← The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
BONUS: On the Road in Mexico Urging the Mexican Government to get Serious about Defeating Cartels plus Dems Bemoan Trump's Fighting Violent Crime
00:31:48
Loading summary
Transcript55 lines
- [00:00]
Podcast Advertiser
This is an iheart podcast this Labor Day say goodbye to spills, stains and overpriced furniture with washablesofas.com featuring Anabe, the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly pricing. Sofas start at just $6.99, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Anibe's Pet Friendly stain resistant and interchangeable slipcovers are made with high performance fabric built for real life. You'll love the cloud like comfort of hypoallergenic high resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time with modular pieces you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your life. Now through Labor Day. Get up to 60% off site wide@washablesofas.com Every order comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees, every penny back. Shop now@washablesofas.com Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
- [01:05]
Senator Ted Cruz
Hello, it is Ryan and we could all use an extra bright spot in our day, couldn't we? Just to make up for things like sitting in traffic, doing the dishes, counting your steps. You know, all the mundane stuff. That is why I'm such a big fan of Chumba Casino. Chumba Casino has all your favorite social casino style games that you can play for free anytime, anywhere with daily bonuses. So sign up now@chumb casino.com that's chumbacasino.com.
- [01:30]
Josh Sherrard
No purchase necessary vgw group void we're prohibited by law 21 + terms and conditions apply welcome.
- [01:36]
Ben Ferguson
It is verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you Center. You have come back from a codel of Latin America and it is finally wrapped. You got back in the wee hours of the morning and you're going to give us a final update on the last part of your trip.
- [01:51]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, I got home at 4 in the morning last night so it's good to be at home. It's good to sleep in my own bed. It was a very productive trip. As we discussed on previous pods, we started by going to El Salvador. I met with President Bukele. The President of El Salvador saw the incredible success he has had defeating gangs, defeating Ms. 13 and the 18th Street Barrio in El Salvador. They've gone from the highest murder rate in the entire world, 100 homicides per hundred thousand people. That meant in any given year, one in a thousand. Salvadorans was being murdered, that number has plummeted by 98%. Last year, their murder rate was 1.9 per 100,000. That is among the safest in the world. That is three times safer than the United States of America. We're just over six murders per hundred thousand. El Salvador is now three times as safe. Incredible success, what they're doing in El Salvador. From then, I flew on to Panama. Panama was a fascinating meeting. I toured the Panama Canal. I must say, it is truly an engineering miracle. The idea that the United States was able to build this more than a century ago in 1914, it is incredible, an incredible design. And it is incredibly important both for US national security and for US Economic security. And so I had multiple discussions with senior Panamanian officials about the critical importance of removing China from the Panama Canal. China right now has a major port at the mouth of both ends of the canal. I went and went right up, right up by that port, and you could see China's strategic location to be able to shut down the Panama Canal, should we have a military conflict with China, not only do they have a major port at the mouth of the canal, China is also building a bridge right across the mouth of the canal at the Pacific. They are also digging a tunnel under the canal for a Metro train. Any of those would give them the ability, if they use them maliciously, to try to shut down traffic on the canal, which, among other things, would have a massive economic harm to the United States. But it would also severely limit our ability to move our naval ships. We have a very significant portion of our fleet in the Atlantic. The Panama Canal cuts weeks off the transit to get those ships to the Pacific. And should there be a conflict in the Pacific, the Chinese would like to force our Atlantic fleet to stay in the Atlantic and not be able to traverse the canal. So it was a very productive meeting, stressing that the United States was going to do whatever is necessary to make sure that the canal is safe and that the Chinese don't control it. The final step of the CODEL was Mexico and I spent yesterday or the day before in Mexico, met with multiple senior government officials, met with the Foreign Secretary, met with the Defense Secretary, and met with the Agriculture Secretary. We had very productive meetings. And the focus of my meetings was was very much safety and security. Number one, securing the border, and number two, going after the Mexican drug cartels. And we have seen extraordinary success securing our border. Because President Trump is back in office and because we have a president who is willing to secure the border and we have seen illegal border crossings drop 99%. When I was in Mexico, I was going to the Mexican government. I was asking the government to join with us, join with us and partner with us in taking out the Mexican drug cartels. We had extensive discussions on this. And finally we're going to talk about how J.B. pritzker and the Democrats have decided to be open that they are in support of criminals. They are the party of murderers. They are the party of criminals. It is, sadly, it is the culmination of a long, long downward slide from today's Democrat party.
- [05:41]
Ben Ferguson
All of you know that I am a pro second amendment guy. I've shared on numerous occasions how carrying my firearm saved my life from a gang related attack. But for those of you out there with family members who may not be comfortable having a gun by their side, you still want them to be able to protect themselves and others in times of danger. And that's where the burner launcher comes in. Burna is a handheld pistol that fires both kinetic rounds and chemical irritants to separate you from an attacker. And I'm here with Josh Sherrard from Burna to share the true story of how an avid hiker used his burner to stop an attacking mountain lion. Josh, tell us what happened.
- [06:17]
Josh Sherrard
Yeah, you know, Jason is an avid hiker, decided to take his family out on a hike that he's done several times. Super easy hike, but super fun. Armed with his burner. You know, this is one of those things where he didn't expect to see anything. And all of a sudden on this hike, this mountain lion appears out of nowhere. Of course, he sends his family on down the trail, watches the lion for a few minutes, realizes it's not going away, so uses his burner, fires a few rounds to scare it off, continues down the trail. But unfortunately, this mountain lion appears again, at which point he realized he was going to have to up his aggression with that burner. Fires four rounds, was able to strike the mountain lion all four times in chest and torso. At which point that mountain lion airs off, never to be seen again. These guys make it down the trail, back to their car and back to home safely. Fortunately, this is all it took to make sure and get this family back home safe off a hike that could have taken an obvious turn for the worst.
- [07:14]
Ben Ferguson
And I'm going to guess that burner has been used to stop other types of animal attacks as well.
- [07:19]
Josh Sherrard
Absolutely. We get stories all the time of users with whether it be dogs or other wildlife. We even have an ecological park whose security carries burna for bears out in, in the Smoky Mountains out there. That's been effective there as well. So once again, not just a tool for people, but very effective against animals as well.
- [07:39]
Ben Ferguson
It's really incredible. If you want to get more information on how you and your family member can protect themselves with burner launcher, go to Burna.com that's by RNA.com again by RNA.com Berna.com Senator, let's start with these meetings that you just had in Mexico and you mentioned the issue of safety and security. That obviously is top of mind for so many Americans. Explain what their reaction was, what they had to say about the border being shut down, in essence, compared to wide open border. Look, one of their top stimulus of their economy is illegal immigrants sending money back to Mexico. So this is gonna have some sort of economic effect on their country, I'm sure as well.
- [08:21]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, I started the meeting with a long meeting with Juan Ramon de la Fuente, who is the Secretary of Foreign affairs of Mexico. And it was a very positive meeting. He is the minister, speaks fluent English. He is someone who has spent significant time in the United States. He's a professional economist. And we talked, we actually started by talking about areas of cooperation and in particular trade and commerce between the United States and Mexico. Every year, the United States and Mexico, we have roughly $800 billion worth of trade and commerce between our nations, and about 300 billion of that is between Texas and Mexico. And so one of my big focuses, my number one priority in the Senate without fail, is, has been jobs. Focusing on more jobs, higher wages, greater opportunity, helping small businesses. And so expanding trade between Texas and Mexico is good for Texas farmers and ranchers and small businesses. And so we talked about that. We talked about the four new bridges that I've taken the lead on getting built between South Texas and Mexico to expand the ability for our farmers and ranchers to sell our livestock south of the border, to expand our ability to, for us to sell energy south of the border, to expand our ability to export manufactured goods south of the border and so on that I would say the foreign minister and I had a very positive meeting. And there's steps that are going forward that have been taken under the Trump administration that are expanding trade, mutually beneficial trade for both countries. But then we shifted into, okay, that will happen in an environment where security is maintained. And I pressed, I said, listen, the United States wants to be a friend to Mexico. We want to be your partner. And I pointed out to him, and I pointed this out also to the Defense Secretary I said, listen, under Joe Biden, the Mexican drug cartels became unbelievably wealthy. Here's a stat from the New York Times. In 2018, the Mexican drug cartels made roughly $500 million from human trafficking. 2018. Last year, again, according to the New York Times, the cartels made over $13 billion from drug trafficking. That is a 2,600% increase. And what Joe Biden and the Democrats did to Mexico was horrible. Mexico paid a very real price for that. And I told the Foreign Secretary, Defense Secretary, I said, listen, America was not being a good friend with Joe Biden and the Democrats. Open borders. Those open borders, they did massive damage to the US but they also did massive damage to Mexico because we took transnational criminal organizations who are vicious murderers who commit unspeakable atrocities. And Joe Biden and the Democrats flooded tens of billions of dollars into them, turning them into dominant economic forces in the nation of Mexico. And there are countless numbers of Mexicans who have been murdered, who have been kidnapped, who have been tortured because of Joe Biden and the Democrats. Open borders. And so my request to the Mexican government is, I said, listen, the United States stands ready to assist Mexico in eliminating the cartels. The 2024 election in the United States was clearly a mandate from the American people to close the these open borders. President Trump has rightly declared the cartels to be terrorist organizations. And so my pitch to them was work hand in hand with us to take it to a different level, to take those cartels out.
- [12:06]
Ben Ferguson
You talk about that. What is their response? Because everybody knows that, look, the infiltration of the cartels in Mexico's government is significant and it's real. And I think everybody knows that. That knows anything about the cartels down there in general. What, when you say this, is it lip service? Or is there a sense of like, hey, maybe you guys can help us do something we can't even do ourselves?
- [12:31]
Senator Ted Cruz
So, unfortunately, the response was flat out no. Yesterday, Mexico's President, Claudia Sheinbaum, was asked about my trip, about the offer I made for the United States to assist Mexico in eliminating the cartels. And her answer was, absolutely not. No, we do not want America's help. This is Mexico. We will handle it internally. Essentially, we don't want the Yankee gringos in our country. She didn't quite say that, but that was the message of it. And I would say that was consistent with what I was hearing from the Foreign Secretary and the Defense secretary. Both of them, the phrase they repeated most often was sovereignty. They kept saying sovereignty, sovereignty. Sovereignty, Mexico, we want our sovereignty. We don't want the American military in Mexico. And I'll tell you, Ben, I tried to make an historical analogy and compare it to some other instances. I pointed out, number one, Del Salvador. And I said, look, I was just in El Salvador a few days ago and I described to them the unbelievable success that El Salvador had dealing with the gangs there. And Ms. 1318 Street Barrio. They were just like the Mexican drug cartels. They were vicious transnational organizations. And when you had a leader, President Bukele, who decided, I'm going to value the innocent civilians, the moms and dads and the kids of El Salvador more than those criminals, they knew who the criminals were. They went and arrested them and they locked them up. And by the way, if you did not see our podcast on Wednesday, if you did not listen to our podcast on Wednesday, let me encourage you to listen to it because I take you inside the Secot prison, the maximum security prison where these very worst gang members are held. I described, I've never seen anything remotely like this. I describe it in detail. And I also recount an extended conversation that I have with an MS.13 member who joined in the United States in Falls Church, Virginia, who lived for years in America, lived for years in Texas, and he described some of the crimes that he committed in the United States and some of the crimes he committed in El Salvador. If you didn't listen to it, go back and listen to it. But I use that example with the Mexican leaders to say, we can do this. You know who the cartel members are, go after them and have the same political will. What is missing is the political will, have the political will that El Salvador did to say we are not going to let the cartels be effectively the government of Mexico. We are going to let the people. I made the argument they were talking about sovereignty. I said, you want to talk about sovereignty when the cartels are allowed to control the country and terrify people. I described a mayor of a northern Mexico City who I visited with a number of years ago described how in his region there were over more than 3,000 disappearances of Mexican nationals who just disappear. The cartels kidnapped them, they murder them, they throw them in mass graves and abandoned them. That is not the behavior of, of a sovereign country that is protecting its citizens the way it should be. And so my pitch was follow the example of El Salvador. And then there was a second example I used Ben, which was Colombia. Yeah, Colombia. In the early 2000s, George W. Bush was president and he made an offer to President Uribe of Colombia, he said, Colombia, like El Salvador a few years ago, like Mexico now, had narco terrorists controlling the country, had them murdering police officers and murdering soldiers and journalists and judges and elected officials, terrorizing the citizenry. And Colombia, President Uribe demonstrated some of the same clear eyed resolve that President Bukele in El Salvador has demonstrated. And President Uribe said to the United States, yes, we want your help. And the American military came into Colombia and just, just all but eradicated the terrorists, came in with incredible force and effectiveness, but did it hand in hand with the partnership of the Colombian government that was called Plan Colombia. And I said, follow that model. We will work hand in hand with you. And I got to tell you, both the Defense Minister and the foreign minister, and then ultimately President Sheinbaum yesterday said, no, we do not want to work with the American military. We're not willing to do so. That is unfortunate. I understand the Mexican politics. I got to say, the first night I was there, there was actually a fist fight in their Congress. Two Mexican senators began punching each other on the face on this issue.
- [17:02]
Ben Ferguson
So the level of this is amazing, by the way, because I mean, when you see the news break like that.
- [17:07]
Senator Ted Cruz
You'Re like, wow, yeah, that was right when I landed in Mexico City and I looked at the video of two senators get, getting in a fistfight and it was over. Should we accept America's help to use military force to take out the cartels? And listen, there's a long history of politics in Mexico where it is good politics, generally speaking, it is good populist politics to rail against the Yankee imperialist from the north. And that has elected quite a few politicians in Mexico saying, we're gonna stand up to America. Sheinbaum is a protege of amlo. AMLO ran on a hard left anti American agenda. Sheinbaum less so. But Mexico has a complicated situation because their economy is intertwined with the United States. We are by far their largest trading partner. And so there's a combination. Some of what they're doing when they're saying, no, we will not let the United States military into our nation, is that they are appealing to those populists and nationalist sentiments in Mexico. I was trying hard to say, say, say, listen, this is an opportunity for you. Your nation will be safer, your citizens will be safer if you accept our help.
- [18:22]
Ben Ferguson
When you look at the response now, I think many Americans are gonna ask the question, okay, this goes back to the Trump doctrine of declaring these cartels terrorist organizations.
- [18:30]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yes.
- [18:31]
Ben Ferguson
And that gives us more ability to hit Them. Is your calculus changed because of this trip? What is. What is your thoughts about moving forward if they're just not willing to do it or they're so compromised they can't do it in Mexico.
- [18:47]
Senator Ted Cruz
So I will tell you, particularly with the Defense Minister, I had a very frank and candid conversation. General Travilla came in. He argued at first, at great length. He says, well, the cartels are not terrorists. We do not think they're terrorists. They're just ordinary criminals.
- [19:05]
Ben Ferguson
They do it with a straight face.
- [19:07]
Senator Ted Cruz
Oh, he did. He had a whole PowerPoint presentation. And I listened to him. I thought it was interesting that that's how he chose to begin his presentation. And he also argued, pointing to some military exercises in which Mexico had done very well and had done better than the United States, and some military exercises. And I didn't bother to argue with him on that. It's like, okay, fine. You guys are great.
- [19:36]
Ben Ferguson
From that conversation, right?
- [19:38]
Senator Ted Cruz
I'm not interested in a contest where we're measuring appendages. And this same Defense Secretary, there was a House member who previously was down there who apparently got in a screaming match with him over exactly this question of whose military is tougher. And I'm like, look, I'm not gonna invest any time and energy arguing with you. We both know the answer to that. So you can say whatever you want to save face, and that's fine. What I said to him was the following. And I said, listen, I understand that you care about your sovereignty. That's good and important, that you should care about your sovereignty. America cares deeply about our sovereignty. But I said, you need to understand these cartels, if these were just criminal organizations in Mexico, and if they were just killing Mexican nationals, that would be tragic, but it would not be our concern. They're not just killing nationals in your own country. These Mexican drug cartels are killing vast numbers of Americans. They're committing crimes in the United States. They're murdering people. They're raping people. They're dealing vast amounts of drugs. Last year, we had over 100,000 people die of drug overdoses, 70% of which was fentanyl. The impact on the United States is enormously harmful. And I said, in light of that, because we believe in our sovereignty as well, we are going to act. And I told the Defense Secretary, I also had a press conference. And I said this in the press conference. I said, I find it very hard to believe that four years will pass and the United States will not act in a serious military manner against these drug cartels. And I pointed out to both the Defense and Foreign Secretary, I said, listen, I'm not the Commander in Chief. That's not my decision to make. The ambassador, United States Ambassador from Mexico, was sitting next to me. I said, that's not his decision to make. That decision is made by President Donald Trump. And I believe sometime in the next four years, you will see strong, decisive military action against the cartels. I said, the choice you have to make is, which way do you want it to go? We would much rather it be cooperative. We'd much rather it be the American government working hand in hand with the Mexican government. That's the best way as friends and neighbors for us to do this. Sure. But if you refuse to act, I think it is extremely unlikely that Donald Trump will allow four years to go without acting militarily. And the two examples I used also, I said, listen, you can talk about sovereignty all you like, but we just a matter of weeks ago sent two B2s across the globe to deliver bunker buster bombs to obliterate Iran's nuclear weapons facilities. The United States is perfectly capable of acting and projecting force anywhere on the planet if American citizens are threatened, if it is endangering the lives of Americans, and these Mexican drug cartels are most assuredly doing that. I said, you know what? We didn't ask the Ayatollah's permission to do so. We did so because we had a strong commander in chief who was protecting the citizens of America. I said, likewise, when America went and took out Osama bin Laden, I said, in that instance, we did cooperate with the Pakistani government. We did inform them and work, work with them to take out bin Laden because bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan. But I said, I'll tell you what, I think if the Pakistani government had resisted us, I believe we would have taken out bin Laden as well, because he was a terrorist and he was a terrorist who had killed thousands of Americans. And so you've got a choice to make. I believe America is going to act and we are going to act very directly on these cartels because they have killed too many Americans for us to sit idly by. And your choice is, do you want to be our partner in doing so, or do you want to read about it in the newspaper and watch it on the 6 o' clock news?
- [23:28]
Ben Ferguson
Response. I gotta ask, what was it?
- [23:30]
Senator Ted Cruz
Finally, look, the response was the President doing a press conference. And she said, no, we will not allow the US Military into the United States. It was defiance. It was giving in to the populist stand up to America rhetoric. You know, that's fine to say in a press conference when you're feeding red meat to the masses. We'll see what she says to the Trump administration directly, and I think this is going to be an ongoing discussion for the next three and a half years. But as I said, I believe that President Trump, he's already secured the border. I think he's going to act decisively against these cartels who have been waging war on the United States of America. And during the Biden administration, not only were we not fighting back, but Joe Biden and the Democrats were actively complicit in waging that war.
- [24:23]
Ben Ferguson
I am sure if you've been listening to conservative radio and podcasts, you've heard a lot of talk about gold and silver. Now there are people that ask me all the time, who do I trust? And that is Kirk Elliot Precious Metals. You get more than gold and silver. You get trusted guidance from a team that puts people first.
- [24:41]
Senator Ted Cruz
Always.
- [24:42]
Ben Ferguson
The mission is clear. They want to help you and your family protect what matters the most with real metals, real service and real clarity. Here's what sets Kirk Elliott apart. Number one, a bullion only approach. They focus on investment grade metals. No overpriced collectibles or gimmicks. That means more precious metals for your money and fair value when it's time to sell. They also have transparent pricing. This is why I recommend them and love using them. Just 8% when you buy and zero commissions when you hidden fees ever. Many companies do that. They also give you personalized guidance. You're never just a number. There's no pressure. They give you honest answers and education that put you in control. I want you to go to kepm.comBen that's K-E-P M.comBen to schedule your personal portfolio review, ask about today's unique market window and how the current silver to gold ratio might work in your favor. Protect what matters. Visit KEP pm.com ben or call them 720-605-3900 Kirk Elliott Precious Metals Smarter metal investing starts with them this Labor Day.
- [26:02]
Podcast Advertiser
Say goodbye to spills, stains and overpriced furniture with washablesofas.com featuring Annabe the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly pricing. Sofas start at just 6. $6.99 making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Anibe's pet friendly stain Resistant and interchangeable slipcovers are made with high performance fabric built for real life. You'll love the cloud like comfort of hypoallergenic high resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time. With modular pieces you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your life. Now through Labor Day, get up to 60 60% off site wide@washablesofas.com Every order comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees, every penny back. Shop now@washablesofas.com Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
- [27:01]
Lisa Booth
This is Lisa Booth from the Truth with Lisa Booth. Who's really on your side when it comes to your health insurance companies? Pharmacies that refuse valid prescriptions? Not a chance. The truth is our health care system is broken. That's why more people are turning to all family pharmacy and independent pharmacy. That's actually on your side. The right side. They fight for your medical freedom, making it simple to get the treatments you trust without the insurance run around.
- [27:24]
Podcast Advertiser
Right now.
- [27:25]
Lisa Booth
Ivermectin and mebendazole are 25% off starting at just $2 a capsule and you can save another 10% with code USA10. Choose from over 200 medications, antibiotics, hydroxychloroquine, NAD plus methylene blue, antivirals and more, all with a doctor's prescription included and shipped straight to your door. Go to AllFamilyPharmacy.com USA and use code USA10. Again, that's AllFamilyPharmacy.comUSA and use code USA10. If you believe in medical freedom, well, this is your pharmacy. Tyler redick here from 2311 racing the rush of racing. Nothing beats it, but Chumba Casino comes close. Chumba's got fast spins, fun games, daily bonuses and all the action you can handle. Now that's a ride.
- [28:14]
Senator Ted Cruz
Ready to hit the throttle, get in.
- [28:16]
Lisa Booth
The driver's seat and head to chumbacasino.com.
- [28:19]
Senator Ted Cruz
Let'S Chumba sponsored by Chumba Casino. No purchase necessary. VGW Group voidware prohibited by law. 21 plus terms and conditions apply.
- [28:28]
Ben Ferguson
Which center brings us to part two of this conversation. Let's bring it back home. JD Pritzker is a interesting man. He's got a lot of money, he's a governor and he thinks he's succeeding at fighting crime. But getting illegal immigrant killers and rapists off our streets is quote unquote dangerous, he says. And now it is apparently anti American tie that into your trip to Mexico. I mean, you want to talk about two people that could have gotten together and had one heck of a lunch. The people you met with, with J.D. they'd be like, Kumbaya ing this stuff.
- [29:02]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, J.B. pritzker, he is a billionaire. Like many Democrat billionaires, he did not make his money. He inherited it. He inherited a vast fortune. And he's now the governor of Illinois and presiding over a state where the people are fleeing his state, where crime is out of control, where left wing policies are an absolute disaster. And it's striking. He has the same reality, denying vision. Gavin Newsom has the same thing in California where they both, you know, it reminds me of that meme of the dumpster burning in the background and saying, you know, everything's fine here. That is today's Democrats just telling you, don't believe your lying eyes. Just make sure to duck the bullets when you're in your living room. But everything other than that is great. JB Pritzer says he's succeeding at fighting violent crime in Chicago. And you're right, it is reminiscent of these Mexican government leaders who said they're handling it just fine. Look at the great progress they're making. And you look at the cartels who are murdering Mexicans with impunity and who are committing vast numbers of crime in the United States. Here, give a listen to J.B. pritzker, Governor of Illinois. What we won't do, however, is engage in what is a federal effort. That is to say they have their job, immigration, 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. But when they bring people in and don't coordinate with us, they're going to cause enormous problems. So.
- [30:33]
Ben Ferguson
Going to cause enormous problems there, Senator. I mean, if that doesn't sound like a threat, I don't know what is.
- [30:38]
Senator Ted Cruz
So Pritzker claims he is succeeding at fighting violent crime in Chicago. Chicago has had the most murders of any American city for 13 consecutive years. 13 years in a row. Chicago is number one. Chicago's murder rate is three times higher than Los Angeles. It is five times higher than New York City, it is two times higher than Islamabad, and it is 15 times higher than Delhi. And the answer to a billionaire Democrat who is surrounded by police officers at all times. So he's not worried about being mugged on the streets of Chicago. That's not a threat he's facing. He says we've got the highest murder rate in America. We're Succeeding. This is Democrat success, you know. But he goes even further. He expresses great dismay that if President Trump is successful in turning around crime in Chicago, that would be a bad thing. Listen to the second clip. So this is dangerous. They shouldn't be doing it. It's anti American, it's un American. And I would tell her to maybe check herself for what does she really believe?
- [31:49]
Ben Ferguson
Nothing says we're fighting crime like threatening the woman who's out there in Department of Homeland Security Secretary Noem, and saying, you need to check yourself. Right. And saying it's dangerous and un American and anti American to go after illegal immigrant killers and rapists.
- [32:05]
Senator Ted Cruz
It's stunning. The Democrats are becoming more and more open that if they have a conflict between a murderer and a victim, if they have a conflict between a Venezuelan gang member and an innocent American citizen, if they have a conflict between a rapist and a single mom, if they have a conflict between a violent sexual predator and your children, the Democrats will pick the criminal every single time. They're not even pretending anymore to go after those criminals. Democrat Governor Pritzker says is dangerous, anti American and un American. And I think the American people are getting fed up. You know, there was a new poll from ap, Slash NORC that found that a large majority of Americans, 68%, see crime as a major problem in large cities. And the approach of the Democrat Party is they're not going to do anything about it. In fact, the highest murder rate in the U.S. they describe as a success. And what it is, it's reminiscent of the leadership in El Salvador when they had the highest murder rate in the world. And they describe what they were doing as a success. And the only answer is new political leadership that actually says keeping our citizens safe is our number one priority. And we're going to do so. We've seen what happens when President Trump does so in the United States and the border is immediately secured. We had a 99% decrease in illegal crossings. We saw what happened with President Bukele in El Salvador, where they had a 98% drop in homicides. Ironically, we saw what happened in San Francisco, where President Xi came to San Francisco and Gavin Newsom immediately cleaned up San Francisco, removed the homeless people, took the junkies off the street, and cleaned up the human feces off the street. All of which demonstrates they know how to do so. If they could do so on Monday, they could do so on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The reason they don't, the reason the crime persists, the reason your family is threatened is because the Democrats, politically, their ideology, they think it's better to side with the criminals than it is with you. And that, I don't get that. But that's where we are. And I do think it's part of the reason we see today's Democrat Party getting more and more extreme and appealing to a smaller and smaller sliver of our society.
- [34:28]
Ben Ferguson
Final question on this. I believe now that the Democratic Party is in such shambles that they don't even know how to get out of this. There is no real leader. We're being told Obama's coming back and gonna like, quote, start mentoring people in the Democratic Party. That's how desperate they are. The same guy that's the godfather, as I described it on Laura Ingraham's show on Fox Friday night, as the godfather of this type of insanity and anarchy. He's the guy that created the AOCs of the party and gave them power. And, and so you look at the Democratic Party now. I, I don't want to be overconfident, but what I do want to say is I feel like these midterms may actually be a big opportunity for Republican candidates coming up. Usually you give up seats when you have all three branches in the midterms. There's a chance this could actually work out for conservatives, as you mentioned, because the voters are so sick and tired of the left not keeping them safe. It's not even about the economy. It's about safety.
- [35:25]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, look, I hope so, Ben. I'll confess I'm significantly more worried than you. We've got cross cutting forces for the midterms. On the positive side for Republicans, the Democrats have gotten so extreme so whack job out there that it seems like they took a list of a dozen 80, 20 issues and they said let's take the 20% side of all of them. And in some instances they've even taken 90, 10 issues and said let's appeal to the smallest sliver of America we can. Generally speaking, that is a really bad political strategy. So that augers in our favor. On the other side, we have a real enthusiasm gap. And this worries me about the midterms, which is an awful lot of Americans are really happy with the success we've seen in the first eight months of 2025, President Trump has been winning major victories. The danger is that when people are happy, when they're seeing success, they're complacent. They stay home. I'll tell you what, the left is not complacent. They are enraged. They are out raising Republicans three to one they hate Donald Trump and we saw, we just saw a special election in Iowa state Senator seat that Trump had won that district by 11 points. They just elected a Democrat state senator in that district that I believe was an enthusiasm gap, that the left is motivated by rage and hate and that means that they are definitely showing up and it's our job to make sure that the common sense majority of this country is not complacent, but realizes if we don't show up to defend what we've got, that that's how you get these whack jobs elected in the first place.
- [37:04]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, great point. It's gonna be a lot that we're gonna have to watch certainly going into the midterm elections. Don't forget we do this show on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So hit that subscribe or auto download button wherever you get your podcasts and so that you don't miss single episode. Also, in those in between days, grab my podcast, the Ben Ferguson Podcast as well. I'll keep you updated on the latest breaking news and the Senator and I will see you back here on Wednesday morning.
- [37:28]
Podcast Advertiser
This Labor Day, say goodbye to spills, stains and overpriced furniture with washablesofas.com featuring Annabe, the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly pricing. Sofas start at just $6.99, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Anibe's Pet friendly, stain resistant and interchangeable slipcovers are made with high performance fabric built for real life. You'll love the cloud like comfort of hypoallergenic high resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time with modular pieces you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your life. Now through Labor Day, get up to 60% off site wide@washablesofas.com Every order comes with a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees. Every penny back. Shop now@washablesofas.com Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply.
- [38:27]
Senator Ted Cruz
Chu Chu Chu Chu Chumba Looking for excitement?
- [38:30]
Lisa Booth
Chumba Casino is here. Play anytime.
- [38:32]
Senator Ted Cruz
Play anywhere.
- [38:33]
Lisa Booth
Play on the train. Play at the store.
- [38:35]
Senator Ted Cruz
Play at home. Play when you're bored.
- [38:36]
Lisa Booth
Play today for your chance to win.
- [38:38]
Senator Ted Cruz
And daily bonuses when you log in. So what are you waiting for? Don't delay. Chumba Casino is free to play.
- [38:44]
Podcast Advertiser
Experience social gameplay like never before. Go to Chumba Casino right now to play hundreds of games, including online slots, bingo, Slingo, and more. Live the chumba life@chumbacasino.com no purchase necessary.
- [38:55]
Josh Sherrard
VGW Group void where prohibited by law. 21 plus terms and conditions apply.
- [38:59]
Lisa Booth
This is an iHeart podcast.