How Long Can Media Attack Biden, plus 'Do Not Disturb POTUS' & Can Cabinet Invoke 25th Amendment Week In Review

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson Episode: How Long Can Media Attack Biden, plus 'Do Not Disturb POTUS' & Can Cabinet Invoke 25th Amendment Week In Review
Release Date: July 13, 2024

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Introduction

In this compelling episode of The 47 Morning Update, host Ben Ferguson engages in a critical discussion with Senator Ted Cruz, delving into the relentless media scrutiny of President Joe Biden, the implications of the President's "Do Not Disturb" status, and the emerging conversations around the 25th Amendment within the Biden administration. The conversation is enriched with incisive commentary, notable quotes, and insightful analysis that unpack the current political climate surrounding the Biden presidency.

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1. Media's Persistent Attack on President Biden

The episode opens with concerns about the media's continuous negative portrayal of President Joe Biden. Ted Cruz questions the duration and intensity of the media's scrutiny, asking, "How long until the media gets back in line and it's business as usual? How many more days can they continue to go after Joe Biden if he refuses to drop out?" [03:13].

Ben Ferguson responds by predicting a swift media turnaround should Biden exit the race, suggesting that media outlets would quickly shift to a more favorable stance. He reflects on his extensive experience with interviews, emphasizing the importance of journalistic integrity and criticizing scripted questioning imposed by political campaigns. Ferguson states, "It's an absolute violation of journalistic ethics norms to simply read the questions the campaign handed you" [01:30].

The discussion highlights a perceived hypocrisy in the media's approach, where initial narratives about Hunter Biden's detachment from the White House shifted abruptly to more direct associations, as noted when Ferguson references Axios reporting the White House narrative change regarding Hunter Biden's role as a "de facto gatekeeper" [06:56].

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2. President Biden's "Do Not Disturb" Status

A significant portion of the episode focuses on President Biden's "Do Not Disturb" status after 8:00 PM. Cruz brings attention to a troubling media report where a CNN correspondent questioned the implications of the President being unavailable during critical hours, asking, "If the Pentagon at some point picks up an incoming Nuke. It's 11pm who do you call?" [12:10].

The White House's response, as conveyed by the Press Secretary, assures that a dedicated team remains vigilant and capable of handling emergencies, stating, "He has a team that lets him know of any of any news that is pertinent and important to the American people" [12:22]. However, Ferguson critiques this assurance, labeling it as "a terrifying response" [12:51], and draws parallels to a 2008 political ad by Hillary Clinton that questioned a candidate's readiness to handle crises, emphasizing the gravity of having a leader who may be unavailable during critical moments.

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3. Emergence of the 25th Amendment Discussion

The conversation shifts to the potential invocation of the 25th Amendment, with Cruz highlighting reports that suggest senior cabinet members and Democratic officials are contemplating this action. Ferguson cites a report from the Wall Street Journal detailing German officials' experiences with Biden's fatigue during meetings, which raises concerns about his capacity to handle international affairs [10:41].

Cruz further illustrates the internal turmoil within the administration, referencing Jake Tapper's interview where a longtime Biden advisor expressed frustration with the President's leadership and the administration's "echo chamber" effect, stating, "They created a perfect storm of an echo chamber, and it is biting them all in the ass" [23:17]. This sentiment underscores growing unease among Biden's close associates about his effectiveness in office.

Ferguson expands on this by criticizing the choreographed nature of Biden's meetings, contrasting it with the more dynamic interactions observed in previous administrations. He asserts, "That is dramatically different from the Kabuki theater that Joe Biden was putting on" [17:09], suggesting a lack of genuine dialogue and decision-making within the current administration.

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4. Internal Conflicts and Leaks Within the Biden Administration

The episode also explores internal conflicts and leaks emanating from within the Biden administration. Cruz points out that leaks from senior cabinet members may be indicative of a deliberate move to prepare for a potential invocation of the 25th Amendment. Ferguson agrees, noting the unprecedented nature of such leaks from high-ranking officials and the subsequent turmoil it creates within the administration.

Additionally, Ferguson highlights the discrepancy between the Biden administration's standard operating procedures and his extensive experience with other presidencies, asserting that the current administration's approach is "painfully choreographed" and lacking in authentic leadership dynamics [17:09].

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5. Media's Shift in Narrative and External Influences

A noteworthy aspect of the discussion is the media's sudden shift in narrative regarding Biden's administration, particularly in relation to figures like Barack Obama. Ferguson points out the rapid change in media stance, using quotes from Axios and Politico to illustrate how narratives about Hunter Biden and President Biden's capabilities have evolved, often contradicting earlier positions [06:56], [27:17].

He juxtaposes this with historical media behavior, expressing frustration that similar predictions in the past were dismissed as conspiracy theories but are now gaining traction [27:28]. This shift underscores the volatile nature of political narratives and the media's role in shaping public perception.

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6. Future Implications for the Democratic Nomination

Looking ahead, Ferguson expresses skepticism about Biden securing the Democratic nomination, estimating only a 20% chance of his nomination compared to a 40% chance each for Michelle Obama and Kamala Harris [16:23]. This projection reflects the growing doubts within the party about Biden's viability as a candidate, fueled by his administration's internal challenges and external criticism.

Cruz echoes these sentiments, suggesting that the media and internal cabinet disputes may accelerate the decline of Biden's presidential prospects, potentially paving the way for alternative candidates to emerge [15:55].

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Conclusion

This episode of The 47 Morning Update offers a critical examination of the current challenges facing President Joe Biden, both from relentless media scrutiny and internal administrative conflicts. Through the insightful dialogue between Ben Ferguson and Senator Ted Cruz, listeners gain an in-depth understanding of the precarious state of Biden's presidency, the potential for significant political shifts within the Democratic Party, and the broader implications for American governance. The conversation underscores the importance of leadership authenticity and the profound impact of media narratives on political dynamics.

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Notable Quotes:

• Ted Cruz [03:13]: "How long until the media gets back in line and it's business as usual? How many more days can they continue to go after Joe Biden if he refuses to drop out?"

• Ben Ferguson [01:30]: "It's an absolute violation of journalistic ethics norms to simply read the questions the campaign handed you."

• Ben Ferguson [06:56]: "Hunter is not at all connected to Joe Biden or the White House. That's been their relentless talking point for years."

• Ted Cruz [12:10]: Peter Doocy's question about the President's availability during a nuclear threat.

• Ben Ferguson [12:51]: "That's actually a terrifying response that if something happens at 11pm well, Joe Biden's not capable to deal with it."

• Jake Tapper [23:17]: "I just think there's an unfortunate inevitability to all this. I am sad because I've known him a long time and he's a good man..."

• Ben Ferguson [16:23]: "I think there is a 20% chance the Democrat nominee is Joe Biden. I think there's a 40% chance the Democrat nominee is Michelle Obama. And I think there's a 40% chance the Democratic nominee is Kamala Harris as before."

These quotes encapsulate the episode's central themes, highlighting the intense media focus on Biden, concerns over his administration's operational transparency, and the potential shifts within the Democratic Party's leadership.

Transcript

[Ted Cruz]

Welcome. It is verdict with Ted Cruz. We can review Ben Ferguson with you. And my, oh my, did we have some big stories that we talked about this week that you may have missed. First up, how long can the media go after Joe Biden before they have to get back in line? We'll explain the timeline for this. And right now they're not liking Joe Biden at all. Plus we've now been told that after 8:00 at night, well, there's a team around Joe Biden that can help if anything happens. Is that actually how the presidency is supposed to work? Work. We'll dive into that because apparently he's put his life on do not disturb. And finally, is the cabinet actually looking at the 25th Amendment to get rid of Joe Biden? It's the weekend review and it starts right now. Well, I mean, I, I mean, look, I, I, I do this a fair amount with people that I interview. Right. Over the years and I've had campaigns or offices say, hey, the senator or the congressman or the governor has this piece of legislation. If you'd please ask him a question about that. It's something that's very important and then it's going to be introduced. I, and I'm fine with that. But if you gave me four questions to ask and said you get them only if you ask these four questions, these four questions only, I would tell them to pound sand no matter who it was because that's not doing an interview. That's, that, that, that, that's a scripted moment. You might as well just have the president sit there at the White House and say, here are the four questions I'm going to an, that I chose.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, look, it's, I've done hundreds of interviews, if not maybe thousands of interviews. I've done a crap ton of interviews to the best of my knowledge. I've certainly never submitted questions the best of my knowledge. No one on my team has. Now what is typical is what you just said. If you're doing an interview, let's say I'm going on Hannity. It's typical that my press team will talk with Hannity's producers and they'll discuss some topics. So if you're going to talk about the Biden debate or if you're gonna talk about illegal immigration or sometimes there's some story that just broke of like, you know, or the terrorists, you know, being the eight terrorists, suspected terrorists from Tajikistan just released. If there's a story that just broke, the producer will tell my press team, hey, Sean wants to Ask about this. That's typical. So you have some idea what the topic is you're discussing so that you, you can be prepared. But I'll tell you, my guess is of the interviews I do, at least half of them, they asked me something that is not a topic that they mentioned at all. So, you know, it's helpful to have. Okay. If we're going to do Israel, I should probably be up on the latest developments of what's happened on Israel in the last few days. But it is an absolute violation of journalistic ethics norms to simply read the questions the campaign handed you. And the absolute arrogance that the Biden campaign has that they fully assume that fake journalists will be more than happy to comply.

[Ted Cruz]

Senator, I got two more questions for you. And it deals again with the media. One, the media hypocrisy, I think, is at an all time high. But how long until the media gets back in line and it's business as usual? How many more days can they continue to go after Joe Biden if he refuses to drop out?

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, I think the instant Biden is out and they coordinate the next person, then the media will absolutely fall in line and it will become a straight on cheerleading. It will be hallelujah, Hallelujah. The problems are all solved. Now we must all vote for either Kamala or Michelle Obama and save America and Stop, Stop Orange man bad. I mean, and the. It would be instantaneous. But you know, let me make a couple of quick more observations on that point. You know, as you and I were talking about doing interviews and getting questions ahead of time, as I said, I've done a gazillion of them and have not had the questions ahead of time. But, you know, I was actually thinking about it on this podcast. We've interviewed a bunch of folks. Now, I'm not a journalist, I don't pretend to be a journalist, but even when we interview people on this podcast, we've never given people questions ahead of time. And I actually thought back to an interview that on this podcast, actually, before you were my co host, when it was Michael Knowles and me, where we interviewed Bill Barr and we interviewed Bill Barr at the Department of Justice. He was the sitting Attorney General. And it was interesting. His communication staff was really freaked out and they were like, okay, well, how's this gonna be? And, and listen, I've known bill for, for 20 years and we're friends. And I'm telling him, relax. I'm not, I'm not gonna play games. This, this is not, this is not a gotcha Interview. This is not trying to, you know, go stick it to him. And I didn't. But it ended up being, it was one of our most listens podcasts we've ever done, in part because Bill was someone who would come across on TV as, as pretty stiff and tight and, you know, very controlled. And because he and I are friends, he was relaxed and we were cutting up. And Bill is funny as hell. I mean, he has this wickedly sarcastic sense of humor. And it came out, we had a great free ranging interview that look, when a podcast is good, it sounds like a couple of guys sitting at a cafe having dinner and just shooting the breeze, talking about what's going on. But even then, with someone I'd known 20 years, I don't even think I told him the topics we were going to discuss. We just sat down and now I wasn't playing gotcha games, but that's what we did. But let me make a second point about just how astonishingly rapidly the media can do 180 degree reversal. So on this podcast, we've talked a lot about Hunter Biden and the whole Hunter Biden investigations and the trials. And for months and months and months and for years and years and years, the White House narrative and the corporate media narrative was. Hunter is a poor troubled son. He struggles with substance abuse. He's a sad soul and just. It's all about him. But they've said he has nothing, nothing, nothing to do with the White House. No, no, no, no, no, no. Hunter, when he was making millions of dollars from every corrupt oligarch in every enemy of America across the planet, whether the Chinese communists or the Russians or what have you, that had nothing to do with favors for Papa Joe. No, no, no, no, no. Hunter is not at all connected to Joe Biden or the White House. That's been their, their relentless talking point for years. Correct?

[Ted Cruz]

Yes.

[Ben Ferguson]

All right, I want to read you this paragraph from Axios. On July 7, behind the curtain, unbendable Biden versus breaking point dams, quote, we're now in uncharted historic waters. President Biden backed by first lady Jill Biden and his convicted son Hunter, who's serving as de facto gatekeeper to his dad, says that nothing besides an act of God will persuade him to quit his reelection campaign. So without missing a beat, the corporate media can now suddenly admit Hunter is, quote, de facto gatekeeper to his dad. This is the same Hunter who about 12 minutes ago, their, their, their walking storyline was. No, no, Hunter's never met Joe Biden. I'm sorry. They have nothing to do. He doesn't even know where the White House is. No, no, no, no. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. This is not about Joe Biden and his corruption.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah. This is the media. They'll get back in line soon. Don't worry.

[Ben Ferguson]

I instantaneously.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, I give them a week and a half, two weeks, and then they'll start dialing back the full court press to get Biden out because they're then going to be afraid maybe we can't get rid of him by when we want to. So we got to pull back a little bit. And I think going into these conventions, coming up, it's going to be very interesting to see how they even deal with them if Joe Biden's still there at the convention and he's, quote, still the guy. I also think this. I got to ask a bonus honest question. Do you think Donald Trump is going to have to, in essence, just put the VP pick on hold until they figure out who they're running against?

[Ben Ferguson]

That is an awfully good question.

[Ted Cruz]

I mean, I don't know. Look, from you and I going to the convention.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ted Cruz]

No idea who the VP candidate is, and I'm not sure he does either.

[Ben Ferguson]

Look, I. It is not a crazy question to ask. The Trump campaign has said repeatedly that they'll announce the VP by the convention. And, you know, usually the VP gives a big speech at the convention the day before the president does. It is a tricky question because if you don't know who you're running against, that is certainly a real factor in trying to decide who VP is. I have not looked at the legal questions at how complicated it would be to name a VP after the convention. But it would not be insane for Trump to delay that choice until he has some real confidence who his opponent's going to be.

[Ted Cruz]

Now, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week. Now, on to story number two. The President sending the notes. You have. The squad that's backed in the Congressional Black Caucus is saying, hey, we need to put this all to bed. Joe's our guy. Joe's made it clear, hey, I'm not going anywhere. He did that on Morning Joe. We mentioned that in the last pod, I think. And then you've got this going on with the media. They're still putting the 44 court press here saying, not only is the White House lying to you, but we're going to prove it in essence. And that's why they did this long interview. Now you got to look at the calendar. Joe Biden is supposed to be on the debate stage with Donald Trump September 10th on ABC News. ABC News, by the way, has been attacking the president as well. Stephanopoulos said after doing the interview with the president that was supposed to, quote, save him the other day, that he said there's no way he believes the president could serve for another four years. Do you, does he show up at this debate? Does he cancel it? Does he have to show up to have a chance in hell in November if he's still the nominee?

[Ben Ferguson]

So I don't believe there will be a debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in September. I don't think it'll happen now. Look, I don't think Joe Biden will be the nominee in September. I continue to believe there's an 80% chance that he's not the nominee. He's digging in. He's holding on with all of his might. But all right, here's another story that shows the press turning on him. This is from the Wall Street Journal. Quote, german officials, aware of Biden's fatigue at night, sought to accommodate the President by planning a June 2022 eventually with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the early evening. The informal event, a soiree at the Alpine resort Schloss El MAU during the Group of Seven summit, was arranged as a confidential meeting on Ukraine. In a relaxed setting, Biden didn't show, surprising the chancellor and his aides, officials said. Instead, Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived and announced that Biden had to go to bed, according to two people who were there. So he is now no longer able to stay up to meet with heads of state to discuss matters of war and peace. That's dangerous and the press is reporting on it.

[Ted Cruz]

And to make that point, Peter Doocy asked the question at the White House from Fox today. Hey, if the President's only the president till, I don't know, 8:00 at night, what happens if someone shoots a nuke? Listen to this.

[Peter Doocy]

Well, he also said he's sharpest before 8pm so say that the Pentagon at some point picks up an incoming Nuke. It's 11pm who do you call? The first lady.

[White House Press Secretary]

He has a team that lets him know of any of any news that is pertinent and important to the American people. He has someone or that is decided obviously with his National Security Council on who gets to tell him that news.

[Ted Cruz]

Senator, I got to go back to just the White House here for her response is he has a team, so calm down. The president sleeping, I don't think that sits well with the American people anymore.

[Ben Ferguson]

No, it doesn't. That's actually a terrifying response that if something happens at 11pm well, Joe Biden's not capable to deal with it, but he has a team. There's some underling appointed to the National Security Council, and the underling can deal with it. And you know, in response to that, I want to play a political ad. Just listen to this ad and then we're going to talk about what it was.

[Hillary Clinton]

It's 3am and your children are safe and asleep. But there's a phone in the White House and it's ringing. Something's happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call, whether it's someone who already knows the world's leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead in a dangerous world. It's 3am and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone?

[White House Press Secretary]

I'm Hillary Clinton and I approve this message.

[Ted Cruz]

No, I mean, they made this the issue. Mr. Mr. Senator, right? Like they're like, you want to be Mr. President, then you better answer that.

[Ben Ferguson]

Call at 3:00am well, and let me say to folks listening to this podcast who are relatively young, you may not have heard that ad before. You might have been thinking as you're listening to this ad, wow, this is a new Trump ad. This is a really powerful Trump ad. But then at the very end, you get, I'm Hillary Clinton and I approve this message. So Hillary Clinton ran that, that, that ad in, in the year 2008, and she was running it against Barack Obama. She was saying Barack Obama was young and inexperienced and she was much better able to answer the phone than he was. Now, regardless of who was right in that argument, today's Biden White House, it's not a 3am phone call. They're saying at 11pm Sorry, there is no commander in chief. But, you know, the deputy special assistant is here and ready to solve the problem.

[Ted Cruz]

Well, it also says the world leaders. And it is terrifying to think about this. Hey, here are the best hours to do something, whether it's attack this country, whether you're terrorists, or whether it's to do something around the world. Because this will be a long period of time before you get a awake president that would even respond or say anything.

[Ben Ferguson]

You know, it is, it's why I do not believe Biden is going to be the nominee, because the facts are piling up and it's becoming indefensible it may be Michelle Obama, it may be Kamala Harris. But I think the Ds that they are going to pull the plug. They are terrified. They are panicking. And every day as the press continues to turn, look, you mentioned George Stephanopoulos. George Stephanopoulos was asked if he could serve any four more years and he says no, he doesn't think he can. And then Stephanopoulos backed away and said, quote, earlier today, I responded to a question from a passerby I shouldn't have so, so he's backing away from telling the truth. Exactly. Well, you know, they try not to do that, the press.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, it's again, I, I go back to what I said on this show, I don't know, a week ago. I think they've got another, what, eight, 10 days here to go all in to try to get him out. And after that, they may be stuck with this guy. But look, your prediction, you've been right for quite a few times. It still could be somebody at the convention and that somebody could still be Michelle Obama. Do you still think there's a decent chance of that?

[Ben Ferguson]

I stay by the same odds I had on Monday's podcast. I think there is a 20% chance the Democrat nominee is Joe Biden. I think there's a 40% chance the Democrat nominee is Michelle Obama. And I think there's a 40% chance the Democratic nominee is Kamala Harris as before.

[Ted Cruz]

If you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can go back and download the podcast from earlier this week to hear the entire thing. I want to get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed. Here is the bombshell scene report that cabinet secretaries not only submitting questions, but my question now is is this being done on purpose so that they may actually start Talking about the 25th Amendment? Listen to how CNN blew this up.

[MJ Lee]

Today at the White House perspective now with CNN's MJ Lee, who's there for us. MJ you and your colleagues have some reporting on the mood behind the scenes. What are you hearing from your sources?

[Boris Sanchez]

Well, Boris, there's certainly been a lot of confusion and anger and sadness inside the White House, across the administration, the campaign, and across the Democratic Party more broadly since the president's really halting and shocking debate performance. My colleagues and I have spoken over the course of the last two weeks to dozens of Democratic sources, including, I should note, senior Democrats who have spent real time with the president and in some cases have known the president for years. And what has been Striking is that none of them had ever seen this version of President Biden that we all saw on the debate side age that was so faltering and dazed. And plenty of officials that we spoke with said, look, of course we've known that the President has age. He is certainly not the same person that we know from say a year ago. But the, what they had said and that was so noteworthy is that they said they couldn't have possibly known about the full extent of the President's decline. And what many of them blame at this point is this apparatus and daily operation that is built around the President that is so painfully choreographed and stage managed. They said that is designed to prevent the President from being often out in these unscripted settings for an extended period of time. And that really what that meant was that only a small circle of inner circle of advisers and perhaps family members could have known about sort of this full picture of the President's condition. Just one example that is in our story is that according to two sources before Cabinet meetings that the president attends, Cabinet officials will submit their questions and talking points, key talking points and bullet points that they plan to present to the President in these closed door meetings. This is how one source described it. They said the entire display is kind of an act. They would come and say, hey, the president is going to call on you about 25 minutes in and ask this question. What are the bullet points that you'll respond with? Now the White House's defense has been that that is standard practice for any administration. They said in a setting like this, you never want the president to be not aware of what is going to be discussed at the, you look at.

[Ted Cruz]

This Senator, I, I, I sit there and I'm like, okay, you've got people that serve at the pleasure of the president who are now looking out for their own best interests. They don't want to lose their power. You got people on his campaign that apparently have the same mentality as these cabinet members. And all the leaks about Joe Biden are coming from within. Now you can't control them. White House leaks destroy presidencies. And now it's like if you're leaking this and you're a senior cabinet member, are you doing it to prep the country for possibly the 25th?

[Ben Ferguson]

Look, I think that prospect is rising, I got to say. Also the White House defense, well, this is standard operating procedure. Listen, I have been in literally hundreds of meetings with presidents, whether Donald Trump or Barack Obama, and I've never been in one meeting where we had talking points and it was, it was choreographed. That doesn't happen. I talked to Donald Trump a couple days on the go, on the phone call. He didn't know what I was gonna say. I didn't know what he was gonna say because you're talking to an actual human being every day. When senators meet, we don't read scripts, like to do this job, you actually have to be able to talk about colleagues and say, okay, what's going on? And ask questions and discuss things. Now look, you'll read a speech, that's commonplace. But at a meeting, a Cabinet meeting, where they're supposed to be your top advisors. I meet with my senior staff every week. My senior staff don't come in, I don't ask them. Give me the talking points of what you're going to say before you say it. Because professionals are able to have a conversation, listen and process information and by the way, then ask follow up questions. What about this? Well, should we do this? What do you think about this? Okay, let's, let's go down this direction. That's actually the way presidents operate. I've been in bunches of free flowing presidential meetings with Trump where we'd be all over the place and you'd have people argued on one side and arguing on the other and Trump will say, what about this? And I mean we would, you know, I've been up in the White House residence with him and a couple other senators with people screaming at each other till 10, 10:30 at night. That is dramatically different from the Kabuki theater that Joe Biden was putting on. Now to be clear, his entire Cabinet was complicit, his entire White House staff was complicit. The Democrats in Congress were complicit. They all knew this. They're all saying, gosh, we're shocked, just absolutely shocked. I've told you, Biden won't meet with Republican senators. That's been true for three and a half years. I haven't had any meetings with President Biden members now.

[Ted Cruz]

Right, it's not just you guys, it's now the Cabinet you won't even meet with yet.

[Ben Ferguson]

Look, when Republican senators meet to have lunch, we talk about how weird it is that we haven't talked to Joe Biden. We all know Joe. He was a man of the Senate for 40 years. But they won't let him meet with us because this has been obvious for three and a half years. And the media, the Democrats, they were all complicit until the debate thrust it unavoidably in front of the public. And now they're all running scared.

[Ted Cruz]

Does this change the calculus in your mind for Democrats moving forward? I mean, I thought by the end of this week they would get back in line behind him. We don't seem to, to, to have that happening at all. And it now seems that from within are the people that are, that are hurting him the most. I'll give you an example. Jake Tapper went on his show on CNN today, and this is what he said.

[Jake Tapper]

Let's bring in our panel. And on that note, I want to share something with you all that a longtime Biden adviser just texted me. Okay. He or she said, quote, I just think there's an unfortunate inevitability to all this. I am sad because I've known him a long time and he's a good man. I'm angry at his inner circle who have not served him well and at times committed malpractice in their service. And I am frustrated at the family, the Biden family, for not expanding the circle so there would be at least a truth teller or two in their midst. They created a perfect storm of an echo chamber, and it is biting them all in the ass. Again, as with mj, apologies for the salty language, but this is the extent of the frustration. Gloria, your reaction.

[Ted Cruz]

Again, this is Jake Tapper. He's not burning somebody. This advisor, this longtime advisor, I think, made it very clear that for. Well, listen, listen, like go on tv.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, listen, Ron Klain sent that text expecting that Jake Tapper would, would read it on, on air. And by the way, I don't know. It was Ron Klain. I'm just, just picking up.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, I mean, whoever did this said go on, go on air and read this. I'm letting you do it.

[Ben Ferguson]

Look, you don't send it to Jake Tapper without expecting that he's going to repeat it. That's why you're sending it. And, and look, the, the press is turning on him. Remember like 12 minutes ago where the corporate media would say it's a tinfoil hat conspiracy theory when you say that Obama's running things. We've said a number of times in this podcast that it's Obama who's pulling the strings. I want you to listen to Morning Joe talking about who's really behind everything right now. Give a listen.

[Ted Cruz]

Before I play that, I want to tell you about our friends at the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Since the start of the Sword of Iron War in Israel on October 7, we have seen death and destruction in the Holy Land. And for more than 40 years, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has been on the ground in Israel, and within hours, the war starting. And every day since, they've been feeding the hungry and protecting the vulnerable. The attacks continue in the north and the south in Israel, but there are resilient survivors who bravely share their stories in a series the Fellowship calls Faces of Iron. I want you to hear their stories because so many in the media have not been covering them. Survivors, for example, like Danny, whose beloved daughter and her husband were burned alive on October 7th by Hamas terrorists, need to be heard by the world. Danny is a commander of the volunteer fire and rescue in his community. Despite fire equipment nearby, Danny could do nothing as his daughter's house burned and his daughter and her husband lost their lives. Christians like you support Israel through the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. It's this support that helps these survivors remain steadfast and strong. I want you to hear more of their stories like the one I just mentioned, and I want you to show your support for Israel and stand with the people of Israel. All you have to do to hear these stories and spread them on social media is go to supportifcj.org that's supportifcj.org here's that clip, Senator, that you mentioned a moment ago. Morning Joe.

[MJ Lee]

One thing that we do have to underline here just so so viewers can. Can follow what's going on behind the scenes is, is the Biden campaign and many Democratic officials do believe that Barack Obama is. Is quietly working behind the scenes to orchestrate this.

[Ben Ferguson]

I mean, if you and I had said that a month ago, they would go crazy. They would mock us. Now. Now I want to play also what Mika Brzezinski said about the George Clooney op ed, because that's just give a listen to what Mika says.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah.

[Mika Brzezinski]

This wasn't George Clooney.

[Boris Sanchez]

But.

[Jake Tapper]

But.

[MJ Lee]

Well, what do you mean?

[Mika Brzezinski]

It just wasn't. Come on.

[Ben Ferguson]

What?

[MJ Lee]

Well, who do you think it was?

[Mika Brzezinski]

It was not Matt Damon. It wasn't Julia Roberts.

[MJ Lee]

Who do you think it was? You can say the name, you won't melt. It's not Voltamore. Are you saying you think Barack Obama put him up to this?

[Mika Brzezinski]

I. I think that Barack Obama has a lot of influence and I think that there's. There's a lot there.

[Ted Cruz]

There's a lot there.

[Mika Brzezinski]

There's a lot there.

[Ted Cruz]

There's a lot there.

[Mika Brzezinski]

Willie, there are two people in this picture and one has had a presidency that was absolutely, undeniably historic.

[MJ Lee]

Yeah, well, I think you have two.

[Mika Brzezinski]

People that had extraordinarily historic in terms of legislative accomplishments.

[MJ Lee]

Well, you say and they're both historic and they're both historic. And Barack Obama for sure. Affordable Care Act. George. I mean, not George Clooney. You know, he probably said it too, Willie, but Joe Biden actually whispered that that was a big deal. Effing deal.

[Ted Cruz]

This is the conversation they're having on MSNBC as George Clooney comes out. I love Joe Biden, but we need a new nominee.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. And to be clear, Politico also reported, quote, before Hollywood icon and Democratic donor George Clooney published his buzzy and brutal New York Times op ed yesterday, calling on Biden to step aside as the nominee. We're told he reached out to former President Barack Obama to give him the heads up. The two men, who are friendly, both attended the LA fundraiser Clooney referenced in his piece where the actor said he'd beheld a diminished Biden and that the leader he interacted with was, quote, the same man we all witnessed at the debate. While Obama did not encourage or advise Clooney to said what he said, he also didn't object to it, we're told from people familiar with their exchange. The lack of pushback is an eye popping revelation given that the former president was one of the first big voices defending Biden following his abysmal debate performance, while many of his former aides have been some of the incumbent's biggest critics. Again, if you and I said that 12 minutes ago, they would have fitted us for the tinfoil hats and said we were loons. And now every one of them is saying this is Barack Obama pulling the strings.

[Ted Cruz]

As always, thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Don't forget to download my podcast and you can listen to my podcast every other day. You're not listening listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards. I'd love to have you as a listener to again the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here on Monday morning.