India, Jan. 25 -- Prominent US Senator Ted Cruz privately blamed White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, Vice President JD Vance and President Donald Trump for holding up a trade deal with India in phone calls with donors, reported Axios. According to leaked audio recordings of Cruz's phone calls, the Republican senator from Texas told supporters that he was "battling" the White House to secure a trade deal with India.

The report points to continued political challenges standing in the way of a US-India trade deal despite numerous rounds of trade talks.

Cruz reportedly also told donors that he and a number of Republican senators attempted to dissuade President Trump from launching the Liberation Day tariffs on countries around the worl...