Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is considering another presidential bid — even if former President Donald Trump runs again, The Washington Examiner reports.
Cruz recently traveled to New Hampshire, the first-in-the-nation primary state, and has campaigned for Republican candidates around the country ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Cruz has already raised over $100 million, though he says he intends to run for re-election in Texas in 2024.
Waiting for Trump:
Cruz acknowledged he is waiting to see what Trump will decide to do but did not rule out a primary challenge against the former president.
"He was the last Republican president," Cruz said of Trump, "and one of the prerogatives that comes with that is he gets to decide what he's going to do, and then, everyone else will decide accordingly."
Every candidate waits:
It’s not just Cruz. Former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and other Republicans have quietly made moves ahead of possible 2024 bids but are waiting to see what Trump will do.
“There are a lot of candidates out there feeling their oats and boasting, ‘I’m running no matter what. I don’t care what Donald Trump says.’ Anyone who says that is lying. That’s an idiotic statement for someone to make who’s actually thinking about running,” Cruz told the Washington Examiner.
“I don’t know what Trump’s going to decide — nobody does. Anybody who tells you they do is making things up,” he added. “The whole world will change depending on what Donald Trump decides. That’s true for every candidate. That’s true of every potential candidate.”
