US Senator Ted Cruz has blamed President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and White House trade adviser Peter Navarro for delaying a proposed trade agreement with India, according to purported leaked audio recordings cited in an Axios report.
In phone calls with donors, the Texas Republican is heard saying he has been “battling” the White House to secure a trade deal with New Delhi. The comments come as trade negotiations between India and the US, ongoing for several months, remain unresolved.
The report comes at a time of heightened trade tensions between the two countries, following President Trump’s decision to impose an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods over India’s continued oil trade with Russia. This has taken total US duties on Indian imports to 50 per cent.
According to Axios, Cruz also told supporters that he and several Republican senators had tried to dissuadeTrump from rolling out sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs on multiple countries in April last year. He reportedly warned that higher tariffs could drive up consumer prices, hurt retirement savings and cost Republicans control of both the House and the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections.
The remarks point to growing divisions within the Republican Party, traditionally a supporter of free trade, but increasingly split under Trump’s protectionist economic agenda. The report also suggests unease among senior Republicans over the party’s electoral prospects in 2026.
Cruz has previously advocated closer ties between India and the U.S. During a visit to India in 2019, Cruz described the two countries as “natural allies,” citing shared democratic values, support for free markets and common strategic concerns, particularly in countering China’s influence.