Cracks within the Republican leadership came into sharp focus after leaked audio recordings surfaced in which US Senator Ted Cruz sharply criticised President Donald Trump’s tariff-driven trade policy and accused Vice President JD Vance and senior White House officials of blocking a potential India–US trade deal.

According to an Axios report, the nearly 10-minute audio recordings—provided by a Republican source—were captured during private donor meetings in early and mid-2025. In the conversations, Cruz, a Texas Republican, positioned himself as a traditional free-trade conservative and expressed deep frustration with the administration’s economic direction.

Cruz reportedly blamed Vice President Vance, White House economic adviser Peter Navarro, and at times President Trump himself for resisting trade agreements, including with India. He described prolonged internal battles to persuade the administration to pursue the deal, calling the resistance ideologically driven and economically damaging.

The senator was particularly scathing about Trump’s tariff policy, warning donors that sweeping tariffs could severely hurt the US economy, undermine retirement savings, and trigger political backlash. Cruz claimed that after tariffs were announced in April 2025, he and several Republican senators held a late-night call with the President to urge restraint.

According to Cruz, the discussion deteriorated rapidly. He said Trump reacted angrily, “yelling” and “cursing” at lawmakers who raised concerns about economic fallout and electoral consequences. Cruz warned that steep market losses and rising consumer prices could lead to Republicans losing control of Congress and expose the President to repeated impeachment efforts.

Cruz also mocked the administration’s branding of the tariff rollout as “Liberation Day,” telling donors he had instructed his staff never to use the term.

On India-US relations, Cruz said he had been actively pushing the White House to accept a trade agreement with New Delhi, describing India as a critical strategic and economic partner. When asked who was blocking such deals, Cruz explicitly named Navarro and Vance, adding that Trump himself was “sometimes” resistant.

The recordings further reveal Cruz’s growing rivalry with Vice President Vance. He portrayed Vance as heavily influenced by conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, accusing Carlson of shaping an anti-interventionist foreign policy that Cruz strongly opposes. “Tucker created JD. JD is Tucker’s protégé,” Cruz said, linking both figures to positions he views as harmful to US global leadership.

While Cruz has publicly criticised Carlson in recent months, the leaked audio marks one of the clearest instances in which he privately tied Vance to Carlson’s worldview, highlighting ideological tensions within the Republican Party ahead of the 2028 presidential cycle.

The revelations underscore internal divisions over trade, foreign policy, and America’s role in global alliances—particularly at a time when India-US economic cooperation is widely seen as strategically vital amid shifting geopolitical dynamics.