Podcast Summary: "Honoring and Remembering My Tia Sonia"

Verdict with Ted Cruz
Host: Ben Ferguson, with Senator Ted Cruz, Michael Knowles, and special guest, Tia Sonia
Date: January 28, 2026

Episode Overview

In this emotionally charged and deeply personal episode, Senator Ted Cruz honors his recently deceased aunt, Tia Sonia, sharing her extraordinary life story of courage, survival, and her fight against communism in Cuba. The episode steps away from routine political analysis to focus on Sonia's firsthand account of the Cuban Revolution, her persecution under Castro, and her lifelong commitment to liberty. The conversation interweaves personal anecdotes, historical context, and a pointed critique of contemporary American attitudes toward socialism and communism.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Remembering Tia Sonia: A Life of Courage and Heart

• Personal Tribute: Senator Cruz introduces the episode by sharing the loss of his beloved aunt, Tia Sonia, describing her as “larger than life,” fiercely independent, and a fervent lover of liberty and America.
  • “My Thea Sonia was my father's younger sister. My dad... fought in the Cuban revolution... My Thea Sonia was younger... She fought in the counter revolution and she was imprisoned and tortured by Castro's thugs.” (Ted Cruz, 00:21)
• Sonia’s legacy is deeply tied to Cruz’s family and values, making her story not just one of personal loss but also one of inspiration and warning.

2. The Cuban Revolution: From Promise to Oppression

• Initial Optimism: Sonia recounts that Cubans initially welcomed Castro, believing in change and equality.
  • “A lot of people were happy because finally somebody was coming in that was praising, ‘we're going to give you a chance to change, hope…’ Everybody was going to have whatever they want to. The poor will never be poor... In reality… everybody was poor.” (Tia Sonia, 04:00)
• Indoctrination and Control: Sonia details how the regime pitted family members against each other, installed informants on every block, and closely watched citizens' every move.
  • “He trained the people to even be against the family... There is somebody that is responsible to keep an eye on you in your house.” (Tia Sonia, 05:03, 05:42)
• Loss of Liberty: Even as an American citizen, Sonia describes being treated as a Cuban and denied access to basic freedoms, like renting a boat, whenever she visited post-revolution Cuba.
  • “We can't rent boats to Cuban people.... You're Cuban, so you can do it.” (Tia Sonia, 06:55)

3. The Reality of Everyday Life Under Communism

• Economic Decline: Sonia explains how the Cuban economy collapsed:
  • “There was no difference between the poor and the rich. Everybody lost.” (Tia Sonia, 04:00)
• Healthcare Myth: She rebuffs American claims about Cuban healthcare superiority with her own experiences, including lack of medicine and basic supplies:
  • “I went to the doctor there… and they put a shot on me in front of 60 other people… There’s no transportation, there’s no gas… Doctors come to your house in a bicycle and they're hungry.” (Tia Sonia, 16:03)
• Enduring Poverty: Sonia routinely brought basic necessities to relatives, who otherwise couldn’t obtain even underwear or medicine.
  • “She leaves a suitcase. She leaves every bit of clothes she bought. She leaves her underwear and bra, everything, because nobody has underwear there.” (Ted Cruz, 15:08)

4. Indoctrination and the War on Faith

• Schools as Tools of the Regime: Sonia’s mother, a teacher, was forced to pretend to be insane rather than indoctrinate students with communist dogma.
  • “My grandmother pretended she was insane in the classroom.... She would rather have the stigma... than be a part of indoctrinating these kids.” (Ted Cruz, 10:37)
• Religion vs. Communism: Both Cruz and Sonia underscore how communism is historically antagonistic toward religion.
  • “Communism also hates God.... If you look at these communist regimes, they persecute faith.” (Ted Cruz, 22:42)
• Explicit Indoctrination Example: Cruz shares how Cuban soldiers would stage ‘miracles’ where praying to Castro “delivered” candy, supplanting God in children’s minds.
  • “They tell the children… pray to Jesus for a piece of candy... there'd be no candy. Then… pray to Fidel Castro for a piece of candy… and there was candy. This is the literacy program Bernie Sanders is praising.” (Ted Cruz, 23:59)

5. Critique of American Socialism and Political Amnesia

• The hosts are astounded that, decades after fleeing Castro, U.S. politicians like Bernie Sanders praise Cuba's regime.
  • “Bernie has spent his entire life, his entire career, praising communist dictators…but this week, his latest ode to Fidel Castro…just pissed me off.” (Ted Cruz, 03:14)
• Younger Generations and Ignorance of History: Cruz warns that history is not being taught, citing the mass deaths under Soviet and Chinese communism, unknown to many Americans.
  • “You know how many Bernie supporters know that the Soviet Union killed 20 million people, and China killed 77 million people? They don't know that.” (Ted Cruz, 19:30)
• Perils of "Glamorizing Villains": Cruz decries popular romanticizing of Che Guevara and other communist figures.
  • “If you're going to celebrate people that torture and murder, actually Che was amateur… These villains have been glamorized, and it's dangerous.” (Ted Cruz, 19:45)

6. The Psychology of Socialist Appeal

• Emotional Pull of Socialism: Sonia attributes the appeal of socialism to empty promises and people’s longing for change.
  • “They want to see something different. They want to try something new. It doesn't work, guys. It does not work.” (Tia Sonia, 18:35)
• Lack of Work Ethic: Cuban socialism destroyed incentives—everyone earned the same, so “nobody wants to work.”
  • “Why do they want to work? They're going to make the same money... Why do I want to do that?” (Tia Sonia, 25:00)

7. Personal Legacy and Closing Reflections

• Legacy of Freedom: Cruz ends with a poignant recollection of saying goodbye to Sonia, assuring her that “Cuba is next” to be liberated, eliciting her final smile.
  • “I told her that we got Maduro and I told her Cuba is next... and even kind of coming in and out of consciousness, she smiled the biggest smile…” (Ted Cruz, 31:20)
• Warning for America: Both Cruz and Sonia express concern for America’s future should it abandon its founding ideals.
  • “God help the direction this country goes if that happens.” (Ted Cruz, 30:49)
  • “There’s no place to go.” (Tia Sonia, 30:58) – On what happens if America falls to socialism.

Notable Quotes by Timestamps

• On the reality of communism:
  • “Everybody was miserable. What Bernie is saying is bunch of garbage.” – Tia Sonia [04:42]
• On indoctrination and surveillance:
  • “There is somebody that is responsible to keep an eye on you in your house.” – Tia Sonia [05:42]
• On healthcare under Castro:
  • “Doctors come to your house in a bicycle and they're hungry, they're hungry when they get there.” – Tia Sonia [16:03]
• On the enduring power of ideology:
  • “They really blind them to believe what they were saying. But they immediately took the blind off and saying, everybody's in the same boat. We're all hungry.” – Tia Sonia [25:16]
• On working for your dreams:
  • “You need to work and try to achieve your dream by hard work and by doing what you want. To get ahead.” – Tia Sonia [18:35]
• On her mother's stand against indoctrination:
  • “You have to play crazy in order to get out of that situation.” – Tia Sonia [11:39]
• On the personal pain of witnessing Cuba’s suffering:
  • “The biggest, it was seeing the people suffering for not being able to even get food to put on the plate…not being able to work. Because why do you want to work…?” – Tia Sonia [27:56]
• On the American dream as a last refuge:
  • “There’s no place to go.” – Tia Sonia [30:58]

Important Timestamps

• Family tribute and introduction: [00:21]
• Life under Castro: indoctrination and repression: [04:00] – [07:32]
• Healthcare and poverty in Cuba: [16:03] – [16:42]
• American political amnesia: [19:30] – [22:55]
• State indoctrination in schools: [23:59] – [24:47]
• Final reflections on socialism’s dangers: [27:29] – [31:02]
• Personal farewell from Cruz: [31:20]

Conclusion

This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz departs from politics as usual to deliver a moving oral history of survival, resistance, and hard-won values. Through Tia Sonia’s voice and memories, listeners receive a sobering reminder of the brutal realities of communism and the enduring importance of liberty. Cruz and his guests use these stories both to honor Sonia’s legacy and to issue a serious warning about the seductive dangers of socialism in contemporary political discourse.

The tone oscillates between intimate family remembrance and urgent public caution, culminating in an emotional farewell that positions Sonia’s life as both a warning and a beacon for those who cherish freedom.