Josh Hawley risks taking Ted Cruz's most hated crown among GOP colleagues: report

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) is alienating his colleagues on Capitol Hill, a Tuesday report from NBC News revealed.

According to reporters, Hawley's efforts to bring economic populism to the U.S. Senate are coming into conflict with his GOP colleagues.

The report claimed that the GOP lawmakers "are frustrated with his tendency to follow the beat of his own drum as he grows more critical of some of their policy aims."

One top Senate aide told NBC that Hawley appears to be "trying to load up policy prescriptions to lay the groundwork for a 2028 presidential bid."

“He’s aligned himself with Democrats on most fiscal issues," the aide continued. "Frankly, it has irked a lot of his Republican colleagues."

During the battle over President Donald Trump's 2026 budget, known as the "big, beautiful bill," Hawley was a loud opponent to Medicaid cuts. He then voted for it, however. Since then, he's tried to undo the cuts with another bill.

Hawley allies are disputing the claim that a presidential campaign is on the horizon. They claim that he has long supported economic populism and wants to change the GOP to align more with the MAGA electorate.

“Josh believes we’re at a critical inflection point in our history about where the party’s realigning,” a person close to Hawley told NBC. “He’s been on the same mission, focusing on the same project since he first ran for office, believing that the Republican Party needs to become a party of working people. What he’s done is consistent with that each year he’s been in Congress.”

“He said many times in the past he’s not running for president,” the Hawley ally continued. “He has not been to early states, like a lot of other members. He’s not even visited Iowa or New Hampshire to campaign for someone. He hasn’t done any of that. He’s got plenty of work to do in Congress. And the president’s still got three more years.”

More recently, Hawley angered colleagues over his stock ban, which would block them from profiting from investments where they have inside information through briefings and legislation.

“I can imagine he’s not on their nice list,” a Republican senator told NBC News about Hawley's relationship with Trump.

Hawley runs the risk of becoming the new annoyance among his colleagues. Members of his own party have attacked Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in that way, noted a 2016 BBC report. Critics have described Cruz as "abrasive," "creepy" and "arrogant."

The Lincoln Project's Rick Wilson once described Cruz, "You either hate him or you hate him."

Read the full report here.