--- title: Ted Cruz: 2016 GOP Candidate Talks Early Career, 'American President' description: Ted Cruz opened up about his early political career on Sunday during NBC's "Meet the Press." canonical: https://time.com/3945987/ted-cruz-book/ author: Jack Linshi article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-07-05T18:39:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:20.653Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ted Cruz Wanted to Be This Character in 'The American President' og:description: The 2016 candidate opens up about his early years in politics og:url: https://time.com/3945987/ted-cruz-book/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49b71fa467e16b14/69885996a988ca05776b3520/ted-cruz-michael-j-fox-american-president.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Ted Cruz American President Michael J Fox og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ted Cruz Wanted to Be This Character in 'The American President' twitter:description: The 2016 candidate opens up about his early years in politics twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt49b71fa467e16b14/69885996a988ca05776b3520/ted-cruz-michael-j-fox-american-president.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ted Cruz Wanted to Be This Character in _The American President_ ## Video: TIME's Favorite Political Movies [Watch (HLS stream): TIME's Favorite Political Movies](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XDJ9vmLw.m3u8) (8:34)  _Published 2008-11-04. Are you suffering from political news overload? Escape to Hollywood with Richard Corliss's favorite films about the electoral process_  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Jul 5, 2015 6:39 PM UTC  Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, U.S. 2016 presidential candidate and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on oversight, agency action, federal rights and federal courts, pauses while speaking during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on June 4, 2015. Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, U.S. 2016 presidential candidate and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on oversight, agency action, federal rights and federal courts, pauses while speaking during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on June 4, 2015.Andrew Harrer—Bloomberg  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Jul 5, 2015 6:39 PM UTC Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz offered a [glimpse](http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/ted-cruz-justices-put-obama-jersey-n386966) into his early political career on Sunday, recounting his years as an “arrogant little snob” long before he became a fierce Texas senator and conservative firebrand. Cruz, who is touring to promote his campaign and his new book, _A Time for Truth,_ said on NBC’s _Meet the Press_ that he “desperately wanted” to hold a senior position at the White House while serving on George W. Bush’s presidential campaign in 2000. “Frankly, I wanted to be … Michael J. Fox’s character in _The American President_, a young, idealistic staffer in the Oval Office, saying, ‘Mr. President, do the right thing,'” Cruz said. “And that didn’t happen, and it became clear it wasn’t going to happen because I had burned too many bridges.” Cruz also recalled how, in his 20s, he had learned to be less “cocky”—otherwise, he said, thousands of grassroots activists wouldn’t have propelled him to victory during his [2012 Senate campaign.](http://www.cruz.senate.gov/?p=about%5Fsenator) “You can’t run a grassroots campaign if you’re an arrogant little snob,” Cruz said. “I needed to get my teeth kicked in.” **Read next:** [_How Ted Cruz Plans to Disrupt the GOP Presidential Primary_](http://time.com/3753520/ted-cruz-presidential-run-campaign-2016/) \[[_NBC_](http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/ted-cruz-justices-put-obama-jersey-n386966)\] ### Pucker Up: 15 Awkward Political Kisses  Texas Sen. Ted Cruz kisses his wife before walking onstage to speak at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., to announce his presidential candidacy on March 23. Mark Wilson—Getty Images  President Barack Obama gives German Chancellor Angela Merkel a kiss on the cheek on arrival for the G8 Summit on May 18, 2012 at Camp David, Md. Charles Dharapak—AP  Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry kisses his wife Teresa Heinz Kerry at a victory rally after the U.S. senator from Massachusetts was projected the winner in the Wisconsin primary Feb. 17, 2004 in Madison, Wisc. Chris Hondros—Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry kisses his wife Anita at the end of a news conference at Hyatt Place, Jan. 19, 2012 in North Charleston, S.C. Allison Joyce—Getty Images  Former Vice President Al Gore is kissed by his wife Tipper, after addressing the delegates at the Democratic National Convention on July 26, 2004, in Boston. Ron Edmonds—AP  (L-R) Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, kisses his wife, Ann Romney, in front of Republican vice presidential candidate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and wife, Janna Ryan, on stage after conceding the presidency during Mitt Romney's campaign election night event at the Boston Convention—Exhibition Center on Nov. 7, 2012 in Boston. Matthew Cavanaugh—Getty Images  Republican presidential candidate Texas Gov. George W. Bush kisses talk show host Oprah Winfrey on Sept. 19, 2000 after appearing on her program in Chicago. Wilfredo Lee—AP  US President Barack Obama kisses US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after his speech about health care reform before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 9, 2009. Jason Reed—AFP/Getty Images  Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich kisses his wife Callista after a Republican presidential candidate debate at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, N.H. on Jan. 8, 2012. Charles Krupa—AP  French President Nicolas Sarkozy, left, kisses goodbye to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on the steps of the Elysee palace after their meeting on Jan. 29, 2010 in Paris. Christophe Ena—AP  Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gets a kiss from his wife Ann during his election night rally on Nov. 7, 2012, in Boston. David Goldman—AP  New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg kisses Muppet Miss Piggy as Kermit the Frog looks on during a news conference on April 13, 2012 in New York City. Justin Sullivan—Getty Images  Former President George W. Bush, right, kisses former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during the ground breaking ceremony for the President George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas on Nov. 16, 2010. LM Otero—AP  Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum kisses his wife Karen before speaking to supporters at an election-night party in the gymnasium of Steubenville High School in Steubenville, Ohio on March 6, 2012. Gene J. Puskar—AP  US President George W. Bush is greeted by one of his dogs after arriving from giving the commencement speech at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, aboard Marine One on the south lawn of the White House in Washington on May, 21, 2005. 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