← Verdict with Ted Cruz
Verdict with Ted Cruz
What's the Objective in Iran? plus New DHS Secretary & Big Texas Primaries
00:35:50
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- [00:00]
Podcast Host (Ad Reader)
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:02]
Ben Ferguson
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Right now 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 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 ETFs 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 and 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 an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available at public.com disclosures tired
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- [03:19]
Senator Ted Cruz
It is Vertica Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you as well. And if you're listening on the radio, it's so nice to have you with us all over the country. And Senator, we've got a big show. We got a lot to talk about, including election night in America. You've got big movements at the Department of Homeland Security and some really interesting news that deals with Iran.
- [03:40]
Ben Ferguson
Well, and we're going to start with Iran. What is happening in the military conflict with Iran? America is having incredible success taking out Iran's military forces, their ability to use missiles and drones to murder their neighbors, to murder Americans. We're going to break down exactly where things stand and where they're likely to go. We're also going to do some analysis of in particular the impact that cutting off the flow of oil from Iran and from Venezuela is having on China, which is one of the most significant consequences of what's unfolding. We're going to break that down for you. We're going to talk in addition about the big news that broke this week, which is that we're going to have a new secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. President Trump announced that Kristi Noem is no longer going to be the secretary of dhs. And in her place is going to be Mark Wayne Mullen, the center from Oklahoma. We're going to talk about why that happened and what to expect next. And finally, we're going to talk about the elections that happened this week, in particular the elections in Texas. We had big elections in Texas, lots of things going on, some real risks in terms of the Democrats wanting to flip Texas blue. We're going to talk about how likely that is and what to expect.
- [04:59]
Senator Ted Cruz
Want to talk to you real quick about the markets. They've been going crazy. And if you are one of those that looks at your retirement account. There are big changes now with Cryptocurrency and Bitcoin ira. They can help you navigate it all. I gotta ask you a question. Can you buy real Bitcoin in your retirement account? Well, if not, it's time to upgrade to Bitcoin IRA. It's 2026 and cryptocurrency is where so many investors are going to and diversifying. You can buy and sell Bitcoin inside a tax advantage IRA with Bitcoin IRA and that gives you more ways to diversify and grow your retirement savings. Security is their number one priority and your assets are protected by military grade multi key security. And you're covered up to 250 million in digital asset insurance. So what are you waiting for? Get in the bitcoin game today and diversify your portfolio. You actually talk to a real person. 8666-7968-7186-6679-7871 or bitcoin ira.com Ben. That's bitcoin ira.com Ben. To open a free account and earn up to $1,000 bonus right now. All right, Senator, so let's talk about where we are with Iran. I gotta say I am incredibly impressed with the Trump administration, the Department of War and just the leadership and the bravery, but also the planning. Like it is really incredible to see just how powerful, how accurate and how good our intelligence has been. Obviously sharing Israel back and forth intelligence, taking out not just the Ayatollah, but virtually everyone around him at this point. That is a job you don't want, by the way, because every time they keep naming a new person, we take them out within minutes, if not hours of them being named to their new job. This is a big display of what America can do.
- [07:09]
Ben Ferguson
Well, there's no doubt that our military has been incredibly effective. You know, I will say, as we're now just about a week into the attack on Iran, there are people who are asking what is our objective? And it has been less than transparently clear to a fair number of folks what it is we're trying to accomplish. I want to be very clear what it is that we're trying to accomplish. Iran is a profound national security threat to the United States. The regime in Iran for 47 years has been the number one state funder of terrorism in the world. For 47 years, Iran has provided 90% of the funding to Hamas, 90% of the funding to Hezbollah, 90% of the funding to the Houthis. They have killed to date, nearly 1,000Americans. The Ayatollah when he was still alive, would lead mobs chanting, death to America. The Ayatollah twice hired hitmen to try to murder President Donald Trump. The President on Saturday made the decision to go in. To go in with overwhelming force and to take out the Ayatollah, to take out this regime. What's the objective? Let me be very clear. The objective is regime collapse. It is taking this government out. The Ayatollah was eliminated the first day. Much of his National Security Council, the top leadership was eliminated the first day they were meeting together. Israel took them out with a targeted bombing and they're gone. Moving forward, our objectives likewise are taking out Iran's short range and medium range missiles and their drone capacity. Now, right now, Iran, we just had a very lengthy classified briefing this week, so I, I heard from the senior administration officials on all of these issues. Iran has been producing roughly 100 missiles a month. And one of the reasons that the administration acted now is you look. So today we have six US Servicemen and women who've been killed. If we had delayed, Iran was building so many missiles, Iran was building so many drones, that an attack at a later date would have likely resulted in substantially more U.S. casualties.
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Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah. And I think a lot of people didn't understand how close they were to actually doing that.
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Ben Ferguson
Yeah, listen, Iran, in the course of the nuclear negotiations, had told our negotiators that they had uranium, enriched uranium sufficient to produce 11 nuclear bombs. And their intention, I believe, was to develop nuclear weapons. And to be honest, look, they wanted nuclear weapons. I think if they had had nuclear weapons, they would have used nuclear weapons. The risk was unacceptable that the Ayatollah, when the guy routinely screams, death to America. If there's one principle of geopolitics, it's when someone tells you they want to kill, you believe them.
- [10:44]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah.
- [10:45]
Ben Ferguson
The Ayatollah and the Ayatollah Khamenei, by the way, his predecessor was the Ayatollah Khomeini. Their names are really similar, they're different dudes. They're both theocratic lunatics who hated America. And they both have killed vast numbers of Americans. They have been waging war against us for 47 years. And as you know, I spent virtually the entire day on Friday right before this war launched with President Trump. I was on Air Force One with him. I was in the beast, riding one on one with him. And we spent most of that time talking about Iran. It was right before he issued the go order. And I was urging him, I said, this regime has never been more fragile, never been more vulnerable. Do not let this opportunity pass. Take them out now because there is very little, if anything, we can do on the global stage that will improve U.S. national security more. Taking out the Iranian regime. This will make Americans safer. Donald Trump agreed and he acted.
- [12:03]
I want you to pause what you're doing for just one minute, and I want you to hear about love, generosity and compassion. We say those words all the time and they sound good, they feel good. But here's the truth. Those words don't mean anything unless they turn into action. And right now, not later today, not tomorrow, there's a child in the world who doesn't know if they'll eat, if they'll have a chance to learn, or if there's any hope at all. And while we're all busy, life keeps moving forward. But that child is waiting. This is where you come in. With Compassion International, you have the chance to change a child's future not just with words, not with promises, but with real help that provides food, education and hope through local churches and people already in their community. Put your words into action and join me. Introduce a child to a loving heavenly father today@compassion.com that's compassion.com having just come
- [13:10]
Senator Ted Cruz
back from Israel, I want to paint you a picture. It's midnight, sirens are blaring and you have only seconds to grab your child and run. Now imagine you're elderly. Your legs don't work like they used to. Getting downstairs feels impossible. And after all of that, you end up in a bomb shelter for hours, even days, because you can't make the trek again. This is what's happening across Israel as Operation Epic Fury continues. Children are being traumatized, families are just exhausted, and homes have been destroyed. And that's why the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is there on the ground bringing food, emergency equipment, care for
- [13:52]
Ben Ferguson
those children and help for the elderly.
- [13:55]
Senator Ted Cruz
And supplying the bomb shelters and medical centers for critically needed essentials. If you've ever wondered what it looks like to stand for Israel and stand for good against evil, this is it. And that's why I'm asking you to now please act. Give $45 right now to rush life saving essentials to the vulnerables under fire. You can also call 888488 IFCJ.
- [14:20]
Ben Ferguson
That's 888488 IFCJ.
- [14:25]
Senator Ted Cruz
Join me and give and make a real difference online@ifcj.org that's ifcj.org support for
- [14:33]
Public Investing Sponsor Voice
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 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 ETFs 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 and 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 an investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comdisclosures Life gets messy.
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- [17:05]
Senator Ted Cruz
to get back into what we were talking about with Iran a moment ago. The objective question has been a really important one and an important response. There are a lot of conservatives that are worried about getting into a never ending war. There's a lot of people that will never forget my generation of that, you know, evidence that was put before the UN about why we should go into Iraq. And we found out that intelligence was, well, basically crap. And there's people that worry that we're gonna get into another situation like that. I'm not worried about that. I think the President's been very clear about his objective here and I want you to talk more about it. Cuz I think there's a lot of people that have those questions for good reason.
- [17:45]
Ben Ferguson
The objective is very simple, to collapse this regime, to take this regime out of power. Now, I will say the Trump administration has been a little bit cautious in articulating that. And I think the reason is they are reluctant to say the words regime change. And you just highlighted why. Because regime change brings back the Iraq War, brings back George W. Bush and a lot of bad experiences. Now let me be clear. I think the Iraq War was a mistake. I've been very clear, I've been on the record for that for more than a decade, that the Iraq war was a mistake. That being said, the Iraq war was a mistake because we went in. Saddam Hussein, who was an evil dictator, was murdering his own people. He was killing terrorists. We came in, we toppled Saddam Hussein. The terrorists took over, they began killing Americans. It made America less safe, by the way. We did the same thing in Libya. Gaddafi was again an evil tyrant. He was murdering his own citizens. He was killing terrorists. We came in and toppled him. The terrorists took over, began killing Americans. I don't believe we should do something that results in more Americans being at risk. This is a qualitatively different situation. The Ayatollah and the Mullahs have effectively declared war on the United States. They have been waging war, actively killing Americans for 47 years. They have been funding terrorists, killing Americans for 47 years. And so removing radical, theocratic, homicidal and genocidal maniacs from power makes America substantially safer. That's what the administration is doing. They haven't necessarily articulated that the objective is regime collapse. What they've talked about is they've said we want to take out the short range missiles, the medium range missiles, the drones, the drone manufacturing capacity, the missile manufacturing capacity. All of that is right. But look, there are lots of countries on earth that have short range and medium range missiles. France has short range and medium range missiles. We're not bombing France right now. Why? Because France is not led by theocratic lunatics who Want to murder us. The reason we're acting against Iran is the government. The Ayatollah who's no longer with us. Thank you. And I'm very glad he went to meet his 72 virgins.
- [20:05]
Senator Ted Cruz
Amen to that.
- [20:08]
Ben Ferguson
I'm sure he is deeply dismayed when he discovers that all 72 of his virgins are Nick Fuentes. I'm sure that is not what he anticipated. But the reason we are acting is because the leadership of this country has been trying to and has been in fact fact killing Americans. And I want you to listen to President Trump when he talks about, number one, I want you to listen to President Trump when he talks about the successes we've had. Give a listen.
- [20:40]
Donald Trump
And before we begin, I think I will say a few words about what's going on with respect to our operation in the country of Iran. The United States military, together with the wonderful Israeli partners, continues to totally demolish the enemy far ahead of schedule and at levels that people have never seen before. Actually, we're destroying more of Iran's missiles and drone capability every single hour, Knocking them out like nobody thought was possible. As soon as they set off a missile, within four minutes, the launcher gets hit. They don't know what's happening. But we have the greatest military anywhere in the world. Their Navy is gone, 24 ships in three days. That's a lot of ships. Their anti aircraft weapons are gone. So they have no air force, they have no air defense. All of their airplanes are gone, their communications are gone, missiles are gone, launches are gone, about 60% and 64% respectively. Other than that, they're doing quite well. I said, what's left? But they're tough and they want to fight. And they're calling, they're saying, how do we make a deal? I said, you're being a little bit late and we want to fight now more than they do. We've had 47 years, depending on the way you count it, but 47 years of horror with this group. And you know when you see somebody walking down the street without their legs, without the arms, whose face is so badly affected and hurt, it mostly came from 95% Soleimani and Iran and we other presidents lived with it, I didn't live with it. And so our people are doing a great job. Again, the greatest military anyone's seen.
- [22:57]
Senator Ted Cruz
Senator, I love that. He just is so proud of our military. But let's go back to the oil part as well, which is really important.
- [23:04]
Ben Ferguson
So one of the critical pieces of this that many people don't realize is that between going after Maduro and Venezuela and going after Iran, in addition to taking out two very serious enemies of America, President Trump is also taking a serious step against China because both Venezuela and Iran have been sending vast amounts of oil to China. What percent of Iran's oil exports do you think have historically gone to China?
- [23:37]
Senator Ted Cruz
I'm going to guess it's a significant amount because they desperately need them as an ally.
- [23:41]
Ben Ferguson
Oh, that was kind of a Weasley answer, but let me give you the more precise answer. That would be 87.2% of Iran's oil export have gone to China. What percent of Venezuela's do you think went?
- [23:53]
Senator Ted Cruz
It's got to be, let's say, 60% plus.
- [23:55]
Ben Ferguson
That's actually pretty good. 55.1%. So more than half of Venezuela's and nearly 90% of Iran's have gone to China. And so the effect of taking both of these leaders out has been not only to reduce the threats to America, but it has done a serious blow to China and their energy sources. That makes a big difference for America.
- [24:17]
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- [25:26]
Senator Ted Cruz
senator, there was a shakeup. You don't want to ever be the first one to be a cabinet secretary
- [25:32]
Ben Ferguson
to get the boot.
- [25:32]
Senator Ted Cruz
But it was pretty clear Kristi Noem got the boot. This week. One of your colleagues is gonna take over at Department of Homeland Security. Mark Wayne Mullen. I want to get your take on all of that.
- [25:43]
Ben Ferguson
Well, the president announced this week that he was removing Kristi Noem from Secretary of DHS and replacing her with. With Mark Wayne Mullen. I have to say, this was not much of a surprise to anyone watching closely. Kristi Noem testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week. I was part of that hearing. I questioned her on it. The questioning was bumpy, and she got. The Democrats, of course, went after her hard, but a number of Republicans went after her hard as well. And I have to say, one of those that was the most effective was. Was my. My friend and colleague from Louisiana, John Kennedy. John has been on this podcast, and he's someone who's a good friend of mine. I want to play John Kennedy's cross examination of Kristi Noem because. Because this was. This proved very consequential cross examination. Give a listen.
- [26:41]
Senator John Kennedy
How do you square that concern for waste, which I share, with the fact that you have spent $220 million running television advertisements that feature you prominently?
- [27:04]
Kristi Noem
Sir, the President tasked me with getting the message out to the country and to other countries where we were seeing the invasion come from.
- [27:11]
Ben Ferguson
From.
- [27:12]
Kristi Noem
With. With putting commercials out that told them that if they were in this country illegally, that they needed to leave or we would detain them and remove them and they not get the chance to come back to America the right way. That has been extremely effective.
- [27:25]
Senator John Kennedy
Ask you to run these advertisements, is that right?
- [27:30]
Kristi Noem
We had that conversation, yes, before I was put in this position and sworn in and confirmed, and since then, as well.
- [27:38]
Senator John Kennedy
Okay. Did you. Did you bid out those. Those service contracts?
- [27:44]
Kristi Noem
Yes, they did. They went out to a competitive bid, and career officials at the department chose who would do those advertising commercials.
- [27:52]
Senator John Kennedy
And the people that you ended up picking were people who had formerly done your political work back in South Dakota, Is that right?
- [28:05]
Kristi Noem
No, that's not correct, sir. No, it's not. Sir. We, the individuals who, I believe the careers, who they chose were two different media firms. There's been conversation about their subcontractors, but we have no legal authority to look into subcontractors on work like that.
- [28:23]
Senator John Kennedy
Okay, and you're saying that you're testifying that President Trump approved this ahead of time? My understanding.
- [28:33]
Kristi Noem
We had conversations about making sure that we were telling people no, Ma', am, I'm asking you.
- [28:39]
Senator John Kennedy
Sorry to interrupt, but the President approved ahead of time you spending $220 million running TV ads across the country in which you fe are featured prominently?
- [28:51]
Kristi Noem
Yes, sir. We went through the legal processes. Did it correct the President?
- [28:56]
Senator John Kennedy
Yes, he did.
- [28:58]
Kristi Noem
Yes.
- [28:58]
Senator John Kennedy
Okay.
- [29:01]
Kristi Noem
And one thing, Senator, I think would be helpful to know is how effective that communications has been that overwhelmingly effective
- [29:08]
Senator John Kennedy
in your name recognition. I mean, I. I personally just. I mean, to me, it Puts the president in a terribly awkward spot. And, and I just, I'm not saying you're not telling the truth. It's just hard for me to believe the president as I do that you said, Mr. President, here's some ads I've cut and I'm going to spend $220 million running them. That he would have agreed to that. I don't think Russ Vogt at OMB would have agreed to that. It's something we have to defend. I'm on the Appropriations Committee. I mean, my research shows that you did not bid them out. That you, you pick, in fact, one of the people. You picked the strategy group. I'm sorry, Safe America Media was a company formed 11 days before you picked them. And that the strategy group got most of the money. And the head of that is married to your former spokesperson. I'm. Look, we all have friends who are qualified. I'm not quibbling with that. I'm just. It troubles me quarter fifth to a quarter of a billion dollars of taxpayer money when we're scratching for every penny and we're fighting over rescission packages. I just can't agree with Madam Secretary. You still running those ads, Senator?
- [30:49]
Kristi Noem
I did not have anything to do with picking those contractors. I know politicals at the Department of Homeland Security did it. I understand. Are you sure officials followed the competitive bid process. Are you still running those ads? I think the ads are due to end here in March, I think within a week. So they are still running. The one that is running is focusing on angel families. Have you seen that? It is the one that's talking about. This is our why. This is why we work every day is for the angel families and their victims.
- [31:19]
Senator Ted Cruz
Senator, it was not a good showing there for her. And you know your colleague there, Senator Kennedy, asking questions I think a lot of Americans care about. The president's also come out saying she did not run this by him. And the amount of money being spent either. That also didn't work well for her either.
- [31:39]
Ben Ferguson
Well, and that's something that John Kennedy pointed out. He said in the aftermath. He said that President Trump was quote, mad as a murder hornet that Noem claimed He approved the $200 million ADS contract. And listen, John is a good friend of mine. I talked to him today on the Senate floor and I just. The number of nominees that his cross examinations have taken out is quite remarkable. And I think it was John Kennedy's cross examination that was pivotal in the decision to shift from Christie. Look, I like Christie personally. I had dinner with her just a few weeks ago. And I do think the results of the Department of Homeland Security in terms of securing the border have been very effective, and so that that is beneficial. I think John Kennedy's line of questioning here was fair and it was, it was incredibly effective. I also think, and we've talked about this on the podcast before, that the messaging from the administration, particularly following the shooting of two different Americans in Minneapolis, that the messaging was wrong and it did real damage. That I think the messaging was, look, anytime an American citizen is killed in a confrontation with law enforcement, it's a tragedy. And we should see our officials acknowledging it's a tragedy. We should see our officials saying, listen, if there's an officer involved shooting, there's going to be an investigation. We're going to examine what happened and determine what exactly caused it. And instead, the rhetoric immediately leaped to really aggressive rhetoric, calling both of the individuals using language like terrorists and seeking mass murder. And that was hard to square with the facts of what occurred. I think that rhetoric did damage to the administration and I think it was one of the things that contributed to the decision of the President to shift from Kristi Noem as the leader of Homeland Security. Mark Wayne Mullen. Mark Wayne, I've served with him in the Senate. He, he's a good guy. He's someone the President trusts. I think he will be confirmed. I think it will be a party line vote in the Senate. We may get John Fetterman, but I would be surprised if any other Democrat votes for him. So my prediction is the vote on Mark Wayne Mullen will, will be 54 to 46. That 46 Democrats will vote now. And, and I think Mark Wayne. Look, there are advantages to being an experienced elected official. He was a House member. He's been a senator. I'm hopeful that he will bring a level of professionalism and effectiveness. The results of DHS have been quite strong. But I do think that the testimony that Secretary Noem gave, it was not an easy day for her. And I think John Kennedy, Thom Tillis also lit into her really hard. But, but I think the Kennedy cross examination was more significant. There's been quite a bit of reporting that, that the President was unhappy, that she said that he knew about the ad she had run. And, and, and I don't have independent knowledge of that. But, but, but I don't have reason to. To doubt that reporting. Yeah, and, and, and so, look, we need to secure our border. We've had an incredible success rate doing so so far. And I'm hopeful That bark Wade Mullen coming in will continue, continue with that success and continue to keep our family safe.
- [35:44]
Senator Ted Cruz
It was election day on Tuesday in America. It was a very big election day in Texas. There was certainly some upsets on the House side. There's a lot of people around the country watching Dan Crenshaw's race. He lost that race to someone that you endorsed. That was a big one that I was on national TV talking about over and over again. And then there's obviously the Senate race that's happening as well, that's now gone into a runoff between two people that you know well, your colleague in the Senate and also Ken Paxton. So we're gonna have to wait and see how that plays out as well. Uh, but then there's also the Democrat running against whoever wins that runoff. And this is a guy that Democrats are real excited about. He's talented, he's radical, he's extreme, but he comes across like a very moderate guy, if you listen to him today.
- [36:35]
Ben Ferguson
Well, we had primary day in Texas this. This week, and it was highly consequential. Number one, there were a number of House candidates who I endorsed who prevailed. We had one, Jessica Steinman, who was my former regional director in Houston. She won decisively the Republican primary. She is going to be in all likelihood, the next Republican congressmember from Houston. We had another Chris Gober, who's been my lawyer for 10 years. He won his primary decisively. He's going to be a new Republican congressman from Central Texas. We had another John Bonk, who I endorsed, who is a close friend. He is the son in law of one of my closest friends in the world, who's been my national finance chairman
- [37:23]
Senator Ted Cruz
for years, by the way. That was a fun night. Just take a moment, talk about how fun that was. So you were obviously in D.C. but I went to the Victory party and it's fun to see someone that you and I know personally. And the smile on your dear friend Willie's face. And even. Even Heidi was there as well, your wife. It was really a cool evening to see someone work hard and win. I know you had to have a really. That had to feel personal to you.
- [37:49]
Ben Ferguson
So Willie, who's. Who's John Bonk's father in law, is one of my two or three closest friends on planet Earth. And I love him. He's a good man. He's a prec. Principled man. He's a conservative. He's a godly man. He's someone who, frankly, I rely on for advice for spiritual counseling. We pray Together, we talk together. And John is very likely to win. He did not clear 50%. So unfortunately there's going to be a runoff, but I think he's going to prevail. I actually did a rally for him just a week ago, and in the middle of the rally, Wallace had several hundred people there rallying for him. I got the chance to announce from the stage while I was up there that President Trump had endorsed him. That was a very cool moment. We knew it was likely to come. I thought there was a chance that Trump would call on the cell phone. If he had called, I would have put the cell phone up to the microphone and let him announce it to the whole crowd. Instead, I got to announce and the crowd went nuts. That was really gratifying. To have three people who are two who are members of my team and have been employees and another who's a very close friend. To see three new likely members of Congress coming, that was a big deal. We also had Don Huffines, who I endorsed for comptroller in a statewide position in Texas that won decisively. That was a big victory. And then you noted Dan Crenshaw. Look, in my 14 years in the Senate, I almost never endorse against Republican incumbents. And there's a reason. If you're serving in the Senate, if you're working in Congress, if you're endorsing against your colleagues, it makes it very hard to get anything done. Like that makes lifelong enemies. And so you just have to be really reluctant to do so. I endorse in open races, but I almost never endorse in races against Republican incumbents. I've made two exceptions in 14 years. The first was Liz Cheney, because Liz Cheney lost her mind and became a radical leftist who hated President Trump. And so I endorsed her opponent, Harriet Hageman, who beat her and is getting ready to be the new senator from Wyoming now. And then I did it again for Dan Crenshaw for much the same reason, because he had really lost his way. He had gotten angry with his constituents. There were multiple instances in which he yelled. There's one instance where he yelled at a 14 year old girl and just got angry. In this race, there's a very good friend of mine who's been a longtime supporter and close friend who was supporting Dan's opponent. And Dan decided to just light him up. This is a banker, a private citizen in Texas, and Dan decided to go after him personally. And I gotta say, that pissed me off. He's a close friend of mine and I didn't like Dan just attacking him directly. And so I endorsed his opponent, Steve Toth. Steve Toth has been a state legislator for a number of years. He's a very strong conservative. And it ended up that Steve Toth won and won decisively, Won by a big margin. And that was a little bit of a cannon shot. You know, I will say, Dan also. Oh, a couple of months ago, we were on a plane landing in D.C. and in the Jetway, walking off, Dan began screaming and cursing at me. And it was really a little unhinged. And he was like, why are you coming after me? And I was like, well, I'm not. And he was mad that. That supporters of mine were supporting his opponents. And, look, I don't control what my supporters do. They're, you know, individuals who have free choice. But he was literally screaming and cursing at me. And I told him at the time, I said, dan, if I come after you, I promise you, you'll know. Like, it will not be subtle. It will not be hidden. You will have full awareness of it. But I told him afterwards, I said, Listen, in 14 years in the Senate, you were the only House member who's ever screamed and cursed at me on an airplane, and that includes all the Democrats. And so it just pushed me beyond the edge. And the voters of Texas decided that he was not reflecting their conservative values. And so they've elected Steve Toth, will be a great member of Congress, will be a strong conservative. Now we've got the Senate race. The Senate race. There is a runoff between John Cornyn, my colleague right now, and Ken Paxton, the Attorney General. Both of them I know very well. Both of them are friends of mine. Both of them I've worked together closely with for years. I've endorsed both of them in the past. I've campaigned with both of them in the past. And I gotta say, this primary is bitter and nasty. Look, it is, to date, the most expensive primary in American history.
- [43:01]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah.
- [43:02]
Ben Ferguson
And John and Ken really dislike each other. And so it is going to be brutal. It is going to be ugly. I don't know how it's going to resolve. President Trump tweeted out this week that he is going to make an endorsement. He has not yet. So we'll see what the President decides to do on this. But I will say, at the same time, the Democrats nominated a guy named James Talrico as a state Republican. And this guy is dangerous. He's an ordained minister, he's a radical, he's a hardcore leftist, and will, in subsequent podcasts, break down just how radical and extreme his record is, but what makes him dangerous is he sounds reasonable. He masks his radicalism in reasonable sounding soft language. He masks it in the language of a pastor. It's. It's incredibly deceptive and dishonest, but that makes it dangerous. And so we got a real fight in Texas and I don't know what the result will be.
- [44:00]
Senator Ted Cruz
Yeah, we're going to cover it all, I can promise you that. Don't forget Download Verdict with Ted Cruz. Wherever you get your podcasts and the center, I will see you back here on this radio station next week as well.
- [44:10]
Ben Ferguson
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- [45:26]
Ben Ferguson
I don't know if you knew this,
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but anyone can get the same Premium Wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities.
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- [45:55]
Ben Ferguson
You know Eddie and I recently stopped by. Yeah, in Nashville. It's an incredible nonprofit empowering kids through music education. Thanks to Hyundai, we recorded a special podcast episode while we were there.
- [46:07]
How do you think learning an instrument helps kids with confidence? Learning an instrument allows them to discover
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Podcast Host (Ad Reader)
a little bit further of who they are and be comfortable with it and
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Kristi Noem
then share a little bit about that with others.
- [46:21]
Ben Ferguson
And if it's done in an environment that is celebrating and championing them, then that confidence can only go up.
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The full episode is out now, presented
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- [46:31]
Ben Ferguson
To donate and learn more about Yah's mission, just visit yarocks.
- [46:35]
Org.