Cruz keeps 2028 door open as speculation grows over GOP’s post-Trump future

Amid rumors he may pursue a 2028 bid for the White House, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, didn’t deny the possibility when asked about it on Monday morning.

“Reporters are going to write headlines that get clicks and get eyeballs. I got a job — it’s representing 31 million Texans. And I’ll tell you right now, the wins we are getting are historic,” Cruz said on “The Faulkner Focus.”

Cruz highlighted his participation in President Donald Trump’s signature tax and border security package earlier this year as one such victory. 

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Cruz has positioned himself for another run for the White House, according to reporting from Axios on Monday. By presenting himself as an alternative to the more domestically focused wing of the GOP — especially on Israel — Cruz has set himself apart from other notable 2028 prospective candidates like Vice President JD Vance. 

The issue of interventionism has divided figures in the GOP for months as pundits, candidates and sitting lawmakers weigh how the U.S. should navigate its international relationships. Vance, like many other voices in Trump’s orbit, has called for the U.S. to pull back from engagements in Ukraine and the Middle East to focus on domestic issues. 

Cruz has gone against the grain of the party, maintaining that the country’s security — and the security of the international community — depends on strong leadership from the White House.

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Most recently, Cruz said he believed American attention was needed in Nigeria, where Christians have faced intense persecution in recent years.

“It’s why my focus right now is on the Christians in Nigeria,” Cruz said on Monday after deflecting questions about 2028. “I was at the White House last week with the president, thanking him for standing up for the Christians in Nigeria.”

Earlier this year, the office of Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., announced that 7,000 Christians have been killed in Nigeria in 2025. 

Cruz continued, “When Biden turned the other way, more and more murders occurred. Because when the commander in chief is absent, is AWOL, bad guys do really bad things. I’m glad we now have a strong commander in chief who will stand up and say, ‘We’re not going to do nothing while you commit mass murders of Christians.'”

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Cruz’s office declined to comment on the Axios reporting when reached by Fox News Digital.

Cruz has sought the presidential nomination before, becoming the runner-up GOP nominee to Trump in 2016. Since then, Cruz has maintained a highly visible position in the Senate where he has worked as an ally of the Trump administration on key issues like immigration, while remaining a consistent proponent of American support for Israel.

With Trump unable to run for a third term, speculation has started brewing over which 2028 hopeful will successfully rally the MAGA base. Other notable contenders include Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

So far, Trump himself has largely steered clear of anointing a possible successor.