Vice President JD Vance appeared to praise a potential rival for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination on Thursday. But to many critics, it sounded less than genuine.
The Washington Examiner’s Christian Datoc asked Vance if he could see himself supporting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth or Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for president in 2028. Vance laughed, said he was “not gonna take the bait,” and that he was focused on helping Republicans get elected in November’s midterm elections.
“Pete is a great guy,” Vance added. “And yeah, I could see myself supporting a whole host of people.”
Vance repeated that he was focused on the midterms, and then turned to the Texas senator.
“Clearly, Ted is a very authentic and likable guy, and I’m sure he’ll do great,” Vance said.
Vance served in the Senate with Cruz before Trump tapped him as vice president. At least one other former Senate colleague has dished on Cruz’s reputation in the body.
“I like Ted Cruz more than most of my other colleagues like Ted Cruz,” former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) wrote in his memoir. “And I hate Ted Cruz.”
Cruz ran against Trump for the 2016 nomination in a battle so bitter he refused to endorse Trump at that year’s convention. He eventually relented and has since become a loyal MAGA foot soldier, but has also indicated he plans to run again.
“It’s no secret I want to be president,” Cruz said in a podcast interview last month.
Although Vance is reportedly considering a run himself ― and is leading in most polls of Republican wannabes ― Cruz insisted last week that the vice president wasn’t going to be handed the nod.
“There’s going to be a full discussion about who we are and what we believe,” Cruz said.
Given that background, many on social media thought Vance’s answer about Cruz wasn’t exactly from the heart: