‘You’re going to lose’: A leaked Trump–Cruz call goes off the rails over fears of a ‘bloodbath’

“You’re going to lose the House, you’re going to lose the Senate, you’re going to spend the next two years being impeached every single week.” These are reportedly the words Texas Senator Ted Cruz told Donald Trump.

Cruz expressed worry that economic difficulties could cause Republicans to lose massive support in the upcoming midterm elections. To this, Trump reportedly responded, “F–k you, Ted.”

The report initially originated from Axios, and political commentators are already calling it a “reality check.” Cruz is far from a popular figure himself, and it’s become somewhat of a dark joke that when his state is facing a climate-caused disaster, he’s on the first flight to a sunnier place.

Trump‘s response to Ted Cruz sounds like what happens when you try to tell the truth to someone like Trump pic.twitter.com/Y68uAxw4du

— Molly Jong-Fast (@MollyJongFast) January 25, 2026

However, his assessment of Trump’s administration so far aligns with recent approval polls. For some, MAGA was a better electoral choice in 2024 because their central argument was that an economic boom would follow a Trump win. But what followed was a major tax break for the rich and an unmitigated disaster of a healthcare plan that is still unclear to anyone.

I’m sure Trump just loved hearing this

On the call, Cruz told Trump, “Mr. President, if we get to November of [2026] and people’s 401(k)s are down 30% and prices are up 10–20% at the supermarket, we’re going to go into election day, face a bloodbath.” This aligns with what other top members of MAGA have been warning Trump about as the midterms near.

It first started with former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had a very public falling out with Trump and hasn’t let up since. She still claims that the first fracture in their base was Trump not supporting the release of Epstein. From then on, Greene has sown doubt about whether Trump is truly focused on America First. Greene has now dedicated her X account to questioning whether Trump’s foreign-policy-focused approach will actually improve the lives of everyday working-class Americans.

With each passing day, Trump announces sweeping tariff changes, altering the way people run their businesses without forewarning, only to change his mind days later. Businesses across the nation are bowing to the pressure of inconsistency, and since, regardless of what the administration says, tariffs are still paid by Americans, small-business owners are struggling. According to Fortune, small-business importers are paying approximately $25,000 in tariff costs per month, which is believed to be stifling growth in various industries nationwide.

Cruz has had some misgivings about Trump’s foreign policy as well, and he lays that blame specifically on Vice President JD Vance. Cruz said, “Tucker created JD. JD is Tucker’s protégé, and they are one and the same.” Tucker’s differences with Cruz on matters of foreign policy could not be wider. A couple of months ago, Tucker embarrassed the senator by exposing him for knowing little about the countries he wanted to invade.

Cruz’s office released a statement in response to this leak, saying: “Those battles include fights over staffers who try to enter the administration despite disagreeing with the president and seeking to undermine his foreign policy. Senator Cruz is proud of those fights, his accomplishments, and his close relationship with the president. These attempts at sowing division are pathetic and getting boring.”