Why is the White House Suddenly Worried About Ted Cruz?

Rumors among the White House and Trump allies increasingly read Sen. Ted Cruz’s actions as a potential 2028 presidential run. According to NOTUS, officials close to the president view Cruz’s recent moves as deliberate attempts to contrast himself with Vice President JD Vance, another likely contender.

NOTUS reports that Cruz has “been making life difficult for the White House behind the scenes,” battling over nominations, criticizing a top Trump appointee, and unsuccessfully pushing for unilateral subpoena authority. 

Two sources told NOTUS that the White House’s legislative affairs team actively worked to block that attempt, which would have allowed Cruz to subpoena individuals without bipartisan agreement.

Cruz has long positioned himself as a critic of Big Tech and a defender of free speech, saying in a 2024 statement that “our First Amendment right to freedom of speech is under attack… The path forward requires us to stand firm against those who seek to suppress free speech. I remain committed to fighting our ‘first freedoms.’”

The conflict sharpened during the battle over the next NASA administrator, where Cruz pushed for Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, while Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles supported Jared Isaacman, who had been nominated, withdrawn, and then re-nominated by Trump. 

Although Vance and Wiles ultimately prevailed, members of Trumpworld believe Cruz is still complicating the process. When the Senate returned from the record-long shutdown, Isaacman was missing from the markup schedule despite a completed April confirmation hearing. 

Instead, Cruz scheduled a fresh hearing for December. 

One source close to Trump told NOTUS, “The roadblocks that Ted is putting up… only serve as a desperate attempt to relaunch a political career as a protest candidate,” adding, “Ted has been terribly unserious as of late.” Another senior official described Cruz’s maneuvering as “not opaque… it’s been pretty transparent, and it’s a frustration.”

A source involved in Isaacman’s confirmation, however, told NOTUS the slowdown was procedural, arguing that the unusual sequence of nomination, withdrawal, and re-nomination effectively reset the process.

Frictions have extended beyond nominations. Cruz publicly attacked FCC Chair Brendan Carr after Carr threatened to revoke ABC’s broadcast license over its suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, calling Carr’s remarks “dangerous as hell” and comparing them to a Mafia-style threat. 

He has also criticized Tucker Carlson for interviewing white supremacist Nick Fuentes, a move Republicans see as an effort to distance himself from Vance, who is aligned with Carlson.

Cruz’s spokesperson pushed back strongly after NOTUS published its reporting, saying Cruz has “consistently been President Trump’s strongest ally in the Senate” and highlighting his work on Trump’s legislative agenda, his defense of the president during both impeachments, and his involvement in policies ranging from border security to school choice. 

“Sen. Cruz and President Trump are very good friends, and no amount of sniping from disgruntled anonymous staffers trying to score political points is going to change that,” Cruz spokesperson said.

Some Republicans still view Cruz’s moves as calculated attempts to elevate his national profile. When asked this week about reports that Cruz is preparing for a 2028 run, Trump responded that Cruz is “a very good guy… a very good friend of mine” and said he was “not that surprised” to hear the 2028 presidential run rumors.