Ted Cruz as Donald Trump's vice president? Don't count on it, the U.S. senator says
This article was originally written by Jeremy Wallace for the Houston Chronicle and can be found on their website here.
As former President Donald Trump builds a list of potential vice presidential candidates to run with him in November, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said he’s not expecting to be among those in the mix.
During a campaign event in Laredo on Sunday, Cruz was asked about the potential of Trump asking him to be his running mate. While Cruz was one of Trump’s top allies in the Senate while he was president, the Texas Republican said he does not expect to get invited to join the ticket.
“I’m not holding my breath,” Cruz said at an event with the United States Hispanic Business Council. “I’m not anticipating President Trump making that call.”
During an interview with Fox News earlier this month, Trump was asked if Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii were on his short list.
“Honestly all of those people are good," Trump told host Laura Ingraham. "They’re all good, they’re all solid.”
Cruz was not mentioned. He and Trump have had a tumultuous relationship at times. In 2016, Cruz and Trump went after each other as both sought the GOP nomination for president. Trump eventually won, but Cruz was slow to endorse Trump, prompting boos from Trump supporters at the GOP national convention.
In 2018, Cruz tried to repair the divide by praising Trump’s policies. At one point, Cruz hosted Trump in Houston for a rally as Cruz's campaign was struggling at the time against Democrat Beto O’Rourke.
At the Laredo event, Cruz had a similar response when asked if he would consider being the Senate Republican leader if longtime Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky leaves the post. Cruz said the didn’t expect that offer to come.
But Cruz did leave open the prospect of running for president again in 2028, saying his 2016 campaign was one of the most fun times of his life.
Cruz was in Laredo to tout his record of working with Democrats on issues such as expanding international bridges with Mexico to facilitate trade and advocating for more water releases by Mexican officials into the Rio Grande to help farmers in South Texas with irrigation.
He is up for reelection this year. Nine Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas and state Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio, are competing for the party's nomination to take on Cruz in November.