Verdict with Ted Cruz - Congress Grills NPR, a Filibuster Showdown & Behind the Tariffs Week In Review

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:00:02.640 Guaranteed human.

00:00:04.520 Welcome, it is Verdict with Ted Cruz.

00:00:06.420 A week in review.

00:00:07.640 Ben Ferguson with you, and here are the big stories

00:00:09.560 that you may have missed that we talked about this week.

00:00:11.980 First up, NPR was in front of Congress

00:00:15.800 having to answer questions about all the government funds

00:00:19.120 that are going to their organization.

00:00:21.400 You're going to be shocked what the CEO had to say

00:00:23.720 and how out of touch they were with reality.

00:00:27.020 Also, you had a filibuster that happened this week,

00:00:30.580 but what was it over?

00:00:31.920 Well, that's the funny part.

00:00:33.540 We'll give you the details of one senator

00:00:35.860 that decided to stay up all day and all night

00:00:38.140 to filibuster your vote.

00:00:40.500 And finally, Senator Cruz takes you behind the scenes

00:00:44.020 so you understand exactly what's going on with his colleagues

00:00:47.100 when it comes to the tariff situation.

00:00:49.760 It's the Weekend Review, and it starts right now.

00:00:53.120 Which brings us to another aspect of this,

00:00:55.960 and that was what happened in Congress last week

00:00:58.580 with NPR's CEO and PBS's CEO there in front of Congress

00:01:04.700 having to deal with what Doge is doing,

00:01:07.520 which is cutting waste, fraud, and abuse,

00:01:11.140 and it did not go very well for those CEOs.

00:01:14.320 It reminded me an awful lot, Senator,

00:01:17.100 of when the presidents of the Ivy League schools

00:01:21.100 had to come and answer questions

00:01:22.900 about anti-Semitism on college campuses

00:01:25.180 after the attacks on Israel,

00:01:27.940 and people were just in shock how radical they were

00:01:31.280 and how they were not stopping it.

00:01:33.000 It was very reminiscent of that with NPR's CEO, 0.85

00:01:36.940 very arrogant, PBS CEO, very arrogant, 0.63

00:01:39.240 like, this is what we do. 0.97

00:01:40.300 We take your money, we put out propaganda,

00:01:42.460 so sue us.

00:01:43.740 That's what we've been doing forever.

00:01:45.120 Well, and Catherine Maher, who's the CEO of NPR, 0.96

00:01:49.700 is arrogant, drippingly arrogant. 0.90

00:01:53.020 She is hard left, and it was exactly like it. 0.96

00:01:57.240 You're right.

00:01:57.960 The president of Harvard, the president of Penn,

00:02:00.080 both of whom lost their jobs

00:02:01.740 over their arrogant, out-of-touch testimony

00:02:05.060 before the House, where she is,

00:02:08.280 look, she's a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

00:02:11.120 She worked for UNICEF.

00:02:12.320 She worked for the National Democratic Institute.

00:02:14.980 She worked for the World Bank and Access Now.

00:02:17.140 She worked for Wikimedia Foundation.

00:02:20.180 She joined the Atlantic Council.

00:02:22.140 She was part of the Department of State's

00:02:23.940 Foreign Affairs Policy Board.

00:02:25.960 She is a hard leftist,

00:02:28.340 but look, don't take my word for it.

00:02:30.800 Listen to it out of her own mouth,

00:02:33.040 and I want you to listen in particular

00:02:34.620 for this back and forth with Brandon Gill.

00:02:39.160 Brandon Gill is a freshman House member from Texas.

00:02:43.080 He's a good friend.

00:02:44.020 I campaigned hard for Brandon.

00:02:46.720 I endorsed him in the primary.

00:02:48.080 Brandon is a rising star in the House.

00:02:50.260 And just listen to this back and forth

00:02:51.900 as he questions her

00:02:53.080 and hangs her on her own petard 0.99

00:02:56.100 with her own words.

00:02:57.200 Give a listen.

00:02:58.120 Do you believe that America

00:02:59.060 is addicted to white supremacy? 0.57

00:03:01.800 I believe that I tweeted that, 0.70

00:03:03.880 and as I've said earlier,

00:03:05.080 I believe much of my thinking

00:03:06.160 has evolved over the last half decade.

00:03:08.780 It has evolved.

00:03:09.100 Okay, stop, stop, stop, stop.

00:03:11.240 I want you to notice something she says there.

00:03:13.780 Much of my thinking has evolved

00:03:15.580 over the last half decade.

00:03:19.020 Ben, what's a half decade?

00:03:20.680 Five years.

00:03:21.680 That would be five years.

00:03:22.620 Doesn't a half decade sound long?

00:03:24.360 I believe much of my thinking

00:03:25.900 has evolved over the last half decade. 0.99

00:03:28.420 Oh, crap! 0.94

00:03:29.120 What I said five years ago? 1.00

00:03:30.400 Uh-oh, no, that's a real problem.

00:03:31.800 Run away, run away. 0.91

00:03:32.560 All right, go back to what he's playing with

00:03:34.220 that has evolved.

00:03:34.860 I just, like, that comment, 1.00

00:03:37.140 her idiocy only gets worse. 1.00

00:03:38.480 It made me laugh. 1.00

00:03:38.960 As soon as I heard, I was like,

00:03:40.040 this is not going well.

00:03:41.260 Keep listening.

00:03:41.740 It gets worse.

00:03:42.960 Why did you tweet that?

00:03:44.300 I don't recall the exact context, sir,

00:03:46.660 so I wouldn't be able to say.

00:03:48.100 Okay.

00:03:48.920 Do you believe that America believes

00:03:50.540 in black plunder and white democracy?

00:03:53.240 I don't believe that, sir.

00:03:56.140 You tweeted that in reference

00:03:57.820 to a book you were reading at the time,

00:03:59.800 apparently, The Case for Reparations.

00:04:02.240 I don't think I've ever read that book, sir.

00:04:04.220 You tweeted about it.

00:04:06.600 You said you took a day off

00:04:08.280 to fully read the case for reparations.

00:04:10.600 You put that on Twitter in January of 2020.

00:04:13.720 I apologize.

00:04:14.520 I don't recall that I did.

00:04:15.840 Okay.

00:04:16.340 I have no doubt that your tweet there is correct,

00:04:19.560 but I don't recall that.

00:04:20.660 Okay.

00:04:21.480 Do you believe that white people

00:04:22.780 inherently feel superior to other races?

00:04:25.420 I do not.

00:04:26.300 You don't?

00:04:26.800 You tweeted something to that effect.

00:04:28.780 You said, I grew up feeling superior.

00:04:31.220 Ha, how white of me.

00:04:32.700 Why did you tweet that?

00:04:34.240 I think I was probably reflecting on

00:04:36.200 what it was to grow up in an environment

00:04:39.940 where I had lots of advantages.

00:04:41.500 It sounds like you're saying

00:04:42.840 that white people feel superior.

00:04:44.640 I don't believe that anybody feels that way, sir.

00:04:47.560 I was just reflecting on my own experiences.

00:04:49.500 Do you think that white people

00:04:50.420 should pay reparations?

00:04:51.780 I have never said that, sir.

00:04:53.840 Yes, you did.

00:04:54.880 You said it in January of 2020.

00:04:56.860 You tweeted,

00:04:57.260 Yes, the North.

00:04:58.640 Yes, all of us.

00:04:59.420 Yes, America.

00:05:00.680 Yes, our original collective sin and unpaid debt.

00:05:03.520 Yes, reparations.

00:05:04.740 Yes, on this day.

00:05:05.940 I don't believe that was a reference

00:05:07.020 to fiscal reparations, sir.

00:05:08.880 What kind of reparations was it a reference to?

00:05:11.100 I think it was just a reference to the idea

00:05:12.740 that we all owe much to the people who came before us.

00:05:15.860 That's a bizarre way to frame what you tweeted.

00:05:20.860 Okay, how much reparations have you personally paid?

00:05:25.260 Sir, I don't believe that I've ever paid reparations.

00:05:29.260 Okay, just for everybody else.

00:05:31.100 I'm not asking anyone to pay reparations.

00:05:32.440 Seems to be what you're suggesting.

00:05:34.480 Do you believe that looting is morally wrong?

00:05:36.460 I believe that looting is illegal,

00:05:38.540 and I refer to it as counterproductive.

00:05:40.240 I think it should be prosecuted.

00:05:41.240 Do you believe it's morally wrong, though?

00:05:43.020 Of course.

00:05:43.780 Of course.

00:05:44.260 Then why did you refer to it as counterproductive?

00:05:47.100 It's a very different way to describe it.

00:05:49.960 It is both morally wrong and counterproductive,

00:05:52.480 as well as being illegal.

00:05:53.320 You tweeted,

00:05:53.720 it's hard to be mad about protests

00:05:55.680 in reference to the BLM protests

00:05:58.060 not prioritizing the private property

00:06:00.660 of a system of oppression.

00:06:03.400 You didn't condemn the looting.

00:06:04.640 You said that it was counterproductive.

00:06:07.420 NPR also promoted a book called

00:06:10.300 In Defense of Looting.

00:06:11.480 Do you think that that's an appropriate

00:06:12.540 use of taxpayer dollars?

00:06:14.260 I'm unfamiliar with that book, sir.

00:06:16.300 And I don't believe that was at my time at MPR.

00:06:18.220 You tweeted that you read that book, but...

00:06:20.220 I don't believe that I did read that book.

00:06:22.080 It's amazing.

00:06:23.320 She tweeted that she read the book.

00:06:25.060 She's like,

00:06:25.360 I don't believe that I ever read that book.

00:06:27.660 So you're either lying now,

00:06:29.320 or you're lying,

00:06:30.360 what, a half a decade ago,

00:06:32.220 if she likes to describe it.

00:06:33.320 Right, Senator?

00:06:33.840 Look, that is a crushingly effective cross-examination.

00:06:40.800 And if you look at...

00:06:43.800 She is running away from everything she's ever said,

00:06:47.660 everything she's ever believed,

00:06:48.860 because it is indefensible.

00:06:50.540 When she says,

00:06:51.740 you know,

00:06:52.360 she claimed on Twitter,

00:06:54.160 she took an entire day off

00:06:55.460 to read a book on reparations.

00:06:56.740 It was so important that she devoted a day of her,

00:06:58.680 and now she has no recollection.

00:06:59.960 I'm sorry,

00:07:00.480 I, you know,

00:07:01.580 this will be before you were watching TV,

00:07:04.400 but there was an old series.

00:07:05.540 You ever watch Hogan's Heroes?

00:07:07.080 Yeah, oh gosh, yes.

00:07:08.220 Okay, well, do you remember Sergeant Schultz?

00:07:10.440 Yes.

00:07:11.180 Sergeant Schultz, he would say,

00:07:12.440 I see nothing!

00:07:13.540 I hear nothing!

00:07:14.880 That is Catherine Maher.

00:07:16.860 She sees nothing.

00:07:18.100 She hears nothing.

00:07:19.960 And yet,

00:07:21.500 this is someone charged

00:07:23.540 with spending millions of taxpayer dollars

00:07:26.820 running what is a left-wing propaganda network.

00:07:30.580 You know,

00:07:31.740 her statement,

00:07:32.480 I've never called for reparations.

00:07:34.760 I gotta say,

00:07:35.560 Brandon, I think,

00:07:36.160 does a fabulous job.

00:07:36.920 Well, yes, you did.

00:07:37.840 Let me read you the tweet.

00:07:38.860 And she says,

00:07:39.560 reparations, yes.

00:07:40.620 Oh, oh, well,

00:07:41.460 well, other than when I called for reparations,

00:07:43.420 but I haven't called for it

00:07:44.220 other than when I've called for it.

00:07:45.780 But, but, but,

00:07:46.860 no, no,

00:07:47.240 it's not fiscal reparations.

00:07:48.960 It's, I mean,

00:07:49.920 I mean,

00:07:50.580 I mean repairing the tires on their cars.

00:07:52.620 That's the,

00:07:52.900 those are the reparations.

00:07:54.260 I, I mean,

00:07:55.040 she has no answer

00:07:57.880 because her answer

00:07:59.740 is

00:08:00.660 she desperately wants to run away

00:08:03.320 from everything she has ever said or done.

00:08:05.960 But, but let me actually,

00:08:08.720 let's actually go to something else

00:08:10.640 that, that, that she said and did.

00:08:12.860 Which is,

00:08:14.280 what do you think

00:08:15.460 she has cited

00:08:16.600 as the number one challenge

00:08:18.360 that is facing,

00:08:21.720 that is facing journalism right now?

00:08:25.760 Knowing this woman,

00:08:28.900 have no idea.

00:08:31.060 Okay.

00:08:31.700 Here, here is a quote from her

00:08:33.360 at a panel

00:08:33.960 at the Atlantic Council Research Lab.

00:08:36.380 Quote,

00:08:37.060 the number one challenge

00:08:38.200 that we see here

00:08:39.100 is, of course,

00:08:40.680 the First Amendment

00:08:41.620 in the United States.

00:08:43.380 It's, it's so,

00:08:44.920 like,

00:08:45.440 it's so on brand for her

00:08:47.180 that it's almost unbelievable.

00:08:48.600 Though,

00:08:48.880 like a woman who says 0.72

00:08:50.120 that she believes in,

00:08:51.720 in the public

00:08:52.640 and radio

00:08:53.760 and free speech

00:08:55.020 says that's the real problem

00:08:56.820 is,

00:08:57.200 is the First Amendment.

00:08:58.760 In fact,

00:08:59.280 Senator,

00:08:59.660 here's the NPR CEO

00:09:00.780 in her own words

00:09:01.880 saying exactly that.

00:09:03.540 The number one challenge here

00:09:04.940 that we,

00:09:05.440 we see

00:09:06.000 is, of course,

00:09:07.100 the First Amendment

00:09:07.760 in the United States

00:09:08.820 is a fairly robust

00:09:10.680 protection of rights.

00:09:13.720 And,

00:09:14.320 and that is

00:09:15.120 a protection of rights

00:09:15.840 both for platforms,

00:09:16.620 which I actually think

00:09:17.180 is very important

00:09:17.880 that platforms

00:09:18.440 have those rights

00:09:19.140 to be able to regulate

00:09:20.120 what kind of content

00:09:21.080 they want on their sites.

00:09:22.560 But it also means

00:09:23.660 that it is a little bit tricky

00:09:24.800 to really address

00:09:25.640 some of the real challenges

00:09:27.480 of where does

00:09:28.820 bad information come from

00:09:30.300 and sort of the influence

00:09:31.320 peddlers who have made

00:09:32.200 a real market economy

00:09:33.100 around it.

00:09:33.820 I mean,

00:09:34.200 you listen to her

00:09:35.000 and it's just amazing.

00:09:36.880 If we could just

00:09:38.160 do what we want

00:09:39.220 and get rid of everything

00:09:40.300 we don't want

00:09:41.200 and silence anybody

00:09:42.840 that says something

00:09:43.440 that is disagreeing with us

00:09:45.420 then everything

00:09:46.280 would be fine

00:09:47.100 in media

00:09:48.100 and with our government,

00:09:49.720 right?

00:09:49.900 We could just control

00:09:50.940 everybody

00:09:51.520 and shut everybody down

00:09:52.940 we don't like.

00:09:53.620 That is the NPR CEO

00:09:55.060 saying it.

00:09:56.160 Look,

00:09:56.680 the left believes

00:09:57.620 in censorship.

00:09:58.540 They don't believe

00:09:59.400 in journalism.

00:10:00.100 They don't believe

00:10:00.520 in media.

00:10:00.980 They believe

00:10:01.280 in propaganda.

00:10:02.680 And you and I

00:10:03.280 on this podcast

00:10:04.120 covered last year

00:10:05.520 a story that was written

00:10:08.200 in the free press

00:10:09.300 by Yuri Berliner

00:10:10.600 and it was in April of 24

00:10:12.660 and it was entitled

00:10:14.140 I've been at NPR

00:10:15.640 for 25 years.

00:10:16.940 Here's how we lost

00:10:17.820 America's trust.

00:10:18.620 I just want to read

00:10:19.240 the beginning of it again

00:10:20.040 because we did

00:10:20.720 a good chunk

00:10:21.200 of a podcast

00:10:21.680 just on this story

00:10:22.920 but it really sets up

00:10:24.440 the absolute disaster

00:10:26.220 that is NPR today.

00:10:27.400 Here's how

00:10:27.940 Uri Berliner began.

00:10:30.160 You know the stereotype

00:10:31.320 of the NPR lister.

00:10:32.840 An EV driving,

00:10:33.920 wordle playing,

00:10:34.740 tote bag carrying,

00:10:35.680 coastal elite.

00:10:36.880 It doesn't precisely

00:10:37.840 describe me

00:10:38.520 but it's not far off.

00:10:40.080 I'm Sarah Lawrence educated,

00:10:41.720 was raised by a lesbian

00:10:42.980 peace activist mother.

00:10:44.140 I drive a Subaru

00:10:45.540 and Spotify says

00:10:47.280 my listening habits

00:10:48.280 are most similar

00:10:49.020 to people in Berkeley.

00:10:51.360 I fit the NPR mold.

00:10:52.980 I'll cop to that.

00:10:54.140 So when I got a job here

00:10:55.080 25 years ago

00:10:55.920 I never looked back.

00:10:56.880 As a senior editor

00:10:57.640 on the business desk

00:10:58.560 where news is always breaking

00:10:59.800 we've covered up

00:11:00.760 peebles in the workplace,

00:11:01.820 supermarket prices,

00:11:02.780 social media and AI.

00:11:04.340 It's true NPR

00:11:05.360 always had a liberal bent

00:11:06.540 but during most

00:11:07.600 of my tenure here

00:11:08.480 an open-minded

00:11:09.200 curious culture prevailed.

00:11:11.140 We were nerdy,

00:11:12.120 not knee-jerk,

00:11:12.920 activist or scolding.

00:11:14.500 In recent years,

00:11:15.700 however,

00:11:16.140 that has changed.

00:11:17.660 Today,

00:11:18.220 those who listen to NPR

00:11:19.360 or read its coverage online

00:11:20.780 find something different.

00:11:22.520 The distilled worldview

00:11:23.700 of a very small segment

00:11:25.900 of the U.S. population.

00:11:27.740 If you are a conservative

00:11:29.100 you will read this

00:11:30.440 and say

00:11:30.960 duh

00:11:31.920 it's always been this way.

00:11:34.080 But it hasn't.

00:11:35.340 For decades

00:11:35.900 since its founding in 1970

00:11:37.400 a wide swath of America

00:11:38.760 turned into NPR

00:11:40.000 for reliable journalism

00:11:41.480 and gorgeous audio pieces

00:11:42.960 with birds singing

00:11:43.880 in the Amazon.

00:11:45.340 Millions came to us

00:11:46.320 for conversations

00:11:47.100 that exposed us

00:11:47.940 to voices around the country

00:11:49.140 and the world

00:11:49.640 radically different

00:11:50.680 from our own

00:11:51.360 engaging precisely

00:11:53.040 because they were

00:11:53.980 unguarded and unpredictable. 0.79

00:11:55.820 No image generated

00:11:56.920 more pride within NPR

00:11:58.560 than the farmer

00:11:59.340 listening to morning edition

00:12:00.580 from his or her tractor

00:12:01.940 at sunrise.

00:12:03.320 Back in 2011

00:12:04.760 although NPR's audiences

00:12:06.560 tilted a bit to the left

00:12:08.340 it still bore

00:12:09.740 a resemblance

00:12:10.440 to America at large.

00:12:12.340 26% of listeners

00:12:13.740 described themselves

00:12:14.560 as conservative

00:12:15.280 23% as middle of the road

00:12:17.620 and 37% as liberal.

00:12:20.000 By 2023

00:12:20.900 the picture was

00:12:21.880 completely different.

00:12:23.380 Only 11%

00:12:24.280 described themselves

00:12:25.320 as very or somewhat conservative

00:12:27.460 21% as middle of the road

00:12:29.900 and 67% of listeners

00:12:31.500 said they were

00:12:32.060 very or somewhat liberal.

00:12:33.780 We weren't just losing conservatives

00:12:35.640 we were also losing moderates

00:12:37.340 and traditional liberals.

00:12:39.080 An open-minded spirit

00:12:40.640 no longer exists

00:12:41.900 within NPR

00:12:42.720 and now

00:12:43.640 predictably

00:12:44.900 we don't have an audience

00:12:46.140 that reflects America.

00:12:47.920 Now if you want to hear

00:12:48.860 the rest of this conversation

00:12:50.380 you can go back

00:12:51.380 and listen to the full podcast

00:12:52.780 from earlier this week.

00:12:54.840 Canadian women

00:12:55.680 are looking for more.

00:12:57.060 More out of themselves

00:12:57.820 their businesses

00:12:58.660 their elected leaders

00:12:59.780 and the world around them.

00:13:01.200 And that's why we're thrilled

00:13:02.160 to introduce

00:13:02.800 the Honest Talk podcast.

00:13:04.500 I'm Jennifer Stewart

00:13:05.840 and I'm Catherine Clark

00:13:07.060 and in this podcast

00:13:08.280 we interview Canada's

00:13:09.440 most inspiring women

00:13:10.740 entrepreneurs

00:13:11.300 artists

00:13:12.200 athletes

00:13:12.860 politicians

00:13:13.500 and newsmakers

00:13:14.380 all at different stages

00:13:15.680 of their journey.

00:13:16.860 So if you're looking to connect

00:13:18.400 then we hope you'll join us.

00:13:20.060 Listen to the Honest Talk podcast

00:13:21.440 on iHeartRadio

00:13:22.440 or wherever you listen

00:13:23.420 to your podcasts.

00:13:25.880 Now on to story number two.

00:13:28.200 All right Senator

00:13:28.720 so let's move to another

00:13:30.580 very interesting moment.

00:13:31.940 One of your colleagues

00:13:32.900 in the Senate

00:13:33.500 decided he was going

00:13:35.100 to take away

00:13:36.060 your record

00:13:37.680 on a filibuster.

00:13:39.140 You guys were very different

00:13:40.780 in why you were filibustering

00:13:42.280 but he did beat

00:13:43.440 your record today

00:13:44.320 and you even posted

00:13:45.620 something that was

00:13:46.460 hilarious online as well.

00:13:48.900 Well Cory Booker

00:13:49.680 Democrat from New Jersey

00:13:50.880 has now set the record

00:13:52.580 for the longest speech

00:13:53.760 in history

00:13:54.540 on the Senate floor

00:13:55.820 and he spoke

00:13:56.720 for 25 hours

00:13:57.980 and four minutes

00:13:59.380 and so it was

00:14:00.860 it was incredibly long

00:14:03.140 it surpassed

00:14:05.080 the record

00:14:06.380 had been held

00:14:07.640 by Strom Thurmond

00:14:09.100 who spoke

00:14:10.960 for 24 hours

00:14:11.940 and 18 minutes

00:14:12.860 in 1957

00:14:14.020 and he was

00:14:15.440 he was filibustering

00:14:17.180 Strom Thurmond

00:14:17.780 was filibustering

00:14:18.480 the 1957 Civil Rights Act

00:14:20.420 and that

00:14:21.600 that had been

00:14:22.200 been the record

00:14:22.960 until

00:14:23.580 until last night

00:14:24.960 when Cory Booker

00:14:26.260 broke it.

00:14:27.500 Now fourth

00:14:28.580 all time

00:14:29.360 is yours truly

00:14:32.740 I used to be

00:14:33.700 third all time

00:14:34.600 but

00:14:35.800 but Cory

00:14:36.560 knocked me down

00:14:37.600 and and and so

00:14:38.640 so

00:14:39.500 my record

00:14:40.820 in in 2013

00:14:42.200 I spoke on the Senate floor

00:14:43.660 for 21 hours

00:14:44.780 and and 19 minutes

00:14:46.420 and and so

00:14:48.280 Cory Cory just beat me

00:14:49.400 I will say

00:14:50.320 I I tweeted out

00:14:51.960 right before

00:14:53.680 he he broke my record

00:14:55.340 and so I took to Twitter

00:14:57.280 and and tweeted out

00:14:58.460 as Cory Booker

00:14:59.820 approaches my 21 hour

00:15:01.300 filibuster record

00:15:02.280 I'm contemplating

00:15:03.800 pulling the fire alarm

00:15:05.380 hat tip

00:15:06.480 Jamal Bowman

00:15:07.180 and I sent out a picture

00:15:08.400 of Jamal Bowman

00:15:09.340 the Democrat congressman

00:15:11.000 pulling the fire alarm

00:15:11.960 in the Capitol

00:15:12.520 uh to to avoid a vote

00:15:14.280 and and and and I will say

00:15:15.800 that that that

00:15:16.660 that tweet went viral

00:15:18.100 and in fact

00:15:18.860 Cory ended up

00:15:20.020 at the end of his

00:15:21.300 his 25 hour filibuster

00:15:22.980 reading that tweet

00:15:24.280 uh on the Senate floor

00:15:26.300 uh which which was uh

00:15:29.040 uh which I enjoyed

00:15:31.420 and I I actually like

00:15:32.500 Cory and he and I are friends

00:15:33.580 and so I'm glad he read it

00:15:34.620 and I I will say

00:15:35.440 in my uh 2013 filibuster

00:15:38.940 I read a number of tweets

00:15:41.060 on the Senate floor

00:15:42.000 and I believe

00:15:42.840 that was the first time

00:15:44.140 in history

00:15:44.820 a tweet had ever been read

00:15:47.260 on the Senate floor

00:15:48.000 and I read a whole bunch

00:15:49.000 of them

00:15:49.440 uh now

00:15:50.620 there is a significant

00:15:52.740 difference

00:15:53.360 uh between

00:15:54.660 what what what I was

00:15:55.880 filibustering over

00:15:56.760 and what Cory Booker

00:15:57.740 was filibustering over

00:15:58.680 uh what I was

00:15:59.900 filibustering over

00:16:00.860 was Obamacare

00:16:02.080 and and I was doing so

00:16:04.380 because it was right

00:16:05.420 when Obamacare

00:16:06.120 was going into effect

00:16:07.180 and and I was trying

00:16:09.180 to stop it

00:16:09.720 from going into effect

00:16:10.660 because the American people

00:16:12.120 it was having the effect

00:16:13.360 of driving up

00:16:14.080 premiums dramatically

00:16:15.720 reducing choices

00:16:17.000 Barack Obama

00:16:18.340 famously said

00:16:19.340 if you like your doctor

00:16:20.220 you can keep your doctor

00:16:21.220 and and millions

00:16:21.880 of Americans discovered

00:16:22.880 that was not the case

00:16:23.740 that was a lie

00:16:24.460 in fact

00:16:24.860 PolitiFact named

00:16:26.420 Barack Obama's

00:16:27.680 if you like your doctor

00:16:28.440 you can keep your doctor

00:16:29.440 the lie of the year

00:16:30.820 and and for them

00:16:32.100 to admit a Democrat

00:16:32.860 is lying

00:16:33.700 is really quite remarkable

00:16:34.680 because PolitiFact

00:16:35.580 lies for a living

00:16:36.400 uh and and so

00:16:37.960 that filibuster

00:16:40.840 when it when I did it

00:16:41.980 in 2013

00:16:42.540 I was a brand new

00:16:43.640 baby freshman

00:16:44.360 and and it was

00:16:46.520 the the theme

00:16:47.520 of the filibuster

00:16:48.200 was make DC listen

00:16:49.560 and and and I will tell you

00:16:51.980 it it had

00:16:53.000 it it had a significant effect

00:16:56.540 um and and in fact

00:16:58.800 it it energized people

00:17:02.040 across the country

00:17:02.840 and I'll point to what

00:17:03.580 the effect was

00:17:04.500 in 2014

00:17:05.380 the next year

00:17:07.520 we had an election

00:17:08.960 and it was a tsunami election

00:17:11.880 Republicans ended up winning

00:17:14.000 nine Senate seats

00:17:15.560 we retired Harry Reid

00:17:17.980 as majority leader

00:17:18.900 and we ended up winning

00:17:20.660 the biggest majority

00:17:21.920 in the House of Representatives

00:17:23.040 since 1928

00:17:24.260 and if you look at exit polling

00:17:25.880 in that 2014 election

00:17:29.420 the number one issue

00:17:30.940 in the country

00:17:31.500 according to the voters

00:17:32.380 that were turning out

00:17:33.420 in massive numbers

00:17:34.240 was Obamacare

00:17:35.080 and they were saying

00:17:35.980 finally finally

00:17:37.140 you're fighting

00:17:37.900 finally Republicans

00:17:38.900 are not rolling over

00:17:39.920 and and so that

00:17:41.140 that had I think

00:17:42.000 a very significant effect

00:17:43.460 on election day

00:17:44.380 and and and helped

00:17:45.300 win back

00:17:46.620 both the Senate

00:17:47.500 and House

00:17:47.840 for Republicans

00:17:48.500 I don't think

00:17:49.900 Cory Booker's

00:17:50.520 is going to have

00:17:51.080 that same effect

00:17:51.840 and and and in fact

00:17:52.960 listen I don't know

00:17:54.620 how many people

00:17:55.120 watched it

00:17:55.660 I I suspect

00:17:56.520 like the

00:17:57.740 that CNN

00:17:58.900 and MSNBC 0.81

00:17:59.760 was probably gushing

00:18:00.700 about it

00:18:01.140 but I'll confess

00:18:01.680 I didn't turn on

00:18:02.540 CNN or MSNBC

00:18:03.640 so I don't know

00:18:05.340 one way or the other

00:18:06.080 I don't particularly care

00:18:07.260 the the the seven rabid

00:18:09.080 partisans who watch

00:18:10.040 those networks

00:18:10.700 probably were quite

00:18:12.080 happy with it

00:18:12.780 but at the end

00:18:14.480 of the day

00:18:15.060 look what was

00:18:16.100 Cory Booker talking

00:18:17.520 about as as best

00:18:18.680 I can tell

00:18:19.360 it was I hate

00:18:20.480 Donald Trump

00:18:21.140 I'm a Democrat

00:18:21.980 Trump bad

00:18:23.300 orange man bad 0.83

00:18:24.320 I'm mad at the voters

00:18:25.580 why did the voters

00:18:26.260 elect Trump

00:18:26.960 why did the voters

00:18:27.740 elect a Republican

00:18:29.460 Senate

00:18:29.800 why did the voters

00:18:30.480 elect a Republican

00:18:31.300 House

00:18:31.760 gosh I'm mad

00:18:32.600 at the voters 0.99

00:18:33.140 gosh I hate Trump

00:18:34.180 I I'm not sure 0.84

00:18:36.020 there's anything

00:18:36.500 new there

00:18:37.140 I I'm not sure

00:18:38.500 was there a person

00:18:41.140 in America

00:18:42.000 who was confused

00:18:44.020 yesterday

00:18:44.800 and and didn't know

00:18:46.280 that that that

00:18:47.020 that Senate Democrats

00:18:48.060 hate Donald Trump

00:18:48.900 like like was there

00:18:49.640 any new information

00:18:51.740 in it

00:18:52.200 and and and and

00:18:52.960 so I've got to say

00:18:53.780 I I'm skeptical

00:18:55.320 uh that that it's

00:18:57.100 going to have

00:18:57.500 a meaningful impact

00:18:58.700 and and I'll point out

00:18:59.560 it's not just me

00:19:00.300 who who said

00:19:01.240 said that

00:19:01.980 um take a listen

00:19:03.980 to to what

00:19:05.140 Joe Biden's

00:19:06.380 communications director

00:19:07.900 uh Kate

00:19:08.940 Bedingfield

00:19:09.660 uh said about

00:19:11.060 Cory Booker's

00:19:11.660 speech

00:19:11.980 the Democratic

00:19:13.240 base and Democratic

00:19:14.500 donors are looking

00:19:15.580 for signs of life

00:19:16.720 and so I think

00:19:18.220 what Senator Booker

00:19:19.260 is giving them

00:19:19.800 here are

00:19:20.480 is some signs

00:19:21.460 of life

00:19:21.840 is it going to

00:19:22.280 have a tangible

00:19:22.980 impact on business

00:19:24.120 I mean if he is

00:19:24.980 still alive

00:19:25.520 after this

00:19:25.980 it's not

00:19:26.280 it may have a

00:19:27.140 tangible impact

00:19:27.700 on Senator Booker

00:19:28.680 but it won't have

00:19:30.480 a tangible impact

00:19:31.080 on business

00:19:31.520 in Washington

00:19:32.040 I mean that's

00:19:33.720 CNN saying it

00:19:34.660 Senator

00:19:34.960 and look

00:19:35.740 it was

00:19:36.280 they changed

00:19:37.040 and that's

00:19:37.720 Biden's

00:19:38.180 communications director

00:19:39.180 it's Biden's

00:19:40.820 communication director

00:19:42.180 amazingly enough

00:19:43.240 and so

00:19:43.680 so look

00:19:44.660 Cory that's

00:19:45.320 that that's fine

00:19:46.420 now now I will

00:19:47.200 tell you

00:19:47.720 so it was funny

00:19:48.840 as as Booker

00:19:49.600 was giving his

00:19:50.320 his filibuster

00:19:51.160 reporters were

00:19:52.580 all running up

00:19:53.180 to me

00:19:53.440 and then they

00:19:53.900 they all knew

00:19:54.600 that that that

00:19:55.340 he was he

00:19:56.360 he was aiming

00:19:57.060 to beat my record

00:19:57.940 so they were

00:19:58.340 asking me about it

00:19:59.120 and they said

00:19:59.540 did you have

00:20:00.380 any advice

00:20:00.960 and I will

00:20:01.540 I will admit

00:20:02.120 Cory didn't ask

00:20:03.480 me for any advice

00:20:04.160 so no I did not

00:20:04.860 give him any

00:20:05.280 advice on this

00:20:06.140 but I did share

00:20:08.700 a story so when

00:20:09.520 I did the

00:20:09.920 filibuster

00:20:10.420 in in 2013

00:20:12.900 I had gotten

00:20:14.020 some advice

00:20:14.620 from Rand Paul

00:20:15.360 so Rand Paul

00:20:16.420 had done a 13

00:20:17.780 hour filibuster

00:20:18.560 and and I was

00:20:19.520 I was planning

00:20:20.120 to to do mine

00:20:21.220 and and and I

00:20:22.600 and Rand I asked

00:20:24.880 him hey Rand you

00:20:25.480 got any advice

00:20:26.060 because he'd just

00:20:26.580 done 13 hours

00:20:27.400 and he said

00:20:27.780 yeah two things

00:20:28.500 he said number

00:20:29.920 one wear

00:20:31.760 comfortable shoes

00:20:32.720 because he said

00:20:34.060 your feet and

00:20:34.680 your legs will

00:20:35.300 be killing you 1.00

00:20:36.160 and I will 1.00

00:20:37.720 confess I I

00:20:38.960 as you know

00:20:39.720 every day in

00:20:40.180 the Senate I

00:20:40.720 wear black

00:20:41.240 cowboy boots

00:20:42.020 the boots I

00:20:44.120 I wear alligator

00:20:45.700 boots and and

00:20:46.600 they have the

00:20:47.040 Senate seal on

00:20:47.700 the front and

00:20:48.760 on the back of

00:20:49.420 it they they

00:20:49.940 have the come

00:20:50.360 and take it

00:20:50.740 flag and and

00:20:51.920 so that's the

00:20:52.620 that's that's my

00:20:53.900 standard footwear

00:20:54.680 in the Senate

00:20:55.140 but for the

00:20:55.700 filibuster I

00:20:56.940 went to the

00:20:57.400 store and I

00:20:57.900 bought some

00:20:58.440 some black

00:20:59.100 tennis shoes

00:20:59.880 and and in

00:21:01.380 the middle of

00:21:01.820 the the

00:21:02.180 filibuster at

00:21:02.700 like two or

00:21:03.100 three in the

00:21:03.460 morning I

00:21:03.880 confessed to

00:21:04.460 the people of

00:21:04.960 Texas I

00:21:05.460 said look I

00:21:06.160 I have to I

00:21:07.480 I just have to

00:21:08.400 apologize to the

00:21:09.260 people of Texas

00:21:09.920 I'm sorry I

00:21:10.720 didn't have the

00:21:11.220 courage of my

00:21:11.740 convictions to

00:21:12.960 wear my boots

00:21:13.920 I I I weenied

00:21:15.320 out and got

00:21:16.360 black tennis shoes

00:21:17.200 but but I was

00:21:17.840 planning on standing

00:21:18.580 here for a

00:21:19.160 really long

00:21:19.640 time and and

00:21:20.860 so I will

00:21:21.280 admit the

00:21:21.660 tennis shoes are

00:21:22.380 are more

00:21:23.180 comfortable for

00:21:23.900 the marathon

00:21:24.620 time the

00:21:25.420 second bit of

00:21:26.160 advice ran

00:21:26.720 I gotta ask

00:21:27.460 you yeah I

00:21:28.440 gotta ask you

00:21:28.920 though when

00:21:29.300 you're picking

00:21:29.720 out the

00:21:30.000 tennis shoes

00:21:30.600 did you buy

00:21:31.260 brand new or

00:21:32.040 did you wear

00:21:32.480 them a little

00:21:33.040 bit beforehand

00:21:33.700 yeah I

00:21:34.400 didn't break

00:21:34.940 them in and

00:21:35.500 they were fine

00:21:36.060 and and I

00:21:36.660 don't think I've

00:21:37.100 ever worn them

00:21:37.680 since then like

00:21:38.580 I literally

00:21:39.020 that wore them

00:21:39.840 for the

00:21:40.180 filibuster and

00:21:40.720 that was it

00:21:41.160 but but

00:21:45.220 fortunately even

00:21:46.140 though they

00:21:46.420 were new

00:21:46.860 they they

00:21:47.920 were they

00:21:48.360 were pretty

00:21:48.620 comfortable

00:21:48.980 they were

00:21:49.600 not bad

00:21:49.980 at all

00:21:50.300 the second

00:21:52.120 bit of

00:21:52.460 advice ran

00:21:53.060 gave me

00:21:53.480 was was

00:21:53.940 if anything

00:21:54.320 even more

00:21:54.780 important

00:21:55.200 he said

00:21:56.320 drink very

00:21:58.000 little water

00:21:59.460 and in fact

00:22:00.660 ran said when

00:22:01.340 he ended at

00:22:01.840 13 hours he

00:22:02.680 said my legs

00:22:03.380 didn't take

00:22:04.020 me it didn't

00:22:04.880 make me give

00:22:05.440 in my bladder

00:22:06.040 did and and

00:22:07.740 the most

00:22:08.240 common question

00:22:09.420 that that I

00:22:11.100 would get about

00:22:11.660 the filibuster

00:22:12.240 is okay what

00:22:12.860 what do you do

00:22:13.540 about going to

00:22:14.100 the bathroom

00:22:14.540 and and the

00:22:15.120 real simple

00:22:15.560 answer is you

00:22:16.140 don't um so

00:22:18.200 the rules of a

00:22:18.900 filibuster uh you

00:22:20.660 have to stand you

00:22:21.640 cannot sit and

00:22:23.040 you have to stay

00:22:23.620 on the senate

00:22:24.060 floor if if you

00:22:24.980 sit or if you

00:22:25.940 leave the senate

00:22:26.620 floor you

00:22:27.620 relinquish the

00:22:28.340 floor and and

00:22:29.140 and so um and

00:22:31.480 that's why that's

00:22:32.300 why comfortable

00:22:32.740 shoes matter because

00:22:33.460 you're not allowed

00:22:34.080 you're technically

00:22:34.940 not even allowed to

00:22:35.880 lean on the desk

00:22:36.640 although that that

00:22:37.720 rule is not not

00:22:38.580 heavily enforced

00:22:39.260 you can lean a

00:22:40.040 little bit but

00:22:40.580 you can't uh uh

00:22:42.460 but but you

00:22:43.320 can't can't sit

00:22:44.520 and and legend

00:22:46.800 has it that

00:22:47.840 during strom

00:22:48.560 thurman's uh

00:22:50.160 filibuster that

00:22:52.220 that that he

00:22:52.900 had an aide

00:22:53.720 hold a bucket

00:22:54.520 in in in in

00:22:55.880 the senate cloak

00:22:56.600 room and and

00:22:58.000 and and he he

00:22:59.520 took a leak

00:23:00.900 while filibustering

00:23:02.980 while standing on

00:23:04.000 the senate floor

00:23:04.720 i i figured in

00:23:06.020 the in the era

00:23:06.740 of of

00:23:07.620 uh c-span 0.87

00:23:09.100 that probably

00:23:09.780 wasn't the

00:23:10.260 best idea

00:23:10.860 so so i was

00:23:11.620 not going to

00:23:12.040 do that

00:23:12.500 and so for

00:23:13.780 the entire

00:23:14.320 course of

00:23:15.100 of 21 plus

00:23:16.040 hours i drank

00:23:17.680 one tiny little

00:23:18.900 glass of water

00:23:19.620 and that that's

00:23:20.300 all i basically

00:23:20.900 would take a

00:23:21.420 little sip just

00:23:22.260 to just to

00:23:23.460 moisten my

00:23:23.980 throat and and

00:23:25.800 i gotta say

00:23:26.660 look i've never

00:23:27.700 gone 21 hours

00:23:28.540 without going to

00:23:29.580 the bathroom

00:23:29.960 and and uh

00:23:31.160 you know i

00:23:32.060 discovered a

00:23:32.600 very simple

00:23:33.060 principle which

00:23:33.720 is nothing in

00:23:34.260 nothing out

00:23:34.800 and so it

00:23:35.360 was it was

00:23:36.140 fine but

00:23:36.820 that was

00:23:37.240 excellent advice

00:23:38.240 all right so

00:23:38.980 final question

00:23:39.780 on this and

00:23:40.600 and this is i'm

00:23:41.880 sure something that

00:23:42.700 was going through

00:23:43.260 your mind cory

00:23:44.080 booker's mind

00:23:44.840 when did you

00:23:46.100 know you were

00:23:47.200 just going to

00:23:47.880 end it how

00:23:48.960 do you decide

00:23:49.760 are you looking

00:23:50.620 at a certain

00:23:51.340 time in your

00:23:52.100 mind where you're

00:23:52.740 like i gotta make

00:23:53.720 it to x and

00:23:54.560 then as soon as

00:23:55.220 it hits i'm

00:23:55.900 done what is

00:23:57.300 the process of

00:23:58.100 that as well

00:23:58.680 well actually i

00:24:00.640 i could have

00:24:01.460 gone longer

00:24:02.120 and and the

00:24:03.120 problem was

00:24:04.200 in in order to

00:24:05.280 do the

00:24:05.600 filibuster

00:24:06.180 um a pure

00:24:07.780 filibuster is

00:24:08.960 when the senate

00:24:09.820 floor is wide

00:24:10.660 open and and

00:24:11.660 you take control

00:24:12.600 of the filibuster

00:24:13.420 and and and it

00:24:14.320 is the prerogative

00:24:15.280 of every every

00:24:16.080 senator have

00:24:16.680 unlimited debate

00:24:17.480 and so if you

00:24:18.080 take control of

00:24:18.840 the floor you

00:24:20.020 can hold it for

00:24:20.700 as long as you

00:24:21.500 are able to

00:24:22.080 hold it uh

00:24:23.320 when i started

00:24:24.740 the filibuster

00:24:25.520 unfortunately harry

00:24:27.720 reid then the

00:24:28.440 majority leader

00:24:29.100 the democrats

00:24:29.680 were in charge

00:24:30.520 had locked in

00:24:32.480 a unanimous

00:24:33.320 consent resolution

00:24:34.600 that the next

00:24:36.260 day uh there

00:24:38.160 was a vote

00:24:39.040 scheduled um i

00:24:41.240 think at noon

00:24:41.880 and it was

00:24:42.360 locked in which

00:24:44.140 meant i had an

00:24:45.020 end point i had

00:24:45.920 an end point that

00:24:46.680 was a wall

00:24:47.420 because that

00:24:48.020 unanimous consent

00:24:48.860 had been locked

00:24:50.200 in and and so

00:24:51.360 it trumps

00:24:52.200 it it it

00:24:54.600 it is it's

00:24:55.760 effectively a

00:24:56.680 senate rule

00:24:57.340 and so when

00:24:58.440 i was north

00:24:59.300 of 21

00:24:59.840 hours um

00:25:01.020 i i had

00:25:01.760 plenty of

00:25:02.260 strength i could

00:25:03.100 have kept

00:25:03.380 going and and

00:25:04.200 i really wanted

00:25:05.020 to break strom

00:25:05.780 thurman's record

00:25:06.480 and and i

00:25:06.980 actually sent

00:25:07.680 one of my

00:25:08.780 staffers to

00:25:09.480 ask harry reid

00:25:10.600 um if he

00:25:12.400 would consent

00:25:13.140 i i could have

00:25:14.060 asked unanimous

00:25:14.880 consent uh

00:25:16.440 to be allowed

00:25:17.460 to complete my

00:25:18.120 speech and and

00:25:18.940 and if reid

00:25:19.500 had allowed it

00:25:20.060 i i would have

00:25:21.020 been able to

00:25:21.700 so i asked my

00:25:22.680 staffer i'm like

00:25:23.400 look do you

00:25:23.940 really want the

00:25:24.720 record for the

00:25:25.300 longest filibuster

00:25:26.320 to be to be

00:25:27.100 held by by a

00:25:28.240 segregationist who

00:25:29.400 was who was

00:25:30.540 filibustering against

00:25:31.500 the civil rights

00:25:32.340 laws like like

00:25:34.000 like you know i'd

00:25:35.620 really love to break

00:25:36.500 it and and harry reid

00:25:37.580 bearing being harry

00:25:38.480 reid he just said

00:25:39.380 no and and so i

00:25:41.820 was forced to end

00:25:42.780 when when i did

00:25:43.980 uh cory booker that

00:25:45.760 there was not a

00:25:46.400 unanimous consent in

00:25:47.340 place locking up the

00:25:48.380 time and so cory was

00:25:49.500 able to go long

00:25:50.300 enough as long as he

00:25:51.560 wanted and and and

00:25:52.780 then and he was able

00:25:53.680 to break the record

00:25:54.800 as before if you

00:25:56.100 want to hear the

00:25:56.580 rest of this

00:25:57.020 conversation on this

00:25:58.420 topic you can go

00:25:59.360 back and download the

00:26:00.360 podcast from early

00:26:01.440 this week to hear the

00:26:02.260 entire thing

00:26:03.120 canadian women are 1.00

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00:26:06.420 themselves their

00:26:07.220 businesses their

00:26:08.180 elected leaders and

00:26:09.260 the world are out

00:26:09.860 them and that's why

00:26:10.680 we're thrilled to

00:26:11.380 introduce the honest

00:26:12.560 talk podcast i'm

00:26:14.180 jennifer stewart and

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00:26:29.220 to the honest talk

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00:26:31.440 or wherever you listen

00:26:32.440 to your podcasts i want

00:26:35.500 to get back to the big

00:26:36.740 story number three of the

00:26:37.960 week you may have

00:26:38.580 missed all right so

00:26:39.920 then i gotta ask you

00:26:40.680 this question behind the

00:26:42.920 scenes what are the

00:26:45.260 conversations with your

00:26:47.760 colleagues are on a

00:26:49.300 scale of one to ten how

00:26:50.220 concerned are they over

00:26:52.280 the scenario that you

00:26:53.260 just described 42

00:26:54.800 okay um look there's

00:26:58.060 another point that i

00:26:58.960 think is important

00:26:59.580 to understand so so you

00:27:00.660 and i did a podcast i

00:27:01.680 think last week where we

00:27:02.600 talked about tariffs and

00:27:04.100 and and i talked about i

00:27:05.280 said listen the president

00:27:06.240 uses tariffs for two

00:27:09.000 principal purposes one

00:27:11.140 is leverage as an

00:27:12.100 incentive to incentivize

00:27:14.040 other countries to enact

00:27:16.540 policies that benefit

00:27:17.660 america and the

00:27:18.240 clearest example of that is

00:27:19.440 the threatened tariffs

00:27:20.220 against mexico and

00:27:21.080 canada unless and until

00:27:22.720 they help us secure the

00:27:23.620 border now using tariffs

00:27:25.400 as leverage for something

00:27:26.380 like that is very

00:27:27.800 effective the president

00:27:28.740 uses it really well and

00:27:30.800 particularly using them to

00:27:32.720 to push uh securing the 0.93

00:27:34.680 border i am emphatically in

00:27:37.320 favor of that is it has

00:27:39.340 proven successful it worked

00:27:40.920 incredibly well in the

00:27:42.500 first term it produced the

00:27:43.840 remain in mexico agreement

00:27:45.640 with mexico it produced the

00:27:47.080 lowest rate of illegal

00:27:47.920 immigration in 45 years

00:27:49.580 stopping the border

00:27:51.160 invasion of the last four

00:27:52.440 years is an acute national

00:27:53.980 security and public safety

00:27:55.440 uh imperative it is a

00:27:57.560 mandate from the last

00:27:58.560 election it is massively

00:27:59.840 important for texas so i'm

00:28:01.600 all for using the threat of

00:28:03.240 tariffs as leverage to get

00:28:04.600 good policy that benefits

00:28:05.820 america but there's a

00:28:07.180 second component and and

00:28:09.060 this is an important thing

00:28:10.000 to understand which is

00:28:10.940 donald trump and much of

00:28:11.920 his administration believes

00:28:13.920 in tariffs as an economic

00:28:15.460 policy we've all heard

00:28:17.080 donald trump say tariff is

00:28:19.180 the most beautiful word in

00:28:20.560 the english language and i

00:28:23.340 do think the business

00:28:24.520 community so look look we

00:28:26.540 we had the stock market

00:28:29.700 plummeted we saw massive

00:28:31.500 losses in the stock market

00:28:32.820 we may well see more massive

00:28:34.160 losses than the stock market

00:28:35.400 i think the business

00:28:37.040 community was shocked by the

00:28:39.700 magnitude of these community

00:28:40.860 of these tariffs by the

00:28:42.900 breadth of them look as

00:28:44.620 as we talked about in our

00:28:46.000 earlier podcast on tariffs

00:28:47.520 what i've urged the

00:28:49.400 president is two things

00:28:50.520 number one focus on china

00:28:51.820 because delinking our

00:28:53.580 economy from china is

00:28:55.280 emphatically in america's

00:28:56.500 national security interest

00:28:57.480 and economic security

00:28:58.300 interest and number two

00:28:59.500 focus on reciprocity and

00:29:01.580 the reason i've said focus

00:29:03.000 on reciprocity is the

00:29:04.220 upside scenario i just

00:29:05.480 talked about which is by

00:29:07.020 focusing on reciprocity if

00:29:08.460 you incentivize other

00:29:09.280 countries to lower their

00:29:10.200 tariffs and we lower ours

00:29:11.800 that's a win-win for

00:29:13.260 america but the thing to

00:29:15.080 understand i believe the

00:29:16.480 business community has

00:29:17.600 systematically underestimated

00:29:20.260 how much president trump

00:29:22.380 and the trump

00:29:22.800 administration views tariffs

00:29:24.500 as an ongoing permanent

00:29:26.640 feature of our economic

00:29:27.900 policy i can tell you

00:29:29.720 virtually every time i talk

00:29:30.860 with the president i talk

00:29:31.740 with the president frequently

00:29:32.780 he goes on at length have

00:29:34.800 you seen the billions of

00:29:36.800 dollars the hundreds of

00:29:38.400 billions of dollars the

00:29:39.320 trillions of dollars we

00:29:40.900 are raising and are going

00:29:42.020 to raise from tariffs now

00:29:43.840 i think a lot of people

00:29:45.400 said oh he's going to

00:29:46.060 threaten these tariffs but

00:29:46.960 he's going to lift them

00:29:47.640 very quickly if he does

00:29:49.260 that great if he leaves

00:29:50.940 them in place and we just

00:29:52.100 have constant tariffs that

00:29:53.920 is a massive tax increase on

00:29:55.520 the american people and and

00:29:57.300 i think many people are

00:29:58.840 underestimating that that

00:30:00.980 the president believes and

00:30:03.180 many members of his

00:30:05.000 administration believe that

00:30:06.980 tariffs are just a fabulous

00:30:08.800 feature of the american

00:30:09.820 economy they they harken back

00:30:11.780 to to william mckinley when

00:30:13.240 he was president now now

00:30:14.740 look we used to have before

00:30:16.280 the income tax tariffs were

00:30:17.580 the main source of revenue for

00:30:18.760 the federal government and

00:30:19.960 they want to go back to that

00:30:21.360 scenario and i gotta say

00:30:23.720 we're gonna find out because

00:30:25.100 listen president trump believes

00:30:26.500 in this i think in the first

00:30:28.580 term he wanted to to uh impose

00:30:33.320 policies like this and i think

00:30:34.880 many republican senators talked

00:30:37.860 him out of it pressed him back

00:30:39.140 and said look they're real risk

00:30:40.320 don't do this i think in the

00:30:42.300 second term trump feels

00:30:43.500 unchained he feels unburdened

00:30:45.240 he's like screw it let's go and

00:30:47.240 and he believes that i i do not

00:30:49.040 by the way that's where the

00:30:50.240 threat could actually work right

00:30:51.560 because every other country's

00:30:53.040 looking at this saying hey like

00:30:55.220 this is surely he's not going to

00:30:56.120 do it he does it like well he's

00:30:57.540 going to flinch quickly uh

00:30:59.260 there's no indication he's

00:31:00.600 going to flinch per se quickly

00:31:02.140 right i think the real threat of

00:31:04.180 it is the fact that he's

00:31:05.540 actually willing to go through

00:31:06.940 with it look i want this to

00:31:08.960 succeed i want it to succeed but

00:31:10.800 my definition of succeed may be

00:31:13.480 different than the white houses 0.99

00:31:14.600 my definition of succeed is

00:31:17.500 dramatically lower tariffs abroad

00:31:19.120 and result in dramatically

00:31:20.440 lowering tariffs here that's

00:31:22.660 success for the american

00:31:24.200 workers american businesses

00:31:25.440 american growth american

00:31:26.600 prosperity that's a great

00:31:28.320 outcome uh but

00:31:30.440 look i think we're going to find

00:31:33.520 out a hundred years ago the u.s

00:31:36.320 economy didn't have the leverage

00:31:38.140 to to to have the kind of impact

00:31:41.180 we do now but

00:31:42.760 i worry there are voices within the

00:31:45.760 administration

00:31:46.260 that want to see these tariffs

00:31:48.980 continue forever and ever and ever

00:31:51.300 they don't want to lower them they

00:31:53.040 they think they're great and and and

00:31:55.300 what is particularly i think has has

00:31:58.020 startled some observers it wasn't

00:31:59.640 just directed at china it wasn't just

00:32:01.440 directed at bad actors it was directed

00:32:03.760 against everybody that that is the

00:32:07.200 breadth of it is is enormous and and

00:32:10.360 and it carries it carries upside but

00:32:12.500 it also carries real risk all right

00:32:14.300 let's talk timeline in your

00:32:16.240 definition of short term or long term

00:32:18.820 what does that timeline look like

00:32:20.820 because obviously people are trying

00:32:22.900 to figure out

00:32:23.520 weathering the storm right you talked

00:32:25.240 about supply chain and the car is a

00:32:27.020 great example

00:32:27.660 you don't feel the pain till let's say

00:32:30.120 june

00:32:30.660 all right so it gives us a few months

00:32:32.660 for things to kind of work its way

00:32:34.260 through work it out

00:32:35.320 is that a timeline of short term and

00:32:37.700 then after that it's it's it's

00:32:39.340 considered all right this is long

00:32:40.760 term what is that timeline in your

00:32:42.320 opinion

00:32:42.620 well let's be clear the timeline was

00:32:44.820 immediate so so let me read from

00:32:46.780 from the wall street journal uh

00:32:49.360 headline trump tariffs send down to

00:32:51.400 a 1600 point decline dollar slumps

00:32:53.660 asian stocks hit for a second day

00:32:55.900 fears of recession rise and here's

00:32:57.420 what the wall street journal reports

00:32:58.700 quote

00:32:59.040 u.s markets suffer their steepest

00:33:01.160 decline since 2020 on fears

00:33:02.960 president trump's new tariffs plan

00:33:04.480 will trigger a global trade war and

00:33:06.840 drag the u.s economy into recession

00:33:08.580 major stock indexes dropped as much

00:33:11.280 as six percent on thursday stocks

00:33:13.020 lost roughly 3.1 trillion dollars

00:33:15.540 in market value their largest one

00:33:18.360 day decline since march 2020 stock

00:33:20.700 index futures drifted lower thursday

00:33:22.580 evening and stocks in japan were hit

00:33:24.680 for a second day as friday training

00:33:26.060 began in in thursday's market plunge

00:33:28.460 the dow industrials dropped 16 179 points

00:33:32.620 or four percent the tech heavy nags 0.96

00:33:34.300 deck which powered the market higher

00:33:36.080 for years was down six percent pulled

00:33:38.140 lower by big declines in nvidia apple

00:33:41.020 and amazon.com the s&p 500 which fell

00:33:43.600 four point eight percent and the other

00:33:45.280 benchmarks suffered their sharpest

00:33:46.880 decline since the early days of the

00:33:49.020 covet 19 pandemic the dollar meanwhile

00:33:51.620 tumbled with the wall street journal

00:33:53.120 dollar index suffering its sharpest

00:33:54.940 decline since 2023 now those are

00:33:57.960 immediate hits and understand look it's

00:34:00.180 easy to say okay fine you know that's

00:34:02.080 just rich people look at this point a

00:34:04.400 majority of americans have money

00:34:06.200 invested in 401ks and iras and so that's

00:34:08.940 impacting everyone and and people don't

00:34:11.780 necessarily follow their 401k on a daily

00:34:14.240 basis many people see their 401k statement

00:34:17.140 when it comes out at the end of the

00:34:18.380 quarter a whole lot of people are looking

00:34:20.480 at that and and we'll see if that's a

00:34:22.340 temporary one-day hit but if it continues

00:34:24.900 the slide over the next few days that's

00:34:27.440 not waiting for six months to see the

00:34:29.720 impact that's freaking people out now and

00:34:32.840 and and so the the consequences of this

00:34:35.780 are real and i want to be clear about

00:34:38.120 something look it used to be

00:34:40.640 conventional wisdom in republican

00:34:43.140 politics that free trade is wonderful

00:34:45.160 and we should just have no tariffs and

00:34:47.100 lower tariffs and and that was almost

00:34:49.000 everyone ask you a this is a question

00:34:51.840 i'm just going to ask it because i know

00:34:53.440 there's people listening they want to

00:34:55.560 know what the definition your definition

00:34:58.340 of free trade is that used to be

00:35:01.340 conventional wisdom and i want to give

00:35:03.740 donald trump credit for something really

00:35:05.720 significant which is he's changed the

00:35:07.920 debate on trade fundamentally and and so i

00:35:11.440 believe in free trade but i also believe

00:35:13.620 in fair trade and so when i talk about

00:35:16.420 reciprocity donald trump has made a very

00:35:19.380 clear point it's a powerful point which is

00:35:21.720 many countries on earth have been taking

00:35:23.460 advantage of the united states and have

00:35:25.140 been imposing really high tariffs and

00:35:27.800 barriers to u.s goods while having free

00:35:30.820 access to the american markets and that is

00:35:32.780 unfair and and so i love that president

00:35:36.380 trump is willing to use leverage to lower

00:35:38.820 tariffs i think that's great and that

00:35:40.920 really is a change in the debate 10 years

00:35:43.100 ago there was nobody in the republican

00:35:45.440 party making that argument and and that is

00:35:48.120 the direct result of president trump's

00:35:50.920 leadership that's a good thing saying we

00:35:53.800 should be treated fairly that is a good

00:35:56.100 thing that is a very different proposition

00:35:58.580 from saying doesn't matter if other countries

00:36:01.800 lower their tariffs we're going to impose

00:36:04.140 tariffs on everybody because we think tariffs

00:36:06.320 should be the principal vehicle of funding the

00:36:08.860 economy if the outcome of this is a multi-trillion

00:36:13.020 dollar tax increase on american consumers

00:36:15.240 i think that that is really consequential and

00:36:19.420 and really really harmful so let me ask you one other

00:36:22.580 question and that is if these tariffs don't change

00:36:25.940 then what would the impact be well let me share an

00:36:31.380 analysis that that a group called the tax

00:36:33.440 foundation did now the tax foundation is is a

00:36:36.520 think tank based in washington they're very good

00:36:39.060 they're they're economic experts they analyze

00:36:41.300 tax policies they they have proven to be incredibly

00:36:44.740 accurate in terms of measuring the impact of taxes

00:36:47.500 here's what the tax foundation has assessed from the announcement this

00:36:51.540 week they say if if these stay in effect the average tariff rate on all imports

00:36:57.220 will rise from 2.5 percent in 2024 to 18.8 percent the highest average rate

00:37:05.420 since 1933 under the tariffs announced for 2025

00:37:09.020 the consequence of those tariffs they will cause imports to fall

00:37:13.600 by slightly more than 900 billion dollars in 2025 or 28 percent so that's what

00:37:21.160 they're predicting is that imports drop 900 billion dollars 28 percent

00:37:25.400 this year they also say the newly announced tariffs on april 2nd

00:37:29.960 will raise 1.8 trillion dollars in revenue over the next decade

00:37:35.740 and will shrink us gdp by 0.5 percent

00:37:41.320 the april 2nd escalation they note comes in addition to the previously

00:37:46.060 announced tariffs which will raise another 1.3 trillion

00:37:50.460 dollars in revenue over the next decade and shrink us gdp

00:37:54.860 by 0.3 percent altogether trump's tariffs will raise

00:37:59.980 nearly 3.2 trillion dollars in revenue over the next decade

00:38:04.380 and reduce us gdp by 0.8 percent they further project the tariffs will

00:38:11.060 reduce after tax income by an average of 2.1 percent

00:38:16.020 and amount to an average tax increase of more than two thousand one hundred

00:38:21.220 dollars per u.s household in 2025 now to be clear

00:38:27.300 that's a prediction if these tariffs stay in place if they don't change

00:38:32.220 if the upside that i described happens if foreign countries slash their tariffs

00:38:38.080 and trump in turn slash these tariffs none of those numbers hold instead i think we

00:38:44.060 see an enormous economic boom but if that doesn't happen if these

00:38:49.160 tariffs stay in place as an ongoing economic policy

00:38:52.340 we're facing very real and i think very detrimental consequences

00:38:56.980 as always thank you for listening to verdict with senator ted cruz ben ferguson with you don't

00:39:02.780 forget to download my podcast and you can listen to my podcast every other day you're not

00:39:06.500 listening to verdict or each day when you listen to verdict afterwards i'd love to have you as a

00:39:10.840 listener to again the ben ferguson podcast and we will see you back here on monday morning

00:39:15.820 this is an iheart podcast guaranteed human

Verdict with Ted Cruz - April 05, 2025

Congress Grills NPR, a Filibuster Showdown & Behind the Tariffs Week In Review

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