Kaitlan Collins Makes Ted Cruz Watch JD Vance Talking About Him: ‘Do You Think He Meant What He Said?’

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins made Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) sit and watch a clip of Vice President JD Vance answering an awkward question about the 2028 presidential race.

Cruz, who lost the 2016 Republican primary to President Donald Trump, is widely expected to run again in 2028, a move that would almost certainly pit him against Vance, who is also expected to run. Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported last week that Cruz has been asking people if they would be interested in working on his 2028 presidential campaign. The Journal also noted that Cruz has taken some shots at Vance, particularly at the vice president’s role in the negotiations that led to the aborted memorandum of understanding with Iran amid the ongoing war.

Last week, a reporter asked Vance if he could envision himself supporting a Cruz bid in 2028.

“That’s an innovative way to ask the question,” Vance replied. “But I’m still not gonna take the bait.”

The vice president said Republicans should be focused on November’s midterm elections first, but added, “And on Ted Cruz, I mean, look, man, he’s just clearly– Ted is a very authentic and likable guy, and I’m sure he’ll do great.”

Cruz appeared on Tuesday’s edition of The Source, where Collins played Vance’s comments for the senator, after which she and Cruz had this exchange:

COLLINS: What did you hear in that comment?

CRUZ: Oh, look, I appreciate the kind words from the vice president. And I agree with him that we should be focusing on the midterms. We’re 56 days out from the midterms. These midterms matter enormously. There’s a reason I’m crisscrossing the country campaigning for candidates all over the country, because the outcome of this midterm is gonna have a massive impact on the country.

COLLINS: Do you think he meant what he said about you?

CRUZ: I have no idea. You’d have to ask him.

COLLINS: Do you think that he would make a good 2028 candidate?

CRUZ: I think there will be plenty of time to discuss that after the midterms. And by the way, I have no idea who’s going to run for president in ’28. Look, JD may run well–

COLLINS: You might know one candidate.

CRUZ: Marco Rubio may run. Tulsi Gabbard may run. Pete Hegseth may run. Bobby Kennedy may run. I don’t know who’s gonna run. We’ll find that out next year.

Hours earlier, Cruz appeared on Fox Business, where host Larry Kudlow suggested the senator announce his presidential candidacy in November.

Watch above via CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!