Amid speculation that he may consider a 2028 presidential run, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) did not rule out the possibility when asked about it Monday morning. Cruz pointed to his work earlier this year on President Donald Trump’s tax and border security package as an example of a recent legislative accomplishment.
According to reporting from Axios on Monday, the Texas senator has positioned himself for a potential 2028 presidential campaign by presenting himself as an alternative to the party’s more domestically focused wing, particularly on issues related to Israel.
This approach has set him apart from other possible 2028 contenders, including Vice President JD Vance.
“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.”
Debates over U.S. intervention abroad have divided Republican lawmakers and commentators in recent months, as the party continues to grapple with its approach to foreign policy. Vance, along with other figures aligned with Trump, has argued that the United States should scale back its involvement in Ukraine and the Middle East to prioritize domestic concerns.
Cruz has taken a different stance, maintaining that U.S. national security — as well as global stability — requires active and assertive leadership from the White House, Fox News noted.
Most recently, Cruz said he believes the United States should pay closer attention to Nigeria, where Christian communities have faced heightened levels of persecution in recent years.
“It’s why my focus right now is on the Christians in Nigeria,” Cruz said on Monday after pivoting away from 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, Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., announced that 7,000 Christians had been killed in Nigeria in 2025.
Cruz added: “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.’”
Cruz’s office declined to comment on the Axios report when contacted by Fox News, the outlet reported.
Cruz previously sought the Republican presidential nomination, finishing as the runner-up to Donald Trump in the 2016 primary. In the years since, he has maintained a prominent role in the Senate, aligning with the Trump administration on issues such as immigration while consistently advocating for strong U.S. support for Israel.
With Trump ineligible to run for a third term, speculation has intensified over which potential 2028 candidate will succeed in consolidating support from the MAGA wing of the party. Other prominent figures mentioned as possible contenders include Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Trump, so far, has mostly steered clear of naming or endorsing a successor, but he has praised Vance and Rubio, and hinted that they would make a formidable GOP ticket in 2028.
For his part, Vance told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday that he plans to “sit down with the president” and “talk to him” about a potential 2028 presidential run after the 2026 midterm elections. Vance, also teasing a possible 2028 presidential run, made it clear where he stands.
“Two days after the midterms, we get into a cycle, meaning 2028. Have you thought at all– I mean, I would think it has to go through your head. You’re in the Oval Office every day,” said Hannity during an interview with the VP on Thursday. “Thinking about it at all?”
“I would say that I’ve thought about what that moment might look like after the midterm elections, sure. But I also, whenever I think about that, I try to put it out of my head and remind myself the American people elected me to do a job right now and my job is to do it,” Vance said.
