← Verdict with Ted Cruz
Verdict with Ted Cruz
Inside the Room with the Heroic Soldiers Wounded in the Maduro Raid & with Venezuelan Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado
00:34:27
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- [00:00]
Senator Ted Cruz
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:02]
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Guaranteed Human support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It's IT screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors, llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available@public.com disclosures not everyone can.
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Ben Ferguson
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- [02:15]
Ben Ferguson
Welcome it is Vertical Center Ted Cruz Ben Ferguson with you. It's nice to have you with us, especially if you're listening on the radio around the country. And a reminder, this show we also do as a podcast three days a week. So make sure for free you download Verdict with Ted Cruz wherever you get your podcast centers. We've got a big show for people today, including a really special day for you. You got to spend with some amazing heroes who are recovering in the hospital after they went in in an incredible raid in Venezuela.
- [02:45]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, Ben, we're living in incredibly consequential times. The entire world is changing before our eyes. I started this week by having the chance to visit the three soldiers who were wounded arresting Maduro. And I got a chance to visit with each of them. I'm going to share to you exactly what they had to say from there. I also this week sat down with Maria Carina Machado, the opposition leader in Venezuela. She came to Washington. She met with President Trump at the White House. She met with me and several other senators. I'm gonna bring you inside that meeting, tell you what she had to say. Beyond that, I joined Secretary Pete Hegseth going to the F35 plant in Fort Worth, Texas, an incredible, in an incredible so cool support of our, our military strength. And then from there, we both went down to Brownsville, Texas, to SpaceX, to, to Starbase with Elon Musk and, and, and tour the facilities there. We're going to bring you inside all of that on today's verdict.
- [03:45]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah, it really is cool. I also want to talk to you about an amazing organization that I want you to know about called Compassion International.
- [03:53]
Compassion International Announcer
Right now, somewhere in the world, a kid you've never met is writing you a letter. They're telling you about their day, their dreams, the goal they scored, the test they passed, the new friend they made at school. Maybe they're drawing you even a picture. Maybe they've asked you about your family, your favorite color, what makes you laugh. They're wondering who you are, this person who cares enough to be part of their story. And you, you're not just sending money. You're writing back. You're showing up month after month, letter after letter. You're celebrating their victories, encouraging them through challenges and reminding them that they truly matter. Now, this isn't a transaction. It's an incredible relationship that spans continents and changes everything for both of you. That is where Compassion International connects you directly with one child. Real letters, real relationships and real change. Because poverty isn't solved with donations alone. It's solved by showing up. Impact the world one child at a time. And learn how@compassion.com that's compassion.com all right.
- [05:07]
Ben Ferguson
Center so let's get back to this. Just incredible meeting the heroes and the bravery, especially the stories that we've been told going in after Maduro. And, and look, the guy lived on a military base. He had these fighters that were supposed to be protecting him from Cuba. Seeing that what we had compared to what they had on the ground and the way that we came out without losing a single American life is just unbelievable. There were those, the soldiers, however, that were injured and shot, and you got to meet them as they're recovering. The hospital in San Antonio talk about this. Their story, what did they have to say? What was their perspective?
- [05:46]
Senator Ted Cruz
So we had three of our soldiers who were wounded during the raid and they're all at the hospital in San Antonio. They're being treated. The good news is that they're all in good condition. None are in life threatening condition. Now, they were in good spirits. We had the opportunity to visit with each of the three of them, with each of their wives as well. They were there with their wives. And I will tell you that the first one we met with was a soldier who was in charge of helping plan the entire raid. He was leading one of the helicopters and he had been shot in the leg. And he continued, even in the midst of being shot in the leg, continued. He did not step back from the fight. And he was critical in terms of his location, making sure, protecting his fellow soldiers. You know, I got to tell you, he was in great spirits. His wife was incredibly proud of him. And with all three of the soldiers, I took an opportunity to tell them, I said, look, you were part of history. You were part of history in a way without exaggeration, that changed the entire Western hemisphere. What you did was profoundly important. And I also told them, I took the chance on behalf of Texans and Americans, just to say thank you. Thank you for your bravery. Thank you for your heroism. They went into a situation where they were vastly outnumbered and the Cuban military that were guarding Maduro opened fire. And it is amazing, it is an incredible testament to the precision and effectiveness of our military that not a single soldier on the American side was killed. There was a very large number of Cuban forces defending Maduro who were, who were killed in that firefight and just taking the chance to thank them. And then the first soldier who had been shot in the leg, I was there with Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense. And Pete said, you know, if there's anything you need, let me know. And he said, well, actually there is something you could do. And Pete said, what? And he said, I'd really like the bullet, the bullet that went into his leg. And the hospital had it. And the medical director at the hospital, he said, well, we have the bullet, but we're not allowed to give it over unless we give a waiver. And Pete, to his credit, said, the waiver is granted. You can have the bullet. And that soldier was beaming. He was thrilled to have the bullet. And actually, the second soldier we met, he had been shot, but he'd also been cut by a piece of shrapnel. He had a cut that ran the whole length of his arm, and he had the exact same request. He said, I'd really like the shrapnel. So they had the piece of metal that had cut his arm open. And again, the hospital said, we have it, but we're not allowed to give it to him without the waiver. And again, Pete said, we're granting the waiver. You can have it. So both of those. I assume that they're going to frame it or otherwise keep it as just a memento to the injury. The Purple Heart that they earned fighting for their country, but also being a part of profoundly impacting history.
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Ben Ferguson
You mentioned their wives were there. And I don't know if you can tell us, but age range, 20s, 30s. How old are these guys?
- [09:14]
Senator Ted Cruz
One of the soldiers, the first soldier who helped plan the raid was a little bit older. The other two were young guys, and they were. They were young guys, and they. They were not someone, like, if you saw them walking down the street, you wouldn't do a double take. The first guy kind of looked a little like Captain America. He was a little. Yeah, but. But the. The other two, look, they were fit. They were in good shape, But. But the. The skill that, you know, they have, the heroism, you know, they have. If you just saw them on the street, you. You wouldn't immediately know that. And. And their wives were young, and it was interesting. Their wives were. You know, they said they were women of faith. They were praying for their husbands. They were really proud of their husbands, proud of everything that they had been through. And I'll tell you that the first soldier, he said, you know, Hegseth asked him, how are you feeling? And he said, I'm ready to go again.
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Ben Ferguson
That's amazing.
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Senator Ted Cruz
And I said, great. Can you do Saturday? And he said, well, can we hold off till Monday? So that kind of gives you a sense of the spirit. They were really in good spirits. And actually, with two of the soldiers, there was an additional soldier that was there in the hospital room who said, he used to be their commanding officer, and he had rotated off the unit about six months before the raid. And he said, look, I'm really disappointed. I mean, it. It broke his heart that he just missed going on the raid. So he was there to be with his guys, but he did not go on the raid, and he was just cheering them on.
- [10:56]
Ben Ferguson
Senator, you talk about an incredible week. You meet with three heroes that risk their lives to go capture Maduro. That's unbelievable. But you also got to meet with who I would describe as another hero for Venezuela, and that is the opposition leader. You got to meet with her. She met with the president, United States of America as well. That is a really, I think, a very important moment, a signal that the. That the president met with her as well to give hope to the people in Venezuela.
- [11:26]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, Maria Corino Machado, who is the opposition leader in Venezuela, you're right, she's shown incredible heroism, incredible bravery, standing up to Maduro, standing up to the communist regime. And by the way, other opposition leaders, like Leopoldo Lopez, like Juan Guaido, likewise, have shown incredible courage, have faced. Lopez, spent years in prison. I mean. I mean, you. To stand up and be an opposition leader to a communist regime like Hugo Chavez or Nicolas Maduro, you're quite literally taking your life in your own hands. And a great many of the opposition leaders face arrest, face torture, face. You know, if you're in the opposition, you can face murder. And so Machado last year was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her heroism in standing up to Maduro. And she came to Washington this week, and she went to the White House and she met with President Trump, and she did something that I think was very, very savvy and showed a lot of wisdom and showed a lot of humility, which is she presented the Nobel Peace Prize to President Trump. She had it framed for him. It's beautifully framed. And she had presented to the president and with the thanks of the people of Venezuela. And I think President Trump appreciated that a great deal. Look, a lot of us, you and me included, believe President Trump should have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but there's no way. There's no way the lefty Europeans, it doesn't matter if, like, he cured cancer and, like, ended every war that has ever happened in the history of humanity. They will not give him the peace prize because they.
- [13:10]
Ben Ferguson
Someone said to me the other day, and that made me laugh, they said, the chances of Donald Trump getting the Nobel Peace Prize from these, like you said, European, you know, lefties, they said, I would Put more money on Vladimir Putin getting it before Donald Trump does.
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Compassion International Announcer
Not.
- [13:23]
Ben Ferguson
Not crazy, by the way.
- [13:24]
Compassion International Announcer
That's a sad.
- [13:25]
Senator Ted Cruz
That's not hyperbole. That's actually not hyperbole. Remember, these are the same idiots who awarded Barack Obama the Nobel Peace Prize when he'd been in office a couple of months, and he was literally awarded it for simply not being George W. Bush. That was the entire basis. You're not Bush, okay? You get the Nobel Peace Prize. He hadn't been there even long enough to screw everything up, which he spent the next eight years doing. He had just moved in and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. These are also the same people. If you go back several decades, you look at Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan was never awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, despite the fact that he ended the Cold War without firing a shot. And so this is a very ideological prize. And I think in this past year, it is unquestionable that Donald Trump deserved it, but they weren't gonna give it. And she showed, when she was awarded it, she showed real, like I said, wisdom and humility, that it's a beautiful presentation. And she just said, look, the. The difference you have made for the people of Venezuela is. Is. Is transformative. I think that was a wise decision on her part.
- [14:41]
Ben Ferguson
So let's talk just a little bit about. About her. And. And what was her message to you, Senator, for Venezuela, its future? Obviously, there's a lot of people in Venezuela that hope that she would be the leader of that country, but she is clearly spending time in D.C. as an advocate. I also think the president meeting with her, make no mistake, that is to send a message to those in Venezuela that if you don't play by the rules that we've talked about, we are talking to others that will play by those rules. I think that's a really important political point as well.
- [15:16]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, and Machado right now is in exile. She's in the United States. She. She fled for her life because Maduro was. Was. Was going to kill her. And she wants to go back. And so when she left the White House, left meeting with President Trump, she came to Capitol Hill, and she met with about a dozen senators. And we sat down and spent, oh, probably 45 minutes talking with her. And I gotta say, I've visited with her before. She has, I think, an enormous amount of courage, an enormous amount of grace. I asked her, I said, tell me the reaction on the street. Tell me how people are reacting just in Venezuela. And she said, they're just. They are overjoyed that there's a level of relief. There's a level of just. They cannot believe Maduro is finally gone. They've also, because the Trump administration has been pressing the Maduro regime, been pressing Delsey Rodriguez, who's the acting president, they've released a significant number of political prisoners. So the political prisoners, many of them have been released. And she said there's a lot of celebration on the ground for that. But she said, look, the political prisoners are still being monitored, they're still being watched, they still have to check in. And she emphasized the regime is still the communist regime. Delsey Rodriguez is a communist. She was Maduro's right hand. And so she says there's enormous celebration. But the second question I asked her is, I said, listen, what steps do we need to take to move towards free and fair elections? And that was one of the things she really wanted to emphasize. She said, look, the people of Venezuela, they want to have a chance to vote to elect their leader. And she said, right now, the Rodriguez administration is the Maduro administration. It is illegitimate. They were beaten in the last election. They were roundly defeated. And Maduro held on to power just through brute force because he controlled the army. And so the fact that the voters voted him out of office didn't matter to him. Rodriguez is in office for the same reason. And so my view is we need to move swiftly towards free and fair election. There was some conversation. One Democrat senator asked her what timeframe for election. She was, she was wisely non committal on that. And she said, I look, I just hope it moves swiftly. And the Democrat senator says, well, if it goes a year, will that be too long? I'll tell you what, I chimed in, I said, I think it should happen within six months. I think that is the right timing. I think you need a little bit of transition. But I think the faster we move to elections and someone with legitimacy who will be elected and will be a friend of America, the faster the better.
- [18:02]
Compassion International Announcer
There's an invisible thread that connects humans across distance. You can't see it, but you can feel it when you pull. And when a child in Guatemala learns to read, you feel it. The thread vibrates with every new word they master. When a teenager in Kenya gets medical care that saves their sight, that thread pulls tighter. And when a young woman in the Philippines breaks her family cycle of poverty, you're standing there with her. And here's what's remarkable. That thread goes both ways. Because while you're changing their life, they're changing yours too. Their resilience inspires you their joy reminds you what matters. Their letters become the highlight of your day. It is the powerful thread of Compassion International. Just hold one end of the thread, you'll stay connected through letters, photos, updates, prayers. The other end is a child who changed everything, including you, so impact the world one child at a time. Learn how@compassion.com that's compassion.com support for the.
- [19:15]
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- [21:53]
Ben Ferguson
Senator, if people just joining us right now, we're talking about an incredible week and you got to meet with the opposition leader of Venezuela, Washington, D.C. you mentioned, by the way, that the meeting you had with her after she met with the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, was with 12 different senators. So how does that room get made? And it sounds like it was bipartisan. You mentioned a Democrat that was in that room. Does everybody get an invite or only certain people? How does that work?
- [22:19]
Senator Ted Cruz
So now it was a smaller subset. And typically what happens when you have heads of state come to Washington, they will often reach out to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And I sit on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. And so often we will have regularly we'll have like afternoon coffees or lunches with heads of state when they come to town. And in the Capitol, there's an office where the Senate Foreign Relations Committee meets with. There's a hearing room with this big ornate table that they'll set up and they usually put. You have some coffee and some pieces of cheese and crackers and like a.
- [22:55]
Ben Ferguson
Little bit of stuff.
- [22:57]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, you know, it's. But it, look, it's an opportunity to visit with world leaders. In this instance, it wasn't the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It ended up being, we met in the office of Dick Durbin, who is the number two Democrat. He was the one hosting it. And initially I think Durbin was making the invites. And then this is actually something Marina Karina Machado did that I think was very wise. Also she invited a number of people. So the reason I was there is because she invited people me and then.
- [23:29]
Ben Ferguson
Look, I. Durbin, you didn't make the cut on Durbin's his group chat. You're not in that group chat with him.
- [23:36]
Senator Ted Cruz
So look, I suspect that there were some Democrats that wanted to have it. A meeting of just Democrats and her. Yeah. And I think that would have been really unfortunate if that had happened because I think the Democrats would have wanted to use it to attack Trump. And I think she realized that that would be, that would not further the people of Venezuela. That would not be good for anyone. And so she reached out, and we had four Republicans who were there. So I was there. Rick Scott from Florida was there. Bernie Moreno from Ohio was there, and then John Curtis from Utah was there. So that was the four Republicans who were in the room. And then there were about seven, eight, nine Democrats that were there. So it was a larger group of Democrats, and they were all posing for the cameras. And look, I think Rick Scott had obvious reason to be there. There's a big, big Venezuelan population in Florida. Rick Scott has a lot of support from the Venezuelan population in Florida, so it made sense for him to be there. Bernie, his family's from Columbia, and so, you know, he, you know, Bernie and I are the two Hispanic Republicans that are in the Senate. Yeah. And since he's Colombian American, I'm Cuban American, we kind of talk smack at each other quite a bit. And Colombians and Cubans usually throw down a little bit. And, you know, when it. As for me, look, there's a significant Venezuelan population in Texas in particular, because Venezuela has the largest proven reserves of oil in the world.
- [25:11]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah.
- [25:11]
Senator Ted Cruz
And Houston is obviously the energy capital of the world. And so there are a lot of Venezuelans who are in Houston. A lot of Houston oil companies have been down in Venezuela over the years, for many years. There was a group called the Citgo Six that were Americans who were imprisoned in Venezuela, and they were Houstonians. They worked for Citgo, the oil company, and Maduro had put them in prison. And I was their leading advocate in the Senate. I went to the Senate floor repeatedly. I spoke out for them. I leaned repeatedly on the regime. And ultimately the Sitko Six were released. But it had been, you know, I visited with Maria Karina Machado, previously had been engaged. I'd been engaged with the opposition leaders for some time. And part of that is, listen, I hate communists. It is, you know, my family was imprisoned and tortured by communists. My dad was imprisoned and tortured by Batista, who's not a communist, but my aunt, my tia Sonia, was imprisoned and tortured by Castro's goons. And so when it comes to communists.
- [26:18]
Ben Ferguson
My you tolerance level is extremely low.
- [26:21]
Senator Ted Cruz
I think they're the embodiment of evil. And one of the real missions that I've had, really, since the day I got elected to the Senate is trying to highlight dissidents. I think there's a real power to dissidents. There's a real power to those that stand up to tyrants, that show courage and that face prison and human rights abuses because we've seen tyrannies collapse because of the threats to their legitimacy. And so I've tried in my time in the Senate, really, to shine a light and amplify the message of dissidents.
- [26:55]
Ben Ferguson
You and I, by the way, have talked about this. This week, when I was up in dc, we had Bruce Pearl on. By the way, if you missed that show, go back and listen to it. The famous basketball coach who's a man standing up for Israel right now. And actually.
- [27:07]
Senator Ted Cruz
And that was a fun podcast.
- [27:09]
Ben Ferguson
It really was. Go back and grab it. But, but you and I have talked.
- [27:12]
Senator Ted Cruz
And by the way, I did, did talk with someone last night who said, said she loved the podcast. And she was, she cracked up the most by hearing that Bruce and I shared having both run around naked in college, streaking on campus. So if you want to hear the story of that, go listen. Go listen to the last podcast.
- [27:29]
Ben Ferguson
There you go. That's an easy tease right there. You and I have talked about the moment that we're living in right now could be one of the biggest historical moments certainly of my lifetime. And that is we have three countries that without Donald Trump being president right now, if Kamala Harris was in the White House, we would not be having this conversation. I believe that are on the verge of quite possibly having free and fair elections within the next 12 months. And that would be Iran, that would be Venezuela. That would also be Cuba. People are standing up for themselves and standing up to their government because they're being inspired by Donald Trump and what he's also said, which is, we have your back.
- [28:11]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, and I want to take a moment for us just to reflect on the incredible consequential times we're living. And this is a point that I made to Machado when she was in D.C. i said, look, it is entirely possible that in the next few months, in the next six months, we could see the regimes fall in Venezuela, in Cuba and Iran, we could see elections in Venezuela, In Cuba and Iran, we could see leaders elected by the people who stand for freedom and who want to stand with America and be friends with America. We could see that in Venezuela, in Cuba and Iran, Iran. It could happen literally in the next few hours or the next few days. What is happening in Iran is so consequential. What is happening in Venezuela is so consequential. And Cuba is not far behind. And if that happens, that will be the single most significant foreign policy development the world has seen since the Berlin Wall was torn to the ground. It will literally remake the geopolitical map and the consequences of that. Now, to be clear, there are a thousand things that can go wrong. There are thousand things that could go wrong in Venezuela, in Cuba, in Iran. It's not guaranteed. In fact, it is guaranteed to not be smooth and without challenges. It is 100%. It will be bumpy and there will be challenges. But all three regimes are in a panic. They are in a free fall. And the people of all three countries are energized that if you were to pick three countries that for decades have been explicitly, passionately anti American, the regimes, the rulers, have been responsible for terrorism, responsible for threatening the lives of Americans, it would be difficult to find three more dangerous than Iran, Venezuela and Cuba. And you're right, this is the direct consequence of strong leadership from the commander in chief. And it was interesting. One of the Democrat senators who was in the meeting with me, he actually pulled me aside afterwards and said, you know, Ted, you made this point yesterday that this could be a time as consequential as the Berlin Wall being torn to the ground. And he said, I hadn't really thought about it that way. But you're right. And it was an interesting point. And I have to say, one of the things, look, I was really impressed with Machado, how she handled her message, by the way, to the senators, was that America's support is really important to Venezuela and seeing some unity. Look, her message, she was not in any way chastising the Democrats, but she did say unity is really important. And what is happening, the people of Venezuela, this would not have happened without President Trump. And there were some very partisan Democrats in that room who were not thrilled to hear that message because their message every day is, Trump bad, Trump bad, Trump bad. But she didn't want to argue with him on that. But she just said, listen, this is a moment we've waited decades for. And in the opposition, she said, so many people in Venezuela, what they said is this day would never come. This day would never come. And it came and it is here. And seeing unity from America right now is so important. Look, I think the same is true for Iran. Seeing unity, standing with the protesters against the ayatollah. If we are six months from now with the, with the governments and the leaders of those three countries being pro American and want, wanting to be our friends, that is like, holy cow, that makes the world much safer and that makes every American much safer center.
- [32:09]
Ben Ferguson
I want to ask you real quick before we get back to Texas, where you had an amazing trip with the Secretary of War, you got to go to the plant where they make F35s. That's. That's incredible. And you got to go meet with Elon Musk again and take a tour of what he's doing down in. In Brownsville, Texas. But one other question I just want to get your reaction to, and that is, what are you hearing? What have you guys been told this week about what's actually happening in Iran? To be clear, depending on when you hear this, things could change. So it's changing quickly. But we've had an Internet blackout there. The phones and the landlines, they've shut down. They didn't want information get out. We saw the death toll rise significantly during that blackout period. And then the president said the killing had stopped. He said that the White House. And he's like, look, I'm looking at all options on the table. What do you know and what have you been told?
- [32:56]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, we have been seeing for a number of days now, over a million Iranians taking to the street day after day after day in protest. The administration that the regime is doing everything they can to try to put the protest down. They're responding with violence. It is difficult. Anytime you have a conflict, you have unrest. In this case, you had potentially a revolution, that there is a fog of war. And so it is difficult to get clear and accurate numbers. I've seen death tolls as high as 12,000 Iranians murdered by the regime trying to put down the protesters, and they continue standing up and risking their lives. It is incredible heroism. It is difficult to get accurate information from the ground, although one of the things that has helped is Elon Musk is providing free Starlink. So even though the ayatollah and the mullahs are blocking the Internet, blocking television, Starlink is operating for free. You know, just a few minutes ago, a friend of mine who's a senior official at the State Department texted me, said, I'm currently in the Middle East. This region feels ready to break free, free from Iran and turn to the future. Like, it, wow, this could be imminent. This could happen within hours or days. And it's powerful what's happening.
- [34:16]
Ben Ferguson
It really is also the president keeping all options on the table. I think that's one of the great parts of his foreign policy. Yes, there's a lot of people that are. That are. You know, there's war hawks that want him just to go in and bomb things. There's also, I think, some Democrats that want him to do that so they can then criticize him. I think he has done a masterful job this time with diplomacy and also transparency, but also making it clear there is a red line with the United States of America. And I'm not afraid to use the military if I need to save the people's lives that are being persecuted.
- [34:47]
Senator Ted Cruz
Well, and there's a massive difference between now and 2009, when you had the Green Revolution, the last time you had Iranians really rising up in big, big numbers. In 2009, Barack Obama was in the White House and they made a conscious decision to undermine the protesters and stand with the regime. And it was exactly backwards.
- [35:06]
Ben Ferguson
And I gotta say, people of that scenario, because that story still is astounding if you think about it, compared to what we're seeing now.
- [35:13]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, look, it was the Obama administration decided they were gonna stand with the ayatollah and stand with the mullahs. And so they discouraged the protesters. They did not support them. And it is night and day. Donald J. Trump is not Barack Obama, and he's not Joe Biden. He is instead telling the people of Iran, we are with you. We have your back. He's also saying he is threatening real consequences to the regime if they murder the protesters. I think that's a real deterrent. He's telling the protesters, write down the names of anyone attacking you. There will be consequences. And you're right. President Trump has been reluctant to use military force unnecessarily, but he hasn't been afraid to wield a stick. And that is why our adversaries are so terrified. It's why you're seeing change sweeping the globe.
- [36:04]
Ben Ferguson
Yeah. Now let's go back to Texas. And this deals with national security as well, and our military. You toured with the Secretary of War, Pete Hed, Seth, a good friend of both of ours. Something that I'm jealous. I'm not gonna lie. I would have gone. I would have driven. For this invite, you got to go to the F35 factory. How cool is that?
- [36:26]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah. So. So Monday was a full day. I started in Houston. I drove to San Antonio. I visited the three soldiers who were wounded in. In the Maduro raid. I then flew with the Secretary of defense to Fort Worth, went to the F35 plant, then flew to Brownsville, went, went, went to Starbase, and then flew to D.C. all in one day. So it was five cities in one day. Fort Worth. The F35 plant is incredible. The plant is over a mile long. They're building F35, fifth generation fighter jets. The technology on them is incredible. One of the reasons that we're able to prevail in military conflicts and no one else can really come close is because of the incredible technology. And Texans, we're proud F35s are built right here in Texas. The workers that are there, we had a chance to visit with a great many of them. Secretary Hegseth gave an address to the workers. Thank them for their incredible work helping protect America, helping keep America strong. And then I gotta say, down in Starbase Elon was there. We spent several hours with Elon, toured around. And I've been to the F35 plant before. I've been to Starbase down in Boca Chica multiple times. I got to tell you, every time I go to Starbase, it's advanced further. So. So this time around, they're now on the third generation starships. Last time I was there, they were on the second generation starships. The third generation has substantially more lift. The new engines are in it. You look at the degree of, of rapid innovation and their objective. They want to make, they want to make rocket ships like airplanes, where basically you think about an airplane, you take off, go to your destination, refuel and you go to the next place and you refuel and you go to the next place. And it is such a system change from a paradigm shift from the old world that a rocket you fire off once, drop at the ocean and you're done. In this instance, the objective is to dramatically lower the cost of space flight. And I will tell you, for our military look, Secretary Hegseth gave a major address at SpaceX talking about innovation at the Department of War, talking about moving away from the old legacy contractors, moving away from the bureaucracy and instead pride, prizing and incentivizing innovation, bringing in new innovators. He's also talking about leadership that he's doing to shake up the old bureaucracy and to integrate AI in the decision making. And obviously Elon and Xai is helping lead the world in AI. And one of the challenges, this is something Pete and I have talked about quite a bit. The Pentagon, with some frequency, fights the last war. They think about the war that just happened rather than the next war. And if we find ourselves in a military conflict with say God forbid, China and look, everyone wants to avoid a military conflict with China, but if we find ourselves in a military conflict with China, it's not likely to be aircraft carriers that decide it the way they have in previous military conflicts. That next war, particularly with a near peer power, is likely to be fought with thousands or tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of drones controlled by AI and, and, and so at SpaceX, Elon was leaning in, Hegseth was leaning in saying, we are trying to create in the Pentagon the innovation mindset so we are ahead of our adversaries so that we can avoid war through peace through strength.
- [40:11]
Ben Ferguson
It's incredible. Don't forget we do this show three days a week, so make sure you download Verdict with Ted Cruz wherever you get your podcast. Hit that subscriber auto download button if you're listening on the radio. We'll see you back here next week as well. But grab the podcast in between. You can also watch it on YouTube. It's been verdict with Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you. Have a great week.
- [40:32]
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- [41:17]
Ben Ferguson
I'm a man that's fighting for everything that he owns.
- [41:19]
Dead Man's Wire Movie Announcer
Critics are raving for Dead Man's Wire. It's the first great film of the year.
- [41:23]
Senator Ted Cruz
I'm just getting started.
- [41:25]
Dead Man's Wire Movie Announcer
It's Gus Van Sant's best work to date and the career best performance from Bill Skarsgard.
- [41:31]
Senator Ted Cruz
Just apologize for what you did. Just apologize.
- [41:33]
Dead Man's Wire Movie Announcer
And now it's certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
- [41:37]
Senator Ted Cruz
I'm a man of the people.
- [41:38]
Ben Ferguson
I know the people.
- [41:39]
Dead Man's Wire Movie Announcer
Dead Man's Wire, Directed by Gus Van Sant. Written by Austin Kolodny. Rated R under 17. Not admitted without parents. Is now playing only in theaters.
- [41:47]
Senator Ted Cruz
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.