Vance and Trump Held Up India–US Trade Talks: Leaked Audio of Senator Ted Cruz Sparks Political Storm

Internal rifts within the Trump administration have come into sharp focus after a leaked audio recording of US Senator Ted Cruz surfaced online. In the widely shared clip, the Texas Republican is heard sharply criticising Vice President JD Vance, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, and at times former President Donald Trump himself for delaying a long-awaited trade agreement between the United States and India.

The roughly ten-minute recording, first reported by Axios and allegedly shared by a Republican source, dates back to early or mid-2025. Speaking candidly to a group of private donors, Cruz positions himself as a traditional free-trade Republican, openly opposing what he describes as the administration’s increasingly isolationist trade agenda.

Tariffs, trade rifts, and a heated late-night call

In the audio, Cruz strongly criticises Trump’s tariff-driven trade policy, warning that it could seriously damage the US economy and even trigger impeachment proceedings. He recalls how, following the introduction of tariffs in early April 2025, he and several other senators placed a late-night call to Trump in an attempt to persuade him to reverse course.

According to Cruz, the conversation — which stretched past midnight — was tense and unproductive. He claims Trump shouted and used profanity during the exchange.

“Trump was not feeling well. I’ve had conversations with him when he’s been in a very good mood,” Cruz said in the recording. “This was not one of them.”

Cruz also recalled warning the former president that if retirement accounts fell by 30 per cent and grocery prices rose by 10 to 20 per cent by November 2026, Republicans would face an electoral “bloodbath.”

“You’re going to lose the House, you’re going to lose the Senate, and you’re going to spend the next two years being impeached every single week,” Cruz claimed he told Trump.

Trump’s reported response was blunt: “F**k you, Ted.”

‘Liberation Day’ jibe and India trade deadlock

The senator also mocked the administration’s branding of the tariff rollout as “Liberation Day,” joking to donors that anyone on his own staff who used such language would be “terminated on the spot.”

A major focus of Cruz’s remarks was the stalled India–US trade negotiations. He told contributors that he had been actively “battling” the White House to move the deal forward, describing India as a crucial economic and strategic partner.

Cruz explicitly named Vice President JD Vance, trade adviser Peter Navarro, and “sometimes” Trump himself as the key figures obstructing progress on the agreement.

Cruz targets JD Vance and Tucker Carlson

In one of the more politically charged moments of the recording, Cruz repeatedly linked JD Vance to conservative commentator Tucker Carlson. He accused Carlson of promoting an anti-interventionist and, in his view, antisemitic foreign policy stance — and alleged that Vance shared that worldview.

“JD was invented by Tucker,” Cruz said. “JD is Tucker’s apprentice, and they are one and the same.”

While Cruz has publicly sparred with Carlson on social media for months, the recording reveals that he privately draws a sharper distinction — and a harsher critique — of Vance’s ideological alignment than he has acknowledged in public.

The leaked audio has intensified debate within Republican circles, particularly as speculation grows around the 2028 presidential race and the party’s future direction on trade, foreign policy, and economic nationalism.