Verdict with Ted Cruz - Europe Fines Elon Musk, Trying to Enforce Censorship in America, plus Tucker Carlson Buys Home in Qatar & Embraces America Hating Islamists

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:00:02.580 Guaranteed human.

00:00:05.260 Welcome.

00:00:05.980 It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you.

00:00:08.920 And Senator, it's nice to be back with you as we've got several big stories to chat about.

00:00:13.960 One of them includes free speech and a total assault on anything that looks like free speech

00:00:20.680 coming out of the European Union.

00:00:22.560 Now they're going after X, the platform as well, and a shocking move.

00:00:27.100 Yeah, no, it really is a very dismaying development in the past week, which is the European Union

00:00:32.580 fined X and fined Elon Musk $140 million for failing to comply with what they call transparency.

00:00:41.620 And what that means is they want X to be censoring people.

00:00:45.360 They want X to be silencing people who are speaking.

00:00:48.040 We're going to break that down because that is a real threat to free speech in the United States.

00:00:52.580 Secondly, there was a big gathering in Qatar and Tucker Carlson.

00:00:57.780 We've talked about him a lot on this podcast.

00:01:00.180 He flew to Qatar.

00:01:01.300 He interviewed the prime minister of Qatar.

00:01:04.100 And, you know, it was an opportunity.

00:01:05.480 Qatar is behind a lot of bad things in the United States. 1.00

00:01:08.500 They're funding a lot of bad things in the United States.

00:01:10.480 It was an opportunity for Tucker to really call him to account.

00:01:13.320 All of that in today's podcast.

00:01:14.800 Operation Overlord.

00:01:17.260 The D-Day Beaches.

00:01:18.640 You and I share a passion for history.

00:01:20.860 So I hope you'll join me next spring on the D-Day Beaches in Normandy.

00:01:25.520 That's right.

00:01:26.220 The invasion that sealed Hitler's doom. 0.94

00:01:28.700 Omaha and Utah.

00:01:30.140 You're going to discover the sacred patch of sand with me.

00:01:33.140 Ten days in Europe.

00:01:34.280 Luxury hotels.

00:01:35.600 And fully escorted by America's leading expert on France.

00:01:39.680 And the D-Day invasion, Ken Chase.

00:01:41.720 Fifty-seven, fifty-seven, and that includes your airfare.

00:01:45.780 You're going to stand at General Patton's gravesite, Bastogne, Pointe-du-Hart, and Mulberry Harbor.

00:01:51.100 Call my friends at Conservative Tours.

00:01:53.240 On your cell phone, just dial pound 250 and say the keyword Conservative Tours.

00:01:59.460 Or go to conservativetours.com.

00:02:02.320 An A-plus rating with a BBB.

00:02:04.160 All your sightseeing in Paris, too.

00:02:06.320 Dial pound 250, say the keyword Conservative Tours.

00:02:09.980 You'll have the option to receive a one-time auto-dialed text message from iHeartMedia.

00:02:15.900 All right, so Senator, I really want to just take a moment and break down for people so they understand what's happening in Europe.

00:02:22.320 And the reason why you should care, if you're listening to this or watching this show in the U.S., is Europe can have a major influence on the U.S., number one.

00:02:33.780 But two, it gives crazies on the left in this country real ideas.

00:02:38.200 And they can say, look, this is what Europe is doing.

00:02:40.740 This is what Europe has done.

00:02:42.200 And now we're seeing Europe not only target free speech, and we've witnessed people getting arrested for what they've written online that was not a threat against a person, wasn't a threat against a person, wasn't something like that.

00:02:54.200 We're talking about free speech here is disappearing.

00:02:57.080 But now they're also targeting the platforms that allow for people in their country to actually say what they believe or what's on their mind.

00:03:05.780 And that is even, I think, more scary.

00:03:08.400 Well, we've talked about that the single most important step for free speech in our lifetimes was Elon Musk's buying Twitter.

00:03:16.420 Twitter was actively censoring conservative views.

00:03:19.520 It was promoting left-wing views.

00:03:21.480 Elon came in.

00:03:22.360 He spent nearly $50 billion to buy Twitter.

00:03:25.520 And it transformed it because he created a free speech oasis.

00:03:29.320 It is now the public square.

00:03:30.940 And I will say without exaggeration, I don't know that Donald Trump wins in 2024 if Elon Musk hadn't bought Twitter because the corporate media is so utterly corrupt.

00:03:43.220 They were pushing the Democrat talking points.

00:03:45.340 They were silencing any point to the contrary.

00:03:47.900 And Twitter being open and allowing free speech gave an opportunity to actually drive the facts.

00:03:53.660 So when the Democrats would say the border is secure, Twitter would light them up because you'd actually get the facts that 12 million people were invading at the border and people understood.

00:04:04.120 Now, the EU, the European Union, is trying to go after Twitter and they want Twitter to actively censor their content.

00:04:11.640 Doing that would really hurt free speech in America.

00:04:14.380 Let me read from the New York Times, not a place I often read from, but here's their story.

00:04:18.500 Elon Musk's ex hit with $140 million fine in Europe.

00:04:22.900 The case over online transparency has become a point of contention between the European Union and the Trump administration.

00:04:30.020 The European Union fined X, the social media company owned by Elon Musk, $140 million on Friday for violating one of the bloc's major laws targeting the technology industry.

00:04:42.000 The case has been seen as a test of European officials' willingness to aggressively regulate tech companies at the risk of antagonizing the Trump administration.

00:04:52.900 X is the first company, that's no surprise, the first company to be fined under the European Union's Digital Services Act, a sweeping law intended to force large internet companies to protect their platforms against manipulation and illicit content.

00:05:09.520 The Trump administration has criticized the policy as an attack on free speech and American tech firms.

00:05:16.360 Regulators in Brussels said the penalty against X was not about free speech, but about the company's lack of controls to prevent the platform from being abused.

00:05:24.160 That includes X's deceptive design that allowed users to mislead others about their identities, opaque advertising practices, and refusal to provide independent researchers with access to public data.

00:05:38.680 Look, at the end of the day, and one of the things X has done recently, is they've started displaying on users what country they're coming from.

00:05:46.260 That is really valuable.

00:05:47.080 Yeah, transparency.

00:05:48.460 Transparency.

00:05:49.180 I'm all for more transparency, and I've urged Elon.

00:05:52.000 Like, we are seeing in American debate a lot of X users from foreign countries from the Middle East who are pushing anti-Semitic content, who are pushing anti-American content, who are pushing anti-free enterprise and anti-capitalist content, and they're from the Middle East, they're from China, they're from Asia.

00:06:09.860 And that transparency, like identifying foreign actors, that's valuable.

00:06:14.280 But that's not what the European Union is doing.

00:06:16.560 And listen, they want, you know, they say it's about misinformation, but understand, what the European Union wants is they want views they don't like censored.

00:06:27.460 And so I'll tell you, I've called on President Trump, this should not stand, if the European Union will not reverse this fine, I've called on the President to sanction the European Union,

00:06:39.040 to use our economic leverage, we're not going to let Europe force their censorship on the United States of America.

00:06:45.620 I think this is a really important testing moment for the Trump administration.

00:06:49.500 You know, I got an interesting briefing on this earlier today from a legal group that's Freedom of Speech that reached out in the EU, and they said,

00:06:59.720 Ben, what we are witnessing right now is trying to, in essence, force companies to pull out and to just say,

00:07:08.720 hey, we would rather have no free speech, and this is what we'll do to get to a financial point where X would have to make a financial decision.

00:07:16.740 The fines keep racking up on them.

00:07:19.580 Finally, they just say, hey, we're not going to do business there.

00:07:23.080 They actually believe that this could even be, the governments in multiple countries now saying,

00:07:29.080 we don't want free speech platforms.

00:07:32.080 If we find you in that platform, you'll just say, fine, we'll shut it off to your part of the world. 1.00

00:07:36.780 Yeah, and understand this in the context of back in August of 2024, the EU sent a letter to Elon Musk demanding that Elon Musk censor Donald Trump.

00:07:50.540 So if you think this is about transparency, it's not.

00:07:53.740 Let me read you some of that letter.

00:07:55.060 So this is August 12, 2024.

00:07:57.420 Dear Mr. Musk, I'm writing you in the context of recent events in the United Kingdom in relation to the planned broadcast on your platform X of live conversation between a U.S. presidential candidate and yourself,

00:08:09.040 which will also be accessible to users in the EU.

00:08:12.700 I understand that you're currently doing a stress test of the platform.

00:08:15.700 In this context, I am compelled to remind you of the due diligence obligation set out in the Digital Services Act, as outlined in my previous letter.

00:08:24.920 As the individual entity ultimately controlling a platform with over 300 million users worldwide, of which one-third is in the EU, that has been designated as a very large online platform,

00:08:39.220 you have the legal obligation to ensure X's compliance with EU law and, in particular, the DSA and the EU.

00:08:45.820 This notably means ensuring, on the one hand, that freedom of expression and of information, including media freedom and pluralism, are effectively protected.

00:08:55.880 That sounds good, but here's the other part.

00:08:58.060 And, on the other hand, that all proportionate and effective mitigation measures are put in place regarding the amplification of harmful content in connection with relevant events,

00:09:09.800 including live streaming, which, if unaddressed, might increase the risk profile of X and generate detrimental effects on civil discourse and public security.

00:09:22.180 This is important against the background of recent examples of public unrest brought about by the amplification of content that promotes hatred, disorder, incitement to violence, or certain instances of disinformation.

00:09:33.620 It also implies, one, informing EU judicial and administrative authorities, without undue delay, on the measures taking to address their orders against content considered illegal, according to national and or EU law,

00:09:51.380 and two, taking timely, diligent, non-arbitrary, and objective action against receipt of notices by users concerning certain illegal content.

00:10:01.840 Three, informing users concerning the measures taken upon receipt of the relevant notice.

00:10:06.820 And four, publicly reporting about content moderation measures.

00:10:11.780 In this respect, I note that the DSA obligations apply without exception or discrimination to the moderation of the whole user community and the content of X, including yourself as a user, with over 190 million followers,

00:10:26.400 which is accessible to EU users, which is accessible to EU users and should be fulfilled in line with the risk-based approach of the DSA,

00:10:33.240 which requires greater due diligence in case of a foreseeable increase of the risk profile.

00:10:39.720 As you know, formal proceedings are already ongoing against X under the DSA,

00:10:44.640 notably in areas linked to the dissemination of illegal content and the effectiveness of the measures taken to combat disinformation.

00:10:51.620 As the relevant content is accessible to EU users and being amplified also in our jurisdiction,

00:10:58.260 we cannot exclude possible spillovers in the EU.

00:11:02.280 Therefore, we are monitoring the potential risks in the EU associated with the dissemination of content that may incite violence,

00:11:10.800 hate and racism in conjunction with major political or societal events around the world,

00:11:15.600 including debates and interviews in the context of elections.

00:11:18.280 Let me clarify that any negative effect of illegal content on X in the EU,

00:11:24.280 which could be attributed to the ineffectiveness of the way that X applies the relevant provisions of the DSA,

00:11:32.120 may also be relevant in the context of ongoing proceedings and of the overall assessment of X's compliance with EU law.

00:11:39.060 This is in line with what has already been done in the recent past,

00:11:41.760 for example, in relation to the repercussions and amplification of terrorist content that incites violence,

00:11:49.920 hate and racism in the EU, such as the content of the recent riots in the United Kingdom.

00:11:55.400 I urge you to promptly ensure the effectiveness of your systems and report measures taken to my team.

00:12:01.320 Yours sincerely, Terry Breton.

00:12:03.120 Look, that was literally, in August of 2024, the EU was telling X,

00:12:10.860 you're about to interview Donald Trump.

00:12:12.580 He's running for president.

00:12:13.780 He was going to be elected president just a few months after that.

00:12:16.520 And we want you to silence what he says.

00:12:19.840 If he talks about the open border, if he talks about murderers and rapists and gangbangers,

00:12:26.040 terrorists coming across the southern border, we want you to censor that.

00:12:28.960 Because you know what? It may make the terrorists and illegal immigrants in Europe unhappy 1.00

00:12:35.120 if they hear that Donald Trump opposes that.

00:12:38.760 It also sounds like they were hoping that they would basically say,

00:12:41.780 we're just going to not even take the risk.

00:12:43.500 Just cancel the whole interview with Donald Trump.

00:12:46.100 Silence Trump is what they're saying.

00:12:47.840 Silence Trump. Don't do the interview.

00:12:49.520 Then you don't have to worry about any of these issues with us that we're writing you about right now.

00:12:53.840 That is an unbelievable amount of pressure coming from the EU

00:12:58.320 to try to say to Twitter, you want to do, or X, you want to do business here,

00:13:02.280 you better play by the rules that we're giving you.

00:13:05.580 And we're telling you, don't interview the leading candidate for the presidency in the Republican Party.

00:13:11.480 And listen, Europe does not have the tradition of the First Amendment of the United States.

00:13:16.180 The First Amendment protects free speech.

00:13:18.180 We have a robust free speech culture.

00:13:20.920 Europe has far less.

00:13:21.920 They are willing to regulate free speech.

00:13:24.980 But what they're trying to do here is silence free speech in America.

00:13:29.720 They're trying to fine American companies.

00:13:31.320 And by the way, under Joe Biden, the Biden administration was going to the European Union saying,

00:13:36.880 will you fine American companies to force them to rein in their content?

00:13:42.180 This is something that the Biden administration encouraged.

00:13:45.240 And I got to tell you, I believe that the Trump administration is going to stop this.

00:13:50.280 I will be shocked if Elon Musk pays this fine.

00:13:54.160 I am publicly calling on the Trump administration to impose sanctions on the EU

00:13:58.900 and sanctions that are an order of magnitude greater.

00:14:02.300 When you talk about sanctions on the EU, give examples for everybody that's listening or watching

00:14:06.220 what that could look like.

00:14:08.360 Look, a 5% tariffs on all goods from the EU.

00:14:12.020 I mean, that would, by the way, that would run into the billions of dollars.

00:14:15.720 And suddenly Europe would have a choice.

00:14:17.120 Do we want to spend billions of dollars in order to fine X $140 million?

00:14:23.060 I don't know if they would or not.

00:14:24.200 I think they'd reverse.

00:14:25.260 So I'll tell you today, I met with the foreign minister of Latvia.

00:14:29.620 And so often foreign heads of state, foreign ministers come to D.C.

00:14:34.360 They come meet with me.

00:14:35.760 And the foreign minister of Latvia, I like her.

00:14:37.980 She's a nice woman.

00:14:39.020 We've met before.

00:14:39.700 And one of the things that we were talking about, the challenges in Europe, we were talking

00:14:44.240 about increasing energy exports from the United States, from Texas to Europe, all of that's

00:14:50.100 important.

00:14:50.580 But I told her, I said, Minister, I want you to hear something.

00:14:54.020 Americans are really, really deeply pissed off that the European Union is trying to fine

00:15:00.520 X for allowing free speech.

00:15:03.360 Yeah.

00:15:03.800 And I told her, I said, you need to take back to the EU, I believe the Trump administration

00:15:09.040 will sanction Europe if you continue this.

00:15:12.060 And I said further, I said, look, there are voices within the Trump administration that

00:15:17.080 are arguing for America disengaging for Europe, arguing for essentially an isolationist foreign

00:15:23.180 policy that says, we don't care what Europe does.

00:15:25.760 You guys go on your own way.

00:15:27.140 It's not our problem.

00:15:28.520 Now, as you know, I disagree with that.

00:15:30.460 I think Europe, we have many of our oldest alliances in the world.

00:15:34.480 I think being a good friend to our allies, being a strong and formidable enemy to our

00:15:39.820 enemies is really important.

00:15:41.220 So I don't want to write Europe off.

00:15:42.880 But I told the Latvian foreign minister today, I said, listen, when the EU does things like

00:15:47.660 fines X for allowing free speech, you end up making my position much harder because you

00:15:54.020 fuel the folks in the Trump administration that say, screw Europe.

00:15:59.640 Let's withdraw altogether because those guys, they hate us.

00:16:03.660 I don't think Europe hates us, but I do think they have a different free speech tradition

00:16:08.380 than they do.

00:16:09.680 And in my view, we should not allow the EU to impose their government censorship perspective

00:16:17.920 on America.

00:16:19.200 I think we ought to press back really, really vigorously on this.

00:16:22.980 Yeah, I couldn't I couldn't agree with you more on that one.

00:16:25.300 It also brings up another very interesting conversation, and it deals with what happened

00:16:30.720 in Qatar with Tucker Carlson.

00:16:33.220 Before we get to that, I want you to just pause what you're doing for the next 60 seconds.

00:16:37.660 And I want you to imagine Lucy, a seven year old.

00:16:41.300 Her stomach often aches with hunger.

00:16:43.540 Her small hands instead of holding crayons.

00:16:46.540 No, only the struggle of survival on dusty streets.

00:16:50.280 School is a distant dream.

00:16:52.680 Medical care, a forgotten hope.

00:16:54.960 Lucy's potential is overshadowed.

00:16:57.320 Her future is dim.

00:16:58.660 But what if someone stepped in?

00:17:00.440 What if there was a way to ignite hope for children just like Lucy?

00:17:03.980 Well, there is, and that is with Compassion International Partners and the local churches

00:17:09.440 that provide children holistic support more than just food.

00:17:14.180 They receive critical medical care, life changing education, vital skills training and spiritual

00:17:20.720 development, all in Jesus's name.

00:17:23.160 And you can empower a child just like Lucy to break free from poverty.

00:17:28.680 I want you to do what I've done and sponsor a child today.

00:17:32.060 You can visit Compassion.com.

00:17:34.920 That's Compassion.com.

00:17:37.940 Senator, we've talked a lot about influence, foreign influence, and there is a lot of people

00:17:43.260 that are like, I don't understand why it's a big deal that a bunch of Americans that are 0.97

00:17:47.080 conservative influencers are running to countries like Qatar, taking trips over there that are

00:17:52.460 being paid for by them and putting up what I would describe as propaganda on social media

00:17:58.160 on behalf of Qatar.

00:17:59.600 But people that say, they're like, what's the big deal?

00:18:02.660 Tucker Carlson shows up, speaks to this Doha Forum.

00:18:05.540 Why is that a big deal?

00:18:06.780 Why should I care?

00:18:08.300 I want you to explain before we get to Tucker, what Qatar has been doing to influence America 0.97

00:18:16.080 so people understand who we're dealing with and why you might want to ask the question,

00:18:21.580 why would you be going there?

00:18:23.660 I forget Tucker's name.

00:18:24.840 There are a lot of conservatives I know that have been taking these types of trips recently.

00:18:28.620 They're trying to buy influence in the conservative movement.

00:18:32.000 And it's frustrating because I don't think people understand the threat that Qatar is to 1.00

00:18:37.620 this country at all.

00:18:39.380 Look, Qatar is not our friend. 0.99

00:18:42.920 Qatar is spending hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying the United States government.

00:18:47.780 They are spending millions of dollars funding bots.

00:18:51.420 You look at the anti-Semitic content, you look at the anti-American content that is online,

00:18:55.760 Qatar is funding it.

00:18:57.040 By the way, you look at the anti-Semitic protests on college campuses, Qatar is funding that. 0.92

00:19:02.000 They are profoundly hostile to America.

00:19:04.920 And I will tell you, there was a conference this past week in Doha, which is in Qatar.

00:19:09.480 You had a number of Americans go there, the most prominent of which was Tucker Carlson.

00:19:13.140 And I want to tell you, look, I sent a tweet.

00:19:16.520 So Tucker Carlson was going to interview the prime minister of Qatar.

00:19:20.820 And listen, I have been very vocal that I think Tucker Carlson has become the most dangerous

00:19:25.380 demagogue in America.

00:19:26.840 I think he's doing enormous damage.

00:19:28.540 But I try to give him an opportunity.

00:19:30.400 So here's what I tweeted before his interview.

00:19:32.580 I said the following.

00:19:34.120 For years, Tucker Carlson has been accused of being on the payroll of Qatar.

00:19:39.780 For years, he has denied it.

00:19:42.060 This is now a beautiful opportunity for him to try to clear his name.

00:19:47.940 Tomorrow, Tucker is interviewing the prime minister of Qatar in Doha.

00:19:52.920 Tucker knows how to ask tough questions.

00:19:55.840 Here are a few he should ask.

00:19:57.700 Number one, Al Jazeera is a mouthpiece for anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism, and jihadist terrorism.

00:20:04.880 Why does Qatar pour countless tens of millions into supporting it?

00:20:09.520 Number two, why does Qatar back the Muslim Brotherhood, a group designated as a terrorist

00:20:15.300 organization by several of Qatar's neighbors and which President Trump is also moving to

00:20:20.240 designate?

00:20:21.100 Number three, Hamas planned the October 7th atrocities while Qatar hosted Hamas leadership.

00:20:29.140 This included the kidnapping and murder of dozens of Americans.

00:20:33.240 Even the Biden administration wanted Qatar to expel Hamas after hostage talks collapsed.

00:20:40.260 Why did Qatar keep hosting Hamas leadership?

00:20:44.020 Let's just pause there for one second as you were tweeting this out, because I don't think

00:20:47.420 we'll understand.

00:20:48.680 They were actively hosting these terrorists.

00:20:53.020 The leaders of Hamas live in Qatar.

00:20:55.720 They live in opulent mansions. 0.82

00:20:57.460 They live like billionaires while they are murdering not just Israelis, but Americans, 1.00

00:21:02.660 while they are raping not just Israelis, but Americans. 0.98

00:21:05.920 And Qatar is embracing them, and they're like movie stars living in Qatar.

00:21:11.240 By the way, number four, speaking of which, on October 7th, 2023, Qatar issued a statement

00:21:19.400 saying Israel alone was responsible for the violence.

00:21:23.680 Then in September of 2024, Qatar's Amir said Israel was responsible for the war expanding

00:21:29.920 to Lebanon.

00:21:31.260 Is that still Qatar's position?

00:21:33.820 Number five, Qatar is the only Gulf country that still maintains male guardianship and travel

00:21:43.000 restrictions for women.

00:21:45.080 When do you intend to join the civilized world?

00:21:47.740 So if you actually believe women have rights, that ain't the case in Qatar. 1.00

00:21:51.540 Explain what you mean by that real fast, so that people understand the context of it,

00:21:55.480 of what you're, because it may just sound like, okay, what does that even mean for women?

00:21:59.580 What is life like there?

00:22:00.780 Explain how that's so far back in the Stone Ages.

00:22:03.740 Look, the rights of women are severely limited in Qatar.

00:22:08.060 Males are treated as the decision makers. 1.00

00:22:10.540 They have control over their wives. 0.65

00:22:12.600 They have control over their daughters.

00:22:13.900 And the rights of women are severely diminished in Qatar.

00:22:18.480 So that's an obvious question to ask of, like, why don't you believe women have any rights? 1.00

00:22:23.420 Number six, how much is Qatar paying to fund anti-Semitic protests on U.S. college campuses?

00:22:31.400 Understand, we saw protests all over America.

00:22:34.100 Qatar was spending millions of dollars to fund that.

00:22:37.120 And simple question, why?

00:22:38.380 Number seven, how much is Qatar paying to spy on U.S. government officials and why?

00:22:44.140 And to be clear, there were multiple news stories.

00:22:46.800 Qatar hired spies to spy on me because they viewed me as the U.S. government official most skeptical and antagonistic of Qatar.

00:22:57.340 So they're actively spying on me.

00:22:58.920 And number eight, finally, how much exactly are you paying conservative influencers to come to this conference and participate?

00:23:09.480 Now, if Tucker had asked those questions, it would have been a big deal.

00:23:13.760 Like, he could actually, he had the prime minister.

00:23:16.360 Every one of those questions, they don't have a good answer to.

00:23:19.580 But he didn't ask those questions.

00:23:21.720 He didn't ask any difficult questions. 0.99

00:23:23.640 He did the same thing he did when he interviewed Putin, which is he embraced him and kissed his rear end. 0.98

00:23:29.520 He did the same thing when he interviewed the president of Iran, which is he embraced him and kissed his rear end. 0.97

00:23:36.300 Tucker has a pattern. 0.93

00:23:37.380 If you're an enemy of America who wants to murder Americans, he will not ask you a single hostile question.

00:23:43.660 I want you to listen to this exchange.

00:23:45.780 This is a snippet of the back and forth between Tucker and the prime minister of Qatar.

00:23:51.120 So that last question, I've been personally, not to make it about me, but I have been criticized as being a tool of Qatar.

00:24:00.000 And I just want to say what you already know, which is I've never taken anything from your country and don't plan to.

00:24:06.320 I am, however, tomorrow buying a place in Qatar, both because I am.

00:24:10.520 Please pay a high check.

00:24:11.720 In Doha, yeah.

00:24:13.200 And I'm doing that because I like the city.

00:24:15.140 I think it's beautiful.

00:24:15.860 But also to make the statement that I'm an American and a free man and I'll be wherever I want to be, which I think is important.

00:24:23.080 But that does kind of leave us in a place where I have not taken any money from Qatar.

00:24:30.240 I have instead given money to Qatar.

00:24:33.440 And I wonder if you feel that that means I've bought you and you will now spew my propaganda.

00:24:38.520 Thank you.

00:24:38.960 Just ask me whatever you want me to do for you, I will do it.

00:24:42.060 But look, Tucker, unfortunately, as I told you, that there are a lot of players putting a lot of efforts to sabotage the relationship between Qatar and the United States

00:24:56.100 and to try to demonize anyone who will come to this country.

00:25:01.900 Our efforts when we are lobbying or doing, you know, our outreach in the United States is to make sure that this relationship is safeguarded.

00:25:13.220 And the relationship for us is mutually beneficial.

00:25:17.200 We are not getting aid from the United States.

00:25:20.300 We are, instead, we are buying from the United States.

00:25:24.440 We are partnering with them.

00:25:26.520 We are investing in the United States.

00:25:28.180 The United States is investing in Qatar.

00:25:30.780 And this relationship has been always a two-way relationship.

00:25:34.840 And we pay all these amounts for lobbying only to protect and to safeguard this relationship.

00:25:40.740 If we are not, like, being attacked and under a lot of, like, disinformation campaign that's been, unfortunately, funded by other players

00:25:52.200 who doesn't want to see a U.S.-Qatar relationship flourish, we wouldn't, we would spend this money for better things, you know, to do with the relationship.

00:26:04.940 I mean, you look at that question, Senator, and it's one of those that just, you scratch your head.

00:26:11.200 Because there's just part of this, you're like, wait, what did I just witness?

00:26:15.280 What did I just watch there?

00:26:17.620 Like, how is this real?

00:26:20.280 And the idea of, like, I'm buying a place, I've never taken anything, I just like it here, it shows I'm a free man.

00:26:25.720 Again, didn't ask any questions, not a single tough question, of a man that is allowing terrorists to sit in his country

00:26:32.900 and to orchestrate more terrorist attacks that have killed Americans.

00:26:36.100 So understand, this government that is hosting Hamas, that is celebrating Hamas, 1.00

00:26:41.080 that is funding anti-American propaganda and anti-Israel propaganda and anti-Semitic propaganda,

00:26:47.160 the prime minister says to Tucker, ask me whatever you want, we will do anything you want.

00:26:51.940 But he also says to Tucker, we are spending vast amounts in lobbying.

00:26:56.440 Understand, Cutter spends hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying the United States government,

00:27:01.600 the United States Congress. 0.98

00:27:02.800 By the way, Tucker is obsessed with AIPAC because he's decided that Jews are the source of all evil in the world. 0.73

00:27:08.560 And Cutter pays two to three times as much as AIPAC does in lobbying.

00:27:14.360 Now, do you know who AIPAC is?

00:27:16.260 AIPAC are Americans.

00:27:18.060 It is not the government of Israel.

00:27:20.600 AIPAC are Americans.

00:27:22.360 Who want America and Israel to have a close relationship. 0.92

00:27:25.180 So American citizens, many of whom happen to be Jewish, although not all of them,

00:27:29.760 who support a lot of actually Christian evangelicals also,

00:27:32.640 who support a strong relationship between the United States and Israel,

00:27:35.860 they do write checks.

00:27:37.640 But they write checks that are an order of magnitude anywhere from a third to a half.

00:27:43.040 What Cutter, the foreign government, writes.

00:27:45.220 They spend hundreds of millions of dollars lobbying our government.

00:27:48.060 And I got to say, Tucker, Tucker claims to be America first.

00:27:53.460 He is literally buying a home in Cutter.

00:27:57.580 Cutter, who is actively funding anti-American propaganda, anti-Semitic propaganda.

00:28:04.440 And by the way, Tucker says, oh, I've never taken a penny from you.

00:28:07.220 By the way, you know, I don't know what kind of sweetheart real estate deal he's getting.

00:28:11.000 But who the heck, what American, let me ask you, Ben, you know a lot of people.

00:28:16.240 No.

00:28:16.420 Do you know any other American who wants to buy a home in Cutter?

00:28:20.520 No.

00:28:21.100 In fact, I've known a lot of international people.

00:28:23.660 I've never heard of anybody going, yeah, I'm heading over to Cutter to go buy a home.

00:28:27.080 Never, not like not one time.

00:28:28.680 No one.

00:28:29.360 And I know people outside the U.S.

00:28:30.900 They've never said that.

00:28:32.480 Look, and I think there's a reason for it, which is that I don't know why.

00:28:36.920 I've had conversations about why Tucker has decided.

00:28:40.380 By the way, Tucker is actively attacking President Trump's foreign policy.

00:28:44.960 He is furious that President Trump decided to bomb the Iranian nuclear facilities.

00:28:50.280 And even more mad that that bombing was incredibly successful.

00:28:55.340 It was the single most important foreign policy and national security decision that President Trump has made in the second term.

00:29:02.480 And Tucker is furious.

00:29:03.220 And by the way, it didn't start World War III, which I'm pretty sure that's what they said was going to happen.

00:29:06.460 Isn't that right?

00:29:07.020 It was going to start World War III.

00:29:08.760 So let's be clear.

00:29:09.660 It's not they. 0.90

00:29:10.740 Tucker predicted if Trump bombed Iran.

00:29:13.920 Yes.

00:29:14.300 He said it would cause World War III, number one.

00:29:16.940 He said thousands of Americans would die, number two.

00:29:20.140 Yeah.

00:29:20.820 And he said America would lose.

00:29:22.360 Iran would beat us in World War III. 1.00

00:29:25.340 Now, every one of those predictions was laughably, absurdly wrong.

00:29:31.300 And yet, Tucker is now buying a home in Qatar and saying, 0.99

00:29:36.300 hey, you crazy, theocratic, Islamist, America-hating radicals, you're my people. 0.99

00:29:44.340 That is really, really, really dangerous. 1.00

00:29:47.680 Yeah.

00:29:47.960 The questions that we just asked there, I really hope that all of you will share those on social media.

00:29:53.700 Share the episode on social media.

00:29:55.520 Share the video we put up on Facebook.

00:29:57.620 We put it up on...

00:29:58.340 And Ben, let me ask you a question.

00:30:00.040 Let me ask you a question.

00:30:01.540 Why do you think Tucker didn't ask a single one of the questions I suggested?

00:30:05.940 I sent eight.

00:30:07.060 And they were not ridiculous questions.

00:30:09.620 They were actually a question.

00:30:10.680 If you are, in fact, America first, and you're interviewing the leader of this country that is funding things that are profoundly anti-American, anybody would ask.

00:30:22.680 If you and I were interviewing them, we would ask those questions.

00:30:25.600 Why do you think Tucker didn't?

00:30:27.060 I think it's the same reason why he gave a powderpuff interview with Vladimir Putin.

00:30:32.100 I think it's the same reason why he was sitting down with the head of Iran.

00:30:35.680 It is because when he goes there, he knows the role he's playing, which is a propagandist for those countries.

00:30:42.720 I wish that were not the case, but I can't argue against that.

00:30:47.240 He does not ask a single question defending America.

00:30:51.340 Instead, he just embraces leaders that are doing enormous damage to Americans.

00:30:58.520 And that, by the way, is, I think, significantly undermining President Trump as well.

00:31:03.280 I want to take a moment and just talk to you real quick about an incredible opportunity for you to continue to expand your mind and learn no matter what your age is.

00:31:13.680 Senator Cruz and I were at the memorial service for Charlie Kirk, and one of the people that spoke was the president of Hillsdale College.

00:31:20.780 And he talked about meeting with Charlie early on and how he said, you're going to have to work hard.

00:31:26.340 You're going to have to suffer, and you're going to have to continue to learn when he was so young.

00:31:31.760 And he talked about all of the classes that Charlie ended up taking at Hillsdale.

00:31:37.580 I immediately said, I want the listeners of this show to be able to have the same opportunity to do that.

00:31:44.560 There are amazing classes, history, economics, the great works of literature, the meaning of the U.S. Constitution.

00:31:51.040 And if you didn't study these things in school, or maybe you did, but you were like, you know, just trying to check the box and make the grade when you're 20.

00:31:57.440 Now is a great time for you to go back and learn so much more.

00:32:01.760 Hillsdale College is offering more than 40 free, I want to say that again, 40 free online courses.

00:32:09.720 That's right, more than 40 free online courses.

00:32:13.080 You can learn about the works of C.S. Lewis, the stories in the book of Genesis, the meaning of the U.S. Constitution.

00:32:19.440 I'm doing that one.

00:32:20.120 It's incredible.

00:32:21.660 The rise and fall of the Roman Republic or the history of the ancient Christian church with Hillsdale College's free online courses.

00:32:28.540 Now, I'm also looking at the Constitution 101.

00:32:30.760 It's amazing, a refresher course.

00:32:33.740 And you can see and explore the design, the purpose of the Constitution, the challenges it faced in the Civil War,

00:32:40.120 and how it's been undermined for more than a century by progressives and liberals.

00:32:45.400 This 12 lecture course is self-paced, so you start whenever you want to.

00:32:51.120 And it is truly amazing.

00:32:53.420 So, how do you do this?

00:32:55.460 You can go right now to hillsdale.edu slash verdict to enroll.

00:33:02.540 There is no cost, and it's easy to get started.

00:33:05.800 That's hillsdale.edu slash verdict, V-E-R-D-I-C-T, to enroll for free and take any one of these classes.

00:33:16.940 Take advantage of it.

00:33:17.860 It's free.

00:33:19.080 Hillsdale.edu slash V-E-R-D-I-C-T, verdict, and go check out the amazing classes they have there.

00:33:25.960 Don't forget, we do this show Monday, Wednesday, Friday.

00:33:28.920 Hit that subscribe or auto-download button.

00:33:30.680 Make sure you share this on Facebook.

00:33:33.540 We have the video up there, so you can share it on your timeline there.

00:33:36.160 You can also share the YouTube video we put out of this podcast as well.

00:33:39.500 You can watch it.

00:33:40.680 And if you love watching the show, yeah, watch it on YouTube.

00:33:42.920 Right, it's a five-star review on X or on Facebook or wherever you are on social media.

00:33:47.300 And The Center and I will see you back here Friday morning.

00:33:49.400 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:33:53.200 Guaranteed Human.

Verdict with Ted Cruz - December 10, 2025

Europe Fines Elon Musk, Trying to Enforce Censorship in America, plus Tucker Carlson Buys Home in Qatar & Embraces America Hating Islamists

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript