NO Secret Service for DT if a Felon, plus Assassination Attempt DEMANDS a Hearing, & Will DNC be Delayed do to Biden Week in Review

Summary

Podcast Summary: The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson Episode: "NO Secret Service for DT if a Felon, plus Assassination Attempt DEMANDS a Hearing, & Will DNC be Delayed do to Biden Week in Review"
Release Date: July 20, 2024
Host: Ben Ferguson
Hosted by: Premiere Networks

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1. Introduction

In this episode of The 47 Morning Update, host Ben Ferguson, alongside Senator Ted Cruz and an unnamed political analyst, delves into a tumultuous week in American politics. The discussion centers on the Democrats' push to revoke Donald Trump's Secret Service protection should he be convicted of a felony, a recent assassination attempt on Trump, and speculations surrounding the Democratic National Convention (DNC) amidst Joe Biden's potential withdrawal from the race.

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2. Democrats' Effort to Strip Secret Service Protection from Donald Trump

Key Points:

• Legislative Move: Democrats in Congress, led by Congressman Benny Thompson, have introduced legislation aiming to remove Secret Service protection from Donald Trump if he is convicted of any felony.
• Partisan Undertones: Critics argue that this move is deeply political, suggesting an intent to subdue democracy by targeting a former president.
• Potential Consequences: Such actions could leave Trump vulnerable to harm, raising serious concerns about political violence.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Ted Cruz [00:56]: "They, they didn't care if Donald Trump got killed. In fact, they advocated for taking away the safety that protects a president from being killed."
• Unnamed Political Analyst [02:54]: "He's literally effectively calling for a death sentence."
• Senator Ted Cruz [03:24]: "Yep."

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3. Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump

Key Points:

• Incident Overview: An assassination attempt was made on Donald Trump, marking the first such attempt on a U.S. president since 1981.
• Response and Investigation: The gunman was apprehended with the help of bystanders and law enforcement. Questions arise regarding the effectiveness and coordination of the Secret Service in preventing the attack.
• Call for Hearings: The speakers emphasize the necessity of a congressional hearing to investigate the lapses that allowed the attempt.

Notable Quotes:

• Senator Ted Cruz [12:11]: "How vulnerable are we and how vulnerable is every president past and present if you've got a two minute warning and the job is still not done?"
• Unnamed Political Analyst [15:19]: "It seems highly unlikely that a single person could have pulled this off without so much luck and so much incompetence."
• Unnamed Political Analyst [11:58]: "We need to make sure that there is, is adequate protection for Donald Trump and for others targeted by violence because this was a catastrophic failure."

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4. Joe Biden's Statements and Political Rhetoric

Key Points:

• Official Statement: President Joe Biden issued a statement urging political civility and unity, distancing Americans from labeling each other as enemies.
• Contrasting Past Rhetoric: This contrasts sharply with Biden's previous statements on social media, where he labeled Donald Trump as a significant threat to democracy.
• Perceived Hypocrisy: The speakers criticize Biden for advocating for lower political temperatures while maintaining aggressive rhetoric against Trump.

Notable Quotes:

• Joe Biden [04:18]: "Want to speak to you tonight about the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics and to remember, or we may disagree, we are not enemies, we're neighbors..."
• Senator Ted Cruz [04:34]: "But if you go and read the president's own words in the days leading up to this moment, that is not what he was saying at all."
• Senator Ted Cruz [06:42]: "Democrats for a decade who have been calling Donald Trump Adolf Hitler."

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5. Media and Democratic Party's Role in Political Violence

Key Points:

• Incendiary Rhetoric: High-profile Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, have made statements that implicitly encourage political unrest and violence.
• Media Amplification: The corporate media is accused of echoing and escalating this rhetoric, thereby fostering a hostile political environment.
• Impact on Public Sentiment: Such language contributes to deepening political divides and may incite extremist actions.

Notable Quotes:

• Nancy Pelosi [07:03]: "Give a listen. This is Democrats repeatedly calling for political violence."
• Unnamed Political Analyst [07:21]: "To resist the temptation to run up and wring her neck... I should have punched him in the face."
• Nancy Pelosi [08:39]: "I will go and take Trump out tonight."

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6. Future of the Democratic National Convention (DNC)

Key Points:

• Potential Delays: Speculation surrounds whether the DNC will be delayed in response to the assassination attempt and Biden's wavering candidacy.
• Biden's Possible Withdrawal: There are discussions about Biden potentially dropping out of the race, which could lead to significant changes in the nomination process.
• Media and Party Strategy: The Democratic Party is strategizing to manage the fallout from the assassination attempt and its impact on the upcoming election.

Notable Quotes:

• Unnamed Political Analyst [21:46]: "If you think we're rallying now, you ain't seen nothing yet."
• Unnamed Political Analyst [23:18]: "This is the most consequential presidential debate in American history."
• Senator Ted Cruz [26:28]: "Grab it wherever you can."

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7. Conclusion and Final Remarks

The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to subscribe to the podcast for ongoing updates and in-depth analysis. The speakers reaffirm their commitment to providing unfiltered insights and preparing listeners for the evolving political landscape.

Notable Quotes:

• Unnamed Political Analyst [25:08]: "It's designed to equip you, to give you the tools when you're talking to your friends, your family..."
• Senator Ted Cruz [27:35]: "As always, thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you."

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Key Takeaways

• Secret Service Protection: Democrats' legislative efforts to remove Trump’s Secret Service protection raise alarming concerns about political motivations and the potential for increased vulnerability to violence.
• Assassination Attempt Investigation: The need for comprehensive hearings to investigate the assassination attempt underscores significant security lapses and possible political implications.
• Political Rhetoric and Unity: There is a stark contrast between Biden’s call for political unity and his previous hostile rhetoric, highlighting inconsistencies that may impact public trust and political stability.
• DNC and Election Dynamics: The potential delay of the DNC and Biden’s possible exit from the race could reshape the Democratic nomination process and the broader electoral landscape.

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Transcript

[Ted Cruz]

Welcome.

[Ben Ferguson]

It is Verdict with Ted Cruz, Week in Review. Ben Ferguson with you. And these are the stories that you may have missed that we talked about this week. And was it a crazy week in the world of politics? First up, let's go back in history when the Democrats in Congress demanded that the Secret Service protection be stripped of Donald Trump when he became a felon. Is there going to be repercussions for those requests in light of what happened with the assassination attempt? Also, there are so many questions on the assassination attempt. So is there going to be a hearing? The answer is yes. And how is it going to play out? We'll explain that to you. And finally, there is word that Joe Biden may even drop out of the race. And the Democratic Party is pushing to delay the Democratic National Convention. It's the weekend review and it starts right now.

[Ted Cruz]

Democrats actively called members of Congress so that no one thinks is a conspiracy theory for Donald Trump to lose Secret Service protection if he was convicted of a felony. One of those was my former congressman, Steve Cohen. He and several other people in Congress said that they should pull Secret Service protection of Donald Trump, which goes back to what you said about it being political. They, they didn't care if Donald Trump got killed. In fact, they advocated for taking away the safety that protects a president from being killed. And those are members of Congress. And it's amazing to me that virtually, no, not, not virtually literally no one, the media has brought that point up that just months ago we had active Democrats in Congress, not fringe people. Okay. These are elected officials who are demanding that Donald Trump loses Secret Service protection if he was convicted of these, I'm sorry, hoax, you know, crimes against him. They tried to go after him for, to imprison him.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Well, and this was legislation that was filed by, by Congressman Benny Thompson, who is, who is the top Democrat on.

The Homeland Security Committee. So he's actually, can you just say that again?

[Ted Cruz]

So if you understand how important that job is and then to understand that Homeland Security, how much they have to do with the secret.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

They are the committee of jurisdiction. They have authority over the Department of Homeland Security. And Benny Thompson is the senior Democrat, he's called the ranking member. And he filed the legislation, he is the author of the legislation to say let's pull the Secret Service coverage from Donald Trump entirely if he's convicted. And by the way, it's a complete partisan conviction that is designed to subvert democracy. But, but let's be clear. If you were to put any former president into general population in a prison, they would die.

[Ted Cruz]

Yes.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

And so he's literally effectively calling for a death sentence. And by the way, Betty Thompson also had a staffer who in the wake of this, posted on X saying that she wishes the shooter had taken shooting lessons and that he wouldn't miss next time. Now, Betty Thompson fired that staffer. He put out a statement. I was made aware of a post made by a staff member and she is no longer in my employment. But you know what? Staff reflects the member.

[Ted Cruz]

Yep.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

And it reflects the culture that her first reaction is to be angry that this would be assassin did not in fact kill Donald Trump. That's what she wanted. And from his legislation, and it was joined by, by multiple other Democrats, that legislation, if it actually had become law and if Trump had gone to prison, would have led directly to the death of Donald Trump. And now they're suddenly saying, oh, well, we're very dismayed that there was any violence towards it.

[Ted Cruz]

Let's talk about the rewriting of history and move also to the press conference Sunday night that Joe Biden had he opened. It wasn't a press conference. It's more of a statement from the Oval Office, I should say, because there was no questions. And what he said his address to the nation was when he opened was certainly rewriting of history. Here he is in his own words.

[Joe Biden]

Want to speak to you tonight about the need for us to lower the temperature in our politics and to remember, or we may disagree, we are not enemies, we're neighbors, we're friends, co workers, citizens, and most importantly, we're our fellow Americans.

[Ted Cruz]

Sounds great. The problem is if you go and read the president's own words in the days leading up to this moment, that is not what he was saying at all. He didn't say, hey, I need to tone it down as well. Joe Biden's own tweet was, quote, donald Trump is the greatest threat to our democracy. He tweeted out again, donald Trump is a genuine threat to this nation. Another tweet. He, meaning Trump, is a threat to our freedom. He is a threat to our democracy. He's literally. This is Joe Biden's words on Twitter on X. He's literally referring to Trump, a threat to everything America stands for. He also said, donald Trump is a threat to our democracy and we cannot let him win. I'm in Madison, Wisconsin, talking to the folks about what's at stake in this election. We cannot let him win. He also tweeted out, trump poses many threats to our country, the right to choose, civil rights, voting rights and Americans in America's city in the world. But the greatest threat he poses is to our democracy. If we lose that, we lose everything. If I read those and I'm a crazy 20 year old lunatic and you tell me as the president, United States of America, that Donald Trump, and I'm quoting again, is a threat to our democracy, quote, he's literally a threat to everything America stands for. Well then it's not crazy to think that that person would say, well then we have to stop him at all means. Cuz we've already tried to impeach him, that didn't work. We tried to bankrupt him, that didn't work. We tried to lock him up, that didn't work. What's left?

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Well, and you're right, and there's some irony with Joe Biden suggesting, you know, we need to tamp down the rhetoric. Look, I'd like to see the rhetoric tamp down, but then taking no responsibility. Listen, it is Democrats for a decade who have been calling Donald Trump Adolf Hitler.

[Ted Cruz]

Yeah, and, and the media too. And the media too.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

And.

Well, I said Democrats and they're, they're one in this game, that the corporate media is the left wing of the Democrat Party. That, that is their role and they call him that over and over and over again. Here, play the montage. This is Democrats repeatedly calling for political violence. It starts with Nancy Pelosi. Give a listen.

[Ted Cruz]

Here is Nancy Pelosi, as you mentioned, Senator, in her own words and many in the media and other elected officials explicitly calling for political violence against conservatives.

[Nancy Pelosi]

I just don't even know why there aren't uprisings all over the country. Maybe there will be.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

People need to start taking to the streets.

[Ted Cruz]

This is a dictator, you know, there.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Needs to be unrest in the streets for as long as there is unrest in our lives.

[Nancy Pelosi]

Enemies of the state.

[Ted Cruz]

Show me where it says that protests.

[Joe Biden]

Are supposed to be polite and peaceful.

[Ted Cruz]

Do something about your dad's immigration practices, you feckless.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

When they go low, we kill.

How do you resist the temptation to run up and wring her neck?

[Ted Cruz]

Biggest terror threat in this country is white men. Most of them radicalized right up to the right.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

I thought he should have punched him in the face. I said, even if you lost, he insulted your wife. He came down the escalator and called Mexicans rapists and murderers. He said, well, what do you think.

I should have done?

I said, I think you should have punched him in the face and then gotten out of the race, been a hero.

[Joe Biden]

I'd like to punch him in the face. I said, if we were in high school, I'd take you behind the gym and beat the hell out of him.

[Ted Cruz]

Punch some people in the face.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?

They're still going to have to go out and put a bullet in Donald Trump. And that's a fact.

Look, as his character is stabbed to.

[Nancy Pelosi]

Death, where is John Wil Booth when you need him?

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

This way.

[Ben Ferguson]

That's it right there.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Pulling up.

[Nancy Pelosi]

I have thought an awful lot about.

[Ben Ferguson]

Blowing up the White House.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

A Missouri state senator is under investigation by the Secret Service after saying she hopes President Trump is assassinated.

I will go and take Trump out tonight. And if you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd and you push back on them and you tell them they're not welcome anymore, anywhere.

[Nancy Pelosi]

And sadly, the domestic enemies to our voting system and our honoring our constitution are right at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

They're not going to stop before Election Day in November, and they're not going to stop after Election Day. And that should be. Everyone should take note of that on both levels, that this isn't. They're not going to let up, and they should not.

If you think we're rallying now, you ain't seen nothing yet.

[Ted Cruz]

That's what Donald Trump dealt with while he was president. And after being the president.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Look, the radical left, Donald Trump melted their minds. They hate him. And they have spewed invective and hate for years. And. And listen, there's invective on both sides. I would like to see the political temperature taken down, but the Democrats intend to go right back to this. This is a brief little pause for about 12 seconds. And by, I don't know, next week or the week after, they're going to go back to calling him Hitler. Because the rage and fury. Look, the number of leftists on Twitter who were lamenting that they were sad.

[Ted Cruz]

The shooter wasn't good at it. Yeah, they're basically saying there were people literally tweeting out there like, hey, this guy. Next time, take lessons. Next time, actually do a good job.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

And let me be clear, as you and I talked about, we did a podcast immediately in the moments after this assassination attempt. I pray for Joe Biden. I don't wish political violence on Democrats or anyone else. Now, I want Joe Biden defeated at the ballot box that I believe his policies are harmful. But there's a difference between saying his policies are harmful and saying he's Hitler, saying he's Mussolini, which is what. Saying he's the devil. Which is what the Democrats have been doing literally for a decade. And it's what the media has been doing, too.

[Ted Cruz]

I said today, how many cities have Republicans tried to destroy after their candidate was almost assassinated? Just so we're clear. Zero. What did Republicans say today? They said, pray. Go to church.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Yes.

[Ted Cruz]

And pray for the family of those who lost loved ones. There's been no violence. I never want to hear again from the left. Oh, it's the Republicans of the extremists here. There has been nothing but love and compassion. There's anger.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

And we also need to fix the damn problem. We need to make sure that there is, is adequate protection for Donald Trump and for others targeted by violence because this was a catastrophic failure.

And we got to make sure it doesn't happen again.

[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. Senator, I want to ask you this.

[Ben Ferguson]

You mentioned the Senate only meeting details. I'm going to read this from CBS News. Details are emerging about the moment moments that led up to the shooting. Bystanders alerted law enforcement to the gunman on the roof of a building about 410ft away from the stage, at least two minutes before the first shot was fired at Trump.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Yep.

[Ben Ferguson]

How vulnerable are we and how vulnerable is every president past and present if you've got a two minute warning and the job is still not done? Don, did anyone answer that question on the call?

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Look, we need to have. Part of the reason we need to have a hearing is there are a whole series of questions about how many threats have there been? How many agents did you have assigned? Should there be 2x3x4x as many agents assigned to the president. What resources, what equipment did you have? The threat profile? I'm willing to bet that Donald Trump is the single most threatened individual on the face of the planet. Now, I don't actually have the facts of the threats that have come in to prove that is correct, but you know what Secret Service does. And I would like us to know what is the comparative threat level between Trump and Biden? And my concern is that did politics play a role? Was it politics or incompetence? Because it's clear they screwed up massively. I can tell you in this call. So you had one senator who asked, were there drones, yes or no. And the answer from from the head of the Secret Service was we determined that the risk from that, that rooftop Was mitigated by counter snipers, meaning no. Number one. She didn't even say the word no. Yeah, which is what someone honestly would say. She didn't say, well, obviously we needed drones and we should have had them. Which is what someone obviously would have said. She didn't make the obvious point. Well, the roof was slanted so the counter snipers couldn't see the guy because he was on the other end of the slant. And by the way, I'm pretty sure the roof didn't suddenly slant itself in between when they advanced the scene and when it occurred. In other words, they could have figured out if your quote, mitigation is counter snipers and they don't have a line of sight to a place a sniper could be, then you don't have effective mitigation. She addressed none of that, but it was pure bureaucraties. That's a good word for it.

[Ben Ferguson]

This is why I love having live studio audience. When you look at the room and.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

For the folks listening at home, since we are in a studio audience and the audience is not miked, I will just say you guys were in a cow field and they suggested it was a substance that, that was probably there in large, large amounts.

Exactly.

[Ben Ferguson]

When you were there and after the shooting happened, you saw how close it was, were you shocked? Because I'm sure you saw the commotion on the rooftop. I'm sure you knew that's where the shots came out from. Then you look at it. Is there any, I mean, former military, when you look at it, could you believe that building was not monitored the way it should have been?

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Well, you know, I would just be honest. I didn't know at the, on the site, you know, you're in the middle of people, you know, you're trying to get people out. So I wasn't sure until I got back and saw the TV projections, the aerial photos, where it, where it came from.

[Ben Ferguson]

Were you shocked then knowing that you were there and that's how close that building was?

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Oh, yes, absolutely. Because it's the most obvious place. And the idea, just to go back to my earlier point, the idea that the sniper, the 20 year old kid who has no experience, would have known the place where he wouldn't be in the sniper's line of sight. These are questions, I don't know what the answer is, but it seems highly unlikely that a single person could have pulled this off without so much luck and so much incompetence. And so that's why the hearings, to give us confidence that we understand what really happened here are so incredibly important.

Well, and look, I will say the FBI was on and they're investigating, and at least what they're reporting right now is they don't have evidence of anyone else being involved. And they're looking at his cell phone and his computers and they're engaged in the forensics. And we will find out. We have seen with other instances there are times where their loan shooters commit horrific attacks. And it's possible that this young man, who is an alienated loner, that unfortunately is a profile we've seen in other instances of people who have committed horrific offenses. And so we'll find out in time. You know, I will say, when the shooting occurs, this is one of the moments I think every one of us is going to remember exactly where we were when this happened. And whether we were staring in horror at a television set or in my instance, I was sitting there having a meal with Heidi. And we're staring at horror, horror and our phones and hitting refresh. And by the way, it says something that nobody was on news sites. You're on social media, you're on X because it's the fastest thing. You're getting immediate updates of what's happening one after the other after the other. So we talked about, for example, in our last podcast, we played from what got put up on X of, of, of like, one of the guys standing outside the rally that saw this guy climbing on the roof, yelling to cops, there's a guy with a rifle on the roof. We now know a local police officer climbed up to that roof. He pointed the rifle at the local police officer. And yet, and we haven't had these questions yet, what level of communication was there between the local police and the Secret Service? The instant the local police officer saw a sniper on a roof with a gun, he should have been yelling in his microphone, shooter, shooter, shooter. Instantaneously, the Secret Service Service should have pulled Trump off of that stage before the shooter could aim, and they should have taken him out right there. That didn't happen. Which raises the question, was the Secret Service, did they have communication synchronized with local law enforcement? And I will tell you something also. So I right before this podcast, I.

[Ben Ferguson]

Was going to ask you that question because people are going to want to hear this. You just met with President Trump at the convention. For people that are listening, you got to see him this first time since this happened.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

First time I've seen him since he was shot and I visited with him spent.

[Ted Cruz]

What did he say?

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Look, number one, he is happy, he is strong. His ear is bandaged. I will tell you. He was quiet for a second.

And.

He spoke with a seriousness that was unlike anything I've heard from Donald Trump before. And he said, God saved me that day. And listen, I believe that is absolutely right. Many of us have seen online, for example, recreations of the angle of the bullet. And had his head turned even slightly to, to the right or even slightly to the left, he would have been killed. And it is what I said at the convention last night. I thank God for saving him. I believe God turned his head, turned his head so that the path of the bullet did not kill him that day. And listen, this is horrific. I will say, going back to the Reagan analogy, one of the things Reagan always said is that when he survived that assassination attempt, that it changed him, that it gave him a seriousness of purpose, that God spared me for a reason. And listen, I think what President Trump has done already for the country has been extraordinary. But I got to say, just visiting with him a few minutes ago, it was powerful in a very different way. And this was just him and me talking one on one, that it had a real impact. And I also, I talked to him about this briefing that I just left and I expressed how deeply frustrating it was. Now, I will say, have you noticed Trump's Secret Service detail here at the convention?

[Ben Ferguson]

They look like an offensive lineman, like.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

A whole line from the offensive Green Bay Packers. I'm pretty sure the entire Green Bay packers are right now surrounding Donald Trump.

[Ted Cruz]

What is your weight and how tall are you?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes, we'll take you today. Yeah, it is different. Final question for each of you as we wrap.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

I believe bringing in the packers is probably worth three points.

[Ben Ferguson]

It was at least that was critical iq. Smooth how you did that political IQ.

[Ted Cruz]

As before. 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.

[Ben Ferguson]

You may have missed two final questions. A, do they delay the convention? Number one and two, if they delay the convention, will he step down at the convention and then have that be the media or does it come out before the convention?

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

I don't think they delay the convention. They might, but I doubt it. And they don't wait. I think this happens within the next week. I think this could easily happen this weekend. And frankly, look, the Democrats are smart by delaying till after this convention, this.

[Ben Ferguson]

Convention, let it happen and then kill them.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

A minute has been phenomenal. And the media will treat whoever parachutes in, the media will treat it as a brand new race, ignore anything that happened before. We're brand new starting over. And so I think they want to get on with that quickly. So my prediction, by the way, if you want to think about momentous and historic weeks in politics, on Saturday, the former president of the United States was shot, the first presidential assassination attempt since 1981. Immediately thereafter, we've had an incredibly successful convention. We've had a vice presidential nominee named, and it could be within a week of that, because I could easily see it being this weekend, Joe Biden is off the ballot and we have a new Democrat nominee. And there's chatter. There's some of the pundits that are saying, oh, we ought to have an open primary. We'd have Democrats fighting. I don't believe that will happen. They will coordinate, and I think it'll be one of the two.

[Ben Ferguson]

Then my bonus question is either 3 or C, depending on how you want to list these. How many times will Kamala Harris or Michelle Obama debate Donald Trump?

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Once.

[Ted Cruz]

We'll have just one debate.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

We will have one.

[Ben Ferguson]

And could they get away with saying, I'm not going to debate now, now.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Even if it's Michelle, I think they will do one debate. I think they will feel like it's not credible if you don't do a debate, particularly because if you're Trump, you push for two.

[Ted Cruz]

I would, yeah, but I say it's a reset.

[Ben Ferguson]

We're doing two of these suckers before.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

November, but I don't think they'll end up doing it. Look, I think Trump may well push for two. Part of the reason, if you're a Democrat, everyone concedes. Trump mopped the floor with Biden. I think as a Democrat, you don't want that to be the only debate. If you're putting someone new, you need something credible. I will tell you, I just came from a meeting that J.D. vance met with all the senators. We're congratulating him. And he did have a very funny thing he shared with us. He said, you know, he was talking to Trump about, well, okay, who are we going to face? Is it going to be someone new? Is it going to be Kamala? And JD said, well, look, Mr. President, I said, yes, assuming I got to debate Kamala, if they actually bring in someone that's a really good debater, I may have to rethink this. And Trump said, no backing out. You accepted the thing. You're stuck.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, you ain't going anywhere.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

But look, That I think they'll do it fast. By the way, I will point out the night of the debate, when you and I did a podcast immediately thereafter, we said that night, this is the most consequential presidential debate in American history. And the reason we said that is because we said, I believe this will change the names on the ballot in November. And that has never happened. There's never been a debate that changed the names on the ballot. And that's exactly what that debate did. It took a few weeks to play out, but I think it is imminent. I think it is within days.

[Ted Cruz]

To everybody that's here in the hall.

[Ben Ferguson]

Thank you guys for joining us. It's nice to do a show here live at the convention. Senator Cruz and I do this Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Hit that subscribe auto download button wherever you are. And I have.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

How do you subscribe? Because. Because as you know, My dad is 85. My father is my hero, but my father points out all the time when I use the word subscribe, he says, people, my generation think magazine subscriptions. They think you're going to charge us unconstitutional.

[Ben Ferguson]

It doesn't cost any money.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

And you put so all right. A line. I say all the time on the trail. I say, if you're under 40, subscribe to the podcast.

[Ben Ferguson]

If you're over 40, call your kids.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Or call your grandkids and ask them to help you subscribe to the podcast. But it's real simple. And I see a bunch of young people, they're laughing. You guys know how to do this. And, like, call you, call your parents, call your grandparents and say, okay, give me your phone. Yeah, actually, don't even tell them. Just. Just take their phone.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's easier.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Here, pull it up. Pull up podcast, hit subscribe, and it magically appears. You can set it to download. It'll magically appear. And it's every Monday, every Wednesday, it's every Friday. And we do this. Number one, if you subscribe to the podcast, you know what's happening. We predicted this 10 months ago. And by the way, nobody else was predicting this. We were.

[Ben Ferguson]

Do we get a letter from the media when they thought we were moonbats apologizing?

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

No.

[Ben Ferguson]

Okay.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

But number two, this is designed to equip you, to give you the tools when you're talking to your friends, your family, young people, when you're talking to your classmates in school and they're arguing, and to give you the facts that the corporate media never reports. That's what we try to do three times a week on this is this is what you need to know to go and persuade and win.

[Ben Ferguson]

And I promise we will have an emergency pod if and when Joe Biden drops out. That's a fair prediction.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

I think that is a fair prediction.

[Ted Cruz]

Grab it wherever you can.

[Ben Ferguson]

Donald Trump's speech tonight, any, any prediction last minute, will he needle Joe Biden?

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Look, I think it is going to be substantially tamped down. I think Saturday changed the speech. In fact, I know Saturday changed the speech that I think prior to Saturday, the speech was going to be quite combative. And I expect to see a lot of unity, a lot more language, seeking to bring people together. And look, we've seen this throughout the convention. We talked about, we did a live podcast at the convention yesterday. I talked about when I visited with President Trump yesterday. And I think Saturday really had an impact on him. Had an impact. I mean, he kind of pulled me aside and said really quietly, just said, God save me. And it was quiet and serious in a way that I think is really consequential. And listen, I think it's, you can't go through what he went through Saturday, having been shot and having been within a half inch of being killed.

[Ben Ferguson]

Amen.

[Unnamed Political Analyst]

Without really thinking about God Almighty turning his head. Because I believe that happened. I believe it was divine providence that turned his head. And had it been slightly one way or the other, we would be having a dramatically different conversation.

[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 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.