Sen. Ted Cruz praised President Donald Trump’s military attack on Iran as “exactly the right decision” on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” even as he recently raised alarms about an Iran deal and criticized Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”
On Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz stepped into the spotlight on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” and gave President Donald Trump’s Iran war a kind of endorsement that sounded final.
“Listen, I think the president’s leadership on Iran has been extraordinary,” Cruz said, as co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin pressed him on the timing. Sorkin reminded viewers that Cruz had been critical of Trump “just two weeks ago.”
Cruz pushed back. “Well. no. I wasn’t. ” he said. arguing that his earlier criticism had been aimed at “voices around him.” Then he went further. treating Trump’s decision to launch the attack on Iran as a defining moment. “His decision to launch this military attack [against Iran] is the most consequential decision of his second term. and I think it was exactly the right decision.”.
Cruz added that he’d spoken with Trump “a few days ago,” telling the president to “hold the line” and “don’t take a bad deal” as negotiations have appeared to swing back and forth with Iran.
But when asked to name the people around Trump whom he said he was criticizing. Cruz didn’t provide a clean answer. “Look. there were multiple voices and everyone is leaking and calling reporters — and by the way. it’s not just voices of the administration. ” he said. “You have the Iranians who are leaking — you have all these people who are pushing disinformation.”.
The remarks land on top of a recent trail of Cruz’s own public disputes with Trump. Weeks earlier. Cruz expressed concern about an Iran deal on social media and criticized Trump’s nearly $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” Those critiques sit uneasily beside the praise he delivered on Tuesday. with Cruz framing the Iran attack as the right call.
Cruz’s shifting posture has also surfaced in a separate political drama. The Texas Republican has been critical of Trump in the past. including blasting Trump and Vice President JD Vance over the president’s exorbitant tariff policy during private meetings with donors last year. according to a secret recording obtained by Axios and written about in January. In that audio. Cruz said he warned Trump he would endure a “bloodbath” in the November midterm elections if prices continue to skyrocket. Cruz said Trump responded, “fuck you, Ted.”.
Taken together, Cruz’s Tuesday interview showed a careful line: praise the president’s Iran move, cast disagreement as coming from surrounding voices, and argue that disinformation is coming from everywhere—without naming who, specifically, he means.
The moment also highlights a familiar high-stakes reality of U.S. politics: pressure moves fast. alliances tighten publicly. and credibility is tested not in what leaders say alone. but in how quickly those same statements follow earlier critiques. Cruz. who is reportedly laying the groundwork for a potential 2028 presidential bid. has now placed himself squarely behind Trump’s Iran decision even as his own recent comments suggested a much different level of concern.
Ted Cruz Donald Trump Iran CNBC Squawk Box Anti-Weaponization Fund second term U.S. politics 2028 presidential bid JD Vance tariffs