Speculation is rife in Washington, D.C., as insiders reveal that Senator Ted Cruz is preparing a bid for the presidency, reigniting a notable rivalry with media personality Tucker Carlson. This move appears designed to capture the attention of donors eager to look beyond the MAGA era. Sources speaking to the Daily Mail suggest that the conflict with Carlson isn’t solely about differing views on U.S. support for Israel. According to a Republican insider, Cruz’s critique of Carlson might be a subtle strategy to position himself against both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

Steve Bannon, former chief strategist for Trump, expressed enthusiasm about Cruz’s potential presidential aspirations. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Bannon noted that Cruz seems to be rallying the ‘Israel First’ faction within the Republican Party. He remarked, “Israel First has its horse,” emphasizing the need for a national conversation on the topic. Bannon further claimed that this group has harmed the nation by advocating for the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, Republican strategists indicate that Cruz’s interest in the 2028 race is unsurprising, especially after his significant defeat to Trump in 2016. However, they caution that challenging JD Vance, who currently leads in polls, won’t be easy. As one strategist told the Daily Mail, “JD Vance seems incredibly strong, and I would be surprised if anyone could wrest the nomination from him.”

Voters already familiar with Cruz’s aggressive style of politics might be looking for something new. ‘I think Republican primary voters are looking for more authenticity in their leaders, looking more for what is new and less of what is old,’ the strategist said. But Cruz is adamantly sending a strong signal to prominent Republican donors of where he stands on Israel. On Sunday, Trump declined to condemn Carlson for conducting an interview with white nationalist podcaster Nick Fuentes, who proudly shares antisemitic views.

‘You can’t tell him who to interview,’ Trump told reporters when asked about Carlson. ‘Meeting people, talking to people, for somebody like Tucker, that’s what they do.’ Less than 12 hours later, Cruz issued a statement to Axios noting that, ‘We have a responsibility to speak out even when it’s uncomfortable.’ ‘When voices in our own movement push dangerous and misguided ideas, we can’t look the other way,’ he continued. ‘I won’t hesitate to call out those who peddle destructive, vile rhetoric and threaten our principles and our future. Silence in the face of recklessness is not an option.’

That was a ‘thinly veiled’ attack against Vance and Trump, one Washington insider noted, adding that it would be ‘stupid’ for him to attack the vice president directly. ‘Sen. Cruz and President Trump are very good friends, and no amount of sniping from disgruntled anonymous staffers trying to score political points is going to change that,’ a Cruz spokesperson told the Daily Mail, citing the senator’s support for Trump’s agenda. Trump told reporters Monday he was ‘not surprised’ by the news that Cruz is laying groundwork for a presidential campaign but added ‘it’s a little early.’ ‘He’s a very good guy. He is a very good friend of mine,’ he added.

Cruz’s public opposition to Carlson began in June after the former Fox News star’s podcast interview with the senator blew up over the subject of Israel and the United States intervention in the Middle East. Since then, Cruz has ramped up criticism of Carlson describing him as ‘complicit in evil’ for interviewing Fuentes, and spreading ‘poison that is profoundly dangerous.’ Carlson defended his interview with Fuentes, noting that the controversial media figure is ‘the single-most influential commentator among young men’ and wanted to know more about what he believed.

Vance, who considers Carlson a friend, has not condemned his decision to conduct the interview, even though he denounced Fuentes as a ‘total loser’ during the 2024 campaign. Some supporters of Israel were angered by Vance’s cautious conversation with a young man at a Turning Point event at the University of Mississippi about the administration’s support of Israel. Vance agreed that Christians and Jews had ‘some significant theological disagreements’ but that it was important to discuss them and work with Israel on common interests.

‘What I’m not okay with is any country coming before the interest of American citizens,’ he said. On Thursday, Vance also took a different approach to Republican Party infighting, arguing in support of more debates. ‘I think these debates should happen, they should happen in podcasts, they should happen in the media, they should happen in the op-ed pages,’ the vice president said during an event with Breitbart News on Thursday. Part of the infighting, he said, was the result of a ‘natural outgrowth’ of the Trump coalition that included former Democrats.

‘I think that we have to remember that we have a lot more common than we do not,’ he said, adding that it was important not to forget the threat posed by the modern left. ‘Have our debates but focus on the enemy,’ he added. Cruz, however, has made a point of standing unapologetically with Israel. In October, he spoke at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual summit demanding that his party publicly denounce critics of Israel and right-wing antisemitism.

‘How many elected Republicans do you see standing up and calling this out?’ Cruz cried. ‘How many do you see willing to take on the voices on the anti-Israel right?’ He warned of a looming ‘existential crisis’ in the United States, despite Trump’s historic support for Israel. ‘When Trump is not in the White House, what then?’ Cruz asked.