Verdict with Ted Cruz - July 03, 2026


Happy Birthday Americaļ¼š Celebrating What is Extraordinary about our Great Nation


Episode Stats


Length

39 minutes

Words per minute

158.75

Word count

6,327

Sentence count

457

Harmful content

Toxicity

7

sentences flagged

Hate speech

2

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) joins host Jack Armstrong and Getty to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States of America, and to remember the founding fathers who forged the nation's founding principles and gave their lives to create it.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
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00:00:36.180 On Newt World Podcast, we're celebrating America's 250th birthday.
00:00:40.680 And I ask my guests how they're spending their 4th of July.
00:00:44.540 Brett Baer.
00:00:45.520 I will be working. I'll be in Washington because it's a big, big day.
00:00:50.300 Jared Isaacman.
00:00:51.200 I plan to be flying in an F-5 fighter jet painted in Freedom 250 colors along with four other fighter jets flying over the nation's capital.
00:00:59.200 Listen to Newt's World on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:01:06.380 Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand?
00:01:10.060 We're not boring.
00:01:11.020 A lot of news is boring.
00:01:12.020 And tedious.
00:01:12.900 And depressing.
00:01:13.480 And makes you angry.
00:01:14.860 You don't want to live your life like that.
00:01:17.140 Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong.
00:01:18.200 He's Joe Getty.
00:01:18.840 We're Armstrong and Getty.
00:01:19.960 We try to bring you the truth.
00:01:21.100 And help you figure out this crazy modern world.
00:01:23.500 How about something about a comedic tone?
00:01:28.000 We have a winner.
00:01:29.200 Yes! Listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:01:36.880 Welcome. It is Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you.
00:01:40.280 It's so nice to have you with us on the radio wherever you are around the country.
00:01:44.260 As we get to celebrate the 250th anniversary of this country, Senator, what a fun show to get to do together.
00:01:52.560 Well, let me just start by saying happy birthday. Happy birthday to America.
00:02:00.100 This weekend, we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States of America.
00:02:05.820 I believe the greatest country in the history of the world.
00:02:10.860 And you look back to July 4th, 1776, when the signers of the Declaration of Independence gathered in Philadelphia.
00:02:21.480 And they signed that declaration.
00:02:24.380 When they signed it, they were pledging their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honors.
00:02:33.460 And what is extraordinary is that virtually all of them gave their lives, gave their fortunes, but not a single one of them abandoned their sacred honor.
00:02:45.140 Fifty-six men put their signatures on that piece of paper.
00:02:49.860 And understand, when they did so, they were committing treason.
00:02:55.620 They were, at the time, British citizens.
00:02:58.260 They were subject to the British crown.
00:03:00.440 And by declaring independence, they were declaring war on the mightiest military on the face of the planet.
00:03:08.820 John Hancock, of course, signed it with a signature large enough that King George could read it without his spectacles on.
00:03:16.180 And if you look at that declaration, it was the beginning, it was the birth of this nation.
00:03:23.520 We're going to talk today about what is unique, what is extraordinary, what makes the United States of America different.
00:03:31.640 Different from France, different from England, different from Germany, different from Japan, different from China, different from Russia, different from every country on the face of the earth.
00:03:40.880 250 years of our extraordinary nation, we're celebrating it right now.
00:03:45.680 Yeah, it really is incredible. And just to be excited about what's happening right now in this country and be proud of it is another part of the conversation we're going to have today.
00:03:55.660 I also want to talk to you about as America celebrates its 250th anniversary, this milestone is also a time for all of us to reflect on the enduring relationship between the U.S. and Israel.
00:04:07.140 Our greatest ally and President John F. Kennedy once said Israel was not created in order to disappear, Israel will endure and flourish.
00:04:16.400 Now those words capture the spirit of a young democracy determined to survive.
00:04:21.380 Two nations, thousands of miles apart, yet united by shared values of democracy, faith, freedom, and resilience.
00:04:29.320 As America celebrates 250 years of independence, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews turns to God in prayer, asking that his wisdom will guide elected officials and lead America and Israel to moral clarity and national unity.
00:04:46.680 So sign up to receive a free USA-Israel flag pin when you go online to flagpinifcj.org.
00:04:57.540 That's flagpinifcj.org.
00:05:02.500 So, Senator, I really think that just celebrating America is something that everybody listening right now should be excited about.
00:05:09.700 There's a lot of people that try to make it into this partisan fight.
00:05:12.640 I think it's absurd.
00:05:14.120 I love this country.
00:05:15.120 You love this country.
00:05:16.680 And if you look at what our founding fathers, going back to your point a moment ago, they were committing treason.
00:05:22.440 They were risking it all and knew that if it didn't work out, they were all dead men.
00:05:27.120 Well, and let me say, I don't care about the people engaged in partisan bickering right now.
00:05:33.520 I got to say the Democrat governors, the Democrat mayors who are like, we hate Donald Trump.
00:05:37.800 So, no, we're not celebrating the Fourth of July.
00:05:40.460 I don't care. Stop it.
00:05:42.560 It's not about Donald Trump.
00:05:43.960 in 250 years. Look, our nation, I'm a huge fan of President Trump. I'm a strongest supporter
00:05:52.260 in the Senate. But at the end of the day, our nation's 250th birthday is bigger than whoever
00:05:57.760 happens to be in the Oval Office right now. And we're in such a partisan, angry, divided times
00:06:03.820 that you see Democrats like, damn it, I'm not celebrating the 4th of July because I don't like 0.98
00:06:10.420 Trump. And that's just dumb. I don't want to engage in those partisan bickers. You see, 1.00
00:06:17.800 obviously, there are festivities in D.C., there are fireworks, there's the big festival,
00:06:23.300 and you see Democrats saying they're boycotting it. I want us to pause and reflect. All right,
00:06:28.480 number one, this is Fourth of July. Ben, you and I are both dads. I hope every listener here this
00:06:35.180 fourth of july you spend time with your kids you spend time with your spouse you go out you have a
00:06:42.400 burger you have a hot dog you you don't forget the bar you gotta you gotta you gotta make that
00:06:49.780 brisket or shoulder ribs like you if it's you're going all out fourth of july sir you should you
00:06:54.440 know me well enough and by the way we have california listeners so if you want your tofu
00:06:59.340 and sprouts you can do that too but and listen to be clear i am married to a california vegetarian
00:07:06.300 so i make fun but but but we are a big beautiful diverse country so that's eat what you want
00:07:12.700 but but i want to encourage you spend time with your kids if you don't spend this fourth of july
00:07:18.400 hugging your kids loving on your kids stopping working for a minute
00:07:23.700 And what I want to encourage everyone, yes, go out and throw a Frisbee with your kids.
00:07:29.580 Go out and throw a football, throw a baseball, laugh, go to the beach, do whatever.
00:07:36.360 Go to the lake, swim, whatever you're doing.
00:07:39.360 But I also want to encourage you.
00:07:41.900 Look, 250 is not 249, it's not 251.
00:07:46.660 We're only going to have one 250th birthday of this country.
00:07:49.940 everyone who listens to this podcast you care about america you love america you're not a
00:07:58.700 passive citizen you're an active citizen you care about what is unique and extraordinary in this
00:08:04.720 country so i'm i want to charge everyone listening to this take a minute to talk to your kids
00:08:11.400 about what's different about america what does it mean to be an american that's different from
00:08:17.240 being a Frenchman or a Chinaman or a Venezuelan or like, look, they're countries all over the
00:08:22.940 planet. What is unique? Have that conversation with your kids. And by the way, if your kids are
00:08:28.780 anything like my kids, they'll resist it. They won't want to have that conversation.
00:08:33.620 But have it anyway. Take this moment to reflect. And I'm going to say one of the things I've
00:08:39.020 learned having two teenage daughters? Talk less, listen more. Ask questions. Try to elicit from
00:08:48.640 them. And, you know, certainly for every parent of teenagers, you may not love every answer they
00:08:54.780 give, but use this moment to have the conversation about what would it mean, son, daughter,
00:09:03.640 If you had been born in another country, if you were not an American, what are the blessings of liberty you've inherited and why does that give you a unique place in the world?
00:09:18.700 That's a conversation you ought to have with your kids this weekend.
00:09:21.760 Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more. And I tell you what, just having basic conversations about how grateful we should be that we live in the United States of America. How many people that want to come here? How many people wish they were born in America? Just having basic pride, and like you mentioned a moment ago, has nothing to do with politics.
00:09:42.960 Like, it is okay to celebrate this country and be proud of it.
00:09:47.660 I want my kids to have pride in being Americans.
00:09:50.720 I think the World Cup is a great example of this.
00:09:54.400 If you're born in another country.
00:09:55.980 Let me just stop and say, USA, USA, USA.
00:09:59.740 I got to say, I watched that game.
00:10:02.860 I watched that game sitting there with my family.
00:10:08.560 Look, when we were up one goal, that was great.
00:10:11.080 And then the red card came, and that was heartbreaking.
00:10:15.080 And to play with just 10 men, to play a man down, and score another goal, it was awesome.
00:10:21.340 I was out at a sports bar with my family.
00:10:23.460 We were cheering.
00:10:24.880 We were chanting.
00:10:25.960 It was a great moment to come together. 0.74
00:10:27.620 And by the way, that red card was utter nonsense. 1.00
00:10:31.120 It was garbage. 1.00
00:10:31.900 It was BS. 1.00
00:10:33.800 I'm frustrated by that, but I'm inspired by the win.
00:10:37.500 It's a great way to celebrate 250.
00:10:39.780 Senator, I want to go back to the World Cup just for a second.
00:10:42.200 I'm not a big soccer guy, but in college, almost all of my roommates were actually foreign students that were on the tennis team with me.
00:10:50.640 So they're obsessed with it.
00:10:52.220 My best friend from England actually came through Houston on their family vacation, and we got to watch a game together, the U.S. game together.
00:11:00.860 They were freaking out as kids because they're obsessed with soccer, a.k.a. they call it football.
00:11:04.960 But I love watching so many different people get together, so much excitement, and people celebrating this country and our team.
00:11:14.140 It's really awesome.
00:11:15.880 It is.
00:11:16.800 Now, I've got to ask, you're a Memphis boy.
00:11:19.520 Did you grow up ā€“ there are some jocks.
00:11:22.120 You're a tennis guy, so that's not exactly football.
00:11:25.500 But then again, I'm a debater, so I don't actually have room to cast shade.
00:11:29.820 but but but are you one of the guys who grew up sort of sort of turning your nose up to soccer
00:11:36.320 and and and making aspersions oh i remember we called it tornado ball my parents signed me up
00:11:41.940 for church soccer just because you know everybody did it when you're i don't know did you play
00:11:46.220 soccer yeah kindergarten first grade and then that was the end of that then you moved on to
00:11:50.240 as i i say real sports after that see see in high school i i played basketball soccer and football
00:11:56.520 And I actually liked soccer.
00:11:58.180 You know, I was a midfielder, and it ā€“ look, I wasn't terribly good,
00:12:03.160 but midfielder, you just had to be able to run, and I could run quite a bit.
00:12:06.700 And so you just kind of ā€“ you were on offense, you were on defense,
00:12:08.820 you got blamed for everything.
00:12:10.360 I will say our team at the time, we did a lot of slide tackles.
00:12:16.240 I was actually talking with like a buddy of mine going,
00:12:18.360 what happened to slide tackles in soccer?
00:12:19.760 Because when we were in high school, particularly on defense,
00:12:23.360 you'd just slide tackles.
00:12:24.420 So there was a guy who was a fullback on our team who would slide tackle with his cleats up and just rip the living daylights out of the shins of the other guy.
00:12:33.380 He ended up becoming a Marine.
00:12:34.520 He was a tough guy.
00:12:36.520 They don't do ā€“ I actually Googled this week wondering, what happened to slide tackles in soccer?
00:12:41.140 And they said, well, the refs now give so many red cards for it that they don't do it very much.
00:12:46.300 Look, I played it, but I'm not a big soccer fan.
00:12:51.380 There are people that are obsessive about it.
00:12:53.680 I'm enjoying it because World Cup is like we're hosting it, and it's a great time to be patriotic.
00:12:58.800 I will say my cousin Marino, who loves soccer, I did manage to get him a ticket to one of the games in Dallas where Messi was playing.
00:13:07.340 And Marino, God bless him, it was like I'd given him a chance to meet Pele and George Washington and William Shakespeare and, I don't know, Charles Lindbergh all combined.
00:13:25.260 He was so ecstatic.
00:13:27.000 Yeah, if you're a soccer fan, getting to see Messi play in a World Cup is literally now, based on age, a once-in-a-lifetime event.
00:13:33.800 Yeah, and I do want some props.
00:13:35.420 I am, like, over Christmas and Thanksgiving going to claim, like, excuse me, who got you to see Messi?
00:13:40.620 Like, do I get something for that?
00:13:42.640 Yeah, you better get a really good Christmas gift.
00:13:44.660 I agree with that one.
00:13:46.700 But I will say, look, soccer, there are people who adore soccer.
00:13:50.520 There are people who are not into soccer.
00:13:52.540 That being said, the World Cup is really cool.
00:13:57.020 Save the country root for America.
00:13:59.380 Like, that's an amazing thing.
00:14:00.800 It's like the Olympics.
00:14:01.580 and one of my favorite tweets that i saw recently online was someone said okay new rule every
00:14:09.120 country that america beats in the world cup for the next four years has to call it soccer
00:14:14.780 i thought that was really funny that's like my favorite yeah i i laughed because i put one of
00:14:19.940 those out there that was like if you if america beats you in the world cup until you beat us
00:14:25.620 you've got to call it refer to it in your country as soccer like it's so good and the trash talking
00:14:29.900 it's great like i i also i don't know were you in houston the night that mexico played and won
00:14:35.860 the other night were you and were you in houston then or you're not so you could actually hear
00:14:41.900 the horns honking by our house outside after the game one of people on the street honking their
00:14:48.080 horns which was just awesome this to see people that excited about a big victory look rooting for
00:14:55.660 America is great. And so the World Cup hosting it is awesome. But I also want to say we're at a
00:15:04.660 time, you know, it used to be for decades, probably for centuries, both parties rooted
00:15:12.700 for America. Both parties were happy, were proud to be Americans. You know, one of the depressing
00:15:18.840 things right now is you look at the stats of the percentage of Democrats that are proud to be
00:15:25.420 Americans. And it is incredibly low compared to the percentage of Republicans. And that's
00:15:33.840 unfortunate. That didn't used to be the case. You know what? John F. Kennedy, I'm convinced,
00:15:38.860 was proud to be an American. FDR, I'm convinced, was proud to be an American. I mean, for most of
00:15:44.040 the history of the country, both parties were proud of our nation. And there's something right
00:15:50.780 now on the hard left. And listen, we're going to break this down a little bit more. Before we
00:15:58.020 break it down, we're going to talk about what's extraordinary about America because I want to
00:16:01.660 take a time. Look, often verdict is focused on current events. It's focused on news. It's focused
00:16:07.820 on what's happening now. I figure once every 250 years, we have to stop and reflect. And by the
00:16:15.700 way, I don't know about you, Ben, I don't intend to be doing this at the 500th anniversary of
00:16:19.800 America. So, you know, the next verdict toast. In 50 years, I doubt you and I are going to be
00:16:27.040 hosting. We've done something profoundly wrong. If we're here at the 300th anniversary,
00:16:33.280 we've done something profoundly wrong. I intend to be an old coot yelling at the hologram. 0.88
00:16:40.300 And I don't expect to be doing this podcast 50 years from now, much less 250 years from now. 0.86
00:16:45.640 But one of the virtues of doing this is, look, you know my wife Heidi well.
00:16:52.940 Heidi listens to the podcast often.
00:16:55.820 And look, she and I have been married 25 years.
00:16:59.220 Anyone that's been married a long time, you and I have been married how many years?
00:17:03.740 Look, my guess is she doesn't listen to the podcast all that often.
00:17:07.320 Heidi doesn't necessarily listen to it all that often.
00:17:10.300 Look, it is hard to get your wife to listen to what you're saying, and I get that.
00:17:14.240 And Heidi, but here's the point I want to make.
00:17:17.920 Heidi listens to it because she says she learns things.
00:17:22.220 Like she'll run on the treadmill and put the podcast on
00:17:24.940 because she says, gosh, I get things that are useful
00:17:28.140 that when I go to work, I'm talking to coworkers,
00:17:30.620 I'm talking to clients, and they'll ask about something
00:17:33.260 and I'll be like, hey, I know what to say on that
00:17:35.880 because I heard it on the podcast.
00:17:37.720 I hope that this podcast does that for our listeners.
00:17:41.360 It gives something that you can't get just by turning on Fox News.
00:17:47.060 It gives you understanding, knowledge that you can't get anywhere else.
00:18:11.360 That's all UPS, here for you every day, no matter how often you ship.
00:18:17.560 Get started with a shipping discount at UPS.com.
00:18:21.740 This is Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House and a proud American citizen.
00:18:26.700 I'm celebrating America's 250th birthday on my podcast, Newt's World, with 15 special episodes.
00:18:33.980 And I've got some great guests, Walter Isaacson, Jonathan Turley, Brett Baer.
00:18:39.740 I will be working because it's a big, big day.
00:18:43.160 I'll be in Washington and have all kinds of coverage through the day of America 250.
00:18:48.860 Rachel Compostoffee.
00:18:50.160 There's nothing like American music.
00:18:51.860 We're the home of rock and roll.
00:18:53.160 We're the home of rap.
00:18:54.140 We're the home of pop music.
00:18:55.360 Eric Metaxas.
00:18:56.720 Jared Isaacman.
00:18:57.800 I plan to be flying in an F-5 fighter jet painted in Freedom 250 colors,
00:19:02.140 along with four other fighter jets flying over the nation's capital.
00:19:05.580 The story of the National Anthem and the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.
00:19:11.400 Join me and let's celebrate America's 250.
00:19:14.700 Listen to Newt's World on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:19:21.780 Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand?
00:19:25.260 We're not boring.
00:19:26.240 A lot of news is boring.
00:19:27.220 And tedious.
00:19:28.100 And depressing.
00:19:28.700 And makes you angry.
00:19:30.060 You don't want to live your life like that.
00:19:32.220 Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong.
00:19:33.400 He's Joe Getty.
00:19:34.060 We're Armstrong and Getty.
00:19:35.120 We try to bring you the truth.
00:19:36.360 And help you figure out this crazy modern world.
00:19:38.720 How about something about a comedic tone?
00:19:43.100 We have a winner.
00:19:44.720 Yes.
00:19:45.720 Listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand on the iHeartRadio app,
00:19:48.820 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:19:52.580 Senator, let's talk about what makes America what it is.
00:19:57.080 How incredible this experiment was.
00:20:00.020 And if, you know, I hear a lot, people say,
00:20:03.040 if the founding fathers saw this now,
00:20:05.300 they'd be rolling over in their grave.
00:20:07.160 I also think if they saw America,
00:20:09.080 what it's become after 250 years,
00:20:11.140 they'd be incredibly proud of what it's become as well.
00:20:15.140 I think that's absolutely right.
00:20:16.920 And I think back,
00:20:19.220 last year I was in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing
00:20:22.200 and there was a witness testifying
00:20:25.260 who President Trump had nominated
00:20:27.140 to be in the State Department.
00:20:28.680 And he had filed written testimony as every witness does.
00:20:31.840 and I walked into the hearing kind of midway through
00:20:36.020 and Tim Kaine, my colleague,
00:20:38.540 Democrat, Senator from Virginia was questioning.
00:20:41.480 And one of the things this nominee had said
00:20:43.740 is he'd said that our rights in America,
00:20:47.320 they come from God and they don't come from government.
00:20:51.160 And Tim Kaine began unloading on this nominee.
00:20:54.960 He said, I read this statement in your written statement.
00:20:58.340 And he said, that is a radical concept. That is an extreme concept. That is dangerous. It is fundamentally dangerous. And he said, that's what theocratic regimes like Iran believe. And he said, we're not like Iran.
00:21:18.160 We don't believe our rights come from God. We believe our rights come from government. He unloaded on them.
00:21:23.140 And I got to admit, like most hearings I come in, my staff has prepared a series of questions, some comments.
00:21:28.700 I had for this hearing a series of questions. I don't remember what they were on, but they were on a different topic.
00:21:34.080 As I walked in, I saw Tim Kaine unloading on this nominee, and I got ticked.
00:21:39.680 And I ended up just kind of freewheeling, and I was questioning shortly thereafter.
00:21:46.020 And I said, you know, just a minute ago, Senator Kaine said the idea that our rights come from God, not government, is a dangerous idea.
00:21:53.000 It is a radical idea.
00:21:54.020 It's an extreme idea.
00:21:55.800 And I said, you know what?
00:21:57.580 He's right.
00:21:59.200 It is dangerous.
00:22:01.020 It is radical.
00:22:02.580 And it is extreme.
00:22:04.740 And it is also the founding principle upon which the United States of America was created.
00:22:11.220 And I went on to say, look, maybe you're listening to this.
00:22:15.360 You're not inclined to believe me.
00:22:16.940 That's okay.
00:22:18.120 If you're not inclined to believe me, maybe you would be inclined to believe another Virginian like Senator Kaine.
00:22:25.440 By the name of Thomas Jefferson, who 250 years ago penned the words in the Declaration.
00:22:32.020 We hold these truths to be self-evident.
00:22:35.100 That all men are created equal.
00:22:38.160 that they are endowed by their creator.
00:22:44.580 Notice he didn't say by government.
00:22:46.600 He didn't say by the DNC.
00:22:47.960 He said by God Almighty, with certain unalienable rights,
00:22:53.580 that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
00:22:58.540 That idea was transformational.
00:23:01.060 If you look throughout the history of mankind,
00:23:02.820 For millennia, the conventional wisdom was that sovereignty emanates from the top.
00:23:13.180 It emanates from God and that God designates kings or queens, emperors or rulers.
00:23:21.700 And that those kings and queens rule because God has given them authority.
00:23:26.960 And if there are such a thing as rights, they're given by grace.
00:23:33.600 They're given like crumbs from the table of the ruler.
00:23:39.340 And by the way, anything given by grace can be taken away by whim.
00:23:44.420 That for most of the history of the world has been the way the world has been ordered.
00:23:49.320 What America did is it inverted the concept of sovereignty.
00:23:53.540 It said, you know what?
00:23:54.520 Sovereignty does not emanate from the top.
00:23:57.340 It emanates from the bottom.
00:23:58.880 It emanates from the people, we the people.
00:24:01.720 The Constitution begins with we the people.
00:24:03.720 And the idea was the people have sovereignty, and they give the authority to govern to elected officials for a temporary period.
00:24:16.240 Nobody has an entitlement to this, and that temporary period, the sovereignty comes from below.
00:24:23.680 So the Supreme Court has described what the Constitution did as splitting the atom of sovereignty, taking what used to be uniform government control.
00:24:34.120 And number one, splitting it horizontally, splitting it between the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch, separation of powers between three branches.
00:24:45.220 And number two, splitting it vertically between the federal government, the states, and the local government.
00:24:52.000 And all of that was designed, as Jefferson also put it, the Constitution was chained to bind the mischief of government.
00:25:03.080 That was radical, the idea that sovereignty rested with we the people.
00:25:08.660 If you look through the history of humanity, what America did here was extraordinary and unprecedented.
00:25:15.680 And likewise, the point that our rights, what does come from God, is not the authority of kings to rule us.
00:25:26.100 Instead, what comes from God is, as the Declaration put it, certain unalienable rights.
00:25:32.740 That God has created us.
00:25:34.560 Look, you and I, and everyone listening to this podcast, we are created in God's image.
00:25:40.520 He formed us to reflect his mind, his spirit, his character, and by virtue of being a human being, whether you are brilliant or stupid, whether you are strong or weak, whether you are incredibly able or profoundly disabled, if you are a human being, those inalienable rights,
00:26:05.040 life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, what it means to be a child of God is profound.
00:26:12.300 And that concept that our government has created to protect those rights is unique and powerful
00:26:21.260 and worthy of celebration on this birthday.
00:26:24.560 Yeah, it really is.
00:26:26.040 And I do think you look at where this country is and how great it is.
00:26:31.460 And it's also, I think, a point where, as you mentioned in the first segment, we've got to do a better job of being proud of this country and defending this country to this next generation.
00:26:41.560 Because if you look at the data in the polling number, there are a lot of younger people in this country that have been indoctrinated to believe that somehow America is a bad country, that America is not a country to be proud of,
00:26:52.300 that America is so flawed that there has to be massive changes to move into something that looks
00:26:59.140 like communism or socialism or Marxism. And so I think this is like a really important birthday
00:27:05.840 historically on two fronts, Senator. One, because it is 250 years, the fact that we survived this
00:27:12.360 experiment and thrived to this point is amazing. But you also have to realize how fragile it is at
00:27:17.580 the same time yes there are people that want to destroy this so that we don't have a 300th birthday
00:27:23.760 and look like what we look like right now well and let me focus like most of us know the most
00:27:31.480 famous sentence of the declaration we hold these truths to be self-evident i i want to point out
00:27:37.660 the sentence that follows that is every bit as important right after it says life liberty and
00:27:45.040 The Pursuit of Happiness, the Declaration says the following, that to secure these rights,
00:27:53.260 governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
00:28:01.920 So understand, it's not government that gives us those rights. Instead, it says that to secure
00:28:09.040 these rights. So your right to life, it's not the federal government, it's not the state government,
00:28:14.100 It's not any elected official that gives that to you.
00:28:16.840 It's God that gives that to you.
00:28:19.140 But why do we have a government?
00:28:22.200 We have a government to secure these rights, to protect them.
00:28:27.420 That concept is extraordinary.
00:28:30.520 It is unique.
00:28:31.400 It is powerful.
00:28:32.980 And in most of the world, that's not the law.
00:28:36.620 In most of the world, that's not the understanding.
00:28:38.840 In most of the world, the government has the power to take your rights, to take them, certainly in dictatorships, whether you're talking Russia or China or North Korea or Iran, in dictatorships, the government has the power to throw you in the gulag, to torture you, to murder you, to do whatever they wish with you because the government has all power.
00:29:06.060 However, America was built on the principle that the entire purpose of the government is to protect our rights.
00:29:19.020 And I want to say something else about America.
00:29:21.680 Look, critics on the left criticize our nation as being arrogant, as being imperial.
00:29:29.800 And listen, we are the strongest superpower on the face of the earth.
00:29:34.240 we're certainly not immune from arrogance. But I want to say you want to look at a unique moment
00:29:41.060 in history. Look at 1945 at the end of World War II. America was the only country on the planet
00:29:47.380 that had nuclear weapons. For millennia, if any country had the ability to destroy any other
00:29:54.080 nation, they would have conquered the world. You know what America did? We exercised restraint.
00:30:00.120 we said we're not interested in conquest we're not interested in using an asymmetric power we
00:30:07.040 had over everyone else instead we are going to protect america and promote freedom and
00:30:14.460 prosperity across the globe there is a nobility to that which which every american ought to be
00:30:20.140 proud of senator i want to spend a moment and talk about how there are two ways that we can
00:30:26.100 go as a country moving forward. We can either continue to be proud of this country, continue
00:30:31.000 to grow, continue to learn, by the way, from mistakes that we've made to become an even
00:30:35.780 better country than we are right now, or we can take the other road. And that other road
00:30:40.940 actually seems to be pretty darn clear. It is the democratic model to be ashamed of this country
00:30:46.980 and to fundamentally want to destroy it from within. We are witnessing and watching candidates
00:30:51.840 across the country running and winning on this platform.
00:30:54.920 That is obviously very, very concerning.
00:30:58.640 I want to get your reaction to where we are now, 250 years in.
00:31:03.440 Well, I want to do something that may surprise you.
00:31:06.740 I want to speak directly to Democrats.
00:31:09.840 Now, I recognize there are probably not a ton of Democrats that are listeners to this podcast.
00:31:15.340 I hope there's some.
00:31:16.760 And actually, when I talk to young people, when I talk to college kids, when I talk to
00:31:19.900 high school kids, I encourage them, wherever you are in the political spectrum, try to listen to
00:31:25.880 both sides and pick a podcast or two on the left, a podcast or two on the right. Obviously, I suggest
00:31:31.680 this one on the right is one to listen to, but assess. So, and by the way, there are also a ton
00:31:35.860 of reporters that listen to this podcast. It's one of the interesting and really powerful things
00:31:40.140 this pod does is we drive news. So there are a ton of reporters and almost all reporters are
00:31:45.120 politically left. So if you're left of center, if you're a Democrat, I want to give a message to
00:31:50.820 you on our nation's 250th birthday. Do not let the Democrat Party be conquered and colonized
00:32:01.540 by socialists and communists. And I say that with all sincerity. Listen, I disagree with Democrats.
00:32:08.860 I disagree with Democrats on a lot of issues. I spent 14 years in the Senate battling. Now,
00:32:13.420 by the way, I don't treat my Democrat colleagues with contempt. I don't treat them meanly. I don't
00:32:19.980 insult them personally. Where we find common ground, we work together. Where we disagree,
00:32:25.340 I try to engage on substance. But I treat them with respect. And I want every Democrat
00:32:31.760 within the sound of my voice to listen. You are facing a hostile takeover of your party.
00:32:41.040 The socialists who are winning primaries in New York, they're winning primaries in Colorado.
00:32:48.020 They are not Democrats.
00:32:50.900 They are, and understand, socialist is the sort of nice, sweet, homogenized term for what they in fact are, which is America-hating communists.
00:33:05.820 Listen, communism, the economic system of communism is socialism.
00:33:09.540 Anyone who calls themselves a democratic socialist today is in fact a communist.
00:33:17.000 And many of the DSA leaders, you can find lots of videos of them saying, look, our goal is communism.
00:33:23.520 Communism, I speak from personal experience.
00:33:27.440 My family was imprisoned and tortured and nearly killed by communists in Cuba.
00:33:34.780 Communism has brought misery across the globe.
00:33:37.900 It has brought misery. It has killed over 100 million people between Russia, between China, between Vietnam, between Cambodia, between Venezuela, between North Korea, between Cuba.
00:33:50.660 Communism has been ā€“ it's not an accident.
00:33:53.560 Every nation that has imposed communism has resulted in massive human rights violation, murder and torture and oppression.
00:34:01.520 When the government has all power, your rights go away because communism is based on the inverse of the premise America was based on.
00:34:13.240 Communism is based on the premise that government has the power ostensibly in an egalitarian purpose to empower the proletariat.
00:34:22.520 But every single instance, not most, not a lot, all of them, communism results in massive oppression and suffering and misery and poverty and death.
00:34:36.640 And so I want to say to Democrats, look, I look at my Democrat colleagues in the Senate.
00:34:43.220 Most of them are not, in fact, socialists or communists.
00:34:48.320 They're just scared.
00:34:49.800 They're looking at their party.
00:34:51.200 And by the way, if you're not a socialist or communist and you're a Democrat, you're getting primaried right now and beaten.
00:34:56.940 And they're like, OK, I don't want to get beaten.
00:34:59.120 So I'm just going to stay quiet and I'm going to give the radical left what they want.
00:35:04.920 And I'm going to make a plea.
00:35:07.160 Fight to take your party back.
00:35:10.740 I don't want you to become Republicans.
00:35:12.300 Well, yes, I do.
00:35:12.960 But I'd settle for just a rational Democrat party.
00:35:19.040 Like if you think the top marginal tax rate ought to be 10% higher than it is, I disagree with you on that.
00:35:25.980 But we can have a conversation.
00:35:27.980 If you want more government regulation, I want less.
00:35:31.700 Okay, we can have a rational conversation about that.
00:35:34.400 But if you look at the communists who are winning primaries right now, they're openly calling for abolishing the police.
00:35:41.800 They're openly calling for abolishing borders.
00:35:44.780 They're openly calling for abolishing prisons.
00:35:47.560 Let me ask you something. If you shut down, Mondami said this week he's going to shut down Rikers Island.
00:35:53.640 What do you think happens to this country if we release all the murderers, all the rapists, all the child molesters?
00:36:01.200 For the Democrat Party, I think you're facing an existential challenge in your party.
00:36:06.840 And if your party becomes a socialist and communist party, it will hurt America.
00:36:12.380 By the way, I want to say two other things, and then I want you to comment on it.
00:36:15.080 Number one, there's some Republicans who are sort of quietly celebrating, saying, okay, Democrats have gone crazy.
00:36:21.920 That means Republicans are going to win.
00:36:24.180 And that may be right.
00:36:25.480 It may be that we can go campaign and say these people are really out there and don't vote for them.
00:36:32.280 I don't want that outcome.
00:36:34.400 As much as I'd like Republicans to win, if one of our two major parties becomes absolutely insane, that's bad for America.
00:36:45.660 I'd rather we debate within the 40-yard lines instead of going crazy one way.
00:36:53.680 And so there is a real fight.
00:36:55.700 And secondly, there may be some Democrats listening or even some reporters listening who say, look, that's easy for you to say.
00:37:04.160 You want us to take on these people.
00:37:06.480 But if we do that, we'll be thrown out of office.
00:37:09.560 We'll lose a primary.
00:37:10.400 And I want to point out, I'm engaged in this same fight in the Republican side right now.
00:37:16.920 The woke right that is trying to destroy the Republican Party, that is trying to turn us into a big government left-wing party, that is trying to turn us into an isolationist party, an Israel-hating party, an America-hating party.
00:37:30.260 I am fighting the Tucker Carlson's and all of his acolytes in my party and at not inconsiderable personal and political risk. 0.63
00:37:39.820 And so I want to call out to Democrats, on this nation's 250th anniversary, is there anyone who will stand up and say, damn it, I will lose, I will be voted out of office, rather than lose my party and lose my country?
00:37:56.160 This may surprise you.
00:37:57.840 Look, for those of you all that are regular verdict listeners, you probably did not anticipate my making a plea to Democrats, particularly on our nation's 250th anniversary.
00:38:08.260 But I pray that there are some Democrats who, like JFK and FDR, love America and are willing to say, I'm not going to roll over and see our nation destroyed.
00:38:20.900 I want us to have a 300th and a 400th and a 500th anniversary.
00:38:26.060 Yeah, amen to that.
00:38:27.800 I could not agree with you more.
00:38:29.400 I love celebrating this country.
00:38:30.860 I love that we've got kids, both of us, that are going to get to grow up in the great state.
00:38:34.700 We celebrate it each and every single day, but especially on the 250th anniversary.
00:38:40.780 God bless our men and women to protect and defend this country.
00:38:44.060 The Center and I will see you back here next week.
00:38:45.920 And don't forget, on the podcast, all week long, God bless America.
00:38:50.060 We'll see you back here soon.
00:38:51.520 On Newt World Podcast, we're celebrating America's 250th birthday.
00:38:55.620 And I ask my guests how they're spending their 4th of July.
00:38:59.480 Brett Baer.
00:39:00.380 I will be working.
00:39:01.740 I'll be in Washington because it's a big, big day.
00:39:05.220 Jared Isaacman.
00:39:06.240 I plan to be flying in an F-5 fighter jet painted in Freedom 250 colors
00:39:10.440 along with four other fighter jets flying over the nation's capital.
00:39:13.960 Listen to Newt's World on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:39:34.700 We try to bring you the truth.
00:39:36.080 And help you figure out this crazy modern world.
00:39:38.440 How about something about a comedic tone?
00:39:42.860 We have a winner.
00:39:44.440 Yes.
00:39:45.460 Listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand on the iHeartRadio app,
00:39:48.540 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.