Ted Cruz setting up 2028 presidential run by attacking Tucker Carlson: report

Senator Ted Cruz has spoken out against commentator Tucker Carlson amid backlash the former Fox News host has received for interviewing Nick Fuentes on his podcast. The move has been regarded as one setting up the Texas lawmaker for a 2028 presidential run.

Cruz said in a statement to Axios, "We have a responsibility to speak out even when it's uncomfortable. When voices in our own movement push dangerous and misguided ideas, we can't look the other way. I won't hesitate to call out those who peddle destructive, vile rhetoric and threaten our principles and our future. Silence in the face of recklessness is not an option."

Carlson told Axios in a statement that Cruz’s comments were "hilarious." He added, "Good luck. That’s my comment and my heartfelt view."

Cruz has repeatedly called of Carlson in recent months, criticizing Carlson during an appearance on his podcast in June over Carlson’s opposition to Trump’s missile strike on Iran’s nuclear weapons facility, and Carlson’s criticisms of Israel’s campaign in Gaza as well as US aid for Ukraine. Cruz said after the appearance, "On foreign policy, Tucker has gone bat-crap crazy. He’s gone off the rails."

Cruz has also criticized Carlson for hosting Nick Fuentes on his podcast. Addressing the Republican Jewish Coalition’s summit in late October, Cruz said, without naming Carlson directly, "If you sit there and nod adoringly while someone tells you that Winston Churchill was the villain of World War II, if you sit there and nod while someone says, ‘There’s a very good argument America should’ve intervened on behalf of Nazi Germany in World War II,’ if you sit there with someone who says ‘Adolf Hitler was very, very cool,’ and that their mission is to combat and defeat global Jewry, and you say nothing? Then you are a coward and you are complicit in that evil."

The move to challenge Carlson has been noticed by pro-Israel donors, many of whom had aligned themselves with Nikki Haley in her unsuccessful 2024 presidential bid. "It's definitely getting noticed," RJC CEO Matt Brooks told Axios.

Cruz has reportedly been taking steps toward a presidential run recently, including hitting the speaker’s circuit nationwide, as well as hosting a donor retreat in 2026. Axios noted that Cruz’s popular podcast has helped him build a network for soliciting small-dollar contributors, and his endorsement of midterm candidates "could help him win chits for a future run."

In the 2028 race, current Vice President JD Vance is widely seen as the favorite to succeed Trump as the Republican nominee. Vance has criticized Fuentes, calling him a "total loser." Fuentes has made racist comments about Vance’s Indian-American wife, Usha. On social media, users said that Cruz does not stand a chance of defeating Vance.

Trump has defended Carlson, telling reporters on Sunday night, "I think he’s good, we’ve had some great interviews," later adding, "but you can’t tell him who to interview."