Senator Ted Cruz has some major explaining to do.

Newly obtained secret recordings reveal that during private meetings with donors, Sen. Cruz made severe criticisms of President Trump and JD Vance. The recordings, nearly 10 minutes in duration, show Cruz positioning himself as a traditional free trade, pro-interventionist Republican ahead of a potential 2028 presidential bid against the less hawkish Vance.

In one recording from early 2025, Cruz accused Tucker Carlson of being behind JD Vance, stating: “Tucker created JD. JD is Tucker’s protégé, and they are one and the same.”

Cruz also ridiculed President Trump’s tariff policy, warning that if tariffs caused a 30% decline in retirement accounts and a 10-20% increase in grocery prices by November 2026, Trump would face electoral collapse. He told donors: “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: “Fk you, Ted.” The recordings further indicate that Cruz reported a call with Trump in which Trump was “yelling” and “cursing,” following a discussion where Cruz and other senators urged Trump to stand down from his tariffs. Cruz stated the call, which stretched past midnight, did not go well.

Additionally, Cruz alleged that Vance and Carlson were involved in the removal of former National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who supported military action against Iran. Cruz stated: “Waltz supported being vigorous against Iran and bombing Iran — and Tucker and JD took Mike out.”

Cruz also claimed that Vance and Carlson influenced the appointment of Army veteran Daniel Davis to a senior intelligence role despite Davis being a critic of U.S. support for Israel.

Tucker Carlson later denied any involvement in either incident, stating he “didn’t have anything to do” with the removal of Waltz or the hiring of Davis.