The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – “Trump Takes Out Venezuelan Narcoterrorists in Decisive Military Attack, Stopping DC Crime & Trump is ALIVE!”

Date: September 4, 2025
Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts – Verdict with Ted Cruz (Guest episode)

Episode Overview

This episode features Senator Ted Cruz alongside co-host Ben Ferguson, delivering an analysis and commentary on three major recent developments:

1. President Donald Trump’s military strike against Venezuelan narcoterrorists.
2. Ted Cruz’s legislative efforts to address soaring crime in Washington, D.C. through the “Clean DC Act.”
3. The bizarre and morbid media/social media frenzy falsely claiming President Trump was dead—and the broader implications for political discourse.

Their tone is energetic, combative, and consistently critical of Democratic leaders and “the media,” mixing policy discussion with stories and humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Military Strike Against Venezuelan Narcoterrorists

Summary

• President Trump ordered a U.S. military strike that destroyed a Venezuelan drug boat, resulting in the deaths of 11 suspected Trenda Aragua gang members.
• The move was presented as both a deterrent and a message to narco-terrorists and complicit governments.
• Cruz tied this strike to his recent diplomatic trip to Mexico, reinforcing his view that decisive U.S. action is unavoidable unless partners at the southern border cooperate.

Segment Highlights

• Immediate Impact:
  “It is a bad time to be a narco terrorist. It is a bad time to be an enemy of America… President Trump took out a boat off the waters of Venezuela… We’re going to break that down.”
  – Ted Cruz (03:35)

• Message to Allies and Enemies:
  Cruz relays his stern warning to Mexican officials: “I told them, listen, we would much rather work with you… But…if these were just local thugs… it wouldn’t be our problem. But these Mexican cartels are murdering Americans, and so the commander in chief has an obligation to act against them.”
  (08:00)

• Trump’s Statement and Viral Video:
  Reading from Trump’s statement and Fox News reporting, Cruz highlights Trump’s warning:

  “No U.S. forces were harmed in the strike. Please let this serve as a notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America—beware.”
  – Ted Cruz quoting Trump (09:40)

• Psychological Warfare:
  Ferguson analyzes the surprise nature of the attack: “This boat had no idea… it just got blown up. The psychological message… is you don’t know when you’re going to die, but we know where you are… That is a powerful message.”
  (12:46)

• Deterrence Through Uncertainty:
  Cruz compares the approach to anti-terror operations against Iran and Hezbollah: “It reminds me of… the IRGC… they didn’t know what hit them… The interim effect of knowing any moment could be your last… any second, it could come from a drone strike.”
  (13:27 – 15:41)

• Message to Venezuela’s Maduro and Mexican Leaders:
  “…Maduro, you’ve got to feel really nervous right now that there is some ambitious general… who says, you know what, $50 million sounds pretty good…”
  – Ted Cruz (15:58)

  Cruz recounts how Mexican officials, including President Sheinbaum, rejected U.S. offers of joint action; he presents a stark choice for them: cooperate, or watch unilateral American strikes continue.

• Notable Quote:
  “For Maduro… there’s a $50 million bounty. If you’re Maduro, you gotta be incredibly nervous… The cartels, if the Mexican cartel leaders have to understand, they are next.”
  – Ted Cruz (17:00)

2. “Non-Interventionist Hawk” and Trump’s Foreign Policy

Summary

• Cruz differentiates Trump-style “America First” foreign policy from both interventionist and isolationist extremes:
  “I have long considered myself a non-interventionist hawk. I think Donald Trump is as well.”
  (25:30)
• Direct military actions are justified against non-state actors (terrorists, cartels), without launching occupations or invasions.

Key Points

• Emphasizes Trump’s record: eliminating ISIS, Soleimani, Al-Baghdadi, and now cartels, all without “endless wars.”
• Contrasts with Biden’s perceived weakness, which he blames for emboldening adversaries globally.

Notable Quotes

• “The way you avoid war is being strong enough that nobody in their right mind wants to mess with you.”
  – Ted Cruz (28:10)
• “Taking out the terrorists—it’s a step in the right direction.”
  – Ted Cruz (28:55)

3. Stopping D.C. Crime: The Clean DC Act

Summary

• Cruz introduces new legislation (the Clean DC Act) aimed at repealing a 2022 D.C. law that reduced sentences for violent crimes.
• He attributes surging crime (murder, carjacking rates) in Washington, D.C., directly to these leniency policies and links local “weakness” to increased lawlessness.

Data & Stories

• “D.C. murder rate is 27 homicides per 100,000 residents each year. That’s higher than Bogota, Colombia.”
  – Ted Cruz (34:15)
• Personal anecdote: Cruz’s briefcase was stolen from his truck in D.C.
• Cruz recounts violent attacks on Hill staff and elected officials, arguing no one is safe.

Policy Argument

• Strength through deterrence: stiffer penalties reduce crime.
• Slam on Democrats for resisting such policies: “Every member of Congress…needs to decide, okay, where do you stand? Do you stand with the violent criminals? Do you stand with the citizens of America?”
  – Ted Cruz (37:10)

Notable Quotes

• “When you react with weakness, domestically, you get more and more crime…”
  – Ted Cruz (34:03)
• “…an awful lot of Democrats are going to vote with criminals.”
  – Ted Cruz (38:00)

4. “Trump is ALIVE!” – Media Hysteria & Political Divides

Summary

• Cruz and Ferguson lampoon the recent social media rumor mill, driven by some on the left, that Trump had died due to his brief absence from public view.
• They argue that such morbid wishes signal a loss of civility and basic decency among political opponents.

Segment Highlights

• Andrew Yang quoted as saying he’d be “pumped to have a President whose physical vitality or mental fitness was an ongoing issue or concern” (38:31).

• Trump’s calm response, noting his activities over the weekend and contrasting coverage with Biden’s:

  “I did numerous news conferences… and then I didn’t do any for two days. And they said there must be something wrong with him. Biden wouldn’t do them for months… and nobody ever said… anything wrong with him.”
  – Donald Trump (40:00–41:00)

• Cruz’s outrage at the openly gleeful expectation (e.g., MN Gov. Tim Walz):
  “What the hell is wrong with these people where they say they wake up every day hoping—please, please, please—let me see that he is dead.”
  – Ted Cruz (43:15)

• Cruz reflects on bipartisan respect for the office of President, reminiscing about standing ovations at State of the Union addresses, and laments the breakdown in such norms.

Memorable Moments

• Ferguson jokes: “You talked to him while he was dead but alive?” – “Oh, yeah. And oddly enough, I didn’t have a Ouija board, I didn’t have to do a seance.” (41:57–41:59)
• “This president… the man has enormous energy… more velocity and volume and action [than] any administration in our lifetime.”
  – Ted Cruz (41:28)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 03:35 – Opening, Trump’s military strike against Venezuelan drug boat, initial reactions
• 08:00 – 11:36 – Cruz’s warnings to Mexico, details of the military operation, and its broader message
• 12:46 – 15:41 – Analysis of deterrence, “interorum” effect, psychological warfare
• 15:58 – Implications for Venezuela’s Maduro and Mexican leaders
• 21:50 – Trump describes the Venezuela operation
• 25:30 – 29:06 – Cruz on “non-interventionist hawk” doctrine, America First, deterring war through strength
• 34:02 – 38:00 – DC crime surge and the Clean DC Act discussed
• 38:31 – 44:51 – Trump death rumors, media responses, breakdown of bipartisan respect

Notable Quotes (with Attribution & Timestamps)

• “It is a bad time to be a narco terrorist. It is a bad time to be an enemy of America.”
  – Ted Cruz (03:35)
• “No U.S. forces were harmed in the strike. Please let this serve as a notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America—BEWARE.”
  – Trump, quoted by Cruz (09:40)
• “The psychological message… is you don’t know when you’re going to die, but we know where you are.”
  – Ben Ferguson (12:46)
• “The way you avoid war is being strong enough that nobody in their right mind wants to mess with you.”
  – Ted Cruz (28:10)
• “D.C. murder rate is 27 homicides per 100,000 residents each year. That’s higher than Bogota, Colombia.”
  – Ted Cruz (34:15)
• “What the hell is wrong with these people where they say they wake up every day hoping—please, please, please—let me see that he is dead.”
  – Ted Cruz (43:15)
• “You talked to him while he was dead but alive?”
  – Ben Ferguson (41:57)

Overall Tone & Takeaways

• The conversation, while highly partisan, is energetic and unapologetic in its advocacy for strength and deterrence, both internationally and domestically.
• The hosts paint Trump as a decisive, energetic leader and contrast this image with harsh criticism of Joe Biden and Democrats.
• Repeated themes include: deterrence through force, disdain for “weakness,” outrage at crime and lawlessness, and the lament over declining civility and political norms.
• The episode’s key moments—dissecting the narco-terrorist strike, launching the “Clean DC Act,” and mocking Trump death rumors—serve as vehicles for a consistent messaging strategy: strong leadership and a combative stance against the left.