VP Debate Night: Kamala Loses as her Record was Exposed

Summary

The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson: Episode Summary

Title: VP Debate Night: Kamala Loses as her Record was Exposed
Release Date: October 2, 2024
Host: Ben Ferguson
Guest: Senator Ted Cruz
Podcast: The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

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Introduction

In this engaging episode of The 47 Morning Update, host Ben Ferguson teams up with Senator Ted Cruz to dissect the Vice Presidential debate between JD Vance and Kamala Harris. The discussion offers an in-depth analysis of the candidates' performances, policy stances, and the overall impact of the debate on the political landscape.

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Debate Overview

Senator Ted Cruz opens the conversation by highlighting the notable outcome of the debate. “[...] the winner of the debate tonight was Donald Trump. The loser of the debate tonight was Kamala Harris” (00:20). Cruz emphasizes that while both candidates performed effectively, Trump’s team, led by JD Vance, successfully prosecuted Harris's record, making it a pivotal night for the Republican side.

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Performance of the Candidates

JD Vance:
Cruz praises Vance's night, stating, “J.D. had a pretty good night” (00:01). He commends Vance for his ability to highlight the stark contrasts between Trump's administration and Harris's record, particularly in areas like the economy, border security, and foreign policy.

Kamala Harris:
Harris is critiqued for “desperately trying to run away from her record” (00:20). Cruz points out that her campaign strategy of portraying herself as a change candidate failed to resonate, as it didn’t align with the current political reality under Trump's incumbency.

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Key Policy Discussions

1. Immigration and Border Security:

   • Vance's Critique: Vance effectively criticized Harris's immigration policies, noting, “Eleven and a half million illegal immigrants” are exacerbating issues like housing affordability (02:11). He argued that this influx is driving up costs for American citizens.
   • Harris's Defense: While attempting to defend her administration, Harris struggled to counter Vance's points, often resorting to backtracking or deflecting to local issues in Minnesota (02:37).

2. Economic Policies:

   • Under Trump: Cruz highlights the successes in the Trump administration, such as improved take-home pay and lower inflation rates.
   • Under Harris: In contrast, Harris's tenure is portrayed as a period of economic strain, with rising costs in essentials like gas, groceries, and housing. Vance underscored the impact on working-class Americans, reinforcing his message of returning to "common sense economic principles" (22:35).

3. Foreign Policy and National Security:

   • Israel and Iran Conflict: The debate touched upon the escalating tensions between Israel and Iran. Cruz criticized Harris and Biden for their policies towards Iran, stating, “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have abused our immigration law” and accused them of facilitating Iran’s funding of Hamas and Hezbollah (09:04).
   • Military Engagements: Vance contrasted Trump's presidency with Harris's, asserting that Trump was the only recent president without a major military conflict (14:36).

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Moderator Conduct and Bias

A significant portion of the conversation revolves around the moderators' handling of the debate. Both Ferguson and Cruz express frustration over perceived biases and interruptions during the debate:

• Cutting Off Candidates: Cruz points out instances where moderators cut off Vance, especially when he addressed critical issues like immigration, labeling it as “nakedly biased” (26:02).
• Fact-Checking Discrepancies: The moderators were criticized for fact-checking Vance’s claims against Harris disproportionately while neglecting to scrutinize their own party’s policies (24:59).
• Condescending Attitude: Both Cruz and Ferguson describe the moderators as “smarmy” and “condescending,” suggesting an inherent favoritism towards Harris (26:02).

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Notable Moments and Quotes

• Vance’s Stand on Peace: Vance questioned the historical occurrence of peace during presidencies, asserting, “What president has not had a major military conflict during his presidency? [...] Donald J. Trump” (14:36). This moment was highlighted as particularly effective in showcasing Trump’s unique stance.

• Personal Appeal: Vance shared personal anecdotes about his upbringing and the economic struggles faced by his family, aiming to resonate with voters on a human level. Cruz noted, “JD came across as real and relatable” (37:11), emphasizing the strength of Vance’s personal narrative.

• Economic Impact on Housing: Vance linked illegal immigration to the housing crisis, stating, “An additional 11 and a half million people is going to do, demanding housing is going to do?” (32:11). This argument aimed to connect immigration policies directly to everyday economic woes faced by Americans.

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Implications and Voter Impact

Cruz and Ferguson discuss the potential long-term effects of the debate:

• Voter Perception: While traditionally VP debates hold minimal sway, the duo suggests that given the high stakes and the brevity of the campaign season (only 35 days until election day), this debate might carry more weight than usual.

• Candidate Likability: Vance's portrayal as a likable, relatable candidate could broaden his appeal. “He did a good job of highlighting that to the American voters tonight” (37:11) suggests that Vance’s performance may positively influence voter sentiment.

• Economic Concerns: The recurring theme is that economic issues dominate voter concerns, with both hosts agreeing that “the economy is going to matter more than anything else” (37:57). This underscores the importance of economic performance in determining election outcomes.

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Cruz expressing satisfaction over the civil tone of the debate, contrasting it with past contentious political exchanges. both hosts agree that while the debate may not have been as hostile as expected, the substantive issues discussed, particularly around immigration and the economy, were crucial in shaping voter opinions. Cruz remains optimistic about Vance’s performance, believing it effectively positioned him against Harris, especially in highlighting the administration’s perceived failures.

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Notable Quotes:

• Senator Ted Cruz: “The winner of the debate tonight was Donald Trump. The loser of the debate tonight was Kamala Harris.” (00:20)
• JD Vance: “Think back in your lifetime. What president has not had a major military conflict during his presidency? [...] Donald J. Trump.” (14:36)
• Senator Ted Cruz: “CBP1 is not the legal process. It is an app designed by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden to facilitate a massive invasion of this country.” (26:02)
• Senator Ted Cruz: “The economy is going to matter more than anything else.” (37:57)

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This comprehensive analysis provides listeners with a clear understanding of the debate's key moments, candidate performances, and the broader implications for the upcoming election, ensuring that even those who missed the episode are well-informed.

Transcript

[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. And on debate nights, we get to do a joint podcast which is really fun for both of us. And, Senator, you just watched it. We got to watch it together. You got to commentate on Hannity afterwards. And your initial takeaway from this debate. I thought JD Had a pretty good night.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

He had an excellent, excellent night. It is 11:05pm Just after the debate, as you noted. I just finished doing Hannity and talking about the debate. I think this was a good night for America. The winner of the debate tonight was Donald Trump. The loser of the debate tonight was Kamala Harris. Yeah, both candidates, I think, did an effective job. Tim Waltz was frankly better than I expected. But he had a very difficult case to make because his job was to defend Kamala Harris record. And the reason that I think it was such a good night for Trump is I think JD Did a good job of prosecuting Kamala Harris's actual record. She is desperately, desperately, desperately trying to run away from her record, trying to hide in the basement. And tonight, the contrast was made between the incredible successes on the border, on the economy, on foreign policy under Donald Trump as compared to the incredible failures on the border, on the economy, on foreign policy under Kamala Harris. And that stark dividend was there. I think Tim Waltz tried mightily to pretend the record didn't exist, but there were some rough moments because he couldn't deny reality. And it really goes to the fundamental core conceit of the Kamala Harris campaign, which is she is trying to live in this alternate reality where she is the change candidate and Donald J. Trump is the incumbent president, and that is not, in fact, the planet on which we live. And I think Jay did a good job multiple times of saying, gosh, if she has all these policy proposals, why isn't she doing any of them now?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, for the last three and a half years.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And Waltz has no answer to that other than, well, what's happening now isn't working. So that's a problem.

[Ben Ferguson]

There was one funny part of the debate that I laughed, and it was when he was talking about how none of the wall was actually built. And then it was like he realized, oh, wait, maybe I don't want to go that far with this point, because she's got an ad out showing Donald Trump' wall. And he was like, he kind of backpedaled us, like, well, you guys didn't build much, that wall. It's like, well, now you're. Didn't you just say didn't who you're here to represent, Just say, we. We got to have a secure border, build a wall.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, and you could tell that Waltz was uncomfortable defending Kamala's record because he kept trying to go back to Minnesota over and over again. Look at what I've done in Minnesota. Look at what I've done in Minnesota. It's like, wait a second. You're not the candidate for president. Kamala Harris is. She's been the vice president. And I thought in particular, the strongest moments of the debate were on economics and the impact for working men and women that just people's lives are harder, that the cost of everything has gone up. The cost of food, the cost of health care, the cost of gasoline. I thought on the cost of housing. I think J.D. vance made a good point of, look, eleven and a half million illegal immigrants. You think that's driving up the cost of housing? I will say two of the losers tonight were sitting in the moderator chairs, and they seem to be trying to topple prior moderators for the biggest partisan hacks of a debate. I thought CBS's moderators, Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan, did a terrible job. There is not a person in the universe who watched this debate who has any doubt for who they're voting for. Either one of them is.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Like, none whatsoever.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. And the best part was you and I were watching together, and it's fun to watch these things together because I was sitting there and one of the things that made me laugh was when they did their hands off to each other, it was like thinking, we have to. We have so many important things. Thank you. To back over to you. It was like I was watching anchorman outtakes and it was like, we are so official journalisticy here and we're gonna be wonky.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And.

[Ben Ferguson]

And then they would immediately go back in their hardest and their partisan hackery, which was when they muted him.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yes. That was.

[Ben Ferguson]

Wow. That really was moment. I tweeted. I tweeted out. I said, when that happened, I tweeted. I was like, in communist countries, they mute microphones. They just did it during the vice presidential debate that if you want to know if it's state sponsored media. Yeah, they just did it.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I really was waiting for them. You know, you made the Ackerman quip as we're watching the debate, and I was really waiting for one of them to lean over as Ron Burgundy and say, screw you, Santiago. And I'm cleaning the language up a little bit from the actual line of the movie. But it was number One, stilted, they're moderating. Number two. It was incredibly smarmy and condescending. Their entire attitude is we know better than all of you. And by the way, the things they interrupted, they were supposed to not do fact checks. When they did do them, they were wrong and they were completely, completely self satisfied. And the moment when they cut off JD Vance's microphone was pitiful. It was nakedly biased, it was hackery, it was nothing but partisan hackery. And I think CBS really got a black eye.

[Ben Ferguson]

I think that could hurt them for real when it comes to people watching. And it's really hard to defend that they were nonpartisan when they did that. Let me tell you about our friends over at Patriot Mobile real quick. Americans are tired and frustrated by stalling economy and inflation and the endless wars and the relentless assault on our values. We talk about this on the show all the time. Well, thankfully there are companies like Patriot Mobile that still believe in America and our constitution. Now Patriot Mobile does something that's amazing as a company. They actually give about 5% of your bill back every single month to organizations that support our first and our second amendments, the sanctity of life and our military, our first responder heroes and our wounded warriors. So I want you to take a stand with conservative causes and switch to a company that's fighting for your values. That is why I love Patriot Mobile. I have Patriot Mobile. I use them and they have a coverage guarantee because in 2024 technology everybody uses the same cell towers all over the country. So check them out and see what they can do for your bill price as well. Many times they can save you money. And then when you make a phone call, you know you're making a difference and standing up for what you believe in. You also may not know that big mobile are now they give massive donations to democratic causes, candidates and organizations including organizations that pay and support abortion. So go to patriot mobile.com verdict that's patriot mobile.com verdict call them 972 Patriot and you're going to get a free month when you use the offer code verdict. That's patriot mobile.com verdict or 972-patriot right now to get a free month when you use the offer code verdict center. I want to go back to the beginning of the debate and the first question coming into the debate was one I think we all knew was going to be on Israel and the attack on Israel from Iran and and Waltz was very, very, very nervous. You could tell. But he also didn't know what to do because there's a hard part of the. Of the Democratic Party, especially him in Minnesota.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yep.

[Ben Ferguson]

With the extremists there that hate Israel, and. And they're the ones that are protesting and supporting the terrorists. And when he came out, he had a little bit of an oops, listen carefully.

[Tim Waltz]

Iran or Israel's ability to be able to defend itself is absolutely fundamental. Getting its hostages back.

[Ben Ferguson]

Its hostages back. I was like, come on, man, you got to do a little bit better than this. But it tells you where the Democratic Party is right now. They don't want to come out and defend Israel too much, but they know they have to defend him on the face tonight. And it was this weird, awkward moment for him.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, and. And look, he had a talking point that was written for him, for his handlers, by his handlers, that was to say Israel has a right to defend itself and the hostages should be returned. And so those are the two sentences he was told to say. And then he immediately said, but we have to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, because that's really what the Democrat Party is worried about, is that too many Hamas and Hezbollah terrorists are being killed. And so he had to throw that in. What? He didn't say. You know what? He didn't say a word about Iran attacking Israel, firing missiles. Not a word at Israel. Look, Iran just, just, just pummeled Israel with missiles, and that is a major escalation. Now, Iran has been funding Hamas and funding Hezbollah. It's been fighting through proxies, but this is now Iran directly attacking Israel. And the question he was asked is, would he support Israel striking back?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And you know what? He didn't answer. No, he did not want to answer. He did not want to answer at all. And, you know, critically, the opening of his answer. Tim Waltz's answer was this Crisis began on October 7th. Well, that's actually wrong. This crisis began in January of 2021 when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris came in.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

When they began flooding $100 billion to Iran. That's when the crisis. And by the way, when they came in, remember what was happening just weeks before? We had peace flourishing in the Middle East. We had the Abraham Accords signed on the South Lawn of the White House. I was there for the signing of the Abraham Accords. You know what? Not a single Democrat showed up for the signing of the Abraham Accords. Not a single Democrat Senator. Not a single Democrat House member.

[Ben Ferguson]

No one did.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I did not realize that none of them showed up.

[Ben Ferguson]

And that was a deal that dealt with the word they're obsessed with, which is peace, right?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yes, it was historic peace. It was the Arabs and the Israelis coming together and signing historic peace accords. And not only did no Democrats sign up at the signing. And do you know what Joe Biden, Kamala Harris instructed the State Department, what was that in writing? They said you were not allowed to use the words Abraham Accords. Don't even call them what they were called. They were instructed to call them normalization agreements, but do not use apparently acknowledging Father Abraham is too much. And anything that Trump did, they were not allowed to make reference to. But explicitly, the State Department was instructed, don't use the words Abraham Accords. So we went from historic peace, the first peace agreements signed between Israelis and Arabs in four decades, to suddenly Joe Biden, Kamala Harris come in and they start flooding cash into Iran and Iran starts flooding cash into Hamas and Hezbollah that paid for the death squads on October 7th. And. And Tim Waltz had not a word to say about that. Not a word to say about the hundred billion dollars that Kamala Harris gave as a gift to Iran. And you know what is still giving today? Today, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris still refused to enforce the oil sanctions against Iran. They are literally funding the missiles that were fired on Iran today. In a very real sense, Kamala Harris paid for those missiles.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's shocking. Also, the media, when you're watching this, they didn't ask about sanctions. They also didn't ask about Harris and what the response should be from this administration. Right. Because she's in.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

To be fair, they did. Their question was, would you support a preemptive strike by Israel against Iran in. Now, it's not actually preemptive because it is in response to the attack. So the word preemptive is a loaded lefty word. It's not preemptive if you're defending yourself after you've been attacked. But that was the question they asked. And to be clear, when asked, would you support it? Kamala is the sitting vp and we know Joe Biden is. Is non compos mentis. I don't know if he's passed out on the beach in Delaware or what he's doing. But.

[Ben Ferguson]

But he didn't spend almost two hours on the phone, he said, this weekend, talking about hurricane stuff. Almost two hours.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, you know, and look, I.

[Ben Ferguson]

That's a lot of time for him.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I believe that because when my girls were young, we had an app on the phone that was the wheels on the bus go round and round. And I, I believe he spent two hours on the phone, perhaps with an app like that.

[Ben Ferguson]

But the question that they should have asked was, are you guys, what would you do differently? What would you advocate for? What would you support sanctions? I mean, you and I talked about this in our, in our show on Monday. There was if, and correct me if my numbers are wrong, but I'm quoting you, it was 300,000 barrels a day is what Iran was producing when Trump was in office. It's now 2 million barrels.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, and I wish JD had provided more specifics on that. That answer could have been tighter with more facts on it.

[Ben Ferguson]

The question I wish they would have asked them is both them, like, hey, guys, are you. Would you right now, should there move more sanctions or should they be enforcing the sanctions? Or even the question, hey, why is your running mate, Kamala Harris not doing more to enforce the sanctions, stop Iran.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

From murdering Donald Trump?

[Tim Waltz]

Yes.

[Ben Ferguson]

And that didn't come up tonight, which I was also shocked by, because we talked about this again in Monday's pod. You have, you have Iran that's funding and recruiting assassins to take out Donald Trump and other former leaders in our government. And as they're doing that, no one asked that question tonight.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, now, I will say a point that JD Made on this that was very effective is when he looked at the camera and he asked the American people, he said, think back in your lifetime. What president has not had a major military conflict during his presidency? And he said, I'm 40 years old and there's only one president that you could answer yes to, and that is Donald J. Trump. Yeah, that was a very effective point. And I think it probably made some people think. And Waltz had no response to that other than, well, well, but, you know, I don't like Trump, and other people don't like Trump either. But the simple point that we had peace when Trump was president and we now have war, not just in Israel, but in Ukraine, when you have a weak and ineffective commander in chief, that contrast was pretty stark.

[Ben Ferguson]

I also thought there was another narrative tonight that really got blown up and that the obsession by the media to. To label JD Vance is strange or weird. He's a weird guy's odd. I, I think he came across as very likable, very normal, came across as a dad. And I think that also could help Donald Trump significantly.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, yeah. No, look, I, I think that's right. And I will say one of the things that surprised me. I thought this debate was going to be nastier. Yeah.

[Ben Ferguson]

You and I both said that beforehand. You were like, dude, they don't like each other. We both knew that. But I thought was gonna be nasty, too.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, my sense is that they really dislike each other. Although, to be fair, I haven't talked to JD about that, so I don't know firsthand from him. It just. The appearance from the media and the general milieu is. It appears that neither one of them likes each other. And so I thought, you know, I'd used an analogy that they're gonna be rolling around in the mud. This is gonna be a mud wrestling match. And it wasn't. And. And both of them, neither of them had even a single really nasty line, which. Which is a little surprising. I. If you'd asked me to bet beforehand, I would have. I would have bet it's more likely that they each had a dozen nasty lines at each other than zero.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And it. And in fact, both of them more than once praised the other one, which was an interesting. I don't know if that. How much of that was genuine, how much of that was strategic? How much of the campaign said, look, your job is to be likable and.

[Ben Ferguson]

Relatable, and if it was, it was a great strategy.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah. And both did so multiple times. Said, you know, look, when Tim Waltz described how his son had witnessed a shooting, which I didn't know either. And that's horrific. You and I are both dads. We certainly wouldn't want our kids to see a shooting. And I thought, J.D. when it came back and said, hey, I didn't know your son had done that. I'm really sorry. That's. That's like no. 1. That's horrible. That was real and genuine. And I thought. And there were moments back and forth for both of them like that.

[Ben Ferguson]

When you look at how this played out tonight, you and I have said this before, and you go back in history, VP debates don't really usually matter. Does it matter a little bit more this time, do you think? Because there was only one presidential debate, number one and two, because if Donald Trump is. He's running for four years, Right. He's not. There's no chance at eight years here. Does that change the perception of voters as well?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Look, damned if I know. I will say I think this probably mattered at the end of the day, historically, VP debates don't matter much. If you think back to VP debates, about the only time I'm willing to guess, you could only remember one moment, two moments from VP debates. You probably remember the fly landing on Mike Pence's head, and that will be.

[Ben Ferguson]

Seared into my Brain forever. Yes.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Especially since Saturday Night Live had a giant fly. And they did a good job.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes, they did a great job with that.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But the only line I bet you you can quote, and you're about as much of a political junkie as anyone, is the only line I bet you you can quote is Lloyd Benson to Dan Quayle saying, I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was my friend and Senator. You're no Jack.

[Ben Ferguson]

No Jack Kennedy. B.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And that.

[Ben Ferguson]

That was a damning one. And that was. That was. What was that, 88 or 96?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

That was. It was bank. It was Dukaka Spencer, 88. And by the way, Dan Quayle and George Bush won, so it didn't change the outcome of the election. It did kind of sear in public consciousness. That was one of the moments where the caricature of Quayle is a lightweight. That. That line, it hurt him. It was clearly rehearsed. It was landed very effectively, which is why three decades later, we're talking about it.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. And. And. And it was also, I think, defined Dan Quell as a candidate on his own.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yep.

[Ben Ferguson]

Which was sad.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, and. And. And the reason it was prepared is because Quayle had been using as a talking point. You know, I'm the same age Jack Kennedy was.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Because he was trying to say, I'm not inexperienced. And.

[Ben Ferguson]

And he looked young, if you remember. He looked really young. He was 26.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah. And it was Ben able to deliver that line. And it was. But historically, VP debates have not moved votes one way or the other. I will say I was glad. So, for most of the debate, JD Remembered that his target was Kamala Harris and not Tim Waltz.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, he said that a lot. He's used her name a lot.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And in fact, one of the better moments. And I want you to play this clip is. Is where JD Said, said to Tim Waltz, said, you've got a really tough job. I feel bad for how tough a job you have. And it was sort of. It was damning him with faint praise because it was a backhanded shot at Kamala. Here, play that exchange.

[Ben Ferguson]

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[Tim Waltz]

Governor Waltz just did is he said first of all, Donald Trump has to listen to the experts. And then when he acknowledged that the experts screwed up, he said, well, Donald Trump didn't do nearly as good of a job as the no, that's a general so what Tim Waltz is doing and I honestly Tim, I think you got a tough job here because you've got to play whack a mole. You've got to pretend that Donald Trump didn't deliver rising take home pay, which of course he did. You've got to pretend that Donald Trump didn't deliver lower inflation, which of course he did. And then you've simultaneously got to defend Kamala Harris atrocious economic record which has made gas, groceries and housing unaffordable for American citizens. I was raised by a woman who would Sometimes go into medical debt so that she could put food on the table in our household. I know what it's like to not be able to afford the things that you need to afford. We can do so much better. To all of you watching, we can get back to an America that's affordable again. We just got to get back to common sense economic principles. I hope we have a conversation on health care then.

[Margaret Brennan]

Senator, Governor, please.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Thank you, Margaret.

[Margaret Brennan]

We have a lot.

[Ben Ferguson]

I love how they jump in there, by the way. They're like, thank you, thank you. We got it. We got to move on from that real quick. You just. You just smacked them around a little bit.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, I mean, they were, they were eager to help out Waltz. They were also on the fact checking. You know, we talked about at the open of the pod when they cut off JD's mic. Now, that was a moment when, number one, Kamala was getting beat up hard on immigration.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

But number two, the moderators jumped in and JD talked about the Haitian illegal immigrants who are in Springfield, Ohio. And, you know, they wanted to reprise the whole cat thing. I was surprised. I also, I would have lost a bet if you had given me the odds on whether the word cat would be said in the debate. I would have bet, yes, and I would have lost that bet. So that. The moderators did not say that, nor did Tim Waltz. But JD rightly said, look, this massive influx of illegal aliens is putting an enormous burden on the residents of Springfield and every other city in Ohio and every other city in the country. And the moderators chimed in to correct him, well, those are legal immigrants. And he said, baloney. And this is a fiction. So, look, we have a legal immigration system. And what has happened is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have abused our immigration law. So the 300,000 plus Haitians and Nicaraguans and Cubans and Venezuelans, they've flown in, they've flown in under programs where they say, well, these guys are all now legal. Just because we've decided to open the doors and call everyone we let in legal. That is not legal in any ordinary sense. They are illegal immigrants. And in particular, JD rightly talks about the app CBP1, which we've talked about on this podcast before, an app for illegal immigrants to apply online for Kamala Harris to let him in our open border.

[Ben Ferguson]

And they did not like him saying this because it was fact checking them.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

It was. They were fact checking him. They were wrong. He countered him. And then they cut off his mic right when Tim Waltz was saying, well, you Know, this has been around for years. CBB1 was just created by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Here play the clip when they cut off his mic because it really is revealing of the enormous bias and the factual just mendacity of the CBS moderators.

[Margaret Brennan]

Thank you, Senator. We have so much to get to, Margaret.

[Tim Waltz]

I think it's important because we're gonna.

[Margaret Brennan]

Turn now to the economy.

[Tim Waltz]

Thank you, Margaret. The rules were that you guys were gonna fact check, and since you're fact checking me, I think it's important to say what's actually going on. So there's an application called the CBP1 app where you can go on as an illegal migrant, apply for asylum, or apply for parole and be granted legal status at the wave of a Kamala Harris open border wand. That is not a person coming in, applying for a green card and waiting for 10 years. That's a limitation of a legal immigration. Margaret, by.

[Margaret Brennan]

Thank you, Senator, for describing the legal process.

[Tim Waltz]

Those laws have been on the book since 1990.

[Margaret Brennan]

Thank you, gentlemen.

[Tim Waltz]

We want to have not been on the books since 1990. It's something that Kamala Harris created.

[Margaret Brennan]

Margaret, Gentlemen, the audience can't hear you because your mics are cut. We have so much we want to get to. Thank you for explaining the legal process.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

I love that they're like, the legal process. I mean, that is so smarmy.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Like arrogant, condescending, snarky. Look, these. There's no doubt their political bias. There's no doubt they love Kamala Harris. There's no doubt they're voting for Kamala Harris. Thank you for describing the legal process. No, CBP1 is not the legal process. It is an app designed by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden to facilitate a massive invasion of. Of this country.

[Ben Ferguson]

And they. And they shut the mic off. I actually am glad they did it because it's just. And when anybody says in the future, well, there's no bias, to me, I'm like, really? Did you see? And I love how she says they try to act like we shut both your mics off. No, you were shutting down JD Vance, who was fact checking you and pointing out that she was lying and pointing out she's lying. We got to move on. We have other important things. And by the way, I promise you, that moment, if you poll the audience in America watching, they would have loved to have heard what J.D. van said. Of course, you would have been like, whoa, I want to hear this right? Like, give me a second.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

That's absolutely right. But CBS didn't want the audience to hear that. You know, there was another moment on the same topic of the border where Tim Waltz said the most brazen lie of the entire debate. And when, when Waltz was backpedaling and trying to defend the disaster of Kamala's open borders, Tim Waltz said, quote, border crossings are down compared to when Donald Trump left office.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah. Now, which is a lie. And you and I both are looking at the TV like that's not true.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

That is not slightly true. It's not kind of true. It's not in any way. And let me give you the stats. So in December 2020, the total encounters with illegals was 89,072. In August 2024, the total encounters was 158,988. So it was nearly twice as many. And mind you, look, there's been a slight dip in the last couple of months because Biden and Harris are trying to pretend to do something about the border and they're just doing it as electioneering. And to put it, in all of fiscal year 2020, do you know how many encounters with illegals there were under Trump?

[Ben Ferguson]

How many?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

646,822.

[Ben Ferguson]

That's like a month in this administration.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

In fiscal year 24 year to date. And by the way, we're not all the way through 24. Do you know how many there have been?

[Ben Ferguson]

How many?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

2,756,646.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And by the way, these brave fact checkers, did you notice the cbs, they.

[Ben Ferguson]

Didn'T cut off anybody's mind.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Did they say, wait a second, Governor, you just said that border encounters were lower now than they were under Trump. That is flat out false. They didn't say that because they're not in the business of fact checking Democrats.

[Ben Ferguson]

Well, and they also didn't bring up something else that and I actually thought this was a missed opportunity. I think JD Had a great night, but I wish he would have seized on this. The acting ICE director put out all of these numbers that we've talked about here.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yes.

[Ben Ferguson]

About the number of rapists that were let go, that we knew were rapists, the number of murderers that were let go and the number of those that had been charged with heinous crimes. And we still let go into this country. And that didn't see the light of day tonight. And it's again, it goes back to the moderators like it's shame on them for not actually talking about the acting ICE director saying this when they're going to talk about the Border. How do you talk about the border without that? But I do. And again, it's. Debating's tough, and I want to be clear. It's tough, but there was a missed opportunity there. I'm shocked that JD didn't really try to hammer that point home.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, I think JD Did a very good job tonight. I was surprised that the 13,000 convicted murderers did not come up. It's such a powerful number. And CBS hasn't covered it. The news hasn't covered it. And so this debate was an opportunity for. That's actually something that I wish that, like it had been slowly explained that they'd taken a little bit of time. You need to understand that right now, today, there are more than 13,000 illegal aliens who are free, who have not been apprehended, who are convicted murderers. There is nothing whatsoever stopping Kamala Harris from picking up all 13,000 of them tomorrow. Legally, she has every right to do so. They are here illegally, they can be detained, they can be deported. And yet. And There are another 2,000, roughly illegal aliens who have pending murder charges. So they're being charged with murder. And you know what? They're free too. There is nothing, zero, preventing Kamala Harris from picking up those 2000. And I would have loved to see JD turn to. Turn to Tim Waltz and say, governor, why doesn't Kamala Harris pick up those 15,000 murderers right now? And what would you say to the mothers of the children murdered by these illegal alien murderers that you continue to allow on the street? Yeah, he wouldn't have an answer to that.

[Ben Ferguson]

No, he wouldn't have an answer to that. And look, again, like I said, debating is hard. And I think one of the things that he did really well was he talked about the fact that, that people are suffering in this country because there's so many illegal immigrants. And it backfired. On cbs, they were talking about the economy and they were talking about the housing crisis. It was a little bit later in the debate, many people, if you didn't watch the whole debate, this was one of those moments. I think they actually buried it on purpose. They need to check a box, ask a question about the, about housing. But there was a moment there where JD Vance seized on like, well, yeah, of course home prices are gonna be up. You let, you let 15, 20 million people in this country, they gotta have a roof over their head at night. They're competing with you, especially for low cost housing and apartments, which have skyrocketed in price, undoubtedly.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

And CBS really beclown themselves on this Cause one of the moderators chimed in and said, well, do you have any evidence of that? What proof do you have of that? And JD, to his credit, was prepared and said, well, actually, there's a Federal Reserve study that lays out the impact of illegal immigration, driving up the cost of housing. And we'll put that out on social media right now so you can go read the study. But he also made the point of just supply and demand. What do you think an additional 11 and a half million people is going to do, demanding housing is going to do? Do these houses magically get created from the sky? Is there a wand that makes them. Makes them come into existence? And the moderators just didn't like that point. And so they were. But they looked pretty silly when they asked if he had any evidence. And the answer was, well, yes.

[Ben Ferguson]

I love. The other day on tv, they were talking about the price of hotels in New York City have skyrocketed. Yeah. Because I think it's like one out of X number of every hotels is filled with illegal immigrants. They're taking away hotel rooms. So then they get more for the hotel rooms that are available. You and I, I don't even know if. Did you know I got stranded in New York City and there wasn't a single hotel room after we came back from the airport. Did I tell you this?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

No.

[Ben Ferguson]

So this is how bad it is. And this is when I learned, like, really firsthand. I went the airport was on the plane. Was on the plane for like four hours. They finally canceled the flight. We pull back up the gate and they say, go back in the city. So I immediately get on the phone, I call Fox. I'm there for tv. I'm like, hey, I'm gonna need a hotel room. And I gotta get back to the city. And then I get a flight back in the morning to Houston. And she was like, no problem. I'll call you in a minute. Go ahead and head down the cars and we'll get you back to the city. She said, I've never seen this before. There's not a single hotel room in the city. And I'm like, not. And it wasn't like there was like the super bowl going on. This is a normal Tuesday in New York. And I was like, are you kidding? Well, then I open up my app and I'm like, I get on Expedia. No hotel rooms. They start looking in New Jersey. They're looking everywhere. Finally, the only option was to go back to the city and hope that someone doesn't come to A hotel room. I said outside of the hotel I always stay at know the manager and I walked in, he's like, Ben, he's like, this is because of all the illegal immigrants in the city. He goes, there's no hotel rooms to deal with the capacity. I sat outside till one in the morning until finally someone canceled the hotel. And then he checked me into that room at 1 o'clock. So I sat there from 7 to 1am My flight was at 6 in the morning. So I slept for like three hours. And he said this is what they've done to our city. Referring to the illegal immigrants and how many have come in. And when I say there was, it was. There was not a hotel room in the city. That's what's happening now because illegal immigration. Want to tell you about blackout coffee. The world's in flames and Biden nomics as well as, you know, a complete and total disaster. But there's one thing that won't ruin my day anymore and that's an average or bad cup of coffee. Because I start my day at 7:00 on the radio every morning with a hot America first cup of premium blackout coffee. This coffee is 100% America and 0% woke. Blackout coffee was started by a group of conservatives that were tired of giving their money to liberal woke coffee companies. And you probably thought of a couple names right when I said that, well, they don't do that at blackout coffee. And so what they said was, hey, why don't we do coffee the right way, make it a premium cup of coffee and support our conservative values while we do it. That's what they've created at blackout Coffee from the sourcing of the beans, the roasting process, customer support and shipping. They embody true American value and they accept no compromise on taste or quality. Now I want you to try blackout coffee right now and I'm going to save you big money. 20% off your first order and you'll never switch. After you get blackout coffee, go to blackout coffee.com verdict that's blackout coffee.com verdict. Use the coupon code. Verdict for 20% off your first order. Blackoutcoffee.com verdict Be awake, not woke. That's blackout coffee.com verdict promo code verdict for 20% off your first order. Senator, I want to talk and wrap on the issue of style. You know, you and I both thought this was going to be a intense debate. They don't like each other, they're going to throw down. I think we're also gotten kind of used to that. With Donald Trump. That's what we've seen over the last several years. Joe Biden likes to do that as well. We've seen a lot of the Republican debates, primary debates, and by the way.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Hillary and Trump was nasty. They were both nasty.

[Ben Ferguson]

Oh, yeah. I mean, they threw down. And tonight I didn't, I did enjoy a little bit the civility.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Absolutely.

[Ben Ferguson]

And that was something we haven't seen. But I also think if it was a strategy by the, by the Trump team, hey, you're going to be the likable guy. You're going to try to bring more people into the tent. I want people to walk away really thinking that you're the right choice. They nailed it if that was the intent tonight.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah, look, I think JD Came across as real and relatable. He did a good job of telling his own family story and his own background. I mean, his, you know, he wrote a best selling book. Hillbilly Elegy was made into a movie, a very good movie. A movie that's terrific to watch, but yet a lot of people don't know that story. He's been a caricature just like Trump has. And I think tonight made real progress making him seem like a real person, seem like a husband and a father and, you know, someone who has journeyed from very humble beginnings to right now being the nominee to be Vice President of the United States. That's one heck of a journey.

[Ben Ferguson]

It's gonna be interesting. We're what, 35 days, 36 days away from election day. 35 days today, 35 days until election Day. I'm gonna go back to what I've said before. It's the economy, stupid. I think that's win this thing. The economy is going to matter more than anything else. And I think he did a great job of highlighting that to the American voters tonight. Don't forget, we do this show Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Make sure you hit that subscribe or auto download button so you don't miss an episode. When big things happen, whether it's a debate tonight, we'll do a lot of times a, a dual show, my podcast and Verdict together. So make sure you grab both shows and I will keep you up to date on those in between days. Between Verdict. Always a pleasure. It's fun to watch the debate together and get to do this show together on big nights like tonight. We'll see you back here tomorrow.