Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) is under fire from President Trump’s supporters after publicly questioning the president’s decision to impose substantial tariffs on nearly every nation. Although the senator typically aligns with the Trump Administration’s America First policies, he sparked backlash by suggesting the sweeping tariffs should function only as temporary leverage rather than a long-term economic strategy.
Precipitating Sen. Cruz’s attacks on President Trump were comments the president made during his April 2 Liberation Day speech, in which he announced a plan to raise tariffs to combat the unfair trade practices of other nations. In his address, the president specifically highlighted China’s imposition of heavy duties on American goods, despite placing relatively few barriers on importing goods into the United States, as part of the rationale for taking stronger tariff measures.
Responding to the president’s tariff plan, Senator Cruz expressed optimism that the president could leverage the international uproar caused by the tariffs to secure more favorable trade conditions. The senator said, “If President Trump uses this moment as leverage, he’s got an extraordinary opportunity to lower tariffs of every country on earth to U.S. goods and to lower our own tariffs in response. That would be a great outcome, a massive victory for the American people.”
Further, Sen. Cruz insinuated that the president is being led astray by advisors who are pushing him into unnecessarily radical policies, a claim with which many MAGA Republicans take umbrage. He said, “On the other hand, there are voices in the White House that want high tariffs forever. There are angels and demons sitting on President Trump’s shoulders. Who does he listen to? I hope he listens to the angels.”
Doubling down on that claim in a subsequent Fox News interview on April 3, the senator said, “I think it is a mistake to assume we will have high tariffs in perpetuity… Tariffs are a tax on consumers, and I’m not a fan of jacking up taxes on American consumers, so my hope is these tariffs are short-lived.”
In the wake of these statements, social media quickly lit up with fierce criticism directed at Sen. Cruz. For example, one X poster said, “Stop. You and the others are frauds. We voted for this. It’s time to bring our manufacturing back home. You and the 6 others aligning with Democrats is pathetic.” Another sharply rebuked Cruz, saying, “TED ARE YOU DUMB??? What is it you don’t understand about reciprocal tariffs? We are NOT going to be taken advantage of again.”
President Trump’s supporters remain unmoved, insisting that Sen. Cruz misunderstands the strategic necessity of the president’s tariff policies. One X user firmly said, “Ted, you are an excellent senator, but if you are telling us that if you agree with someone they are an angel, but if you disagree with someone they are a demon….well, maybe you should re-think that Don’t be ruled by fear. President Trump is doing the exact right thing, he is stopping the American economy from being destroyed and not having the ability to win the Cold War with the CCP. Thank Heaven for President Trump.”
"*" indicates required fields
Adding to the string of critical posts directed at Cruz’s podcast comments, another user posted, “Stop. You and the others are frauds. We voted for this. It’s time to bring our manufacturing back home. You and the 6 others aligning with Democrats is pathetic. Where was this concern when they tariffed America for years? And honestly, you represent Americans.”
Watch the podcast clip of Sen. Cruz here:
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video