BONUS POD: WH Declares Victory on Affordability Crisis w AI, Tech, and American Industry Boom

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: Verdict with Ted Cruz

Episode: BONUS POD: WH Declares Victory on Affordability Crisis w/ AI, Tech, and American Industry Boom
Date: November 21, 2025
Hosts: Ben Ferguson, Senator Ted Cruz
Main Theme: The episode analyzes the White House’s claim of victory over the affordability crisis, highlighting the Trump administration's economic policies, job growth, AI and tech sector investments, and the media’s response to shifting economic realities.

---

Overview

This episode dives deep into the economic headlines of the day, focusing on the Trump administration’s efforts and declared successes in addressing the so-called affordability crisis. Ben Ferguson covers recent economic data, including job growth, wage increases, and a surge in private and foreign investment—paying particular attention to American industry, manufacturing, and technological innovation in the AI sector. The episode is framed as a response to the Biden era’s economic “failures” and counters what the hosts view as misleading mainstream media narratives.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Economic Data and Job Growth

• Strong Jobs Report

  • September saw the addition of 119,000 new jobs, more than double the expert predictions of 50,000.
  • Construction jobs saw a particularly large uptick (+19,000), the biggest monthly gain in a year.
  • Private sector and native-born Americans are the main beneficiaries of these new jobs—a change from the prior administration.

  Quote:

  “These gains came after the summer passage of President Trump's historic tax cuts and multiple big trade deals...Nearly all of this solid monthly job growth came from the private sector and went to Americans rather than foreign born workers, the opposite of what we saw under the previous administration.”
  — White House Press Secretary, 08:46

• Wages Outpacing Inflation

  • Over the year, wages rose 3.8% for American workers.
  • Real wages are expected to increase by about $1,200 for the average worker this year.

  Quote:

  “Wages continue to way outpace inflation. If you go back to the three years of the Biden administration, the average American worker actually lost about $3,000 of take home pay. In the first 10 months of the Trump economy, we’ve increased take-home pay by about $1,200 adjusting for inflation.”
  — Economic Analyst, 11:01

• Contrast with Previous Administration

  • Under Biden, inflation “skyrocketed to 9%,” resulting in a $3,000 reduction in private sector workers’ take-home pay.

  Quote:

  “This is a complete reversal of the failed Biden era when we saw inflation skyrocket…causing workers to see their wages decline by $3,000.”
  — White House Press Secretary, 08:46

2. The Media Narrative vs. Economic Reality

• Hosts argue that mainstream media is ignoring the positive economic indicators, instead continuing to claim “Trump’s economy is a disaster.”

• Ben Ferguson frames the economic turnaround as the “Trump effect,” arguing that, contrary to the media, things are improving significantly.

  Quote:

  “If the economy is in such bad shape, how is it that wages are going up like this now? There’s no doubt…a lot of the money we’re making now is going to goods and services that are high price.”
  — Ben Ferguson, 08:36

3. Job Creation and Immigration

• Emphasis on American jobs going primarily to native-born citizens.
• Repeated claims that under Biden, most new jobs went to foreign-born and even illegal immigrants.
• Republican Senator Bernie Marino is cited, arguing Biden’s policies “cannot be undone” and urging GOP urgency over the border and job market.

4. Investment & Industry Boom: AI & Tech Focus

• Trump administration’s America First policies welcomed a historic influx of both U.S. and foreign investments into key sectors:

  • Manufacturing
  • AI infrastructure
  • Technology and supercomputing
  • Industry and energy

• Over $9 trillion in investments cited, with specific calls out to individual sources:

  • UAE: $1.4T (manufacturing, tech, aerospace)
  • Qatar: $1.2T (manufacturing, tech)
  • Japan: $1T (auto, US steel)
  • Apple: $600B (tech, manufacturing)
  • EU/Saudi Arabia: $600B–$1T
  • Nvidia, SoftBank, OpenAI, Oracle: $500B+ (AI infrastructure)
  • South Korea, India, Micron, IBM, Pfizer, Google, and others all making massive pledges.

  Quote:

  “What the media should be calling this is the Trump effect…America first economic policies have sparked trillions of dollars in new investments in US manufacturing, technology and infrastructure…you need to invest in America.”
  — Ben Ferguson, 14:20

• The President’s requirements for real domestic investment—“you can’t just export or import, you must be a real player in this country”—are credited for this surge.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Economic Progress:

  “President Trump is making significant progress to fix this and he will not stop working until he solves it. As the President recently stated, he is never satisfied.”
  — White House Press Secretary, 09:56

• On Native vs. Foreign-Born Job Gains:

  “…almost all of the net job creation in the United States under the Biden administration went to foreign-born workers. Of course, some of those people are illegal immigrants…that meant a lot…was actually going to illegal aliens…”
  — Economic Analyst referencing JD Vance and Bernie Marino, 12:10

• On AI and Industry Investment:

  “SoftBank, open AI and Oracle, 500 billion all AI infrastructure projects. Nvidia! A half a trillion dollars into AI infrastructure and supercomputers.”
  — Ben Ferguson, 15:11

---

Important Timestamps

• 03:37–08:46 — Ben Ferguson’s overview of the “massive job growth” story and introduction to economic context.
• 08:46–10:17 — White House press secretary’s official statement recapping jobs report, wage data, and inflation.
• 10:44–11:42 — Vice President JD Vance & economic analyst break down the jobs numbers and wage growth in context.
• 13:00–15:40 — Deep dive into U.S. and foreign investment in American industry, technology, and AI, detailing company- and country-specific investments.
• 15:41–16:46 — Ben Ferguson’s summary and final framing of the episode’s economic message.

---

Tone and Style

The episode is energetic, pointed, and heavily partisan, with a persistent us-versus-them narrative contrasting Trump administration “victories” with the failures ascribed to the Biden era. The hosts use stats, named investments, and rhetorical flourishes to build their case, while repeatedly dismissing “media lies” and highlighting urgency for continued conservative economic reform.

---

Conclusion

This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz offers an assertive, data-packed defense of Trump’s recent economic record, touting unexpected job growth, rising wages, and a surge of both domestic and foreign investment—especially in AI, technology, and industry. The conversation’s guiding thesis: the “Trump effect” is real, the U.S. economy is on the upswing, and Americans should disregard negative media portrayals of the current economic landscape.

---

Transcript

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Hey Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday because right now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means a half day. Yeah, give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront.

[Commercial Voice]

Payment of $45 for three month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first three months only. Speed flow advert 35 gigabytes of networks busy taxes and fees extra. Siemen mobile.com tired of spills and stains on your sofa? Wash away your worries with Anabe Anibe is the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly prices. That's right, sofas start at just $699. Enjoy a no risk experience with pet friendly stain resistant and changeable slip covers made with performance fabric. Experience cloud like comfort with high resilience foam that's hypoallergenic and never needs fluffing. The sturdy steel frame ensures longevity and the modular pieces can be rearranged anytime. Shop washablesofas.com for early Black Friday savings up to 60% off site wide backed by a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not absolutely in love, send it back for a full refund. No return, shipping or restocking fees. Every penny back Upgrade [e-mail] Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may.

[Podcast Host]

Apply this holiday season. Give the gift. Everyone will gather around a Vizio Smart TV now available at Walmart. From a super sized 100 inch TV to QLED TVs of all sizes, Vizio delivers breathtaking color and crystal clear picture quality that takes entertainment to the next level. Plus with Watch Free plus built in, they can enjoy free live and on demand TV right out of the box. Have a music lover on your list. They can stream their favorite music on the iHeartRadio app ready to go on every Vizio TV. The perfect gift is waiting. Head to Walmart.com and discover Vizio TVs today.

[SpinQuest Advertiser]

Spin Quest Social Casino It's Thanksgiving time. The turkey's hot and the family's loud. Instead of football, play a different game on your phone. Live dealer Blackjack, craps and slots. Play anytime, anywhere. Spinquest.com this Thanksgiving, gobble up a $30 coin pack for just $10. Come play today.

[Rodney Williams]

Spinquest is a free to play social casino void where prohibited.

[Ben Ferguson]

Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[Rodney Williams]

Travis I'm Rodney Williams. And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the Wealth Break podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone.

[Podcast Host]

I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have to revisit that.

[Rodney Williams]

And we're not stopping at success stories.

[Commercial Voice]

What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?

[Rodney Williams]

Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartRadio app.

[White House Press Secretary / Narrator]

It speaks volumes that tomorrow we have a communist coming to the White House because that's who the Democrat Party elected as the mayor of the largest city in the country. I think it's very telling, but I also think it speaks to the fact that President Trump is willing to meet with anyone and talk to anyone and to try to do what's right on behalf of the American people, whether they live in blue states or red states.

[Rodney Williams]

You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.

[Ben Ferguson]

Good Friday morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. And we've got one big story for you, and it deals with the economy, massive job growth that was unexpected by the experts and the media completely silent on it. This is they're also trying to claim that Donald Trump's economy is a disaster. Well, the numbers don't back that up at all. And I'm going to give you all of what the president had to say at the White House on this as well in just a moment. But first, I want to tell you about incredible operations opportunity from Hillsdale College. It's not going to cost you a single dime to take some of the greatest courses about this country. There's so much confusion in the world today, and it can be hard to find clarity and truth. And that is where the new Hillsdale College miniseries on colonial America offers a powerful reminder that the first Americans were searching for the same things they believe that faith and reason revealed God's design for the world, and the understanding became the foundation of their courage and freedom. It's a stirring look at the ideas that still hold us together today. And the new Hillsdale College miniseries on colonial America offers a fresh way to think about Thanksgiving, beyond the food and the political debates. It reminds us what we should truly be thankful for, our freedom, our prosperity and our faith. The first Americans built all of that from nothing. And their story is told here with unmatched depth and inspiration. So I want you to Go right now to Hillsdale Edu morningupdate to enroll. There's no cost and it's easy to get started. That's Hillsdale Edu morningupdate to enroll for free and get this incredible class. There's also more than 40 other free online courses that we're offering you right now. Courses on CS Lewis, the stories in the Book of Genesis, the rise and fall of the Roman Republic, and you can even go deeper on American founding and the Constitution, all for free. Go to Hillsdale Edu morningupdate to enroll for free right now. That's Hillsdale EDU MorningUpdate. It is the 47 Morning Update and it starts right now. There's an old saying in politics, it's the economy, stupid. It's an important one because if Americans feel like the economy is not going the right direction, they almost always blame whoever is in charge of the country, the President of the United States of America. Well, there are a lot of Americans right now that are not happy where pricing is and where the economy is. It's part of the reason why President Donald Trump was elected president. But Democrats are seizing this moment to now say that Donald Trump's economy is a disaster. The Trump White House, they're fighting back and working to fix what they describe as the affordability crisis and proving that they're making significant progress in this area after Americans suffered under Bidenflation for years. The White House press secretary, Caroline Levitt, pointing out during Thursday's press briefing just how bad things were, saying, quote, these gains came after the summer passage of President Trump's historic tax cuts and multiple big trade deals with countries around the world. In particular, construction jobs have surged by 19,000 in September, the largest monthly gain in a year. She also pointed out that most of this growth came from private sector and native born citizens are getting these jobs rather than foreign born workers. This, Levitt pointed out, is the opposite of what we saw under the Biden administration. She also reminded Americans of this, that inflation also remains under control and wages are up 3.8% over the year for American workers because of President Trump's pro growth policies. In fact, real wages are at a pace to increase roughly $1,200 for the average worker this year alone under President Donald Trump. Now, if the economy is in such bad shape, how is it that wages are going up like this now? There's no doubt that a lot of the money we're making now is going to goods and services that are high price. The president also working on that saying, quote, what we're doing. This is a complete reversal when we saw inflation skyrocket to 9% causing private sector workers to see their wages decline by approximately $3,000. While Americans are still suffering the consequences of the four years of economic disaster of the Biden administration, the White House press secretary said Donald Trump is making significant progress to fix this and he will not stop working until he solves it. As the President recently stated, he is never satisfied.

[White House Press Secretary / Narrator]

In economic news, the September jobs report showed the American economy remains strong with 119,000 new jobs added, more than double expectations. These gains came after the summer passage of President Trump's historic tax cuts and multiple big trade deals with countries around the world. In particular, construction jobs surged by 19,000 in September, the largest monthly gain in a year. Nearly all of this solid monthly job growth came from the private sector and went to Americans rather than foreign born workers, the opposite of what we saw under the previous administration. Inflation also remains under control and wages are up by 3.8% over the year for American workers because of President Trump's pro growth policies. In fact, real wages are on pace to increase roughly $1,200 for the average worker this year under President Trump. This is a complete reversal of the failed Biden era when we saw inflation skyrocket to 9% causing private sector workers to see their wages decline by approximately $3,000. We know that Americans are still hurting from the four decade high inflation caused by Joe Biden and the Democrats, but President Trump is making significant progress to fix this and he will not stop working until he solves it. As the President recently stated, he is never satisfied.

[Ben Ferguson]

The White House press secretary wasn't the only one talking about the positives in the economy. Vice President J.D. vance also pointing to the economic realities of yes, things are bad in some categories because of what happened over the last four years. But the Biden administration didn't ruin America and Donald Trump is fixing it as fast as he possibly can. Here's what the Vice President had to say in a Breitbart news event on Thursday.

[Rodney Williams]

Vice President the big news this morning is new jobs numbers blew away expectations huge from the September numbers. So these were delayed because of the government shutdown. More than double 119,000 new jobs. And then also there's some interesting stuff in the wage number wages numbers there as well that shows wages on the rise. Your thoughts on the jobs numbers.

[Economic Analyst]

Okay, so a huge jobs report and I assume the market is going crazy right now, probably just opened because what this shows is that the Trump economic policies are actually working and you've got 119,000 new jobs. Economists thought that we would have about 50,000 new jobs, but that's actually just the headline number. If you look below the surface, I think the numbers are actually better. So number one, wages continue to weigh outpace inflation. If you go back to the three years of the Biden administration, the average American worker actually lost about $3,000 of take home pay in the first 10 months of the Trump economy. We've increased take home pay by about $1,200 adjusting for inflation. So that's a huge, huge thing and this jobs report confirms that.

[Ben Ferguson]

So if you go back to the lie being told by the media that things are terrible, they weren't freaking out when that workers lost about $3,000 of take home pay under the Biden administration in the first 10 months of the Trump economy, you've got wage increases, a take home pay of about $1,200. That is a massive $4,200 swing now. He also highlighted the private sectors driving this economy growth and the jobs are going to native born citizens rather than foreign workers. It's a drastic change from the reality under the Biden administration. And what happened under the Biden administration is to the extent that there was any job growth at all, if you look at the data, J.D. vance said almost all of the net job creation in the United States under the Biden administration went to foreign born workers. Now of course, some of those people are illegal immigrants in the United States of America, he continued. But that meant a lot of the job creation was actually going to illegal aliens who shouldn't have been in our country. Senator Bernie Marino, Republican from Ohio, also pointed out the fact that the influx of foreign workers imported by the Biden administration really hurt American workers. And Americans are remember the damage that was inflicted upon the country under the Biden administration and it cannot be undone what they did to this country in a matter of months, surging this country with up to 20 million illegal immigrants. He also urged Republicans to respond with urgency, saying these realities coincide with the Trump administration celebrating the strides made in the affordability crisis since Donald Trump took office in January. That includes falling gas prices, which reach record highs under Joe Biden, as well as dipping mortgage rates, falling inflation and boosts in take home pay. Those victories do not even include what the Trump administration has achieved through trade deals and historic investments secured by the President, all of which the President has been talking about as steps in the right direction. What the media should be calling this is the Trump effect. Since President Donald Trump returned to office. Its very clear that his America first economic policies have sparked trillions of dollars in new investments in US manufacturing, technology and infrastructure. Total US and foreign investment is now at $9 trillion. Where is the money coming from? The UAE putting in foreign investments of 1.4 trillion into manufacturing and industry, technology, aerospace as well. Qatar putting 1.2 trillion into America again in manufacturing and industry sector with technology and manufacturing being the main point. Japan 1 trillion into auto plants and U S steel. Apple 600 billion into technology and manufacturing as well. EU firms putting in general investment of 600 billion. Saudi Arabia putting in 600 billion and now saying it's going to go to $1 trillion again in technology and manufacturing. SoftBank, open AI and Oracle 500 billion all AI infrastructure projects. Nvidia A half a trillion dollars into AI infrastructure and supercomputers. India investing a half a billion in mutual trade expansion. South Korea 450 billion U.S. energy products. Micron 200 billion semiconductor manufacturing and research and development. IBM 150 billion of growth and manufacturing operations in the U.S. pfizer 70 billion into research, development and capital projects and Google 68 billion for AI infrastructure, electrician grants, hydropower facilities just to name a few. There are countless investments I could go on and on with. Johnson Johnson, AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, Amazon, Hyundai, Eli Lilly. The list is long. But what did the President do here? He made it clear if you want to do business in America, you need to invest in America. You can't just export or import. You must be a real player in this country. And that is exactly why the President has made it possible through his leadership, for the US to see a surge of private and foreign investments that are fueling job growth, innovation and opportunity across every corner of the country. So yet again, the President making good on a promise. Even though the media is trying to tell you that everything's terrible in America and the reality is we're moving in the right direction.

[Rodney Williams]

Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.

[Ryan Reynolds]

Hey, Ryan Reynolds here wishing you a very happy half off holiday because right now Mint Mobile is offering you the gift of 50% off unlimited. To be clear, that's half price, not half the service. Mint is still premium unlimited wireless for a great price. So that means a half day. Yeah, give it a [e-mail] Switch upfront.

[Commercial Voice]

Payment of $45 for 3 month plan equivalent to $15 per month required new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speed slow after 35 gigabytes of network's busy taxes and fees extra see mint mobile.com I use Shipt Same Day delivery to stay connected with my sister during the holidays.

[Podcast Host]

She lives across the country.

[Commercial Voice]

Shipt has tons of stores to order from. Groceries from Albertsons, crafts from Michaels, even pet supplies from petsmart. The list goes on. So when we have long distance movie nights, I turn to Shipt to get face masks, snacks and everything else we need delivered to her and to me same day. Download the app or visit Shipt.com that's.

[Podcast Host]

S-H I-P-T.com this holiday season Give the Gift Everyone will gather around a Vizio Smart TV now available at Walmart. From a super sized 1 inch TV to QLED TVs of all sizes, Vizio delivers breathtaking color and crystal clear picture quality that takes entertainment to the next level. Plus with Watch Free plus built in they can enjoy free live and on demand TV right out of the box. Have a music lover on your list. They can stream their favorite music on the iHeartRadio app ready to go on every Vizio TV. The perfect gift is waiting. Head to Walmart.com and discover Vizio TVs today.

[SpinQuest Advertiser]

Spinquest Social Casino it's Thanksgiving time. The turkey's hot and the family's loud. Instead of football, play a different game on your phone. Live dealer Blackjack, crafts and slots. Play anytime, anywhere. Spinquest.com this Thanksgiving, gobble up a $30 coin pack for just $10. Come play.

[Ben Ferguson]

Today Spinquest is a free to play.

[Rodney Williams]

Social casino void where prohibited.

[Ben Ferguson]

Visit spinquest.com for more details.

[Rodney Williams]

I'm Rodney Williams. And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealthbreak podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone.

[Podcast Host]

I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have.

[Rodney Williams]

To revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.

[Commercial Voice]

What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?

[Rodney Williams]

Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartradio app.

[Podcast Host]

This is an iHeart podcast.