US Vice President JD Vance and White House economic adviser Peter Navarro were behind blocking a proposed trade deal between the United States and India, a new report said, citing leaked audio recordings of Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz.
According to a report by Axios, Cruz made the claims during a private meeting with donors and highlighted cracks in President Donald Trump’s administration.
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Audio recordings allegedly obtained by Axios also criticize President Donald Trump, saying he too has “at times” blocked a proposed US-India trade deal.
The 10-minute audio clip, which Axios said was shared with them by a Republican source, criticized the Trump administration’s trade policies that have shaken countries around the world.
Axios’ report assumes significance as it comes at a time when trade talks between India and the United States have been ongoing for some time. The negotiations became more significant after the Donald Trump administration in the US imposed an additional 25% tariff on India for oil trade with Russia, bringing the total tariffs to 50%.
Sen. Cruz warned Trump about tariffs
Sen. Cruz also told donors that he and a number of other Republican senators tried to dissuade President Trump from imposing Liberation Day tariffs on countries around the world last April, according to an Axios report.
Sen. Cruz reportedly warned Trump that the tariffs could lead to higher prices and damage to Americans’ retirement savings accounts, leading to the GOP losing both the House and Senate to opposition Democrats in the 2026 elections.
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Cruzaccording to the report, he recounted a late-night call withTrumpshortly after the tariffs were announced in early April 2025. Several senators have urged Trump to reconsider, he said. “That call didn’t go well,” Cruz said in a recording obtained by Axios, describing Trump as “yelling” and “gifted.”
“Trump was in a bad mood,” Cruz added. “I’ve been in interviews where he was very happy. This was not one of them.” Cruz said he warned Trump that the economic fallout would devastate Republicans politically.
“If we get to November (2026) and people’s 401(k)s drop 30% and supermarket prices go up 10-20%, we’re going to Election dayface a bloodbath,” Cruz said, according to Axios.
Vance, a pawn of conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson
In the recording, Cruz calls Vice President Vance a pawn of conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson. He also accuses Carlson of promoting anti-Semitism and an anti-Israel foreign policy in their well-publicized spat.
Cruz has repeatedly linked Vance to Carlson, accusing him of promoting the podcaster’s anti-interventionist foreign policy. “Tucker created JD. JD is Tucker’s protégé and they are one and the same,” Cruz said, according to an Axios report.
Who is Ted Cruz?
Cruz was elected to the US Senate in 2012, becoming the first Hispanic American to serve as a US Senator from Texas. In the Senate, he consistently takes conservative positions on economic and social policy.
Cruz is believed to be considering a run for president in 2028 in an effort to challenge Trump and Vance’s control of the party.
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Sen. Cruz lost to Trump in the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. He has publicly expressed his support for close US-India ties.
“India and America are natural allies. We are working together more and more. India is the largest democracy in the world. We are blessed to have more than half a million Indian Americans living in the great state of Texas,” Cruz said during a visit to India in 2019.
