Leaked: Ted Cruz Blames Vance, Navarro, Trump For Trade Impasse With India

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC – Leaked audio recordings have exposed internal divisions within the Republican Party and revealed private criticism of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), as uncertainty continues to hang over a long pending US India trade deal.

According to Axios which obtained the recordings, Cruz is heard in phone calls with donors privately blaming White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, Vice President Vance and at times President Trump himself for blocking a trade agreement with India.

In the recordings, Cruz tells supporters that he has been “battling” the White House to move the deal forward. When asked directly who was standing in the way, Cruz names Navarro, Vance and “sometimes” Trump.

The remarks come as tariffs on Indian exports to the United States have remained at 50 percent for nearly five months, fueling frustration on both sides. Trade negotiations between Indian and American officials began before the tariffs were imposed, with formal talks getting underway in March and April last year after Washington cleared discussions in February. Despite the prolonged impasse, Trump had struck an optimistic note at the World Economic Forum in Davos, saying India and the United States “are gonna have a good deal.”

The leaked audio, which Axios said was provided by a Republican source, also sheds light on internal pushback against Trump’s broader tariff agenda. Cruz reportedly told donors that he and several other Republican senators had tried to dissuade Trump from imposing the sweeping Liberation Day tariffs announced in April last year on countries around the world.

According to the recordings, Cruz warned the president that aggressive tariffs would raise prices for American consumers and hurt retirement savings, potentially triggering a political backlash. He cautioned that the economic fallout could cost Republicans control of both the House and the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections.

The comments point to deeper ideological rifts within the Republican Party, which was largely aligned with free trade before Trump’s rise reshaped its economic platform. Cruz’s private criticism is especially notable given widespread speculation that the Texas senator is weighing a presidential run in 2028, a move that could put him on a collision course with Trump and Vance’s grip on the party.