New Delhi: US Senator Ted Cruz blames Trump, Vance for stalling India-US trade deal in leaked audio tapes: Report
Prominent United States Senator Ted Cruz privately blamed White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump for holding up a trade deal with India in phone calls with donors, Axios reported.
According to leaked audio recordings of Cruz’s phone calls, the Republican senator from Texas told supporters that he was “battling” the White House to secure a trade deal with India. When one of the donors goes on to ask who in the US administration is posing resistance to the deal, Cruz mentions Navarro, Vance and “sometimes” Trump, according to Axios.
There has been an uncertainty over the India-US trade deal, even as the tariffs on Indian exports to the US have been at 50 per cent for nearly five months now.
Trade negotiations between officials of the two countries have been underway since before the tariffs took effect, with formal talks beginning in March-April last year after a February greenlight for talks. However, the US President did express confidence in Davos earlier this week, wherein he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said India and US “are gonna have a good deal.”
In the recordings, provided to Axios by a Republican source, according to the outlet, Cruz reportedly also told donors that he and a number of Republican senators had attempted to dissuade Trump from launching the Liberation Day tariffs on countries around the world in April last year.
Cruz warned Trump that tariffs could lead to higher prices and damage retirement savings accounts for Americans, which would lead to the Republican party losing both the House and the Senate to the opposition Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections.
Cruz’s alleged statements could reflect broader divisions within the Republican party, which was traditionally supportive of free trade prior to Donald Trump’s rise to power. Cruz is widely thought to be considering a run for the Presidency in 2028 in an effort to challenge Trump and Vance’s control over the party. In addition, the report indicates that prominent Republicans are also concerned about the possibility of losing ground to the Democratic party in the 2026 midterm elections.
Senator Cruz – who finished second behind Trump in the 2016 Republican primary election – has also been a supporter of close ties with India.
“India and America are natural allies. We are working together more and more. India is the largest democracy on the face of the earth. We’re blessed to have over a half million Indian-Americans living in the great state of Texas,” Cruz said on a visit to India in 2019.
“We share common interests and values, including standing up for human rights, free markets, and fair commerce. We also share common rivals. While China has sought to exert influence, India has resisted subjecting its economy to China, and looked beyond the region to bolster its economy. Our partnership is critically important in countering China’s aggression,” he added during that same visit, where he met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
Indian-Americans are also a key political force in Cruz’s home state of Texas. According to AAPI data, over 500,000 Indian-Americans live in the state and account for roughly 2% of the state’s population.
Source: Read full coverage
