A purported leaked audio Republican senator Ted Cruz threw open some cracks within the party, and also pointed out to what may be obstructing New Delhi and Washington from finalising a potential trade deal.
According to an Axios report, leaked phone calls of Ted Cruz show him blaming White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump for holding up the trade deal with India. The purported audio recordings also show Cruz telling his supporters that he was “battling” the White House to secure a trade deal with India.
Though a part of the Republican party, Ted Cruz is widely considered a rival of Donald Trump and is also thought to be considering a run for the Presidency in 2028. He ran for becoming the Republican party’s Presidential nominee back in 2016 but lost to Trump.
What did Ted Cruz say in ‘leaked’ audio?
The purported leaked audios are Ted Cruz’s phone calls with donors, in which he could be heard saying that he and several other Republicans tried to persuade Donald Trump not to impose the Liberation Day tariffs on countries around the world in April last year.
It was during this announcement that Trump imposed 25% tariffs on India back in 2025, which he doubled to 50% months later in August citing New Delhi’s oil trade ties with Moscow.
“You’re going to lose the House, you’re going to lose the Senate, you’re going to spend the next two years being impeached every single week,” Cruz reportedly told Trump against how the consequences of the tariffs could impact Americans.
US senator’s 2019 visit to India
India and the US are natural allies, Texas senator Cruz said back in 2019, when he visited the country. “We’re blessed to have over a half million Indian-Americans living in the great state of Texas,” Cruz had said.
He had even said that the two countries had common interests, like free markets, and fair commerce, and common rivals, adding that the diplomatic partnership between the two countries was important to counter China.
Trade negotiations between India and the US have been ongoing for several months now. While there has been no official confirmation on the status of these talks, several key Trump officials have made remarks over the past few weeks.
Most recently, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hinted in an interview to Politico that the Trump admin may be considering lowering the tariffs on India by 25%. “The tariffs are still on. I would imagine there is a path to take them off,” he said, after he claimed that Indian refineries have cut down on the purchase of Russian oil. However, there hasn’t been any comment from Indian officials on Bessent’s remarks.
On the issue of oil trade with Russia, India has long maintained that its energy policies are guided by prevailing global circumstances and what’s on offer in the markets.
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