← The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson
Kamala Rises: Democrat Panic over Biden Reaches Fever Pitch
00:44:15
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- [00:00]
Ben Ferguson
Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you. Senator, I hope you had a fabulous Fourth of July with your family. And we've got a lot to talk about. I'm going to guess it's going to be a lot about Biden because that's what everybody else in the country was chatting about over the weekend.
- [00:15]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, that's certainly true. Chaos ensues in the Democrat Party. Panic is continuing to grow. But before we talk about that, I will say you and I are both sitting here. It is Sunday night, we're both in Houston, Texas, and a hurricane is preparing to make landfall in the great state of Texas. It is expected down south of here somewhere around Victoria. It's expected to make landfall late tonight somewhere one or two in the morning. So just before this podcast goes live to the world, and the projections are right now that it may accelerate to a Category 1 or Category 2 hurricane and then move north. Up to you and me in Houston. We're anticipating anywhere from 5 inches to as much as 15 inches of rain, depending on where you, where you are. So let me say first of all to everyone in Texas, stay safe. Don't. You and I were talking right before we started filming this. You were saying it's your first hurricane in Houston. I'm a lifelong Houstonian and hurricanes are part of life here. But the best advice is stay safe. Don't risk anything. If you see water and don't know how deep it is, don't drive into it. Where people are most frequently in harm's way is they drive into what they think is shallow water and it ends up being deeper and more dangerous. And so keep your family safe. Our prayers are going to be with everyone along the Gulf coast tonight and make sure you don't take any unnecessary risks and you listen to first responders and stay out of harm's way.
- [01:45]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, no doubt about it. I also want to ask you about this week. You were hanging out with Pham. How many people around Fourth of July asked you about Joe Biden?
- [01:56]
Senator Ted Cruz
Everyone, look, look, Fourth of July, I had a great, great several days with, with my youngest daughter, Catherine. The two of us together hung out. Now, Heidi and Caroline went on a mission trip to Africa, which was a fantastic experience. Caroline went with Heidi and with Heidi's mom, and they were in Zambia. Had an incredible time there. But, but, you know, I gotta say, over the 4th of July, you know, we were, we were barbecuing burgers. Unlike Chuck Schumer, we actually know to turn the heat on and to cook the burger before you put the cheese on. So that's something apparently Democrats don't understand how actually grill a burger. But just about every dirt conversation standing around on the 4th of July was, what's happening with Biden? Is he going, what's going to happen? And I gotta say, we have seen the chaos spreading. We've seen the White House damage control really not going well at all. And also on today's podcast, I'm going to modify my prediction at least somewhat. I now think there's a significant chance we may get an outcome different than what I predict. I'm going to explain all that.
- [03:07]
Ben Ferguson
Oh, we're changing predictions. I like this. Let me tell you about our friends over at Patriot Mobile real quick. If you're with Big Mobile right now, you may not realize you are helping give massive donations to Democrats credit causes, candidates and organizations, including Planned Parenthood. That's right. And that's why more than a decade ago there was a group of conservatives that said, I, we got to stop giving our money to these companies that are fighting against our values, that hate our values, that hate our family values. And that is exactly why they started Patriot Mobile. Now look, Right now in 2024, the world of technology has changed so much that switching your cell phone is actually never been easier. You don't have to go to a store to do it like used to. You don't have to worry about how long it's going to take you to get your phone changed or your number switched over. It's all done easily now. And coverage is also a thing of the past. Right now, everybody are using the same exact towers that you're using right now. So if you switch to Patriot Mobile, you're going to get the same exact coverage you are accustomed to. But here's the best part. When you switch, about 5% of your bill every single month actually goes back to support conservative causes, candidates and organizations that you actually help choose to support, which is amazing. And you're going to be standing up for your second amendment rights, your first Amendment rights. You're going to be standing up for the sanctity of life and supporting our military, our veterans and our first responder heroes. So how do you switch? Like I said, it's never been easier. Call Patriot Mobile and use the promo code Verdict. You're actually going to get free activation as well. 972 Patriot. That's 972 Patriot. 972 Patriot or online at patriot mobile.com/verdict. That's patriot mobile.com verdict. All right, I'm Going to go back to what you said a moment ago, Senator. You said you're, you're going to, quote, slightly change your prediction for everyone that doesn't know you predicted 9, almost 10 months ago now that if Joe Biden was replaced, it would be at the convention and they would parachute in Michelle Obama. So how are we changing it? I'm intrigued.
- [05:27]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, that would, that was my prediction, as you said, nine, 10 months ago. And at the time, my prediction then, as I said, there's a real possibility. I didn't believe nine, 10 months ago that it was greater than 50%, but I thought there was a real significant possibility. There were Democrats who were fighting floating trial balloons even back then. The media was floating trial balloons even back then. And as I laid out my reasoning, I thought Michelle Obama was the natural choice for them. And where, if I were a Democrat, that's where I would push. Now, over the last couple of months, I adjusted those odds to 50, 50 or greater that they would pull the cord on Joe Biden. As things started getting worse and worse and worse, I thought the odds were getting higher and higher. And then after the disastrous debate, you and I both watched the debate. We watched it real time, and then we sat down and recorded the podcast immediately after the podcast and immediately after the debate, rather. And my assessment that night is I now think the chances are 80% that the Democrats pull the cord on Joe Biden. And what I said then is, and parachute Michelle Obama in again. If I were a Democrat, I'd be all in on that. And in fact, if that happened, it would be incredibly dangerous. We've seen polling that puts Michelle Obama in a really strong position. And as someone who wants Trump to win in November, I don't want to see that happen. What is interesting, though, the Democrats don't seem to be heading there with the speed that you would anticipate. And so here's how I'm going to alter my prediction. I still think it is 80% that they pull the cord on Joe Biden, but I'm now going to modify it and say among that 80%, I think it is 50, 50, whether they go with Michelle Obama or Kamala Harris. And I didn't think they'd go with Kamala because Kamala is a much weaker candidate. But it's interesting. We have seen Democrats positioning, fighting, pushing for Kamala to be the choice. And so as I'm handicapping it right now in terms of who's going to be the Democrat nominee come November, I put the odds 40% Michelle Obama 40% Kamala Harris and 20% Joe Biden.
- [07:43]
Ben Ferguson
All right, let's go over why you think that Kamala has jumped up. For me personally, I do think they're kind of forced in a position where she's the front runner, just from the aspect of the money. The money that's raised by the Biden Harris campaign can only stay with Biden slash Harris. It can't go to somebody else quickly and the campaign apparatus. Is that why you're saying she has a much higher chance now than you said before?
- [08:12]
Senator Ted Cruz
No, no. The money at the end of the day will sort itself out. The Democrats are not going to be lacking for money in November. They've got gazillionaires who will devote whatever money is necessary to try to elect a Democrat. That's not going to constrain their choice. Look, Michelle Obama, what I laid out 10 months ago was that Kamala was obviously a deeply flawed candidate. But if you wanted to push her aside, the Democrats could not push her aside and replace her with a white guy because their party. There's such bean counters, their party would implode. And so the Gavin Newsom. Notice I put the odds of Gavin Newsom At 0%, I don't think. Because he's a white guy and he can't.
- [08:58]
Ben Ferguson
I just wanted to hear you say it because it's just so funny.
- [09:01]
Senator Ted Cruz
No, no. It's the Democrat party. If they pushed an African American woman aside for a white guy, particularly a rich, white California surfer dude, their party would spontaneously combust. So they're faced in a quandary where the only human being on planet earth who can push Kamala aside is Michelle Obama because she has the same demographic characteristics as Kamala and she is the Democrat equivalent of royalty. She now has Camelot. The Kennedys have gone and the Obamas have replaced them. And so she can parachute in as standing above the fray. What is interesting, though, is that nobody on the Democrat side has made any move towards that in the day since the debate, which I'm surprised of. Instead, what you've seen is multiple Democrats beginning to push Kamala.
- [10:05]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah. I mean, hard.
- [10:07]
Senator Ted Cruz
Push her hard. And say, look, if Joe steps down, it's gotta be Kamala. It's no one else. It's Kamala. It's Kamala. It's Kamala. So for me, it's not the money. It's. You get invested in something, you start leaning in, the stakeholders start getting behind it, the press voices start getting behind it. The members of Congress and the senators start getting behind it. And once you're. You can't be a little bit pregnant. And I think as people get further and further down that road, it becomes harder to change the course you're on. And you're already seeing lots of stories from the Democratic side. No, no, no, no. Kamala is a much stronger candidate than you think. All of you people who think she's a weak candidate, you're all wrong. And she's going to be Madam President. We saw, you know, Jim Clyburn go on TV and say, look, I support Biden Harris, and that means I support Joe Biden even if Kamala Harris is not on the ticket. And. But he goes on to say, and that means I support Kamala Harris even if Joe Biden's not on the ticket. Now, that's a big deal, because without Clyburn, Biden doesn't get the nomination in 2020. He played a pivotal role in stampeding Democrats away from Bernie Sanders to Joe Biden. And I think that was a serious signal that the powers that be, they're freaking out, but more of them are getting behind Kamala than I thought would happen.
- [11:29]
Ben Ferguson
Let's talk about this Stephanopoulos interview. And you and I mentioned that it was an important interview. Obviously, at the end of last week. It was an interview that was actually heavily watched. Some of the ratings show that a lot of Americans watched it. It was obviously a topic of conversation for July 4th with people, with their family, with their friends. Uh, and. And if you're a Democrat, I think it's actually the center of your universe right now, because you're trying to figure out, what in the heck are we going to do this interview? As I watched it, I don't think it helped the president at all. Um, there was one moment in there that was actually shocking to me. And Stephanopoulos asked the president, did you watch the debate afterwards? And he paused, and he said, no, I don't think I did. You would know if you watched the debate that was days earlier, you wouldn't say, no, I don't think I did. I don't think this interview helped the president at all.
- [12:31]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, look, it is a weird answer. I don't think I watched it. Now, I will say this. I've done, I don't know, a ton of political debates. I don't think I've ever watched one of the debates. I did. I've watched little snippets. I've watched little excerpts from them. You know, Frank Luntz does his dial group things, and I've had Frank for Several debates has like gone through, say a half dozen moments of the debate and played, you know, a minute or 90 seconds or two minutes of it and had and showed me the dial groups of what people liked and what people didn't. So I've done that analysis, but I don't believe I've ever sat down and watched a debate in its entirety after it happened. But that being said, if you ask a person three days later, did you watch the debate to say, I don't know, it's kind of weird.
- [13:19]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah. And it's a disaster of a debate. So it was even more of a relevant question. You've never had a disaster debate like Joe Biden did either, by the way.
- [13:29]
Senator Ted Cruz
I will tell you that. There was one I did. And you don't know about this, but long ago. All right, so when I was first.
- [13:35]
Ben Ferguson
Running for Senate, stories, by the way, for everybody that's listening, this is when it gets good. So take notes.
- [13:40]
Senator Ted Cruz
All right, so. So I'm first running for Senate. It's a 2012 election. It was 2011, and nobody's ever heard of me. I'm a candidate, I'm at 2% in the polls. Never been, you know, never been elected to nothing. Last thing I was elected to is student council. And so I'm out there, I'm working, I'm working. And we had, we had an event in San Antonio, a fundraiser. And it was a fundraiser at the home of a wonderful woman, a dear friend in San Antonio, had people come and we stayed at the dinner till about midnight and then we drove from San Antonio back to Houston. And so I got to my house at four in the morning and I slept from four in the morning till about six in the morning. And I had a breakfast at like 7 or 7:30. So I got maybe two hours sleep that night. We had a debate for the Senate race. And it was an interesting debate because at the time, David Dewhurst, who was lieutenant governor and was the leading candidate who was supposed to walk into a coronation, he didn't participate at all. And so it was several of us that were considered by the media to be the kind of second tier, but it was the only Senate debate. You may not know this either, that Dan Patrick, who's now the lieutenant governor of Texas, Dan participated in. He didn't actually run for Senate, but he kind of thought about it. He thought about it enough to participate in the debate. And that debate that night, I'd had between an hour and two hours sleep. And as the debate was going on to be absolutely Honest, Ben, I was just falling asleep. I was literally like nodding over there. And my answers, I think some of my answers were shorter than Biden. You know, like, at some point, I don't know, they asked me something like, you know, would you abolish Social Security? I don't remember something like that. And I gave like a three word answer, no, I would not. And that may seem clever, but it's really bad debate strategy. And I, and, and you. You know my political team really well. I am not a yeller. I don't yell at my team. You could ask jj. I yelled at him and I said, look, I think I'm relatively decent at this stuff, but you can't send me into a debate with an hour or two hours sleep. I mean, that's just not. And I sucked that night. It was a miserable debate. Thankfully, there were like 12 people on planet Earth that watched it. And so as I was dozing off, it did not impact the race one way or the other, but it sure did impact me. I was never going to let that happen again.
- [16:15]
Ben Ferguson
That's. Hey, it only takes once, right? And then you learn your lesson on that one for sure. If you are Kamala Harris now, and I want to know, do you think she'll be held accountable for her lies and. Hold on, I want to play it for you first. I want to play it for you. Okay, this is Kamala Harris over the years. Okay. This isn't just like in the last week covering for the cognitive decline of Joe Biden. Will she have to answer for this? I'm going to play it, and I want your reaction.
- [16:47]
Kamala Harris
We have a very bold and vibrant president in Joe Biden, but a majority.
- [16:53]
Senator Ted Cruz
Of Americans according, majority of Democrats, according to our new poll, say they don't want President Biden to run again. What do you say to that?
- [17:02]
Kamala Harris
I mean, George, I think that age is more than a chronological fact, to be very frank with you. It's about thinking about whether we have in our leader, which we do in Joe Biden, somebody who is bold. I mean, think about it. And in Joe Biden, we have a president who is probably one of the boldest and strongest American presidents we have had in his response to the needs of the American people. But he is an extraordinary leader. And I wish that people could see what I see, because there's only one person who sits behind that resolute desk.
- [17:41]
George Stephanopoulos
You're 58 now. If you win a second term, as you and the president are running to do, he would be 86 at the end of it the Wall Street Journal had a poll showing two thirds of Democrats say Joe Biden is too old to run again. Are you prepared to be commander in chief?
- [18:01]
Kamala Harris
Yes, I am, if necessary, but Joe Biden is going to be fine. And let me tell you something. I work with Joe Biden every day. The work that under Joe Biden's leadership, our administration has accomplished is transformative.
- [18:16]
George Stephanopoulos
Two very prominent Washington Post articles today talking about President Biden's age, and that's a big concern among the young voters and in growing poll numbers, that's a big concern. Are people right to be concerned about his age at this point?
- [18:30]
Kamala Harris
Ms. Well, let me just say this. When I talk to these young voters, what they want is a leader who is in touch with the problems of today and has a vision for what we can do today and in the future to deal with it. President Biden is the first president to take on in any substantial way the issue of the climate crisis.
- [18:50]
Ben Ferguson
I'm not I mean, you you listen to this and I've got another four minutes, but that's just some of the highlights. She lied to the American people and has been definitely involved in this cover up she for years. It says Biden is, quote, very bold and vibrant. Then she says he's tireless in terms of working and says he's going to be fine. He is in good shape, he's in good health. She lied to the American people. So if she gets the nomination, how big is this going to come back? I think of a of a conversation with Donald Trump and whoever he picks when they go up against her.
- [19:25]
Senator Ted Cruz
Look, I think in terms of the media, absolutely not at all. They do not care. She repeated the line. So did every other Democrat, So did every other White House staffer. So did all of the all of the corporate media. You know, it reminds me from from, from the line from the movie the Manchurian Candidate. Remember that that movie with Frank Sinatra in it? And, and, and they're all brainwashed to support this candidate. And they all say the identical line. They all say, Raymond Shaw is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life. And they all repeat that because that's what they were brainwashed to say. Kamala talking about Joe Biden is the same thing. He's the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known in my life. He's most smart, he's brilliant, he can do differential equations in his head. Wow. And they're just lying. They know they're lying. They knew they were lying. But you know what? The press knew they were lying. The Democrats knew they were lying. They didn't care that they were lying. And the frustrating thing is they don't care. Now, they'd be perfectly fine to prop Joe Biden up and we can at Bernie's him for the next four years if it keeps them in power. The only reason they care is because they're looking at poll numbers saying, oh, crap, people don't want to elect someone president who's non compos mentis. If they thought they could get away with it politically, they'd be perfectly fine with our commander in chief being unable to tie his own shoes.
- [20:55]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, great point. Want to tell you about blackout coffee. Right now as I'm sitting here talking to you, I am drinking a cup of coffee. Now I'm drinking the instant coffee because I just needed one cup while we got this show done tonight. And, and I love having a great cup of coffee. Now, blackout coffee is a premium cup of coffee from a hardcore conservative God Bless America company. Now, you know there's a bunch of woke coffee brands out there. Two or three names probably just jumped into your head. Well, don't give your money to them anymore. And don't take an average cup of coffee as a way of starting your day. I do radio 7am every morning and I want to make sure I have the best cup of coffee I can get. And blackout coffee is where it's at. They're 100% committed conservative values, from the sourcing of the beans to the roasting process, customer support and shipping. They embody true American values and they accept no compromise on taste or quality. Now, whether you're a traditional coffee drinker, you love flavored coffee. I actually like both. And they've got several different flavored coffees that are just amazing. And I'm going to let you try it all and save 20% right now. Go to blackout coffee.com verdict that's blackoutcoffee.com verdict use the coupon code verdict for 20 off your first order blackoutcoffee.com verdict 20 off with a coupon code verdict your first order. Be awake, not woke blackoutcoffee.com verdict promo code verdict for 20 off your first Order. All right, let me ask you another question. After the George Stepanopoulos interview took place, Biden refused to commit to an independent medical evaluation. If he was trying to get everyone to calm down, wouldn't your campaign say yes to doing this? Unless they're hiding something?
- [22:47]
Senator Ted Cruz
Would you be willing to undergo an independent medical evaluation that included neurological and cognitive, cognitive tests and release the results to the American people.
- [22:56]
Joe Biden
Look, I have a cognitive chest. Every single day. Every day I have that test. Everything I do, you know, not only am I campaigning, but I'm running the world. And that's not how it sounds, like hyperbole, but we are the essential nation in the world. Madeleine Albright was right. And every single day, for example, today, before I come out here, I'm on the phone with the prime minister. I shouldn't get into the detail, but.
- [23:23]
Ben Ferguson
He can't remember which prime minister he's on the phone with. But he says, I got this under control, guys. I don't need a cognitive test from a doctor. I do it every day.
- [23:32]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, and, and look, to be fair, he may well have had that test. I mean, we also had the stories break this past week that, that the New York Post. President Biden's physician met with Parkinson's disease specialist in the White House. A top Washington neurologist had a meeting with President Biden's personal doctor at the White House earlier this year. Visitors logs reviewed by the post show Dr. Kevin Kennard, a Parkinson's disease expert at Walter Reed Medical center, met with Dr. Kevin O'Connor and two others at the White House Residence Clinic on January 17, according to records, which emerge as questions continue to swirl about the 81 year old President's mental health in the wake of his debate debacle last week with former President Trump. Now, there was yet another headline from the Washington examiner which is even more stunning, which is quote, top Parkinson's disease specialist visited White House 10 times since 2022, according to the visitors logs. And I'm gonna read from that story. President Joe Biden's physician met with a top Washington D.C. neurologist who specializes in Parkinson's disease earlier this year. Canard's name shows up in the visitors logs 10 times since November 15, 2020. And Ron Jackson, who, Ronnie Jackson, who now the congressman from Texas, a good friend who used to be the White House physician, said, quote, it is highly likely they were talking about Biden. He should only be regularly treating the President and the first family that is the White House physician, 10 times. It's a very simple question. Why do you have a top Parkinson's disease specialist coming to the White House 10 times since 2022?
- [25:22]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, 10 times. So if that, if that is the case, and, and I love how now all of a sudden the media is doing their job, right, like they're doing their job. And they're, and they're actually digging and they're asking questions. But it's all they did.
- [25:34]
Senator Ted Cruz
They didn't report on that a month ago.
- [25:36]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, no. Well, they're doing it now. But it's not for the right reasons. And that's why I say don't give them any credit. It's because they've gotten their marching orders from Democratic donors and the Democratic Party that your job now is to get rid of Joe Biden. I mean, the Stephanopoulos interview, I wanted to give him credit, but I know what's happening. I'm not an idiot. This is not the normal George Stephanopoulos, his job. They sent him there to take down Biden, to be the hitman, to end his presidency. And the way he treated him was the way he would treat Donald Trump in an interview. It was shocking to watch. But you have to understand they're doing it because they think they're going to lose their power because they think they're going to lose with Joe Biden.
- [26:17]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, they're panicking. We're seeing Democrats panic. We're seeing the media panic. They want to push Joe out. It's why I put the odds at 80%. And look over the last week, the drip, drip, drip keeps coming. So the New York Times in this past week reported, quote, a senior White House official, though unnamed, is telling the New York Times Biden should stand aside. That's a senior White House official in the Biden White House, mind you. The Washington Post On July 5, Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, works to gather Senate Democrats to ask Biden to exit the race. Then on July 7, Axios reports that the Democratic Senators Biden huddle is called off. And here's what Axios reported, quote, senate Democrats won't meet Monday to discuss their support for President Biden continuing his reelection bid despite an effort by Senator Mark Warner to organize such a meeting. This every day we have now, I think it's five Democrat House members who have called for Biden to step down. And every day it keeps getting more and more and more and there's nothing the Biden White House has done to stop the bleeding.
- [27:25]
Ben Ferguson
They've also tried to act like the president's willing to do interviews anywhere at any time. And this has now turned into another major problem for this White House. You have one radio host who's now been fired and another one that is under major scrutiny because in two different cities, in two different places in America, the same exact interview took place with Joe Biden. CNN calling out one of the hosts as they interview these radio hosts who spoke with Biden and they had these interviews and they knew what they were doing. They heard the questions of both interviews in separate cities. And they're like, this is the same damn interview happening two times over. And then CNN's like, all right, we're all in favor of getting Joe Biden out. So they called out the White House for this. Take a listen.
- [28:11]
CNN Host
Andrea, let me here about your interviews and something. I listened to both of them and there's something that's similar here. You each were. You asked four questions and maybe that's what you were allowed to ask by the campaign or the White House, but they were essentially the same questions, both interviews about accomplishments, progress in your respective state, what's at stake in the election, what he has to say about his debate performance, and what he would say to voters who think their vote doesn't matter or might sit this election out. Were those questions given to you by the White House or did you have. Or the campaign, or did you have to submit questions ahead of this interview? The questions were sent to me for approval. I approved them. Okay, so the White House sent the questions to you ahead of the interview? Yes. Okay. I got several questions, eight of them. And the four that were chosen were the ones that I approved. Okay. And the reason I ask is not a criticism of either view. It's just that if the White House is trying now to prove the vim vigor acuity of the president, I don't know how they do that. By sending questions first before the interview so that the president knows what's coming.
- [29:24]
George Stephanopoulos
Now, the campaign in his statements did not deny providing these questions to that radio show host, but they did add that the interview was not conditioned on acceptance of those questions and added that the any reporter can ask the questions that they see fit. Now, today the campaign is also saying that they are changing their practices going forward and that they will no longer be recommending questions ahead of interviews. One source familiar with the Biden booking operation over at the campaign said while interview hosts have always been free to ask whatever questions they please, moving forward, we will refrain from offering suggested questions.
- [30:01]
Ben Ferguson
I mean, you listen to that. And not only did this one person that was in that interview, that radio host Andrea Lawful Sanders, she's been forced to resign from W R D Radio after admitting her post debate interview with President Biden included questions that were pre selected by the Biden campaign team. The station owner said it was furious by this. The presidency of the Philadelphia base station announced in a statement Posted on Sunday. Uh, this, the interview featured predetermined questions provided by the White House, which violates our practice of remaining an independent media outlet, accountable for to our listeners. As a result, Ms. Lawful Sanders and WURD Radio have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately. Now, wurd, by the way, is Pennsylvania's only black owned talk radio station. So this was a terrible day for, for the, the history and heritage of the station to basically realize that the White House called and said, hey, you want. All right, we'll give you Biden on your show and give you this press, but only if you ask the four questions that we tell you to ask. And not only do they do it in this city, but they also did it back in Milwaukee as well.
- [31:16]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, look, a couple observations. Number one, it's very interesting to know that there are apparently still people at CNN who know how to do journalism. I didn't think they knew how to do that. But, but you actually saw very briefly a CNN journalist asking questions, behaving like a real journalist. And you're right, it's because the narrative has shifted and they're now, I think, happy to push Biden out. Two months ago they would not have been willing to do that. But secondly, this thing is utterly corrupt. It shows how completely in bed with the Democrats that the media is that you have the White House or the campaign, and I guess they don't specify which one. It is giving the questions to the interviewer saying, here's what you will ask. Which means, by the way, that Joe Biden is probably reading the answers that, you know, he, and it makes you wonder how many other reporters have done that at the White House press briefing when Biden has a list in front of him, call on so and so, how many times does he know the question and read the answer to it. And look, you've worked in media a long time. I've been in, in the Senate for 12 years. For people listening to this podcast, you need to understand this is not normal. It's at least not normal if you're not a corrupt Democrat.
- [32:38]
Ben Ferguson
Well, I mean, I mean, look, 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, it'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.
- [33:12]
Senator Ted Cruz
That.
- [33:13]
Ben Ferguson
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 answer today that I chose.
- [33:20]
Senator Ted Cruz
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 in 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 gonna 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 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. But it is an absolute violation of journalistic ethics and 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.
- [35:03]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, it's like they're shopping for anyone that will play game at this point. And the, the worst part for, for me, I think, is the fact that they did this in response to the debate to try to convince the American people that he is, you know, easy on his feet, that he can do these interviews, that he's not scripted, that he can talk off the cuff, when in fact, we pull back the curtain yet again and it's another lie. The American people, it's all fake. It was all set up. He knew exactly what the interview was going to be in both cities, and it was the exact interview two times in a row. I got to tell you about Ammo Squared. I love when there is something that really hits with this audience and I get to hear from so many of you that absolutely love Ammo Squared. If you haven't checked out Ammo Squared, I want to get you some free ammo in your account today. Now let me explain what Ammo Square is. Ammo Squared helps you stock up on ammunition automatically. It's truly automated. Set it, forget it. Ammo purchasing and you get get to pick your calibers, you get to set your budget, you select a shipping trigger and that's it. Your ammo grows over time. Here's the thing I love the most. Your ammo is stored free as it builds up and is shipped with a click of a button or automatic however you want to do it. It's literally like an ammunition subscription on steroids because you aren't forced into a set budget and or a shipment every month. Instead you decide your budget and schedule when you want your ammo to be shipped to you. Ammo squared offers over 60 different caliber options. And if you ever change calibers, maybe you get get rid of a gun or, or you inherit a gun and you want to change some of that ammo out, you can do it with a click of a button. Everything's managed online using a simple web app. You can forget about moving heavy case of ammo in your garage or in your home or trying to sell it online. If you want to get rid of some of it. You can literally exchange your Ammo Squared inventory from one caliber another in seconds. And if you ever want to sell that ammo back, maybe just say hey, I don't need anymore or prices go through the roof and you want to make some money, you can sell it back instantly. There's no minimum to buy, no memberships needed, no extra fees. Customers can buy ammo on a small budget and then watch it grow over time. So I want to get you some free ammo. Go to ammo squared.com verdict that's ammo squared to get free ammo in your account today. Ammo squared.com verdict Senator, I got two more questions for you. And it deals again with the media. 1. 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?
- [37:52]
Senator Ted Cruz
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 Orange Man Bad. I mean, 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 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, 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 listened podcasts we've ever done. In part because Bill was someone who would come across on TV as, as, as pretty stiff and tight and, 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 them 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?
- [41:17]
Ben Ferguson
Yes.
- [41:18]
Senator Ted Cruz
All right, I want to read you this paragraph from Axios. On July 7th, behind the curtain, unbendable Biden versus breaking point Dems, 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.
- [42:16]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah. This is the immediate. They'll get back in line soon. Don't worry.
- [42:19]
Senator Ted Cruz
I instantaneously.
- [42:21]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, I give him 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 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?
- [42:54]
Senator Ted Cruz
That is an awfully good question. I mean, I don't know.
- [42:58]
Ben Ferguson
Look, from you and I going to the convention.
- [43:00]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, yeah.
- [43:01]
Ben Ferguson
We have no idea who the VP candidate is, and I'm not sure he does either.
- [43:05]
Senator Ted Cruz
Look, 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.
- [43:47]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, and that's where I'm sitting there, just scratching my head. It's going to be a fun one. Don't forget the center and I do this show Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Hit that subscribe auto download button and please share the show on social media, wherever you are on social media. If you'll please share it. Also grab my show, the Ben Ferguson Podcast on those in between days. I'll keep you up to date every day in between and the Center, I will see you back here Wednesday morning.