Texas Senator Ted Cruz has once again thrust himself into the center of the Republican Party’s internal reckoning, taking a bold and public stand against antisemitism within conservative ranks and, in the process, fueling speculation about his ambitions for the 2028 presidential race. In a series of high-profile appearances and interviews throughout October and November 2025, Cruz has not only called out prominent figures like Tucker Carlson but also issued a challenge to his own party to confront what he describes as a growing existential crisis.
At the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) meeting in Nevada—a state pivotal to the GOP’s presidential nominating calendar—Cruz delivered one of the most critical appraisals of his party to date. "In the last six months, I have seen more antisemitism on the right than I’ve seen in my entire life. This is a poison, and I believe we are facing an existential crisis in our party and in our country," Cruz declared, according to ABC News. He went further, accusing some Republicans of being "complicit in that evil" by giving oxygen to those who hold such toxic views. Without naming names, Cruz’s comments were widely interpreted as a direct rebuke of Tucker Carlson, who had recently courted controversy by expressing disdain for Christian Zionists in a conversation with white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Carlson has since apologized for his remarks, but the episode has left a deep mark on conservative discourse.
Ron Nehring, Cruz’s former advisor and campaign spokesperson, told ABC News that Cruz’s willingness to step out ahead of this percolating issue was a sign of real leadership. "He is the most prominent national Republican figure to weigh in on the danger of allowing a small group of 'influencers' who have either expressed antisemitic views or have played footsie with those who do," Nehring said. He added that, although Cruz has not formally declared his candidacy for 2028, the senator’s actions and travel schedule suggest he is laying the groundwork for a potential run. "A lot of people in the conservative movement are looking at each other in terms of, well, who's going to say what? What's the proper direction? People are literally looking for leadership and he's offering that," Nehring observed.
Cruz’s recent activities certainly align with those of a politician eyeing higher office. He’s been busy supporting Republican candidates in key races across the country—backing Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa, Rep. Byron Donalds in Florida, and Rep. Mike Lawler in New York, among others. Though he had to cancel an appearance in Iowa due to Senate votes, his presence is being felt in early-voting states and in the national conservative conversation.
Much of Cruz’s current influence comes from his highly ranked podcast, "The Verdict," which, as reported by ABC News, sits at No. 45 on Apple’s news podcast charts—making it the only politician-led program in the top 200. When it first launched during President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in 2020, it shot to No. 1 on the iTunes charts, according to Politico. This digital platform has given Cruz a direct line to conservative voters and a space to test out his rhetoric as the GOP continues to fracture over issues like internationalism and the rise of influencer commentators such as Carlson and Candace Owens.
Sarah Isgur, an ABC News legal contributor and veteran of Republican presidential campaigns, summed up Cruz’s political strengths: "Underestimate Ted at your peril. He’s got high name ID, an eager donor base, a huge platform that he alone controls, and a wide-open lane with conservatives in the party. Plus nobody outworks Ted. It’s never been confirmed whether he sleeps at all." Isgur, who once served as political director for Cruz’s PAC, emphasized that Cruz’s relentless work ethic and media savvy make him a formidable contender.
Yet, Cruz’s path is not without obstacles. His questioning of the 2020 election results and his now-infamous 2021 trip to Cancun during a devastating Texas winter storm have drawn criticism and remain fodder for opponents. Still, as Kyle Tharp, author of the "Chaotic Era" newsletter, told ABC News, Cruz "really knows how to push the internet’s buttons." Tharp described Cruz as one of the "OG influencer politicians," adept at using social media to reach his audience and unafraid to challenge his own party’s orthodoxy—a quality that has both alienated him in Washington and endeared him to certain segments of the conservative base.
The tension between Cruz and Tucker Carlson has only intensified in recent months. On November 20, 2025, Cruz appeared on the "Straight Shooter with Stephen A. Smith" podcast, where he compared Carlson to New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist. Cruz criticized Carlson’s interview with Fuentes and warned, "One of the things when you go down the road of antisemitism, it very quickly leads you to anti-capitalism and anti-Americanism." According to The Independent, Cruz said, "Mamdani is a good example of that, where he's an Islamist, but he's also a socialist. And you look at Tucker…Tucker's going down that road too, in a way that I think is very dangerous."
These remarks came as Mamdani was preparing to meet President Donald Trump at the White House, further highlighting the fractious state of American politics. Cruz, a self-described Christian Zionist, has used the controversy surrounding Carlson’s interview with Fuentes to stake out his position as a "traditional, pro-interventionist Republican" ahead of the next presidential cycle. He has not hesitated to call out his GOP colleagues for their silence, telling the Federalist Society’s National Lawyers Convention, "My colleagues, almost to a person, think what is happening is horrible, but a great many of them are frightened because he has one hell of a big megaphone."
During his speech at the RJC summit, Cruz again accused Carlson of spreading "a poison that is profoundly dangerous" and criticized him for failing to push back on Fuentes’ rhetoric. Carlson, for his part, has dismissed the criticism, telling his detractors to "buzz off." The feud between the two high-profile conservatives underscores a broader struggle within the Republican Party over its identity and future direction as the 2028 presidential race approaches.
Speculation about Cruz’s presidential ambitions has reached a fever pitch. Axios and NOTUS have both reported on the growing chatter, with some in the White House believing Cruz is positioning himself to challenge Vice President JD Vance for the GOP nomination. While Cruz has thus far danced around direct confirmation of his intentions, his actions speak volumes.
As the conservative movement continues to grapple with questions of leadership, ideology, and the boundaries of acceptable discourse, Ted Cruz’s high-profile interventions and digital strategy have positioned him as a key player in the 2028 race—one whose willingness to confront uncomfortable truths may prove decisive in shaping the party’s future.
