{"id":2650632,"date":"2026-08-27T15:50:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T19:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-says-ted-cruz-very-talented-but-stops-short-of-backing-2028-run\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T15:53:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T19:53:47","slug":"trump-says-ted-cruz-very-talented-but-stops-short-of-backing-2028-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-says-ted-cruz-very-talented-but-stops-short-of-backing-2028-run\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump says Ted Cruz \u2018very talented\u2019 but stops short of backing 2028 run"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-says-ted-cruz-very-talented-but-stops-short-of-backing-2028-run%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2650632&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>President Donald Trump praised Senator Ted Cruz, calling him very talented and a good friend, but did not explicitly endorse or support his potential 2028 presidential run. Trump suggested Cruz might run again in 2028, indicating he \u201cmight do that\u201d and praised his talent. Cruz has hinted at considering a White House bid, emphasizing that the GOP has not yet settled on a successor for Trump, and he is open to discussions about running. Republican strategists believe Cruz can run as a full-spectrum conservative in 2028, leveraging his established reputation and fundraising ability, despite not being a new face. Cruz,a former 2016 presidential contender and current Senate ally sometimes distancing himself from Trump\u2019s governance,has voiced criticisms of certain Trump policies and figures,demonstrating his effort to appeal to various factions within the Republican coalition.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a> offered praise for Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ted-cruz\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"185\">Ted Cruz <\/a>(R-TX) but stopped short of endorsing or supporting the lawmaker\u2019s potential White House run in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2028-elections\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11676\">2028<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI would say that he\u2019s very talented,\u201d Trump said Thursday when asked about a Cruz bid during an Oval Office event. \u201cHe\u2019s a very good friend of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4701097\/trump-ted-cruz-2028-run\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump calls Ted Cruz \u2018very talented\u2019 but stops short of backing 2028 bid<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4702998\/trump-says-putin-wont-attack-nato-territory\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump says Putin won\u2019t attack NATO territory<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4702971\/trump-executive-order-rename-lake-ontario-america-canada-trade-war\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump signs executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The president did not explicitly say he was encouraging Cruz to run or that he would support the Texas senator launching a presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think he might do that,\u201d said Trump about a 2028 run. \u201cHe\u2019s a talented guy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cruz stoked questions about his political future this week when he claimed that the GOP has not automatically coalesced around the idea of Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"7658\">JD Vance<\/a> being Trump\u2019s successor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> \u201cI\u2019ll certainly be part of the discussion,\u201d Cruz <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ms.now\/news\/cruz-says-gop-has-not-settled-on-vance-for-2028\">told MS Now<\/a> about a White House run.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Republican strategists told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that Cruz has the opportunity to run as \u201ca full-spectrum conservative\u201d in 2028 even if Vance takes up Trump\u2019s MAGA mantle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI presume he\u2019ll be able to raise significant money, and he will carry the torch of the full-spectrum conservative movement,\u201d said Matt Mackowiak, a Texas-based Republican strategist. \u201cWhether there\u2019s enough demand for him to be the nominee, you know, he\u2019s at this point not a fresh face. He\u2019s run before. He\u2019s a well-known figure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cruz finished second to Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential primary, which featured more than a dozen GOP lawmakers vying for the nomination.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He has since gone on to become an ally of Trump in the Senate, but has also put some distance between himself and the administration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4701407\/ted-cruz-fcc-jd-vance-2028-republican-strategists-tucker-carlson\/\">TED CRUZ FIRES 2028 WARNING SHOT AGAINST JD VANCE, BUT HIS LANE IS UNCERTAIN<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cruz warned against Trump\u2019s \u201cLiberation Day\u201d tariffs, criticized\u00a0Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr for retaliating against media outlets that criticized the Trump administration, and has fought with some MAGA-aligned figures over Israel.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think he has the ability of straddling different sides of the Republican coalition,\u201d said Trevor Francis, a former <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republican-national-committee\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"2059\">Republican National Committee<\/a> communications director. \u201cI think he\u2019s trying to figure out a way of keeping the coalition together rather than alienating different factions within the coalition.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump praises Cruz but stops short of 2028 support<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2658,"featured_media":2650633,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26187495248323.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[35350,41461,5894,32090,3634],"class_list":["post-2650632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-2024-campaign","tag-2028-election","tag-politics","tag-ted-cruz","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26187495248323.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2650632"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650632\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2650636,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2650632\/revisions\/2650636"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2650633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2650632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2650632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2650632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}