Liberals Kill Spirit, Tucker's Antichrist Talk & Cuban Island Intrigue w Squad Member Jayapaul Week In Review

Summary

Verdict with Ted Cruz – Week in Review

Episode: Liberals Kill Spirit, Tucker’s Antichrist Talk & Cuban Island Intrigue w Squad Member Jayapal

Original Airdate: May 9, 2026

Hosts: Senator Ted Cruz & Ben Ferguson

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Overview

In this “Week in Review” episode, Senator Ted Cruz and co-host Ben Ferguson dissect several headline-making political events:

1. The story and political debate behind Spirit Airlines’ demise and the failed bailout effort.
2. Tucker Carlson’s controversial New York Times interview, including his attacks on Cruz and his supposed labeling of Trump as the Antichrist.
3. The actions of Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal to aid Cuba’s communist regime, and broader concerns about left-wing lawmakers siding with America’s adversaries.

Tackling each topic with their signature pointed and combative style, Cruz and Ferguson connect political decisions to conservative values and personal stories.

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1. The Spirit Airlines Bailout Debate & Liberal Obstruction

Theme: Exploring the politics of the Spirit Airlines shutdown, government bailouts, and the conservative critique of government intervention.

Key Points & Discussion

• Spirit’s Collapse and the Bailout Proposal

  • The Trump administration discussed a federal bailout for Spirit (90% govt ownership in exchange for $500 million).
  • Cruz publicly opposed the proposal and lobbied internally against it with Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, citing failed historic precedents and the government’s lack of expertise in airline management.
  • Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy opposed the bailout; Lutnick promoted it.
  • Cruz’s public stand prompted broader Congressional pushback.
    • “The government doesn't know a damn thing about running a failed budget airline that the Biden administration killed.” – Ted Cruz [04:48]

• Bigger Picture: Bailouts & Socialism

  • Corporate bailouts are framed as inherently socialist and a threat to American free enterprise.
    • “That is a really, really bad answer. And I think a budget airline made it obvious to most observers…” – Ted Cruz [09:50]
  • Cruz reminisces about his teenage years promoting free market teachings, warning against government ownership or control as a slippery slope toward socialism.

• National Security Exception

  • Cruz concedes that limited government intervention is appropriate for critical industries like rare earth minerals, making sharp contrasts to the case for Spirit.

Memorable Anecdote & Quote

• Spirit Pilot’s Send-off:
  Ben shares a story of Captain John Jackson, a retiring Spirit pilot, who was honored by Southwest after Spirit’s abrupt shutdown—a viral moment symbolizing American solidarity amid corporate failure. [10:49]

• Cruz on Commercial Flying:

  • “I jokingly refer to Southwest as the company plane...Yeah, I’ve got a private jet. It’s a 737 with 135 of my closest friends.” – Ted Cruz [12:36]

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2. Tucker Carlson Interview Controversy

Theme: Reaction to Tucker Carlson’s sensationalized New York Times interview, with focus on his criticisms of Cruz, defense of fringe figures, and alleged Trump “Antichrist” claim.

Key Points & Discussion

• Tucker’s Claims:

  • Carlson accused Cruz of advocating for the murder of innocents—a claim Cruz calls a “pathological lie.” Carlson also equated Cruz’s actions in office to those of Holocaust deniers, stating, “that’s basically what the entire U.S. Senate does every single day.” [18:29]

• Defense of Nick Fuentes:

  • Carlson defends white nationalist Nick Fuentes as merely “naughty,” which Cruz rebuts with specifics:
    • “He said Hitler was right. Hitler was very, very cool. I agree with Hitler. On Tucker’s show, Nick Fuentes said his mission in life is to defeat global Jewry.” – Ted Cruz [21:08]

• Accusations of Nazi Normalization:

  • Cruz connects Carlson’s platforming of extremists with an agenda to normalize or elevate Nazi viewpoints, citing examples of Carlson’s guests.

• Tucker and Foreign Influence:

  • Cruz speculates that Carlson may be compensated by foreign actors like Qatar and frames his recent rhetoric as anti-Semitic and anti-American.

Tucker-Trump “Antichrist” Dispute

• Exchange Highlight:
  Carlson is confronted about suggesting Trump is the Antichrist in the wake of specific on-air comments. When pressed, he denies making the statement, despite interviewers quoting his show verbatim.

  • Interviewer: “On a recent show, you went further, saying, here’s a leader...Could this be the Antichrist?”
  • Tucker: “I actually did not say, could this be the Antichrist. ... I know that those words never left my lips.” [25:11]
  • Cruz: “Is Donald J. Trump, the Antichrist? ... No, I don’t believe President Trump is the Antichrist. But Tucker doesn’t live in the world of facts.” [26:26]

• Broader Critique of Carlson:

  • Accusations that Carlson is now “pushing anti-Semitism, America hate, Trump hate,” and has alienated his audience, leading to his decline in relevance:
    • “He’s like Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars going, these are not the droids you’re looking for. He just flat out lies. But the good news is he is becoming so irrelevant right now.” – Ben Ferguson [27:19]

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3. Congresswoman Jayapal & Cuban Oil: Accusations of Aiding Adversaries

Theme: Liberal lawmakers’ alleged support for America’s enemies, spotlight on Pramila Jayapal’s efforts to help Cuba obtain oil despite US sanctions.

Key Points & Discussion

• Jayapal’s Advocacy for Cuba:

  • Jayapal, traveling in Latin America, describes efforts to work with foreign envoys to help smuggle oil to Cuba after Trump’s sanctions “crippled” their supplies.
    • “I know other countries in Latin America are trying to figure out how to get oil there. But it is a crisis beyond imagination....I have called these sanctions an economic bombing of the infrastructure of Cuba. It is illegal. It is against the war....this is essentially doing the same thing.” – Pramila Jayapal [33:23]

• Cruz’s Response and Personal Story:

  • Cruz asserts that Jayapal’s stance mirrors enemy rhetoric and is “identical to what every enemy of America would say.”
  • He recaps the US prosecution of Venezuelan leader Maduro as a drug trafficker, criticizing Jayapal for characterizing the arrest as a “kidnapping.” [35:37]

• Cuban Exile Family Connection:

  • Cruz shares his aunt’s (Tía Sonia) history as a torture survivor of Cuban communism, underscoring the personal stakes and emotional weight for Cuban-Americans.
    • “She was tortured in Cuban prisons. ... When she was dying...I told her, yeah, we just arrested Maduro. Cuba’s next. Cuba is going to fall.” – Ted Cruz [38:29]

Memorable Quote

• “I believe communism is the most evil ideology that the world has ever produced. There’s been no ideology... that has resulted in more murder, more torture, more slavery, more oppression, more poverty and more misery...” – Ted Cruz [39:20]

• Vision for Post-Communist Cuba

  • Cruz describes his hope for a democratic, free-market Cuba and the massive opportunities that could follow if the communist regime falls.
  • Laments progressives’ defense of Cuba; “Why would you root for Cuban communists over America?” – Ted Cruz [42:23]

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• “This is an absolutely terrible idea. The TARP corporate bailouts were a huge mistake, and the government doesn’t know a damn thing about running a failed budget airline...” – Cruz [04:48]
• “If we’d ended up giving $500 million to Spirit...a better idea was simply to put $500 million in a pile on the floor, pour gasoline on it and light it...” – Cruz [07:27]
• “Apparently, I am living completely rent free in his [Tucker Carlson’s] brain, and every word he’s saying is a brazen lie.” – Cruz [21:08]
• “He’s also pushing anti-Semitism. He’s pushing Jew hate every day, like, every week.” – Cruz [26:27]
• “She stands with the Cuban Communist government. ... The idea that they are actively trying to smuggle fuel into Cuba because their objective is they want the Communist regime in Cuba to stand, to exist, I find infuriating.” – Cruz [37:20]
• “I think it could be extraordinary. ... Cuba has some of the most beautiful beaches on the face of the planet. ... There would be billions of dollars, tens of billions of dollars that would be invested in Cuba.” – Cruz on a free-market Cuba [41:35]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Spirit Airlines Bailout & Political Intrigue: [03:18 – 13:42]
• Tucker Carlson’s NYT Interview, Antichrist Claim, & Nazi Normalization Debate: [17:19 – 28:31]
• Rep. Jayapal, Cuba, & Broader Left-Wing Support for Adversaries: [32:03 – 42:23]

---

Closing Thoughts

Throughout the episode, Cruz and Ferguson provide a strongly conservative take, blending policy discussion with personal stakes and sharp attacks on political opponents. Cruz’s personal stories (from free-market high school lectures to his family’s Cuban history) give emotional ballast to his ideological positions. Both hosts frame contemporary political debates as existential crossroads for American values—free markets, national loyalty, and opposition to socialism and extremism.

Listeners interested in conservative critiques of bailout culture, left-wing advocacy for adversarial regimes, and the latest right-wing media feuds will find this episode a comprehensive, high-energy roundup.

Transcript

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[Ben Ferguson]

Welcome. It is Verdict with Ted Cruz. Week in Review. Ben Ferguson with you. And these are the stories you may have missed that we talked about this week. First up, you may not realize that Spirit Airlines could have been saved a couple years ago, but Democrats stopped it on purpose. Why do they do it? We've got the receipts and we'll explain exactly what liberals were behind destroying another American airline, costing thousands of people their jobs. Also, Tucker Carlson's now saying Donald Trump is the Antichrist. And then when he's called out on it, he says he never said it. The problem is it's on video. And finally, why is it that there are members of the United States Congress that are working on behalf of Cuba right now to try to help the regime? We'll explain that as well. It's the week in review and it starts right now. Let's talk about another aspect of this. And it was the there was a lot of of, you know, fodder online and there was a lot of media reports that, well, maybe America would, would give a government would give a bailout. We'd own, you know, 80, 90% of the company, whatever the number was. Ultimately, that did not happen. Explain. I hear bailout and I always get real cringy. We've had some that have been really good where we've gotten our money back as taxpayers. But in this scenario, there's many that say, you know what, it makes me really nervous. It did not happen. But can you explain how the government getting involved with that and how that works and who's making that decision of saying yes or no?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Yeah. So this last week there was considerable discussion about the Trump administration potentially bailing out Spirit Airlines. And the bailout that was being discussed was the federal government would give Spirit Airlines $500 million. And in exchange for that, the federal government would own 90% of the airline. And there were differences of opinions within the administration on that. So the secretary of transportation, Sean Duffy, was vocally arguing against that, saying that's a bad idea. Howard Lutnick the Secretary of Commerce, was the one who was advocating this idea. I publicly came out against it and I came out loudly. I sent a tweet a little over a week ago that said the following, quote, this is an absolutely terrible idea. The TARP corporate bailouts were a huge mistake, and the government doesn't know a damn thing about running a failed budget airline that the Biden administration killed. Now when I said that I'm the chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over aviation, when I came out against it, that got quite a bit of media attention and it prompted a number of other members of Congress spoke out against it after I did so, I will tell you, Ben, that was my public statement. I also went, so last week I had dinner with Howard Ludnick. Howard is a friend. He and I work together very, very closely. He's the Secretary of Commerce, and the Commerce Committee is the Senate committee that has jurisdiction over the Commerce Department. So Howard and I had dinner last week, and a good chunk of the dinner was spent discussing the potential Spirit bailout. And I will tell you, one on one with Howard, it was just the two of us having dinner. I leaned in really hard and said, this is an absolutely horrible idea. Corporate bailouts are a bad, bad strategy. They were a bad strategy when we did tarp. They're a bad strategy when you have the government coming in and bailing out giant corporations. But they're particularly bad when the government doesn't know a damn thing about the business. And so if we'd ended up giving $500 million to Spirit and having the federal government own 90% of Spirit number one, I believe we would have lost our money. In fact, I had said, somewhat cynically, a better idea was simply to put $500 million in a pile on the floor, pour gasoline on it and light it, because then at least you'd get some warmth. You could like roast marshmallows by it. That would get something positive and beneficial from it. But fundamentally, who in their right mind thinks the federal government knows anything about

[Ben Ferguson (Responding to Tucker Carlson Discussion)]

how you run an airline?

[Senator Ted Cruz]

How do you set pilot schedules? How do you run baggage handling? How do you make sure somebody's suitcase that's headed to Pittsburgh doesn't end up in Milwaukee? How do you negotiate with pilots unions, with flight attendant unions? How do you ensure safety and all of that? The federal government doesn't know a bloomin thing about it. And it is a really dangerous road. Look, there are some voices and some voices within the administration that are pretty excited about the federal government taking Ownership shares in lots and lots of companies. I think that is a really bad idea. And Ben, I'm going to harken back to when I was a kid, when I was in high school, and you may recall, I was part of a group in Houston that was called the Constitutional Corroborators. And it was started by this nonprofit in Houston called the Free Enterprise Education Center. And as high school kids we studied free market economics. We read Milton Friedman and Hayek and Bastiat and von Mises, and we studied the Constitution. And we ended up touring around Texas speaking on the Constitution. And it was five high school students. We would set up ESL and say we'd go to like a Rotary Club or a Kiwanis Club or a Lions Club and folks would be sitting there having lunch and the five high school students would set up easels and we would write from memory the entire Constitution in shortened mnemonic form. And we would write a definition of socialism, which is government ownership or control of the means of distribution or production. And the reason we wrote this, and this is what I was doing at 14, 15 years old, is if you don't know what it is, you can't identify it when you have it. Well, the folks who are arguing the

[Ben Ferguson (Responding to Tucker Carlson Discussion)]

federal government should own or control the

[Senator Ted Cruz]

means of production and distribution and economy are directly arguing we should adopt socialism for our economy. That is a really, really bad answer. And I think a budget airline made it obvious to most observers, look, there are limited circumstances. So for example, in national security areas where you're dealing with critical minerals and rare earth minerals, where it makes sense to have some government control because, because you need to be able to ensure that we can defend our nation from. From national security threats. But outside that very limited category, it is a really dangerous, slippery slope to start having the government be a shareholder and especially be the biggest shareholder in major companies, that's how you lose the competitiveness that how. That's how you lose the incredible success of the American for enterprise system.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, it really is. You know, when things like this happen, I always go back to there are real people that are affected by it and there's always, you know, people that are out without a job today. There's also stories that come out of it that I think are amazing. The New York Post had this story and I think it's a great way to just wrap this up in a human way. It said Spirit Airlines pilot give an emotional send off from rival airline after his retirement flight, which is a huge deal when you're a pilot. Was cut amid the shutdown. The Spirit airline pilot received a hero send off with the help of another airline. Captain John Jackson was scheduled to fly one last time for Spirit into Baltimore Washington International on Saturday when they ceased operations and went out of business in the, not in the dead of the night. Jackson was left stranded by the permanent shutdown. He hitched a ride with Southwest Airlines in Fort Lauderdale. He rode alongside his son who was a first officer. And this was the coolest part. It went online viral. They basically Southwest gave him the send off that he deserved. Southwest put it up on their social media. It went to well over a hundred thousand people that responded to it very quickly. They showed him in the cockpit with his son. It was awesome. And I, I just gotta say even when things like this happen, I do love seeing the, just the hearts of Americans and, and people that do this and gave him a send off. They, the Southwest Airlines carry him, they went under the water Canyon salute after arriving at bwi. I just, I, I tell you it's awesome when you see things like that happen. So to that retiring pilot who didn't get his final flight, job well done to Southwest and thanks for making that guy's day special.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Well, good for Southwest. That, that was the right thing to do. And I'll say Southwest is, is a great. American Airlines was also a great Texas company. You know, Texas is really a critical hub for aviation. And I'll say I fly just about every airline all the time. I jokingly refer to Southwest as the company plane. You know, people ask sometimes they assume senators fly private jets all around. And the vast majority of the time you fly commercial and you fly coach. And so I tell people, I say oh yeah, I've got a private jet. It's, it's, it's a 737 and, and it's with 135 of my closest friends on Southwest. That's, that, that, that's my private jet. But you know, Southwest I think does a great job and, and, and that was a very class move. I'm, I'm glad they, they honored the Spirit pilot who, who was retiring. I'm, I'm sorry that so many other pilots are now out of a job. I think many of them will end up getting hired by other airlines. But it's still an awful lot of pain and hurt from, from the disastrous Biden economic policies.

[Ben Ferguson]

Now if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week.

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[Ben Ferguson (Responding to Tucker Carlson Discussion)]

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[Martha Stewart]

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[Ben Ferguson]

Now on to story number two. Tucker Carlson did a sit down interview with the New York Times. It was a disaster. And Tucker Carlson got busted lying, including his accusations that Donald Trump is the antichrist. He also attacked senator Ted Cruz countless times in the interview, completely obsessed with him. Senator Cruz and I break down the shocking interview and it's everything you need to know. Take a listen. All right, senator, let's move to Tucker Carlson. He did an interview and it couldn't have gotten worse for him with New York times. I've said this before, some disagree with me. I, I think the demise of Tucker Carlson is happening in real time. I think his audience is disappearing very quickly. I think these types of interviews do incredible damage to his integrity is character. And, and these interviews just show how unhinged he is, which we've been talking about for quite some time. He's also still obsessed with you and had something very interesting to say about you in this New York Times interview as well.

[Interviewer]

Who do you think is more morally repulsive? Ted Cruz.

Who do you think is more morally repulsive?

Ted Cruz. Ted Cruz is a sitting U. S. Senator who has called for the killing of people who did nothing wrong. Whole populations who advocated for this war. Nick fuentes is like a kid. He's like 26 or 70. He has no power except his words. Here you have a public official who we pay, who has actual power, who's voting for things, who's making policy decisions. And those decisions would include, in fact, they are focused on the murder of people who did nothing wrong. And yet no one thinks it's a big deal. What does? Well, it's just totally fine. I mean, if there's tape of Nick Fuentes saying we should kill people because we hate their parents or it's okay to kill children. I would love to see the tape because that's disgusting and that's basically what the entire U.S. senate does every single day, and no one notices. Nick Fuentes said something naughty that I disagreed with. He made fun of things that I don't think I would never make fun of.

He's a white nationalist who's denied the Holocaust. And what I will say, but is

that worse than killing kids?

From my understanding of my own, you know, I was just in Germany recently and, you know, it was such a good reminder that the Holocaust didn't start with the gassing of Jews. It started with the dehumanization of Jews. It was language that was used. And again, that is what I couldn't agree more.

And that's why when you have a US Senator, a member of Congress, a US Ambassador waving away civilian deaths as if they don't matter, that's the language of genocide which results. And this is the lesson of the Holocaust in genocide itself. And it has. So the lesson for me, really watching all of this is that this can happen in civilized countries. In all human beings, there is the capacity to ignore the evil right in front of you. And my point is it's happening right now. And my job to the center, I have one. I don't really have a job, but I just want to remind people that we're all capable of that, including me, and that we're watching it right now. And if you think that Nick Fuentes is a greater threat to other human beings than Ted Cruz, I would love

to know how I can imagine people hearing this and thinking, you are soft pedaling the Fuentes.

You are apologizing pedaling the Fuentes. I'm trying to awaken people to killing of innocents in our midst, which we are not only encouraged to ignore, but really told to ignore on pain of being denounced. And I'm just saying, no, I'm not doing that.

[Ben Ferguson]

Senator Nick Fuentes is a Holocaust denier.

[Ben Ferguson (Responding to Tucker Carlson Discussion)]

Yeah, that doesn't even touch it. Let's start with the fact that this loon, I think he brought me up eight or nine times in that interview. Apparently, I am living completely rent free in his brain, and every word he's saying is a brazen lie. I am 55 years old. Never once have I called for the murder of innocence. Never once have I called for the murder of children. By the way, he claims that I do that. He claims that the entire US Senate does that. And it's just, it's at a point where it's a pathological lie. There's no basis in fact. There's no evidence. He just says it. He just asserts it. And he knows he's lying. He doesn't care. He's lying. By the way, his defense of Nick Fuentes as well. Nick Fuentes said something naughty. Naughty. Okay, here's what Nick Fuentes said. He said Hitler was right. Hitler was very, very cool. I agree with Hitler. On Tucker show, Nick Fuentes said his mission in life is to defeat global Jewry. That's not something naughty. That is a rabid Nazi bigot. He also said Nick Fuentes also said that he celebrates Stalin's birthday every year. Tucker nodded approvingly. And by the way, Tucker, there's a reason why Tucker is celebrating Nick Fuentes. Tucker has gone to the point now of embracing Nazis. It's not just Nick Fuentes who's an open Nazi. Tucker had one, had one lunatic professor on his show who said that Winston Churchill was the villain of World War II and another lunatic professor on his show who said there's a good argument, the Americans should have supported the Nazis in World War II. No, there's nothing. But Tucker is on a mission. And I believe at this point, I cannot prove it, but I believe Tucker is being compensated, is being paid by cutter or other foreign nations. He is apologizing for Islamists. He is apologizing for Sharia. He is apologizing for America haters. He is attacking Trump every day. He is attacking Israel. He's attacking Jews. He knows he's lying about me. But his mission is also to normalize Nazis. By the way, one of the things he said this week is Graham Platner, the lunatic Democrat nominee or likely nominee, almost inevitable nominee in Maine for Senate, who is a self described communist. Graham Platner says I am a communist. And who has not just a Nazi tattoo on his chest, but a Totenkampf, which is the tattoo of the SS in the death chambers of the concentration camps. You know what Tucker Carlson said? Oh, I want to interview Graham Platner. I'm sure they do. Maybe they have matching Nazi tattoos. I don't know what tattoos. Tucker Carlson said. As Tucker would say, I'm just asking questions. But apparently if you're a Nazi, if you say Sig Heil, Tucker wants to elevate you. And I got to say, and not

[Ben Ferguson]

just elevate you, normalize you, make it go away.

[Ben Ferguson (Responding to Tucker Carlson Discussion)]

And listen, by the way, when you lie about People, you notice his whole diatribe about me. He provided no evidence. What I just listed about Tucker. I can give you the episodes where he said every one of those things. Those are objective facts. But here's so. So Tucker is now a professional liar who lives without facts. And I want you to listen to this exchange. And if you're watching on YouTube, it's even better if you watch it, because it's not just me. Tucker has decided he hates America.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

He hates Donald Trump.

[Ben Ferguson (Responding to Tucker Carlson Discussion)]

He hates Jews. He hates capitalism. He had this other lunatic on his show who said that Jesus hated capitalism and Jesus was a socialist. He is attacked. He is. All right, I want you to listen to him being confronted over his argument that Donald Trump is the Antichrist. This is what Tucker has argued. And when he's confronted with his own words, he just flat out lies.

[Interviewer]

Listen, what I was saying, which is you cannot mock other people's gods and put yourself in their place, period. That is a deal killer for me. That's worse than the war with Iran, in my opinion.

[Martha Stewart]

Yeah.

[Interviewer]

But I ask because, you know, you've been talking on your show about whether Trump is the Antichrist.

I have not said that.

On your show, the day after Easter, you noted he did not put his hand on the Bible during his swearing ceremony as president. You said, and I'm quoting, maybe he didn't put his hand on the Bible because he affirmatively rejects what's inside that book. And then on a recent show, you went further, saying, here's a leader who's mocking the gods of his ancestors, mocking the God of gods and exalting himself above them. Could this be the Antichrist?

I actually did not say, could this be the Antichrist? Here's a leader who's mocking the gods of his ancestors, mocking the God of gods and exalting himself above them. Could this be the Antichrist? Well, who knows? I don't know where that comes from, but I know that those words never left my lips because I'm not sure I fully understand what the Antichrist is. If there's just one. I actually tried to understand it. I may have said, some are asking that. I'm not weighing in on that because I don't understand it. Just to be totally. No.

In Revelations, obviously the center, he said

[Ben Ferguson]

that, like 15 days ago when the interview took place. This was like, by the way, a year ago.

[Ben Ferguson (Responding to Tucker Carlson Discussion)]

He says, I may have said some are asking. He didn't say that she played what he said she played verbatim. What he said, he asked very directly.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

Is Donald J. Trump, the Antichrist?

[Ben Ferguson (Responding to Tucker Carlson Discussion)]

Look, I'm willing to answer that. No, I don't believe President Trump is the Antichrist. But Tucker doesn't live in the world of facts. He doesn't live where any words he says matter and the words he's saying. So there's good news and bad news. The bad news is the words he's saying are having really serious negative consequences. He is pushing anti Semitism. He's pushing Jew hate every day, like, every week. His show focuses on how the Jews are responsible for everything wrong in the world, but he's also pushing America hate. He's pushing how America is terrible. He's pushing Trump hate. He has said he regrets supporting Trump. He wished Trump had lost. I mean, that's.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah, he said to his brother, it was, it was like this sad moment where they're like, we, we are. We are going to be held accountable for helping this man win the White House. Like, so, so the lives.

[Ben Ferguson (Responding to Tucker Carlson Discussion)]

So the good news is Tucker is becoming more and more irrelevant each and every day. He's really talented. He's a charming, charismatic guy. Even when he's lying to you, he's like Obi Wan Kenobi in Star wars going, these are not the drones you're looking for. He just flat out lies. But he's charming and good at it. But the good news is he is becoming so irrelevant right now. And listen, I hope he has a really nice home in Qatar. By the way, you may not know this, but he bragged that he has bought a home in Qatar. He also has repeatedly praised the Ayatollah, the President of Iran. He's praised Maduro, he's praised Mandami. Like, if you're a Hitler, if you're Hitler, if you're a Hitler lover, if you're a communist, if you're a leftist, if you are, if you are an America hater, if you're an Islamist, if you're an Ayatollah, Tucker Carlson loves you. If you're actually an American who believes in free enterprise, who believes in America, who believes in America. First, Tucker hates your guts, and his mission is to attack you. And, and I think that's why more and more people are, are moving away from, from at this point.

[Senator Ted Cruz (Continued)]

It.

[Ben Ferguson (Responding to Tucker Carlson Discussion)]

It's so disconnected from reality that, that it's just kind of sad.

[Ben Ferguson]

Don't forget, share this podcast wherever you can with your family and your friends, and I'll see you back here tomorrow. As before, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic, you can Go back and download the podcast from earlier this week to hear the entire thing.

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[Martha Stewart]

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[Podcast Announcer]

The wait is almost over. Get ready for the NFL season with a highly anticipated 2026 NFL schedule release. Every rivalry, every rematch and every rookie debut with matchups locked and kickoffs confirmed. Be there for every can't miss moment. The full NFL schedule release coming in May. Get all the [e-mail] ScheduleRelease.

[Ben Ferguson]

I want to get back to the big story number three of the week you may have missed. All right, Senator, this is a very interesting and just weird story. You have a liberal Democratic Congresswoman J. Pal who is defies President Trump to literally go work with a foreign country, Cuba, to try to get them oil. And I'm pretty sure that if I'm looking at this the right way, this could be against the law. What she's now trying to do is again advocate for Cuba right now.

[Senator Ted Cruz (Continued)]

Well, Ben, let me make a statement that I don't want to be true and I want to make the statement and then we're going to assess the facts to determine if it's true. Here's the statement. Too many elected Democrats in Congress hate America and actively, aggressively and enthusiastically support the communist enemies of America. Now, as I say that, listen, as someone who loves our country, I hate saying those words. I don't want them to be true. I want you to listen to the words of Pramila Jayapal, who is a left wing progressive, I look communist member of the Democrat Party from Washington. Listen to what she had to say about what she's been doing lately.

[Pramila Jayapal (Quoted)]

In January, Trump issued an executive order threatening tariffs on any country supplying fuel to Cuba. This was this January, just a few months ago. And oil shipments from Venezuela, that's where Cuba had been getting its oil, were halted after the US Operations to kidnap Nicholas Maduro. Since January, only one Russian tanker of oil has made it to Cuba. In fact, it landed just a couple of days before I landed. And one tanker has enough oil basically for 10 to 14 days of Cuba's oil needs. So it's a very limited amount of time. Now Russia has said they're going to send another tanker. I was in conversations with the ambassadors from Mexico and some other places and I know other countries in Latin America are trying to figure out how to get oil there. But it is a crisis beyond imagination. Just this past Friday on May First, Trump signed a broad executive order that widens sanctions and allows for new penalties similar to what we have for Iran and Russia against foreign banks and firms that are dealing with Cuba. And it also reinforces the ban on US Tourism. I have called these sanctions an economic bombing of the infrastructure of Cuba. It is illegal. It is against the war. We've been talking about this in Iran. Obviously, to bomb the infrastructure of any country that is against international law, this is essentially doing the same thing. It is bombing the infrastructure of Cuba with economic sanctions that essentially ensure that the infrastructure collapses.

[Ben Ferguson]

There's something interesting that she said there. She kept saying the kidnap of Maduro like it was a crime center. I'm like, which, I mean this like, whose side is she on? Is it on the side of Maduro and, and the communists in Cuba? Because the way she said it there, she was saying it like it was a crime, what America was doing.

[Senator Ted Cruz (Continued)]

So listen, there used to be a rule that politics ends at our water's edge. I like that rule. I liked a time where we said, gosh, Democrats and Republicans will disagree. We'll disagree on how high the top marginal tax rate should be. We'll disagree on some policy questions. But when it comes to defending America, when it comes to standing with American servicemen and women, when it comes to standing up against our enemies, we're going to stand united. Sadly, that is not this world. Representative Jayapal, who I've never met, she's a very, very left wing. She is part of the squad. She is part of AOC and Ilhan Omar and these extremely left wing house members. Look, when she says the kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro, understand, Nicholas Maduro was indicted for being a massive narco trafficker. Our FBI came down, executed a legitimate arrest warrant. The Delta Force accompanied them to carry out that arrest warrant. She describes it as the kidnapping. That is language that is identical to what every enemy of America would say. The last I checked, executing a legitimate arrest warrant. Nicholas Maduro, number one, he's. He's a tyrant who's responsible for massive oppression of his people, for murder, for torture, for. He has destroyed Venezuela just like you a Chavez has. But you know what? That's not what he was indicted for. That's not what he was arrested for. He is a huge narco trafficker and he has killed thousands of Americans through the drugs he's flooded in this country. And her view is Nicolas Maduro is the victim. It is the evil American government that dared arrest this narco trafficker. So on Cuba, understand she is unambiguous. She stands with the Cuban Communist government. And I will say this. My family was imprisoned and tortured by Cuban Communists. I don't take this as cute. I don't take this as fun. I get that she's from Washington state. I get there are a bunch of leftists who snap their fingers at yes, yes, yes, Communism is wonderful because they're soft and weak and they hate America. But I gotta say, the idea that they are actively trying to smuggle fuel into Cuba because their objective is they want the Communist regime in Cuba to stand, to exist, I find infuriating. Look, Ben, did you ever have a chance to meet my Theasonia?

[Ben Ferguson]

Yes, I actually did once at an election event.

[Senator Ted Cruz (Continued)]

Okay. My Thea Sonia, my aunt. She's my father's kid sister. I adored her. She was an amazing, spectacular person. She passed away earlier this year.

[Ben Ferguson]

Yeah.

[Senator Ted Cruz (Continued)]

My nickname, what I've called her my whole life, is my Tia Loca, which is Spanish for crazy aunt. She was a fireball. She died at 82. She lived a wonderful life, a life that I celebrate. She was in Cuba after the revolution. She fought in the Cuban revolution. She was tortured in Cuban prisons. When she was dying, she. She lived in Dallas. She was fading away earlier this year, and she was on her deathbed. We all knew she was going. And I told her it was right after Maduro had been arrested. And I told her, I said, yeah, we just arrested Maduro. Cuba's next. Cuba is going to fall. And I gotta say, the look of joy in her face. And there are millions of people in America. Millions of Cuban Americans, millions of Venezuelan Americans, millions of Chinese Americans and Korean Americans. And everyone who has been a victim of communism, who has understood. Listen, Ben, I believe communism is the most evil ideology that the world has ever produced. There's been no ideology in American history and world history that has resulted in more murder, more torture, more slavery, more oppression, more poverty and more misery than China. And to listen to an elected member of Congress, a leader of the Democrat Party, saying she desperately wants to smuggle fuel in because her objective is to save the Communist government in Cuba. I gotta say, it will be an amazing thing. I don't know what's going to happen in Cuba, but we have a greater opportunity right now than at any point in my lifetime to see the Communist regime fall. And, Ben, here's what I want to see happen. I want to see this communist regime fall. I want to see a new government in Cuba that is democratically elected, that is legitimate. That is just two things that embraces free Markets and that wants to be friends with America. And let me tell you what that will look like if that happens. Number one, I would love to see Cuba be this oasis of free enterprise, much like a Singapore or a Hong Kong before China took it over. I think it could be extraordinary. But number two, Cuba has a massive advantage. There are millions of Cuban expats, Cubans who fled Cuba, came to America seeking freedom, who, if Cuba had a free market government that was friends with America, would eagerly invest in Cuba. There would be billions of dollars, tens of billions of dollars that would be invested in Cuba. You would see a mass of capital. Cuba is stuck in the dark ages. It's like going to Cuba and I've never been. I will go to Cuba when we have a free Cuba. I do not wish to go to Cuba under communism, but Cuba. The cars they drive. Do you know the cars they drive from the 1950s? Yeah, it's like the movie the land that time forgot. When the revolution happened, the car stopped, the innovation stopped, the food stopped. The misery stopped. The poverty. Everything froze in time. And I'll tell you, Cuba has some of the most beautiful beaches on the face of the planet. If we have a free market government that's friends with America, we will see this tourist oasis. Billions of dollars flooding into Cuba and it's just 90 miles off the coast of America and. And what befuddles me. I want to ask you this, Ben. Take a minute. Get in the mind of a leftist congresswoman. Premier Jayapal, why would you root for Cuban communists over America?

[Ben Ferguson]

As always, thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz. Ben Ferguson with you. Don't forget to download my podcast and you can listen to my podcast every other day. You're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards. I'd love to have you as a listener to again the Ben Ferguson Podcast. And we will see you back here on Monday morning.

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[Martha Stewart]

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[Podcast Announcer]

The wait is almost over. Get ready for the NFL season with a highly anticipated 2026 NFL schedule release. Every rivalry, every rematch and every rookie debut with matchups locked and kickoffs confirmed. Be there for every can't miss moment. The full NFL schedule release coming in May. Get all the [e-mail] ScheduleRelease.

[Senator Ted Cruz]

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[Pramila Jayapal (Quoted)]

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[Senator Ted Cruz (Continued)]

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[Pramila Jayapal (Quoted)]

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[Senator Ted Cruz (Continued)]

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