Republicans are starting to back away from the president after major fallout from his new tariffs.
MAGA favorite Ted Cruz over the weekend spoke out about the devastating effects of Donald Trump’s disruptive economic policies, predicting a “bloodbath” in next year’s midterms if the current market collapse worsens.
“If he leaves them in place and we just have constant tariffs, that is a massive tax increase on the American people,” Cruz dished on his podcast, Verdict. “I worry there are voices within the administration that want to see these tariffs continue forever and ever and ever.”
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Cruz said that Trump truly “believes” in the tariffs—even though the new legislation shot the stock market into a free fall late last week, with recession fears reverberating throughout the entire country.
“The consequences of this are real,” Cruz said. “If the outcome of this is a multi-trillion dollar tax increase on American consumers, I think that is really consequential and really harmful.”
During another podcast episode, Cruz brought up the word “recession” multiple times, a possible indicator of what’s to come for the American economy.
“If we go into a recession, particularly a bad recession, 2026 [midterms] in all likelihood politically would be a bloodbath,” Cruz warned. “If we’re in the middle of a recession and people are hurting badly, they punish the party in power.”
Cruz has rarely stood against the president and his agenda since his own 2016 failed presidential bid, during which Trump belittled the Texas senator and made derogatory remarks toward his his wife’s looks.
“We don’t want a president who traffics in sleaze and slime,” the Texas senator said at the time.
Cruz is now seemingly betting on the idea that Trump will end tariffs quickly after using them as leverage. Other Republicans have also parroted the same view in recent days—despite Trump’s mixed messaging on the issue.
“If we’re in a scenario, 30 days from now, 60 days from now, 90 days from now, with massive American tariffs,” Cruz continued, “that is a terrible outcome.”
