Long-simmering tensions between President Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz are boiling over, with White House allies convinced that the Texas Republican is aiming to boost his 2028 presidential prospects at the expense of Vice President JD Vance .

Cruz has raised hackles by positioning himself against Trump — and, by extension, Vance — on several key issues, three people with knowledge of the situation told NBC News.

“Clearly everything Ted has been doing for the last year has been calculated with his eyes toward 2028,” a person close to the White House said, assessing Cruz’s motivations. The person, like others, was granted anonymity to speak candidly.

“He’s doing this dance where he won’t say anything bad publicly about Trump or Vance specifically but he’s doing things to position h

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