Masks on a Plane

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Verdict with Ted Cruz" Episode - "Masks on a Plane"

Episode Title: Masks on a Plane
Release Date: March 17, 2022
Host: Senator Ted Cruz
Podcast: Verdict with Ted Cruz

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Introduction

In the episode titled "Masks on a Plane," Senator Ted Cruz delves into the ongoing complexities of COVID-19 policies, particularly focusing on mask mandates within the airline industry. He provides a critical analysis of the Biden administration's handling of pandemic measures, inflation, and touches upon the geopolitical tensions involving Ukraine and Russia. The episode also ventures into lighter topics, including audience questions and domestic political shifts.

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COVID-19 Lockdowns and Mask Mandates

Senator Cruz marks the two-year anniversary of the COVID lockdowns, emphasizing the prolonged and evolving nature of pandemic measures. He criticizes the continuation of mask mandates on airplanes, labeling them as "asinine" and a "virtue signal" from the Biden White House.

Notable Quote:
Cruz at [00:00]:
"Two long years. We all thought it was gonna be a couple of weeks... you still have to wear a mask on an airplane."

The Senator highlights a recent Senate resolution to end the airline mask mandate, noting significant bipartisan support, including eight Democratic senators who broke ranks. He lists these Democrats, many of whom are up for re-election, suggesting their votes were influenced by political pragmatism rather than party allegiance.

Notable Quote:
Cruz at [04:42]:
"Yes, but it's gonna happen over Democrats' dead bodies... the Senate voted today... it passed with eight Democrats who voted for it."

Bipartisan Effort to End Mask Mandates

Senator Cruz underscores the hypocrisy within the Democratic Party, pointing out that while the general public is required to wear masks on airplanes, prominent Democratic figures like Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris refrained from doing so during the State of the Union address.

Notable Quote:
Cruz at [07:05]:
"You think a grandmother flying to visit her grandkids has to put a mask on when Chuck Schumer or Kamala Harris or Nancy Pelosi don't? It is stupid. It is theater."

He anticipates that the bipartisan Senate vote might pressure the White House to reconsider extending mask mandates beyond their current expiration.

Inflation and the Biden Administration's Response

Transitioning to domestic issues, Cruz critiques the Biden administration's inconsistent explanations for the surge in inflation. He enumerates five shifting narratives:

1. Denial of Inflation: Initially claimed inflation was nonexistent.
2. Transitory Inflation: Later labeled it as a temporary issue.
3. High-Class Problem: Suggested inflation primarily affects the wealthy.
4. Positive Inflation: Asserted that rising prices indicate a booming economy.
5. Blaming Vladimir Putin: Finally attributing inflation to external factors, specifically Russia.

Notable Quote:
Cruz at [26:29]:
"There are five shifting explanations they've had for inflation... And now explanation number five is Putin did it."

He argues that these shifting narratives reflect incoherence within the administration and highlights economist Steve Ratner's assertion that inflation predates Russia's invasion of Ukraine, implicating Biden's policies instead.

Ukraine-Russia Conflict and NATO Membership

Cruz discusses the evolving situation in Ukraine, particularly President Zelensky’s recent indications of cooling interest in NATO membership—a significant shift from his previous stance. He expresses skepticism about Ukraine joining NATO, citing the treaty’s Article 5 obligations, which would compel member nations to defend each other militarily.

Notable Quote:
Cruz at [21:43]:
"Personally, I am not a fan of Ukraine becoming a member of NATO... expanding it to former Soviet republics is a bridge too far."

He recounts his visit to Ukraine, Poland, and Estonia in 2014, questioning the confidence of these nations in NATO's willingness to militarily defend them against Russian aggression.

Audience Interaction and Lighthearted Segments

Towards the episode's conclusion, Cruz engages with audience questions, including a humorous debate on whether pineapple belongs on pizza. He expresses his fondness for Hawaiian pizza while acknowledging his Italian heritage might disagree.

Notable Quote:
Cruz at [37:11]:
"I like me some Hawaiian pizza. Ham and pineapple. It's tasty. It's a mortal sin, I believe."

Shifts in Hispanic Voter Dynamics in Texas

Cruz highlights a significant political shift in South Texas, traditionally a Democratic stronghold with a predominantly Hispanic population. He anticipates a "red wave" in upcoming elections, citing the emergence of Hispanic Republican candidates like Cassie Garcia and Monica Dela Cruz who are gaining traction against long-standing Democratic incumbents.

Notable Quote:
Cruz at [39:21]:
"Hispanic voters are moving to the right massively in South Texas... we're going to elect several Hispanic Republicans."

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Conclusion

In this episode, Senator Ted Cruz offers a critical perspective on the Biden administration's pandemic policies, inflation management, and foreign policy decisions regarding Ukraine and NATO. He emphasizes bipartisan efforts to dismantle ineffective COVID measures and predicts tangible political shifts in traditionally Democratic regions. The episode balances serious policy discussions with lighter audience interactions, providing a comprehensive overview of current political landscapes.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• On COVID Lockdowns:
  Cruz at [00:00]:
  "Two Easters have come and gone. We're coming up on the third now. And while in some ways it seems like the COVID measures are going away, in other ways they seem to be in place."

• On Bipartisan Mask Mandate Vote:
  Cruz at [04:42]:
  "It passed with eight Democrats who voted for it."

• On Inflation Narratives:
  Cruz at [26:29]:
  "There's an asininity scale. Yeah."

• On NATO Membership:
  Cruz at [21:43]:
  "Personally, I am not a fan of Ukraine becoming a member of NATO."

• On Hispanic Voter Shifts:
  Cruz at [39:21]:
  "Hispanic voters are moving to the right massively in South Texas."

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This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions from the "Masks on a Plane" episode of "Verdict with Ted Cruz," providing listeners and non-listeners alike with a comprehensive understanding of the topics covered.

Transcript

[Ted Cruz]

It is the two year anniversary today of the COVID lockdowns. Two long years. We all thought it was gonna be a couple of weeks. Then we thought maybe it goes until Easter at the latest. Well, two Easters have come and gone. We're coming up on the third now. And while in some ways it seems like the COVID measures are going away, in other ways they seem to be in place. You still have to wear a mask on an airplane. The national emergency Authorization has not gone, but Biden has actually said that he'll veto it if the House and the Senate vote to take it away. Dr. Fauci has gone into witness protection, but he's still around in his post at niaid. Will Covid ever be over? This is VERDICT with Ted Cruz.

[Michael Knowles]

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[Ted Cruz]

Verdicts with Ted Cruz. I'm Michael Knowles. Senator, please, you're on Capitol Hill. Tell me, is there ever going to be an end to the COVID lockdown measures?

Yes, but it's gonna happen over Democrats dead bodies. They don't want it to happen. They are. The Biden White House is fighting tooth and nail. As you noted, Joe Biden just extended the airline mask mandate for another month. Why? Because they want a virtue signal. It makes zero sense. It is asinine. But there is good news. So the good news is the Senate voted today. I just finished voting on a resolution to end the airline mask mandate. And that resolution in the Senate, it passed. It passed with a big bipartisan margin. It passed with eight Democrats who voted for it. Here. I'll read you the Democrats. You have Bennett from Colorado, who's on the ballot. You have Cortez Masto from Nevada who's on the ballot. You have Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire who's on the ballot. You have Kelly from Arizona who's on the ballot. You have Sinema from Arizona who's on the ballot. You have Jackie Rosen from Nevada who's helping out Cortez Masto, who's on the ballot. You have Jon Tester in Montana because he realizes he doesn't live in a communist state. And we have Joe Manchin from West Virginia because he realizes he doesn't live in a communist state.

I'm noticing a theme here, Senator.

It is people who realize this is idiotic. Now, every other Democrat voted for the mandate. They all lined up like lemmings to jump off the cliff. Look, on the face of it, the airline mask mandate makes no sense whatsoever. And everyone knows it. Everybody does. You think about what we're told. Okay? You're sitting on an airplane which has got fancy filtration systems. Apparently they clean out 99.9% of the particles in the air. The rules are you must have a mask on. Everyone will die if you don't until you pick up a Diet Coke. When you have a Diet Coke in your hand, no mask needed. You can laugh, you can spit, you can do whatever you want. Everything is safe. You put the Diet Coke down. I just recently had a flight with a really intense flight attendant who would literally, as you set your drink down, be like, put your mask on in between sips. And it was kind of like, dude, just relax. Just breathe. Breathe. You're gonna be fine.

I never quite understood it. You'd be sitting there and they'd say, it is urgent. It's federal law. It's to the health and survival of everyone. You must have the mask on. Unless we hand you a cookie, in which case, if you get the cookie, then you have to eat it. So I'm really pleased to hear that the Democrats came out and a good number of them, especially the ones on the ballot, voted to get rid of the mask mandate. And then all the Republicans, I assume, were on board with getting rid of the mandate?

Well, yes and no. All the Republicans were on board except Mitt Romney.

Okay, so you can still sort of say yes.

I can't defend the guy on this. I'm sorry. This is idiotic. I'm gonna give you a crazy suggestion. How about we have the same rule for Americans across the country who get on airplanes that we have for members of Congress at the State of the Union address? We had the State of the union address two weeks ago. 535 members of Congress. We're all sitting on the floor of the House. I don't think there were five people wearing masks in the entire House chamber. Joe Biden wasn't, although his speech might have been better if he was. Kamala Harris wasn't sitting right behind him, by the way. She didn't have anything to say. Nothing prevented her from wearing a mask. Nancy Pelosi wasn't, and just about every other Democrat in the chamber wasn't. We're sitting right next to each other. We're in a closed environment, but none of them were wearing it. So why is it that a grandmother flying to visit her grandkids has to put a mask on when Chuck Schumer or Kamala Harris or Nancy Pelosi don't? It is stupid. It is theater. By the way. You know, just a week before the State of the Union, Pelosi was demanding that. She said, no one will be allowed in the House chamber unless they have tested negative A and B. Unless they're wearing an N95 mask. And I was like, you can kiss my hindquarters. I am not going in there with an N95 mask. So I hadn't decided whether I was going to just skip the whole thing altogether or whether I was gonna go in without a mask and see if the House would try to remove me. That Actually would have been kind of fun.

Dragged out by the police.

That would have been great. But then what I assume happened is someone in Pelosi's office looked at the polling and said, holy crap, this is really unpopular. Do we want Biden's whole speech to be seen with Pelosi and Kamala both wearing masks behind him the whole time?

Right.

People won't like that. And suddenly the science changed. Not the medical science, the political science changed, and they got rid of the mandate. This is garbage, and it's time to get rid of it.

Well, if that's the case, so it passes the Senate and you've got a lot of Dems who sign on to it, it's gonna go to the House. Now, is the House gonna take it up? Is the House gonna vote for it? Is Biden gonna sign it?

Look, I assume Pelosi won't take it up, that she'll just leave it and won't allow a vote on it. Presumably, it would pass the House if you got eight Democratic senators who voted for it. There are a lot more Democrats of the House who would love to cast this vote, but Pelosi is listening to the crazies in her party. What this may do. It was such a strong bipartisan vote that what it may do is cause Biden not to extend this damn thing beyond April 18th. It was supposed to expire this week on March 18th, seeing eight Democrats, including almost every Democrat on the ballot. Though Raphael Warnock didn't vote for it. He's on the ballot in Georgia. Apparently, he thinks Georgians like wearing masks on planes. I'll let him explain that. But it may put political pressure on the White House to change. Look, I'll give another example. The NBA, the Brooklyn Nets. Kyrie Irving, fantastic player. Not allowed to play. Hadn't been playing for months. Why? Because the idiotic New York rules say you have to be vaccinated to play. And Kyrie chose not to be vaccinated. Now what? This week, it truly illustrated the idiocy because New York revoked its requirement that you had to be vaccinated to go to the games. So the van, the fans. Kyrie went to the game as a fan. He's wearing, you know, civilian clothes. He's there as a fan, by the way. No more mask mandates. So he doesn't have a mask on. He's not vaccinated as a fan. Perfectly okay for him to be sitting in the stadium. He hugs his teammates on the courtroom. Perfectly okay for him to hug his teammates as a fan. Apparently, he Bought a ticket just like you or I would. He went and bought a ticket. But New York's rules are so idiotic that as a fan, he can be unvaccinated and not wear a mask. But as a player, he's not allowed to play because they say if your work is an indoor performance, you must be vaccinated. I don't know, Michael. Explain the science to me. Is there something about touching the leather on a ball? Is it like the reverse of the Diet Coke that if you touch the leather on a ball, suddenly it's deadly and everyone's gonna die? Is that how it works?

Yeah, I think it must be. Well, I am glad to see. I've just noticed it anecdotally that the tide seems to be turning. Even my most liberal Covid neurotic friends and relatives.

But both of them.

All two of them. No, they really have. I mean, I come from New York. I know a lot of people who are pretty on the left.

You're a New York Yalie. I assume you have many liberal neurotic. Look, I'll tell you how crazy it is. I just did something 20 minutes ago that you would never believe. I did.

Yeah.

I retweeted Trevor Noah, I hope with.

Some mocking, derisive comment.

No, no, no, no. I said I agree with Trevor Noah. And I said this is a sign of the apocalypse. Because he was talking about Kyrie Irving and he said, this stuff makes no sense. I mean, he was just. It was a rant about how idiotic it was. And when you've lost Trevor Noah as a leftist, you've lost everybody. And I gotta say, I did a press conference today in which I made a direct appeal to Kyrie. Come to Houston. I'm a diehard Rockets fan. You know, in Texas, we actually are not insane. Unlike Manhattan Kyrie, you can start tomorrow for the Rockets. I have no authority to make that offer. And yet I feel confident if you. If you walk in and put on a Rockets uniform, they're going to let you play. He is a hell of a ball player. And the idiocy. By the way, Kevin Durant just this week said, it's the dumbest rule I've ever seen. He's allowed to sit in the stands, but not to dribble a basketball. Trevor Noah asked a great question, Michael. I'd be interested in your thoughts. He said, okay, so how does it work? He can buy a ticket, he can go as a stand. He doesn't have to wear a mask. He can hug them, but he can't Touch a basketball. What happens if at halftime they call him in to make the halftime shot to win a car? Can he touch a basketball? Dan, as a fan, but not a player. It just is garbage. And by the way, the NBA just fined him $50,000. Cause he went into the locker room. It is dumb. And the good news is it is so asinine that I think they. I believe these mandates are on their way out because even the craziest Democrats realize how unpopular it is. Everyone but the loons. Well. And Mitt Romney realize how bad it is.

I used to say that Senator Romney was my favorite Democrat, but I think those Democrats who voted against the masks, they probably take the cake now. The way you know it. The way you know it, Senator, that the public opinion is moving in this direction is of course, that Anthony Fauci has gone into the witness protection program. I actually have a documentary series out today on the daily wire about Dr. Fauci's history. Not just during COVID but going all the way back to the 80s. The way he's amassed all of this power, the way that the most dangerous place in Washington is the space between Fauci and a television camera. They used to say that about Chuck Schumer. Now you see that, really with Fauci, the fact that this man has held onto power for so long, we don't know very much about him. That series is out now. It's Fauci Unmasked. I think they know, and I think that's why they're gonna bench the man. They're trying to get through the midterms. And then what happens after the midterms, I guess, is anyone's guess.

So, look, I think we should be understated. I don't think we should engage in hyperbole. And I know you have no desire to make a shameless pitch on this podcast.

Never.

Never. But if I hear you right, you're saying that if you don't go immediately watch your documentary on Dr. Fauci, that you will go grave as a poor, ignorant fool unable to deal with the universe and with really a lacking in basic awareness of anything happening on Earth. Is that about right, Senator?

That is the subtlety that I have come to expect from you. And it happens to be 100% correct. You've put it very well. This is the time head on over to Daily Wire to go watch Fauci Unmasked.

I just wanted us to be as shameless on this as your and my friend Ben Shapiro. And if he can brand just about everything on Earth, then surely we can pitch your documentary.

That's really all I wanna do is get one over on Ben. So I really, I appreciate your help and I appreciate the help of all of the verdict listeners. I did wanna get your thoughts on this regarding Senator Romney. Not even the mask vote, but he got into a tiff with a former Democrat congresswoman, Tulsi Gabbard. Tulsi Gabbard had published a video about a United States program. It's run out of the Pentagon to Ukraine on certain biological research facilities. As often happens when this program was exposed or being discussed in the media, we were told it was a crazy tinfoil hack conspiracy theory. It doesn't exist. Then we found out it does exist, but the United States didn't have very much to do with it. Then we found out the United States actually has had this program. It goes back to a treaty from 2005, but the research was totally not dangerous whatsoever. Now we find out, hearing from the Pentagon and the State Department, actually there are some very dangerous pathogens in these labs and if the Russians get their hands on them, this could be a really big problem in Ukraine. So Tulsi Gabbard made a video basically to that effect. And Senator Romney came out and said that she was a traitor who was peddling false Russian propaganda. He accused an American service member, Tulsi Gabbard and former member of Congress of treason.

That was unfortunate. Tulsi came back and just body slammed Mitt. I mean, it was brutal. Now she, she popped back and said, you have one of two choices. Either respond and refute the facts I'm laying out or immediately apologize and resign from the Senate. Which was probably not terribly understated either. I will say on this issue there is some subtlety here in that Tulsi is absolutely correct that there are bio labs in Ukraine, that there are labs that are studying pathogens that are studying infectious diseases. Now that shouldn't surprise anybody. I mean, Ukraine is a first world country. You know, every first world country has labs that are biolabs that are studying pathogens. You know, Ukraine is entitled to have a CDC just like France is or the United Kingdom is. That's what, you know, developed countries have, is they have medical research into dangerous diseases. So of course Ukraine has labs that are studying infectious diseases that presumably have all sorts of infectious diseases they're studying. And the point that you and I have made and others have made that when you have labs with infectious diseases that dangerous pathogens, it's a really bad idea for Russia to be Firing missiles and having their tanks shoot at em, just like it's a really dangerous idea for Russia to be firing missiles and having their tanks shoot at nuclear reactors, like nuclear reactors being hit by missiles is just bad. It's just a bad, bad, bad idea. Same thing if you have a bio lab that is studying dangerous pathogens. Dropping a bomb on it is a really bad idea. You don't want dangerous diseases to escape. There is a slight nuance here in that there are folks online in the Twitter sphere that are, that are referring to these labs as bioweapons labs. Now bioweapons labs are different than bio labs. And that one word, it's a small word, but it makes a world of difference. Bioweapons labs suggest that they're studying how to use biological weapons to kill people, kill civilians, kill soldiers. I have seen no evidence of bioweapons labs in Ukraine. That's not to say they don't exist, but if they do, I haven't seen any evidence of it. I think that's what Romney was jumping on. And I think it would have been perfectly fine to respond like a reasonable person and say, well of course Ukraine has biolabs and it would be dangerous if Russian missiles or bombs hit them. The evidence at this point is not clear that Ukraine has bioweapons labs. And so we should be cautious in terms of what we say. That's actually how a rational person would engage. But in this hyper politicized shirts and skin tribal, I hate anyone who disagrees. Instead we just scream traitor, traitor, traitor. Off with their heads. And I think that's really, it'd be better if everyone refrained from doing that.

Right. There is obviously a ton of nuance here. I was wondering if you had any updates on what's going on in Ukraine and Russia. The situation seems to be changing constantly. Everyone is pumping propaganda into the air. So sometimes it's hard to know what exactly, exactly to believe. Now one of the big points of contention here has been NATO membership. A lot of the Russian propaganda says the whole reason for the war is because NATO's going eastward. Ukraine has said they wanted to join NATO. NATO has said no. The reason for the war is because you, Vladimir Putin, are rolling tanks into Ukraine and you wanna recreate the Soviet Union. Zelensky himself in Ukraine had been saying that he wants to join NATO. He had been signaling this for years. Now just today he's come out and said that he's cooling on the idea of Ukraine joining NATO.

You're right, that's a Shift from where he's been in the past. Listen, personally, I am not a fan of Ukraine becoming a member of NATO.

I agree.

And the reason is, look, being a member of NATO is a big deal. And NATO is a military alliance. It's a treaty that under Article 5 of NATO, an attack on one nation is an attack on all the member nations. And it's an obligation. So for example, if Russia invades France, we have a treaty obligation under NATO, the NATO treaty, to treat the invasion of France as if it were an invasion of the United States. And under the most traditional interpretation, that means to respond defending France militarily, that is a big deal to make that obligation. And I'm not a big fan of extending treaty obligations to send American servicemen and women into harm's way. I think NATO is a very important alliance with the current NATO members. You know, I can tell you, in 2014, I traveled to Ukraine and I traveled to Poland and Estonia right after the Maiden Square, right after there was a Russian puppet who was in charge of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people rose up and threw him out and the Ukrainian secret police shot protesters. I walked through the Maiden Square, had a 16 year old girl, a Ukrainian, who was one of the protesters who walked me through the Maiden Square and said, all right, here's where this friend of mine was shot. And you could see the marks of bullets where they had hit. And they just sat there. It was like Tiananmen Square. They sat there executing protesters. But it led to effectively a revolution in Ukraine, where they ended up with a democratically elected government that is much more pro America, much more pro Europe, much more pro west, rather than a Russia puppet government. But on that trip, when I was there in Ukraine, meeting with leaders who wanted to be friends with America, as I said, I also went to Poland and Estonia, both of which are NATO members. And I asked Poland, I asked in Estonia, I said, all right, what is your confidence if Russia invades you, invades Poland, invades Estonia? What is your confidence that NATO will vigorously act under Article 5 to defend you? And I gotta tell you, in both nations, the blood drained out of their face and they had little to no confidence as it is that NATO would defend them. I think they basically believed they'd get a stern press release and maybe some like, you know, cyber response or something, but not a robust military response. In both Poland and Estonia, Russian tanks in the street are not a distant memory. People who were alive during the Cold War remember Russian tanks in their streets. And so it is already, defending NATO is already a serious obligation. There are NATO members that feel less than secure. And I think expanding it to former Soviet republics is a bridge too far. We can support Ukraine, we're providing them with military weapons. We ought to provide them with more military weapons. We ought to use economic power to take away Putin's revenue. But we don't have a treaty obligation right now to send American servicemen and women into Ukraine. And I think that's good. I think that would be a bridge too far.

I agree. And frankly, before this latest really full scale invasion by Russia of Ukraine, even when they had just invaded Crimea, had Ukraine joined NATO at that point, presumably that would have triggered Article 5. That would have been the fastest route to a world war that we've ever seen. And so I entirely agree with your take and one hopes that, that this shift in strategy is maybe pointing the way at some point toward a resolution of this conflict and an end to the bloodshed. Now, turning domestically for a moment, Joe Biden is trying to blame all of his problems at home on Vladimir Putin. He's doing this especially, we talked last episode about gas prices and he's trying to do this with inflation broadly. Now, Senator, I know it's wrong. I know that he's lying. I don't believe him for a second, but I can't quite explain why he's wrong. And now Joe Biden is enlisting tiktokers to spread his talking points to the masses of Americans. So how is it the case that inflation is not all Vladimir Putin's fault?

Well, listen, I will say on this issue, like so many others, the White House has been nothing short of incoherent. As I count them, there are five shifting explanations they've had for inflation. So the first explanation they had a year ago is they said there is no inflation, doesn't exist. Janet Yellen, actually I think it was March of last year, almost exactly a year ago, said there is no inflation. I'd be highly surprised if there was inflation. It just doesn't exist. Pay no attention to your lying eyes. Those numbers going up in front of you, they don't exist. That didn't last very long. Then explanation number two is they said, okay, there's inflation, but it's transitory. It's just briefly here for a moment. You know, I sat down, I had a coffee with several other senators and Jay Powell, the head of the Federal Reserve. And at the time we pressed him on inflation. And this was spring of last year and that was Jay Powell's answer. It's transitory. It just, it's gonna be here for a minute. So yeah, prices are up, but we're not worried about it. It's gonna go away. And we were like, well, baloney. Then the third explanation, they get progressively more asinine. So if there's a asininity meter, I don't know, is that what you would call it, an asininity meter?

I believe there, there's an asininity scale. Yeah.

So it climbs the asininy. So it doesn't exist transitory. That's two. Number three, was Ron Klain saying it's a high class problem? Yes, yes, it exists. We're not saying it's transitory, but it's high class. It's just the people eating Grey Poupon who are worried about it. It's not regular Americans, it's just rich guys. Which is a weird explanation because it's actually the opposite. Rich guys don't care. The gazillionaires, the people who run the Democratic Party now, the Silicon Valley billionaires, what difference does it make to them? John Kerry, when he flies in his private jet all over the world, he doesn't care on prices. He's got more money than he knows what to do with. It's the seniors on a fixed income who care about it. So high class problem was really an asinine explanation, but then they managed to beat it. And it explanation number four, they said, yes, inflation exists. It's not transitory, it's not high class anymore. Everyone's facing it. But. But explanation number four is inflation is a good thing. It's a sign of just how good the economy is. Hot diggity damn. We're just booming and inflation. You ought to pop a champagne. Of course you can't afford a bottle of champagne, but if you could afford a bottle of champagne, pop the cork and celebrate, maybe a can of beer, you know, one beer. You could pop a beer and celebrate because it is so good that you.

Ought to be thrilled it's not happening. And it's good that it is. Right?

Yes, that was explanation number four. Now at this point, right now, the polling shows inflation as the number one concern of Americans. I just saw that polling today. So the Biden White House is like, oh crap, this is a problem. And so explanation number five is Putin did it. Yeah. And that is. And they are pushing this through every outlet of propaganda, which means, number one, the corporate media. And the corporate media is shilling. CNN is, you know, Brian Stelzer was saying Putin is causing the inflation. You might think it's Joe Biden. But no, no, no, it's Vladimir Putin. And as you noted, these clowns got these TikTok influencers to push the story that all the inflation. You see, it's Putin. And unfortunately, these TikTok influencers are more than happy to just yap these talking points. They presumably don't understand what they're. Okay, one of two things is the case. Either they don't understand what they're saying or they do understand and they're deliberately lying because the talking points are absurd. Inflation has been rising. Just last month it was 7.9%, the highest in 40 years. Steve Ratner, who was the top economic adviser for Obama in the White House, Steve Ratner tweeted out, said, look, these inflation numbers are before the invasion in Ukraine, and they have, you know, the Ukraine number. Russia has very little to do with this. This is Biden's inflation. He needs to own it. Now, when you got Obama's economic advisor saying this is Biden's inflation, that's pretty compelling. And people get it right.

Now, can they blame it on the lockdowns? Can they say, well, you see, because we had to lock down the country, which is obviously a debatable point in and of itself, but because we had to lock down the country, we didn't have as much commerce going on, but now there's a lot more and demand is up. So anyway, if it's not Putin's fault and it is really happening and it's not good, then just blame it on the lockdowns. I've heard some of that chatter from the White House too.

So, look, they could, and that's actually a more plausible explanation, but they're the ones that fought for the damn lockdown. Look, I'm from Texas. We opened up, Florida, opened up, you know, red states. And by the way, these democratic, totalitarian, petty dictators, is there anything they hate more than the fact that states like Texas and Florida exist? Because if you didn't have a handful of red state oases that said, screw you, we're not shutting down our restaurants, we're not shutting down our bars, we're not shutting down our stores, and we're especially not shutting down our schools, then the whole country would be like New York and California. It would just be, you know, quietly accept the rules. And we've seen the contrast, which is powerful. So look, did the lockdowns contribute to inflation? I'm sure they did, but these idiots are the ones that forced the lockdown. So either way, it's their screw up.

Yep. Right before we go. I agree. That is actually a very good answer. You should put that on TikTok.

There we go.

We should make a verdict. TikTok channel.

Can you dance?

I'll listen if we can get to a million subscribers on Verdict. I will dance on TikTok. I do want to get to this question. It is, I think on everyone's mind. It's from the mailbag. This comes from Mid sized Dog. I don't think that's his Christian name, but it comes to us from at least the pseudonym. Who would win in a fight, Putin or Elon Musk?

Oh my. Well, that question is slightly different than, I guess Elon Musk challenged Putin to wrestle. And if it was simply wrestling, Look, I like Elon, I respect Elon Musk. But Elon is a tech gazillionaire. Putin is a KGB thug. So let me put it this way. If Elon wants to go like getting Jello and wrestle Putin, what he does in his own free time for fun is his own business.

Yeah, I wish we hadn't introduced the jello.

I'm not willing to wager anything. Cause I think what Elon said is he wants to resolve the Ukraine war with him wrestling Putin. And I love Elon, but I don't have enough confidence that he wins that wrestling match to stake the fate of Ukraine on it. Now you ask the question slightly differently though, which is who would win in a fight? And so a fight is different from wrestling on one level. Putin has nuclear weapons in the Russian army, which is not nothing. Although right now grandmas in Ukraine are throwing Molotov cocktails on them. But you know, Elon might be able to send killer robots and self driving cars and like satellite laser beams to come after Putin. So a broader fight. Elon might have a shot in the broader fight, but wrestling match, I'm not willing to go with Elon just yet. True.

When you fight dirty, including space lasers, all bets are off.

What I want to know. What I want to know and I want Elon to answer this. Does he have sharks with lasers on him? Sharks with frigging lasers. That would be really cool. Putin wanders by the ocean, a shark with a frigging laser comes out.

And if he does not yet, Senator put a patent on that. Don't let Elon get that idea for free. That's a good idea. Summit asks, will the US dollar remain the global reserve currency?

Probably. I hope so. There's no doubt as we're putting sanctions on Russia, Russia's trying to find Alternatives. China wants their currency to replace it. At the end of the day, reserve currency is about who people are confident in and who they want to bet on. You know, I'm reminded of Bill Clinton's former chief of staff, guy named Erskine Bowles a couple of decades ago referred to the US economy as the prettiest horse in the glue factory. In other words, there are lots of problems and reasons. He was pessimistic about the US economy, but we were still much, much stronger than everybody else. At the end of the day, that dynamic is there. China has a serious and growing and dangerous economy, but there aren't a lot of people eager to tie themselves to China. China engages regularly in torture and murder and genocide and concentration camps and theft and oppression. And you gotta be pretty dumb to say, hey, that's the model I want.

Right?

You know, at the end of the day, doing business with America is better. Now, if you keep seeing Democrats print money, and by the way, Democrats with Republican complicity, I mean, on any massive spending bill, you get all the Democrats and half the Republicans. So there are some big government Republicans that bear some blame as well. But if we keep debasing the currency, it's one of the reasons for the rise of crypto, is that people are putting their money in crypto because bitcoin is the new digital gold. And money flows to gold and silver and to assets, hard currency. When you don't trust that the paper currency will retain its value and so that the more Biden and the Democrats devalue our currency, the more vulnerable it gets and the more people will flee to alternatives. And some of those will include foreign currency, whether the euro or the Chinese yuan.

Final question from Shania. Pineapple on pizza, yes or no?

Okay, this is a terrible deviation from orthodoxy, but I like me some Hawaiian pizza. Ham and pineapple. It's tasty. I like the damn thing. I recognize you're Italian. You're rolling over your grave.

It's a mortal sin, I believe.

Yeah, but tell me, have you tried it?

Listen, I was young once. I was young and irresponsible.

I tried a little and. Tell me, was it good?

I know there's something to it. Look.

Oh, okay. I've got a bigger admission. I've got Michael Knowles defending pineapple on pizza. That's a much bigger deal.

Not all. Listen, there are some things we need to constrain our base appetite. Senator, that is a conversation for another episode.

And Michael, let me just jump in because I made a promise today that I've got to keep okay, so on the steps of the Capitol, I met with a junior high class from Roma, Texas. That's down in the Rio Grande Valley in Starr County. There was a group of probably, I don't know, 30, 30 or 40 junior high kids, 8th grade kids, who were on their 8th grade trip to Washington. And I talked with them in the Capitol, great kids. And was visiting with them, was asking questions and they're asking, they asked about Ukraine and what was going on. They asked smart, intelligent questions. These are smart kids. And, and I mentioned the podcast. I said, look, if you wanna know what's going on, one vehicle is you can listen to the podcast. And I tried to do my best to explain what's actually happening. And one of the kids said, well, will you mention us on the podcast? And I said, I'll tell you what, I will. So I'm honoring my promise. Cause I'm gonna keep my word on that. I will tell you one thing that was fascinating. So these are kids from South Texas. South Texas historically has been overwhelmingly Democrat. It is 80 to 90% Hispanic. It's voted Democrat for 100 years. Maybe a third of the kids there were wearing Make America great red hats and were wearing Trump shirts. I mean, it was stunning.

Wow.

And I gotta say, this is something that is happening. It's happening in Texas, but it's happening across the country, which is Hispanic voters are moving to the right massively in South Texas, which has been Democrat a long, long time. I think in November South Texas is gonna go Republican and we're going to elect several Hispanic Republicans. There are two. I've endorsed Cassie Garcia, who is an Hispanic woman. She was on my staff for 10 years. I know Cassie very, very well. She's fantastic. And then Monica Dela Cruz, who is another Hispanic woman. They're both running against Democrats in South Texas in seats that have been Democrat forever. And I'm predicting now both of them are gonna win. And it is a sea change, if you can imagine the nightmare for Nancy Pelosi and for AOC to have Hispanic women who are conservative Republicans from the Rio Grande Valley standing up and saying the policies you're enacting are insane. I think that's the kind of red wave we're gonna see in November. And shout out to the kids from.

Roma, shout out to them. You might have lost us some of the Italian vote with your offensive comments about pizza. But if we can pick up much more of the Hispanic vote, people realize these left wing policies are driving us off a cliff. That would be a wonderful thing. A little bit to hold on hope for, but we've gotta leave it at that. I'm Michael Knowles. This is Verdict with Ted Cruz.

[Michael Knowles]

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