Senator Ted Cruz has reportedly informed donors that he anticipates support from Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy for his potential 2028 presidential campaign, according to an exclusive report by the Daily Mail. This endorsement could provide Cruz with a significant platform in his expected face-off against Vice President JD Vance. This revelation comes as Ruddy is slated to testify before Cruz’s Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation in a hearing titled “We Interrupt This Program: Media Ownership and the Digital Age.” Ruddy has been vocal in opposing a proposed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule change that would increase the cap on local television station ownership, facilitating a merger between Nexstar, which owns NewsNation, and Tenga, which operates 64 local TV stations across 51 U.S. markets.

During a fundraiser last year, Cruz allegedly mentioned that Ruddy would utilize Newsmax to bolster his candidacy if he decides to enter the Republican primary, according to an attendee who financially supports the senator. However, Cruz’s spokesperson, Macarena Martinez, refuted these claims. “Once again, anonymous sources are attributing false statements to Senator Cruz to serve their own agendas. These are blatant lies, yet the media seems keen to exploit them,” Martinez stated. She criticized the media’s handling of the situation, suggesting a decline in journalistic standards. Responding to these assertions, the donor told the Daily Mail, “I guess they don’t call him ‘Lying Ted’ for nothing.” When questioned about his support for Cruz’s presidential ambitions, Ruddy did not provide a direct answer but instead issued a statement through a spokesperson regarding the upcoming Senate hearing.

“I am eager to join Chairman Cruz and other Senators on the committee for an open and transparent discussion about the perils of media consolidation in the television broadcast sector,” Ruddy stated. Following the publication of the article, a spokesperson for Ruddy dismissed the claims as “fake news,” denying any promise of endorsement for Cruz or any candidate in 2028 by Newsmax. Historically, Ruddy has opposed major media mergers, including the Nexstar-Tenga deal, arguing that it would harm conservative media. He has lodged a complaint with the FCC, asserting the merger breaches national ownership caps, as the current FCC rule limits broadcasters to reaching no more than 39 percent of U.S. households, while the expanded Nexstar would reach 54.5 percent. Although FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, appointed by Trump, has expressed support for revising the rules, there remains a legal debate on whether such changes require Congressional approval. In a Newsmax op-ed last November, Ruddy wrote, “The solution to Big Tech consolidation is not to grant massive consolidation and power to left-wing TV broadcasters.” He expressed astonishment at then-President Trump’s FCC chairman prioritizing increased control for TV broadcasters, particularly over local news, a stance which was reportedly overruled by Trump himself this weekend.

‘We need more competition against THE ENEMY, the Fake News National TV Networks. Letting Good Deals get done like Nexstar – Tegna will help knock out the Fake News because there will be more competition, and at a higher and more sophisticated level,’ Trump posted to Truth Social on Saturday. ‘Those that are opposed don’t fully understand how good the concept of this Deal is for them, but they will in the future. GET THAT DEAL DONE!’ Trump added, signing the message, ‘PRESIDENT DJT.’ With Trump’s endorsement, that puts Ruddy on the same side of the issue as top Democrats, including progressive Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representatives Maxwell Frost and Summer Lee. Witnesses at Tuesday’s hearing represent a variety of viewpoints. Beyond Ruddy the panel consists of Curtis LeGeyt, the president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcaster, who’s in support of eliminating broadcast ownership caps; Thomas Johnson, former general counsel of the FCC, who’s expected to argue that the agency can change the ownership cap rules without Congress; and Rebuild Local News’ President Steve Waldman. Cruz, as committee chair, hasn’t officially come down on one side or another on the merger. But he has tussled with Carr in the past, calling the FCC chairman’s move in September to go after ABC’s broadcast license over comments made by Jimmy Kimmel ‘dangerous as hell.’

Nexstar had pulled Kimmel off its airwaves in a move that looked to curry favor with the FCC chairman. The Texas senator likened Carr’s move to a mafia boss: ‘That’s right out of Goodfellas,’ Cruz said. Cruz warned that if the government got into the business of what the media said ‘that will end up bad for conservatives.’ ‘Going down this road, there will come a time when a Democrat wins again – wins the White House … they will silence us. They will use this power, and they will use it ruthlessly. And that is dangerous,’ Cruz said. The Texas senator hasn’t been shy about his own White House ambitions. A graduate of Harvard Law School and having previously served as the solicitor general of Texas, Cruz has the resume of a wannabe Supreme Court justice. But he slapped down that idea, which was recently floated by Trump, in an episode last week of the Ruthless podcast, which was first obtained by the Daily Mail. ‘My answer’s not just no, it’s hell no,’ Cruz said of serving on the high court.

The Texas senator suggested he had no place in the judicial branch, which is historically supposed to stay away from political debates, because that’s what he likes best. ‘A principled federal judge stays out of political fights and stays out of policy fights,’ Cruz said. ‘I want to be right in the middle of them.’ Behind the scenes, Cruz has also been trash-talking his future biggest rival – Vance. In leaked audio recordings given to Axioslast month by a Republican source, Cruz is heard characterizing Vance as a pawn of conservative podcaster and Fox News Channel veteran Tucker Carlson. ‘Tucker created JD. JD is Tucker’s protégé, and they are one and the same,’ Cruz said.

Newsmax gets about one-sixth of the audience of Fox News Channel, with its highest-rated show in January receiving 345,000 eyeballs to Fox’s 2.046 million in primetime. But Ruddy’s endorsement will be much needed, argued a source close to the White House. ‘Because he’s got no other conservative outlet,’ the source said. ‘Everyone else is gonna be with JD.’ ‘Maybe the way he sees it is Ted’s going to be in the primary for a month and then he’ll be gone, so it’s not really – it’s not like he’s making a long-term commitment,’ the source joked of Ruddy’s support.