White House aide reportedly told GOP donors Ted Cruz has a likability problem, could lose Senate race


Without saying the name "Ted Cruz," a top White House official told other members of the Republican Party that the Texas senator might not be re-elected because he's not "likable," The New York Times reports.
The Times obtained an audio recording from a meeting held in New York City on Saturday, attended by Mick Mulvaney, who heads the White House Office of Management and Budget, and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. Democrats need to gain 23 seats to take control of the House, and Mulvaney is heard telling the crowd of officials and donors he doesn't believe that a "blue wave" is on the horizon. He did, however, share that he believes there's a "very real possibility we will win a race for Senate in Florida and lose a race in Texas for Senate, okay? I don't think it's likely, but it's a possibility. How likable is a candidate? That still counts."
Cruz is facing off against Democratic Rep. Beto O'Rourke, and polls show a tight race. In response to the Times report, Cruz said he doesn't "worry about what some political guy in Washington says. I worry about what the people of Texas say." During the meeting, Mulvaney mentioned failed Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore, who lost last year's special election after being accused by several women of sexual misconduct. "The president asks me all the time, 'Why did Roy Moore lose?'" Mulvaney said. "That's easy. He was a terrible candidate." Mulvaney also predicted that Trump's dismal approval ratings won't be a problem come the midterms, because "you may hate the president, and there's a lot of people who do, but they certainly like the way the country is going."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Weer at Soho Theatre Walthamstow: a 'silly, seductive, slapstick joy'
The Week Recommends Natalie Palamides' 'tear-inducingly funny' one-woman show opens London's newest venue
-
Can the world stop Israel from starving Gaza?
Today's Big Question Total blockade on food and aid enters its third month, and Israel is accused of 'weaponising starvation'
-
The timely revival of watchmaking
Under The Radar Artisan horology is enjoying a surprising resurgence
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'
speed read The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábrego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war