, Axios noted.

News world Audio Reveals Ted Cruz Blamed JD Vance, Peter Navarro For Stalling India Trade Deal: Report

Read More