Rumors suggest that secret recordings show almost 10 minutes of conversations in which one of the clearest insights so far is provided into Senator Ted Cruz's opposition to Trump's protectionist trade policy behind closed doors.
These statements, made during two closed meetings in 2025, come as Trump escalates trade tensions with Canada and threatens a 100% tariff on all Canadian imports due to concerns related to China.
Secret recordings reveal Cruz's private farewell to Trump over tariffs
According to reports, Senator Ted Cruz secretly warned donors that President Donald Trump's broad tariff policy could ruin the American economy and cost the Republicans Congress.
In recordings obtained by Axios, Cruz would describe a nighttime phone call with Trump after the tariff announcement in April 2025 as hostile and unproductive.
“Trump was grumpy,” Cruz reportedly said to donors in the recordings, adding that the president was “yelling” and “cursing” while senators tried to calm him down.
Cruz warned that the political and economic consequences could be severe. He told donors that if Americans go into the elections in November 2026 with their retirement accounts significantly lower and grocery prices “10–20%” higher, the Republicans are in for a “bloodbath.”
According to reports, Cruz directly warned Trump that this scenario could lead to losses in both chambers of Congress and years of impeachment proceedings.
According to Cruz, Trump responded to this with a blunt insult towards Senator Ted.
This private criticism stands in contrast to Cruz’s public stance as one of Trump's staunchest allies in the Senate.
“[The senator remains] the president's biggest ally in the Senate,” Axios reported, citing a spokesperson for Cruz.
According to the spokesperson, the recordings are merely attempts to “sow division.” Ted Cruz has not directly responded to the request for comment from BeInCrypto.
Canadian tariff threat shows GOP rift around trade, crypto, and power
The revelations come as Trump sharpens his tough tone towards Canada and now threatens a 100% tariff on Canadian goods.
According to analyses by political commentator Jaro Giesbrecht, the U.S. imported about $400 billion worth of goods from Canada in 2025.
He warned that such a broad tariff would effectively act as a direct tax on American businesses and consumers, causing energy costs, car prices, and inflation to rise by 1.5% to 2% in a short time.
According to reports, Trump's course change came after comments from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Anthony Scaramucci jokingly remarked that “Carney broke him.”
In the recordings, Cruz also regularly takes jabs at Vice President JD Vance. He describes him as a protégé of conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and accuses both of following an anti-interventionist foreign policy.
“Tucker made JD,” Cruz allegedly said in one of the recordings, linking the duo to internal discussions about security policy and Iran.
Besides the politics, the conflict also reveals a deeper ideological divide within the Republican party, especially regarding crypto policy.
Cruz is one of the most pro-Bitcoin politicians in Washington. He advocates for free markets, low energy costs, and minimal government interference. In 2024, he even entered Bitcoin mining by purchasing and operating three Bitcoin miners in Iran, Texas.
He supported legislation to utilize flared natural gas for Bitcoin mining, opposes central bank digital currency, and warns that too many regulations and trade barriers could drive innovation out of the country.
For Cruz, tariffs are thus not only a political risk but also an economic danger. He has frequently referred to broad tariffs as “taxes on the American people” and believes they undermine America's competitive position in areas like energy, technology, and crypto. It is precisely in those areas that states like Texas have become global leaders.
The secret recordings reveal that, now that Trump clings to trade nationalism, Cruz likes to present himself as a proponent of free trade.