By As massive demonstrations sweep across the nation in opposition to President Donald Trump’s second term, Texas Senator Ted Cruz is warning fellow Republicans not to underestimate the scale of public fury that could jeopardize their hold on power in the 2026 midterms.
An unprecedented wave of dissent under the banner of the “No Kings” movement drew an estimated seven million protesters across some 2,700 events in U.S. cities and at American consulates worldwide. The turnout marked the fiercest public backlash since Trump’s return to the White House.
Thousands of marchers rallied with banners, costumes, and chants denouncing what they described as the administration’s heavy-handed immigration enforcement and executive overreach. Other flashpoints included the deployment of National Guard troops, perceived politicization of the justice system, curbs on speech critical of the MAGA movement, and alleged favoritism toward allies.
The White House brushed off the spectacle with tongue-in-cheek social-media posts showing Trump and Vice President JD Vance in royal attire—a pointed jab at the protests’ theme. While some called for violence and embarrassed themselves, not everyone is laughing, though. Ted Cruz struck a more cautious tone while speaking with Bloomberg. “Unquestionably, we should take political peril seriously,” he told Bloomberg Television. “There is a lot of energy. There is a lot of anger on the left. And elections can be dangerous when one side is mobilized, is angry.”
Cruz warned that the greatest threat may come not from energized opponents, but from complacency within his own ranks. “Energized voters show up to vote,” he said Monday. “And I do worry about just ordinary voters who are happy or complacent who say, ‘gosh, Trump won. Things are good. I don’t need to show up and vote.’ There’s no doubt if one side shows up and the other doesn’t, that leads to a bad election.”
The Texas senator has repeatedly voiced unease over the administration’s trajectory, noted The Daily Beast. In April 2025, he cautioned that Trump’s sweeping trade battles risked triggering widespread job losses and damaging the GOP’s midterm chances. In September, he rebuked the Federal Communications Commission—under Trump appointee Brendan Carr—for issuing warnings to TV networks after comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s comments on the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, predicting conservatives would “regret” such tactics.
Echoing Cruz’s alarm, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene—normally among Trump’s staunchest defenders—offered her own grim forecast in a recent Semafor interview. She tied the party’s troubles to the ongoing government shutdown and mounting financial strain on voters. “I can’t see into the future, but I see Republicans losing the House if Americans are continuing to go paycheck-to-paycheck,” she said. “They’ll definitely be going into the midterms looking through the lens of their bank account.”
“The Republican Party is failing,” she added.
With the “No Kings” protests laying bare a volatile national mood, the warnings from Cruz and Greene hint at a party wrestling with self-doubt. Whether Republicans can channel discontent into renewed unity—or watch it turn against them—may determine the outcome of 2026.
[Read More: What Was Seen At The No Kings Protest Won’t Surprise You]
