Austin, Texas - Republican Senator Ted Cruz on Wednesday acknowledged that he wants to be president and hinted at potentially running against Vice President JD Vance in the 2028 election.
Cruz revealed his renewed presidential ambitions during an interview on Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick's podcast. His comments came days after he insisted Vance should not be automatically anointed as President Donald Trump's successor.
"There's going to be a full discussion about who we are and what we believe," Cruz had told MS Now when asked if the GOP is already lined up behind Vance. "They have to have a path to win. And so there is no Never Trump lane."
"Trump is a black swan event. He is a unique historical figure. There's never been anyone like him. I don't think there'll be anyone like him going forward," he said.
His comments earlier this week served as a foundation from which Patrick asked if Cruz plans on running in 2028, more than a decade after his failed bid to secure the Republican nomination during the 2016 presidential primaries.
"It's no secret that I want to be president!" Cruz said, explaining that "time will tell" if he runs again.
"I will say, this is a bug that history has proved is rarely ended… It is a permanent and often fatal bug."
Vance is considered the Republican Party's front runner for the presidency in 2028, his main potential rival being Secretary of State Marco Rubio – who also campaigned for the presidency in 2016.
Recent reports allege that Vance has the backing of Trump, however. In late July, he allegedly told donors in the Oval Office that "at the end of the day, we need to elect JD."