The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

BONUS: On the Road in Mexico: Urging the Mexican Government to Defeat Cartels Plus Dems Bemoan Trump’s Fighting Violent Crime
iHeartPodcasts • September 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, guest Senator Ted Cruz joins Ben Ferguson to wrap up his recent Congressional Delegation (CODEL) trip across Latin America, focusing especially on his meetings with Mexican officials about cartel violence and U.S.–Mexico cooperation. The discussion then pivots to the domestic debate over violent crime and immigration, with a sharp critique of Democratic leaders like Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who are accused of downplaying crime statistics and resisting federal action on criminal immigrants. Throughout the episode, the hosts argue for decisive U.S. action against Mexican cartels and harsher policies toward violent crime in major U.S. cities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Senator Cruz’s Latin America Trip Recap

[01:50]

• El Salvador Success Story:

  • Meeting with President Bukele to discuss how El Salvador’s homicide rate plummeted 98%, from the world’s highest to among the lowest globally.
  • Quote:
    “El Salvador is now three times as safe [as the U.S.] ... Incredible success, what they’re doing in El Salvador.” (Sen. Cruz, 02:20)

• Panama and the Panama Canal:

  • Concerns raised about China’s growing influence over key infrastructure at both ends of the canal.
  • Emphasizes U.S. national and economic security interests.
  • Quote:
    “China’s strategic location to be able to shut down the Panama Canal … would have a massive economic harm to the United States.” (Sen. Cruz, 03:50)

2. Pressure on Mexico to Combat Cartels & Border Issues

[04:55, 08:20]

• Meetings in Mexico:

  • Discussions with Mexico’s Foreign Secretary, Defense Secretary, and Agriculture Secretary, primarily about border security and drug cartels.

• Argument for U.S.–Mexico Partnership:

  • Cruz offers U.S. assistance to help “eliminate the cartels.”
  • Cites the huge increase in cartel profits under Biden administration (from $500 million in 2018 to $13 billion in 2024, mostly from human trafficking).
  • Quote:
    “America was not being a good friend with Joe Biden and the Democrats. Open borders ... did massive damage to Mexico because we took transnational criminal organizations ... and flooded tens of billions of dollars into them.” (Sen. Cruz, 09:50)

• Mexico’s Response:

  • Mexican officials (and President Sheinbaum) reject U.S. military involvement, repeatedly citing “sovereignty.”
  • Quote:
    “Essentially, we don’t want the Yankee gringos in our country. She didn’t quite say that, but that was the message.” (Sen. Cruz, 12:31)
  • Cruz compares Mexico’s resistance to El Salvador’s and Colombia’s embrace of outside help—with vastly different results.
  • Cruz recounts a fistfight in Mexico’s Congress sparked by the suggestion of U.S. military help against cartels.
  • Quote:
    “There was actually a fistfight in their Congress. Two Mexican senators began punching each other on the face on this issue.” (Sen. Cruz, 16:36)

3. Debate Over Declaring Cartels as Terrorist Organizations

[18:21]

• Trump Doctrine:

  • Declaring cartels as terrorist groups to enable direct U.S. military action.

• Meeting with Mexico’s Defense Minister:

  • Defense Minister downplays cartels as “just ordinary criminals,” not terrorists; presents a PowerPoint to argue the point.
  • Cruz insists U.S. will have to act to protect Americans from cartel violence and fentanyl if Mexico resists.
  • Quote:
    “We are going to act ... I believe sometime in the next four years, you will see strong, decisive military action against the cartels.” (Sen. Cruz, 21:08)
  • Invokes recent U.S. military actions abroad (against Iran, bin Laden) as precedents for cross-border action.

• Mexico Double-Downs on Refusal:

  • President Sheinbaum issues a public, defiant “no” to any U.S. military involvement on Mexican soil.
  • Cruz suggests tough rhetoric in public may give way to more pragmatic negotiations behind closed doors.

4. The Chicago/Violent Crime & Democratic Leadership Segment

[28:27]

• Pivot to U.S. Crime Debate:

  • Critiques Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker for claiming Chicago is “succeeding” at fighting violent crime and for resisting federal help with policing and deporting criminal immigrants.
  • Quote – JB Pritzker:
    “We have our job, which is to fight violent crime on the streets of our city. And by the way, we’re succeeding at that job.” (Pritzker clip, 30:21)
  • Cruz refutes this, citing Chicago’s murder rate is three times higher than LA, five times higher than NYC, and even higher than major cities abroad.
  • Quote:
    “Chicago has had the most murders of any American city for 13 consecutive years.” (Sen. Cruz, 30:37)

• Democratic Party Critique:

  • Accuses Democrats of siding with criminals over victims, and of ideological unwillingness to tackle crime.
  • Cites AP/NORC poll where 68% of Americans see urban crime as a major problem.
  • Quote:
    “If they have a conflict between a murderer and a victim ... the Democrats will pick the criminal every single time. They’re not even pretending anymore.” (Sen. Cruz, 32:04)

5. Political Outlook & Upcoming Elections

[34:28]

• Ben Ferguson:

  • Predicts midterms as a big opportunity for Republicans, given public frustration over crime and security.

• Sen. Cruz’s Cautious Optimism:

  • Worried about Republican complacency, despite Democratic unpopularity; notes Democratic fundraising and mobilization.
  • Points to a recent Iowa state senate election where Democrats flipped a seat previously won by Trump.
  • Quote:
    “An awful lot of Americans are really happy with the success we’ve seen ... The danger is that when people are happy, when they’re seeing success, they’re complacent. They stay home.” (Sen. Cruz, 35:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On El Salvador’s Crime Drop:
  “That is among the safest in the world ... El Salvador is now three times as safe [as the U.S.].” (Sen. Cruz, 02:20)

• On Mexico Rejecting Help:
  “The phrase they repeated most often was sovereignty. They kept saying sovereignty, sovereignty, sovereignty, Mexico, we want our sovereignty.” (Sen. Cruz, 12:31)

• On U.S. Military Action:
  “I believe sometime in the next four years, you will see strong, decisive military action against the cartels.” (Sen. Cruz, 21:08)

• On Chicago’s Murder Rate:
  “Chicago’s murder rate is three times higher than Los Angeles … two times higher than Islamabad, and it is 15 times higher than Delhi.” (Sen. Cruz, 30:44)

• On Democrat Approach to Crime:
  “If they have a conflict between a murderer and a victim … the Democrats will pick the criminal every single time. They’re not even pretending anymore …” (Sen. Cruz, 32:04)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:50: Ted Cruz recaps the Latin American trade and security trip (El Salvador, Panama, Mexico).
• 05:40: Shift to Mexico meetings, U.S.–Mexico trade, and border security.
• 08:20: Discussion of cartels’ power surge under Biden, push for Mexico to accept U.S. help.
• 12:31: Mexico’s sovereignty argument and outright refusal of U.S. military support.
• 16:36: Description of Mexican political infighting over U.S. cooperation.
• 18:21: Trump’s policy and labeling of cartels as terrorists; Cruz’s direct warning to Mexico.
• 21:08: Assertion that the U.S. will not stand idly by as Americans are killed.
• 28:27: Pivot to the U.S. domestic crime debate, J.B. Pritzker’s statements on Chicago.
• 30:44: Analysis of Chicago’s high murder rates.
• 34:28: Ben Ferguson and Sen. Cruz discuss the political impact of rising crime on upcoming elections.
• 35:25: Cruz warns against GOP complacency ahead of the midterms.

Tone & Style

• Direct, urgent, and assertive: Both hosts and Senator Cruz speak with conviction, using bold analogies and stark statistics to illustrate arguments.
• Partisan and combative: Strongly critical of Democratic leaders and the Mexican government; consistently highlight Republican policy as the solution.
• Colloquial, conversational, and laced with humor/sarcasm: Frequent jabs and memes (e.g., “dumpster burning in the background” analogy).

Summary Takeaway

Senator Cruz’s debrief on his diplomatic tour highlights what he sees as successes in Central America, urgent security threats from cartel-driven Mexico, and an uncompromising stance from Mexican leaders. The episode marks a call for direct U.S. action against cartels—cooperation preferred, but not required. Domestically, the hosts draw hard lines blaming Democratic policies for urban crime waves and predict political consequences in upcoming elections, while cautioning Republicans to remain vigilant and engaged.