Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-TX) awkward positioning for a presidential run was painfully showcased Wednesday by his efforts to score a photo with rap star Nicki Minaj.
Minaj appeared alongside President Donald Trump at a Trump Accounts launch summit in Washington, joining multiple other celebrities, administration officials, and lawmakers backstage.
Cruz, one of numerous other attendees in the crowd, sought a photo opportunity but was rebuffed, according to a report.
“Sen. Ted Cruz really wanted a photo with Nicki Minaj backstage today but he did not get one. …and his team was not happy with Trump advisor Alex Bruesewitz, I’m told. Yes, for real,” Politico’s Sophia Cai posted on X.
Cai’s scoop triggered pushback from Cruz’s spokesperson.
“Not sure who your source is, what their motive is (or yours), or why you’re so eager to get spun up and used,” Cruz Communications Director Macarena Martinez posted. “But here’s everyone looking so upset! Try again.”
To support her claim, Martinez shared what could charitably be called a candid photo featuring a blurry Cruz gesturing towards Minaj, who sported a polite, forced smile, with a bewildered-looking Alex Bruesewitz between them.
Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matt Boyle, who was in attendance backstage, where he interviewed Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, was among those not buying Martinez’s feeble pushback.
“This actually backs up the story,” Boyle posted on X. “Cruz raced over to her to ambush her in the venue and snap a photo of them talking. He did NOT get the posed photo he begged so desperately for. A Cruz staffer, I’m told, flipped out on Bruesewitz, whining nonstop about how Ted couldn’t get a posed photo with Nicki.”
“See this is what a posed photo looks like,” Boyle then posted, sharing a photo of Minaj and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) at the event, adding “Clearly Ted Cruz did not get one so he ambushed Nicki Minaj in the hallway and had a staffer lurking to snap a creepy photo. Very strange behavior by a U.S. senator.”
Bruesewitz, who accompanied Minaj Wednesday, magnanimously downplayed the incident Thursday, while making clear that while Minaj did take time for photos with fans, Cruz was not one of them.
“This is getting a bit out of hand. Many people in D.C. have reached out about this reported interaction. There was nothing personal & I hope people aren’t actually upset with me. But who knows?” he posted on X. “We were in a hurry trying to get Nicki Minaj into the Oval Office to see our great President. She didn’t have time to stop and take pictures with everyone. She was incredibly kind and gracious with her time backstage with as many people as humanly possible. She took dozens of pictures with fans.”
The interaction was not Cruz’s only awkward experience with a celebrity Wednesday. The senator invited musician Kid Rock to testify before the Senate Commerce Committee Wednesday, later posting a video to X showcasing his visit with the star.
“Starsucker Cruz! Desperation for attention!” Boyle posted.
The Texas senator’s antics follow the publication of leaked recordings of Cruz torching Vice President JD Vance and ridiculing Trump’s tariff policy during private meetings with donors. The recordings provide a window into Cruz’s positioning as a pre-Trump Republican ahead of a likely 2028 campaign against Vice President JD Vance, Axios reported.
Many have speculated the recordings were leaked by Cruz himself to demonstrate his commitment to bucking Trumpism and taking the party backward to an era in which anti-Trump establishment candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney were blown out in national elections.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
