President Donald Trump’s sharp wit once again had the Oval Office laughing Monday when he made a clever joke about Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). The moment came while Trump was introducing Cruz during a White House event for “Trump Accounts,” the new savings program for American children. Trump praised the Texas Republican as a “brilliant lawyer,” then said Cruz might be the only possible Supreme Court nominee who could get every Senator to vote yes.
The exchange happened during a July 6th event in the Oval Office, where Trump marked the launch of Trump Accounts by ringing the opening bells for both the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq from the Resolute Desk. The ceremony brought together administration officials, lawmakers, business leaders, financial executives, and children whose accounts were tied to the program. Sen. Cruz was there because he helped push the policy in Congress before it became part of Trump’s broader tax and spending legislation.
The ceremony marked the official launch of Trump Accounts and described the program as a tax-advantaged way for children to build savings and hold a stake in the economy. During the same event, Trump thanked Michael and Susan Dell, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Cruz, and other supporters of the effort. The Cruz joke came while Trump was listing people in the room who had helped the initiative.
Trump first talked about his relationship with Cruz, noting that the two had been friends since before the 2016 presidential race, when they briefly became rivals in the Republican primary. Trump recalled the two doing joint rallies before their campaign fight heated up, then said Cruz had done “a wonderful job as a Senator” and was “highly respected.” He also pointed to Cruz’s legal background, calling him “a brilliant lawyer” before bringing up the idea of a Supreme Court nomination.
“In fact, somebody said, would you ever appoint him to the United States Supreme Court because he’s a brilliant lawyer, Ted,” Trump said, “I said, well, he’s the only one I can think of that’s going to get 100 votes.” Trump then delivered the line that sent the room into laughter, saying both parties would have the same reason to confirm him.
“All Republicans will vote for him, all Democrats will vote for him because they want to get him the hell out of the Senate,” Trump said. He kept going as people in the room reacted, adding, “If I was having a hard time with getting the votes, I would appoint Ted Cruz. I’d get 100 percent, a guarantee.” Cruz could be seen smiling as Trump turned the mock Supreme Court pitch into a riff on the senator’s reputation in Washington.
Trump’s comment played off Cruz’s long history as a conservative legal figure and with a Senate presence known for being combative to Democrats and the Left. Cruz clerked for the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist, served as solicitor general of Texas, and has argued before the Supreme Court. Trump has floated Cruz’s name for the high court before, but Cruz has repeatedly indicated he prefers elected office and policy fights to a lifetime judicial seat.
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Watch Trump joke about nominating Ted Cruz to the Supreme Court here:
Cruz got his own laugh a few minutes later when he stepped up to speak. He congratulated Trump on the event, then referenced the large bell Trump had just used to mark the market opening from the Oval Office. Trump had already joked that he was not giving the bell back, and Cruz told him, “I think everyone knew you were going to keep the bell.”
Cruz then added another joke tied to the day’s soccer news. “On behalf of all Americans, thank you for getting rid of that ridiculous red card,” Cruz said, drawing laughter in the room. He was referring to the controversy involving U.S. soccer player Folarin Balogun, after Trump confirmed he had asked FIFA President Gianni Infantino to review the red card that would have kept Balogun out of the next World Cup match.
After the jokes, Cruz turned back to the Trump Accounts program and described it as a major change in how children could be introduced to investment and ownership. Speaking directly to the children in the room, Cruz said each of them would receive an account and told them that owning a piece of companies like McDonald’s or Boeing could change how they look at the economy. He urged parents, employers, and philanthropists to sign children up and contribute to accounts.
The Oval Office event mixed policy promotion with several unscripted moments, including Trump joking about keeping the bell, Cruz joking about the red card, and the president turning a possible Supreme Court nomination into a punchline. The White House promoted the launch as a financial milestone for children, while the clip of Trump talking about Cruz quickly became one of the lighter moments from the event.