Verdict with Ted Cruz - Trump's Art of the Peace Deal , Charlie Kirk Honored plus Eric Trump & the cost of Political Warfare Week In Review

00:00:00.000 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:00:02.660 Guaranteed human.

00:00:05.300 Welcome, it is Verdict with Ted Cruz, Weekend Review.

00:00:08.300 Ben Ferguson with you, and here are some of the big stories

00:00:10.580 that you may have missed that we talked about this past week.

00:00:13.040 First up, Donald Trump's message to the world

00:00:16.140 on the peace agreement.

00:00:17.880 What was behind it?

00:00:18.840 How did it get done?

00:00:20.120 And how big could this be for peace in the Middle East?

00:00:22.860 We break it down for you.

00:00:24.540 Also, Charlie Kirk's widow receives the Medal of Freedom Award

00:00:28.720 for her husband.

00:00:30.660 This was a touching moment at the White House,

00:00:33.100 and Senator Cruz was there for it.

00:00:35.400 And finally, Eric Trump joins us, the present son,

00:00:38.940 to talk about how much it costs the Trump family

00:00:41.620 to fight all of the legal warfare.

00:00:44.420 It's the Weekend Review, and it starts right now.

00:00:47.880 So many people that are listening to Verdict,

00:00:49.500 they're going to get to not only, I think, hear

00:00:51.300 from probably leadership in Israel in the next several hours.

00:00:54.720 It's certainly going to happen in the morning or midday.

00:00:56.720 You're also going to be able to hear

00:00:57.900 from the President of the United States of America.

00:00:59.960 What do you expect his message to be?

00:01:02.680 And this is, by the way, all happening right now

00:01:05.280 while the federal government is still shut down in the U.S.

00:01:09.600 And I want to get your take on that in a moment.

00:01:11.760 But what do you expect to hear from the President today?

00:01:14.980 Look, I think the President is going to say

00:01:16.620 this is an historic day.

00:01:18.460 This peace agreement is a moment of history

00:01:23.280 that ended a war that has extended for two years,

00:01:26.700 that freed people who have been in captivity for two years,

00:01:30.000 subject to horrific treatment.

00:01:33.100 And I think he's going to say,

00:01:34.520 I expect the parties to stick to the terms of the agreement.

00:01:37.280 I think he is going to continue

00:01:39.140 with peace through strength.

00:01:42.460 He's going to continue with the opposite

00:01:44.500 of weakness and appeasement,

00:01:45.980 because we don't get to this peace agreement

00:01:48.460 without President Trump's strength.

00:01:52.220 And then this is one thing to remember.

00:01:54.800 There are some observers who want to say

00:01:58.060 that Donald Trump is an isolationist.

00:02:00.060 He has never been an isolationist.

00:02:01.920 Yeah.

00:02:02.880 Look, the first term that Trump was in office,

00:02:06.860 when he came into office,

00:02:09.320 he inherited an ISIS caliphate 0.89

00:02:11.640 that had grown under Barack Obama

00:02:13.300 that was the size of the state of Indiana.

00:02:15.460 They had an entire nation state

00:02:17.280 to wage terror against America, 0.52

00:02:19.600 and Donald Trump utterly decimated and destroyed it.

00:02:22.580 Within months, the caliphate was gone.

00:02:25.140 He completely defeated them.

00:02:26.960 He also took out General Soleimani,

00:02:28.920 who took out al-Baghdadi.

00:02:31.280 Those are not the actions of an isolationist.

00:02:33.500 You look at the second term,

00:02:35.620 where he's been bombing the living daylights

00:02:37.920 out of the Houthis,

00:02:38.800 who are attacking ships going through the Suez Canal.

00:02:41.560 He is bombing the heck out of narco-terrorists 1.00

00:02:44.240 off the coast of Venezuela.

00:02:45.900 And by the way, Machado was smart to say he deserved it

00:02:49.620 because, look, her efforts fighting Maduro

00:02:52.100 are very important, and they're courageous.

00:02:55.300 But President Trump's strength

00:02:57.520 is the single factor that makes it most likely

00:03:00.220 that the Maduro regime will be toppled.

00:03:02.880 And so President Trump taking out those narco-terrorists 1.00

00:03:06.440 is another example of peace through strength.

00:03:09.140 And finally, the Iran bombing run,

00:03:12.440 taking out their nuclear facilities.

00:03:14.160 None of those are the acts of an isolationist.

00:03:16.440 Now, to be clear,

00:03:18.260 President Trump is also not an interventionist.

00:03:21.260 He's not invading foreign countries.

00:03:23.940 I don't expect to see the Marines

00:03:26.660 engaged in invading other countries

00:03:29.540 other than to protect the vital security interest

00:03:33.060 of America, to keep America safe.

00:03:34.880 The only instance in which we would see

00:03:37.120 a ground war is where there was a direct danger

00:03:41.880 to the lives of Americans.

00:03:44.740 And in those instances,

00:03:46.180 President Trump is willing to use military force,

00:03:49.000 but he's not engaged in this broader endeavor

00:03:53.140 to send in our military

00:03:56.040 to try to turn every country in the world

00:03:58.280 into some utopian democracy.

00:04:00.820 That's not the job of the military.

00:04:03.100 Donald Trump doesn't think

00:04:04.120 it's the job of the military.

00:04:05.260 And the result,

00:04:08.580 strength is the best way to avoid war.

00:04:14.540 Our enemies are afraid of Donald Trump.

00:04:17.540 That is a very good thing.

00:04:19.140 Hamas is afraid of Donald Trump.

00:04:21.120 Hezbollah is afraid of Donald Trump.

00:04:23.760 Iran is afraid of Donald Trump.

00:04:26.340 Maduro is afraid of Donald Trump.

00:04:28.420 China and Russia are afraid of Donald Trump.

00:04:31.340 All of that is good because America is safer

00:04:34.440 and we are much more likely to avoid military conflict

00:04:38.720 when our enemies are afraid of the commander-in-chief

00:04:41.820 than when our enemies,

00:04:43.640 you look at Joe Biden,

00:04:44.760 when they look and say the commander-in-chief

00:04:46.620 is weak and completely incapacitated.

00:04:52.960 And that is why we went from no wars across the globe

00:04:57.800 to two wars, Ukraine and Gaza,

00:05:01.040 both raging under Joe Biden.

00:05:02.960 That's what happens when you have a weak and appeasing president.

00:05:06.280 An update for everyone on the government shutdown here in the U.S.

00:05:10.540 We are into two weeks now of this government shutdown.

00:05:13.900 We are starting to see it affect people's lives.

00:05:15.760 We're seeing health care issues with those, for example, in San Antonio.

00:05:19.980 I was there today talking about there's a lot of people there

00:05:23.240 that are saying that the providers are not able to get the money

00:05:26.300 and the funding they need.

00:05:27.480 Doctors are frustrated.

00:05:29.000 The Schumer shutdown is really starting to hurt people in our military,

00:05:31.780 their kids, those with special needs as well.

00:05:34.300 Joe, your reaction, how much longer this is going to continue?

00:05:37.520 And do you see any movement this week?

00:05:39.940 Well, we're right now in day 12 of the Schumer shutdown.

00:05:43.460 And the government is shut down because over and over and over again,

00:05:47.080 the Democrats are voting to shut the government down.

00:05:50.860 And I will say, you know, it's actually interesting.

00:05:54.240 Today on Twitter, 53 Republicans was trending.

00:05:58.080 And the reason it was trending was an exchange, a back and forth that I had

00:06:02.540 with Gavin Newsom on the shutdown.

00:06:05.200 So Gavin Newsom tweeted out, wow, that is wild.

00:06:08.700 I wonder who has control of the White House, Senate, and the House. 0.54

00:06:11.720 And this is one of the Democrat talking points as well.

00:06:14.800 This is the Republicans' fault because the president and the Senate and the House

00:06:19.440 are all in Republican control.

00:06:20.620 Here's what I responded on X.

00:06:23.520 I said, Gavin is deliberately lying.

00:06:26.960 To fund the government takes 60 votes in the Senate.

00:06:30.840 There are only 53 Republicans.

00:06:34.680 We need at least seven Democrats.

00:06:38.000 We keep voting to open the government.

00:06:41.260 Dems keep voting to shut it down.

00:06:44.420 Gavin Newsom knows this.

00:06:46.800 And he's lying to you.

00:06:48.080 And as of right now, that's had 1.7 million views.

00:06:51.660 It was trending on Twitter.

00:06:53.280 And it's the simple fact.

00:06:55.120 We cannot pass funding for the government without 60 votes in the Senate.

00:06:59.560 That means there is nothing Republicans can do to fund this on our own.

00:07:03.940 The Democrats all know this.

00:07:05.940 We have voted, I think, eight times now.

00:07:08.580 The Republicans have voted to open the government, to fund the government.

00:07:12.880 And every Democrat, but I think three, have voted no.

00:07:18.440 And that's why we have a shutdown. 0.58

00:07:20.940 Now, we're all expected to go back to D.C. on Tuesday of this week.

00:07:25.300 And we'll vote again to fund the government.

00:07:27.180 I voted to fund the government now over and over and over again.

00:07:30.280 I'll vote again on Tuesday to fund the government.

00:07:32.660 And I think it is very likely right now the Democrats will continue the Schumer shutdown.

00:07:38.360 Wow.

00:07:38.760 And I'll tell you what I think is one of the major reasons.

00:07:42.920 Is coming up on October 17th, there is this big rally in D.C., the No Kings rally.

00:07:49.420 Yeah.

00:07:49.720 Where a bunch of the left-wing radicals are coming to D.C.

00:07:53.040 And, you know, what most of my colleagues believe is the Democrat senators are terrified of opening the government before that rally because they don't want their crazy base, the same base that almost cost Schumer his job last time, they don't want their crazy base to get angry.

00:08:13.000 So to be clear, hold on, so you're telling me, the American people right now, that there's a very good chance that the government shutdown will continue because of a rally date.

00:08:23.960 Yep.

00:08:24.240 And that date again is what?

00:08:26.040 October 17th.

00:08:27.280 Okay, so 13th, 14th, 15th.

00:08:30.540 Okay, so we got another five, six days of this just to get to the rally.

00:08:34.380 And then maybe we'll actually do their job and, like, fund the government.

00:08:37.820 Look, at some point they're going to do their job and fund the government.

00:08:40.840 But, you know, a bunch of federal employees are about to miss their first paycheck.

00:08:46.980 I'll tell you, ordinarily, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines would lose their first paycheck as well.

00:08:53.000 The Trump Department of War has said they're going to move some funds around and pay our servicemen and women.

00:08:58.840 And Democrats are furious.

00:09:00.640 How dare you find a way?

00:09:02.780 Look, I don't know if they can do it because it is not easy with the funding paused.

00:09:06.980 But the Democrats don't care.

00:09:08.480 And I'll tell you, one of the great acts of hypocrisy is the Democrat congressmen are all paying themselves, or most of them.

00:09:16.940 Maybe, I don't know about all.

00:09:18.300 But so under the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, the compensation of a member of Congress cannot be reduced during your term of office.

00:09:28.120 Which means, during a shutdown, House members and senators get paid no matter what.

00:09:32.900 Even though everyone else, their paychecks stop.

00:09:35.760 Elected members of Congress get their paycheck.

00:09:37.940 Now, you can say no.

00:09:40.380 So I sent a letter to the Secretary of the Senate saying, please hold my paycheck.

00:09:45.280 Do not pay me.

00:09:46.320 I do not want that money deposited in my account.

00:09:48.660 Until the government shutdown ends, until our service members are being paid, I'm not going to pay myself.

00:09:55.700 But you look at these Democrats who are happily shutting the government down, they're also taking their own paycheck and saying, gosh, I like being paid.

00:10:02.760 And, you know, they are not troubled at all if some young corporal serving overseas suddenly doesn't get his paycheck and can't pay his bills this week.

00:10:14.900 Now, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation, you can go back and listen to the full podcast from earlier this week.

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00:10:32.240 I'm Jennifer Stewart.

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00:10:53.200 Now on to story number two.

00:10:55.420 Speaking of the White House, as you just mentioned, you were there with many cabinet members that were in attendance for a really, I think, special moment.

00:11:03.520 You and I had the honor and the privilege to go to the memorial service for Charlie Kirk.

00:11:09.740 What we witnessed today was something incredible.

00:11:12.420 Donald Trump awarded Charlie Kirk the Medal of Freedom.

00:11:15.880 On what would have been his 32nd birthday at the White House.

00:11:21.340 And his wife, his widow, Erica, was there to accept this.

00:11:26.360 It was a moving moment.

00:11:27.740 And you were there for all of it.

00:11:29.020 So, it was truly a beautiful, it was a beautiful day.

00:11:32.340 It was a beautiful fall day in October in Washington, D.C.

00:11:35.500 The sun was out.

00:11:37.160 We were in the Rose Garden.

00:11:39.160 And in the Rose Garden, you had a lot of members of Congress.

00:11:43.020 You had virtually the entire cabinet came out for it.

00:11:46.400 And Erica Kirk, Charlie's widow, was there.

00:11:49.080 The president really, I think, did a very good job remembering Charlie, speaking from the heart, honoring Charlie's legacy, and presenting him with the highest civilian honor we have in this country.

00:12:00.860 And in the military context, the Medal of Honor is the highest recipient that can be awarded an individual.

00:12:09.520 In the civilian context, the Medal of Freedom is the highest honor that can be awarded an individual.

00:12:15.820 And to give it to Charlie, it was bittersweet because Charlie would have been 32.

00:12:21.800 He was a young man.

00:12:22.700 He had an incredibly bright future.

00:12:24.360 As you and I have talked about, we both have known Charlie a long time.

00:12:28.760 I consider Charlie a very close friend.

00:12:32.460 Heidi and I met Charlie when he was just 18 years old, when he was a kid.

00:12:37.120 You know, at the ceremony at the White House, I met Charlie's parents.

00:12:42.040 I had not met his parents before.

00:12:44.080 And I had an opportunity to just tell both his mom and dad, say, look, Heidi and I, we love Charlie.

00:12:50.140 And when we got to know him 14 years ago, his vision then was as clear as it was the day he died.

00:13:04.180 His vision of creating a movement to energize, to mobilize young people, to mobilize young people, to love freedom, to love free enterprise, to love the Constitution, to love America.

00:13:18.020 That vision, you could see it.

00:13:22.280 What I met him, he was this tall, lanky, 18-year-old kid.

00:13:25.100 He was fresh out of high school, had not gone to college.

00:13:27.900 And you've got to remember the context.

00:13:29.740 This is 2012, beginning of 2013.

00:13:33.320 Barack Obama had just been reelected.

00:13:35.460 The Democrats were resurgent.

00:13:37.200 At that point, young people being a Democrat, an Obama Democrat, was hip and cool.

00:13:43.560 The idea of energizing a lot of young people to be conservatives, frankly, sounded loony.

00:13:49.860 It did not sound like an easy task at all.

00:13:52.200 A lot of people in the Republican Party said this will never work.

00:13:55.960 But Charlie had a vision.

00:13:57.500 And I was telling his mom and dad, I said, look, his vision was extraordinary.

00:14:02.820 One of the things I said to them is I said, look, we are grieving the loss of your son.

00:14:07.620 He was extraordinary.

00:14:08.520 I'm so sorry.

00:14:09.280 So sorry for your loss, but I said, you know what, I think in the last month it may well

00:14:17.660 be possible that more people have heard the gospel than in any comparable period of our

00:14:25.100 lifetimes, that that memorial service in Arizona for Charlie was a global event where

00:14:32.280 people heard the gospel.

00:14:33.700 And I got to say, at Charlie's funeral service, when Erica stood up, and she talked about how

00:14:40.800 when Jesus was hanging on the cross, and he was looking down at the Roman soldiers who

00:14:46.240 had nailed him to the cross, who were in the process of killing him, and Jesus said from

00:14:53.020 the cross, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

00:14:55.820 And she talked about how Charlie really had a mission for young people, particularly young

00:15:02.460 men, young men who are often disaffected, disillusioned, to help them find their way and find a purpose

00:15:11.680 in life, a meaningful purpose that provides real satisfaction and real reason for living.

00:15:21.580 And she talked about that young man who shot Charlie, that young man.

00:15:27.880 And then she said, and I got to say, as she was doing this windup, I knew, you knew where

00:15:32.940 she was going.

00:15:34.720 And I got to tell you, you and I were standing next to each other.

00:15:37.840 I literally held my breath.

00:15:40.400 I'm like, is she going to be able to say this?

00:15:43.320 And she stood up with the eyes of the world upon him and said, that young man, the young

00:15:50.700 man who pulled the trigger and murdered her husband, murdered the father of her children.

00:15:55.640 She said, I forgive him.

00:15:59.940 I don't know that there was a dry eye in the house.

00:16:04.540 And one of the things that is so incredible is millions of people were watching that.

00:16:11.140 And listen, if you're a Christian, you understand, just like Jesus said, Father, forgive them

00:16:20.500 for they know not what they do, even as they were killing him.

00:16:24.380 But if you're not a Christian, I believe thousands, if not millions of people looked at each other

00:16:33.180 and said, how can she say that?

00:16:35.200 Where does that come from?

00:16:36.880 Where does that forgiveness come from?

00:16:38.660 Where does that love come from?

00:16:40.740 And I think it was as powerful a testament of the gospel as we have seen in a long, long

00:16:49.220 time.

00:16:50.140 And I got to say, today, the president spoke beautifully.

00:16:55.580 And by the way, when Erica said, I forgive him, Ben, I hope and pray you or I are never

00:17:05.300 in that situation.

00:17:06.280 I don't know that those words could come out of my mouth.

00:17:08.960 I would want them to.

00:17:10.460 I would desperately want them to.

00:17:12.500 But the strength it took for her to say those words, I find utterly astonishing.

00:17:23.180 And I just, I told Charlie's parents, I said, listen, I so wish Charlie were with us today.

00:17:29.240 But millions have heard the gospel in the last several weeks because of Charlie.

00:17:36.460 And that's, that is one hell of a legacy.

00:17:39.420 You know, I think one of the most incredible things that you just mentioned is the legacy.

00:17:45.240 And one of the things that the president said today at the White House for people that didn't

00:17:49.040 hear it was talking about Charlie Kirk being a martyr.

00:17:52.460 And this is what the president said about that.

00:17:55.260 He said on the day that he was assassinated, Charlie Kirk was a martyr for truth and for

00:18:01.800 freedom.

00:18:03.420 And from Socrates to think, and to St. Peter, from Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King,

00:18:10.780 those who change history the most, and he really did, have always risked their lives for

00:18:17.780 causes.

00:18:18.300 They were put on earth to defend.

00:18:20.380 He was put on earth to do exactly what he was doing.

00:18:23.700 He didn't want to waste time.

00:18:24.740 He would have been a top student at any college in the country.

00:18:28.420 I know the college as well.

00:18:29.760 He was, he's smarter than the guys.

00:18:31.400 Harry was so smart, but he almost, I guess, didn't have the time.

00:18:35.220 It was, he knew what he wanted to do.

00:18:36.720 It wasn't like, gee, I want to sit in the classroom for four years, listening to people teach me

00:18:41.360 liberal principles because they were never going to teach him that anyway.

00:18:45.140 But he didn't have the time.

00:18:46.420 He really didn't have the time.

00:18:47.640 But every time the enemies of goodness and virtue try to silence the voice of righteous

00:18:53.100 and noble leaders like Charlie, they fail.

00:18:55.900 They seem to fail.

00:18:56.760 Ultimately, they look like they're doing well, and then they end up failing because the truth

00:19:01.480 has been unrelenting over the years, over history.

00:19:06.380 And people like Charlie, it's just they've got a power that others don't have and very few

00:19:12.620 people will ever have.

00:19:14.580 So today, like those martyrs before him, Charlie's voice, his message and his legacy are stronger

00:19:20.460 and greater than ever before.

00:19:23.040 They are greater than ever before.

00:19:24.620 You know, him saying, as I said on the day he was assassinated, Charlie Kirk was a martyr

00:19:30.340 for truth and for freedom.

00:19:31.840 And I couldn't agree more to compare him as he did to St. Peter, to Abraham Lincoln, to Martin Luther King, Jr.

00:19:40.300 These are people that change history.

00:19:43.680 Charlie will be remembered in the same breath with those types of leaders.

00:19:47.520 And I think that's part of the legacy.

00:19:49.460 And as you mentioned, not only did Charlie and his legacy now, it is 100% setting, I think, young men

00:19:56.260 and young women on fire to be bolder in their faith, to be to be better Christians

00:20:00.820 and to seek the truth of the Bible and the gospel.

00:20:04.540 And just what he was able to do in his death is phenomenal.

00:20:09.980 But also what he was doing to fight for this country at the same time, that is going to be a legacy

00:20:14.840 that's going to live on because of so many people, they're going to do it for Charlie.

00:20:18.680 I think you and I would include ourselves in that as well.

00:20:21.920 Well, listen, he was very much, he was a martyr for freedom and a martyr for truth.

00:20:28.380 I also told Charlie's parents, I think more people heard Charlie's words in the last four weeks

00:20:34.200 than heard them in the entire 31, nearly 32 years of his life.

00:20:40.140 That the number of people who went and said, who was this Charlie Kirk guy?

00:20:45.080 What did he have to say who listened to exchanges as he was on college campuses,

00:20:49.660 as he was engaging with people who disagreed with him, as he treated them with respect, with dignity?

00:20:55.560 That is a powerful legacy.

00:20:58.060 I will tell you one of the things that was also striking about the Medal of Freedom ceremony

00:21:01.680 is it was a continuation of a conversation that happened at Charlie's funeral ceremony.

00:21:07.400 So at the funeral, Erica Kirk spoke, and I mentioned how she said that she forgives the murderer

00:21:15.480 who murdered her husband, and she talks about how Jesus teaches us to love our enemies.

00:21:22.080 And, you know, Trump spoke at the funeral, and he gave, I think, very strong remarks,

00:21:27.600 but one of the things he said is he said that's something he had a great deal of difficulty doing,

00:21:31.880 that he did not love his enemies, that he hated his enemies, and he liked to fight his enemies.

00:21:36.620 And he kind of laughed about it, but he said that.

00:21:40.400 And that was a back and forth from Arizona.

00:21:45.020 Well, in the Rose Garden, Trump brought it up again.

00:21:49.720 And, look, President Trump knew Charlie very well, and he said, you know,

00:21:54.020 I know Erica talked about how he loved his enemies, but he said, you know,

00:21:57.020 when I talked to Charlie, he said, I'm not sure I saw that.

00:21:59.540 I think he, like when he was in a battle, he would fight his enemies and fight them vigorously.

00:22:05.860 And listen, Charlie was a strong man and a passionate man who knew what he believed.

00:22:12.180 But it was very interesting.

00:22:13.720 Erica spoke after the president in the Rose Garden, and she gave beautiful remarks.

00:22:19.480 But one of the things she said that I think was directly responding to the president,

00:22:23.060 she said, look, I can tell you from having been married to him.

00:22:27.980 Charlie prayed for his enemies, and she said, I saw that.

00:22:32.620 She said, I don't know that anyone else saw that.

00:22:35.020 But she said, I saw him, and he prayed for his enemies.

00:22:37.820 And President Trump was standing behind her right shoulder.

00:22:41.260 And she said it.

00:22:41.920 It was lighthearted, but she was kind of, she was in many ways responding to the president.

00:22:46.100 He, like, laughed.

00:22:47.520 He was good-natured, but he was genuinely laughing.

00:22:49.660 And it was a, look, I think it was a good back and forth that we should be vigorous in what we believe.

00:22:56.720 We should not give in to those who argue for positions that are harmful to America.

00:23:04.840 We should be full-throated in our argument.

00:23:07.320 But I also think that the message that Erica was carrying forward about it's possible to disagree,

00:23:14.560 and, look, you go watch the exchanges Charlie had on college campus after college campus.

00:23:20.040 When you would have someone come in and argue for open borders,

00:23:23.720 when you would have someone come in and argue for socialism,

00:23:27.580 when you'd have someone come in and argue for transgenderism,

00:23:30.360 when you'd have someone come in and argue for Hamas terrorists,

00:23:35.220 Charlie was vigorous and full-throated in disputing them,

00:23:39.040 but he was not mean-spirited about it.

00:23:43.100 He was not, I hate you. 0.96

00:23:44.700 He was not, you're the enemy.

00:23:46.720 But he would engage in a way that said,

00:23:49.560 look, I understand why you're saying that.

00:23:52.600 Here's why I believe you're mistaken.

00:23:55.680 And I think Erica was right,

00:23:59.220 that he was able to do so from a position of love.

00:24:02.360 Love does not mean agreement.

00:24:04.240 Love does not mean saying,

00:24:06.780 I accept the position you're advocating,

00:24:08.860 even though I believe it is harmful to our country.

00:24:11.320 But love means not treating your political adversary as the enemy to be destroyed,

00:24:22.000 but instead trying to respond with reason, with compassion,

00:24:28.540 trying to move, and even if you don't move your immediate interlocutor,

00:24:32.560 those who are observing it,

00:24:35.260 Charlie was very good at responding in a way that persuaded a lot of other people.

00:24:38.620 And I thought that back and forth Tuesday between the president and Erica was really powerful.

00:24:44.100 As before, if you want to hear the rest of this conversation on this topic,

00:24:47.960 you can go back and download the podcast from early this week to hear the entire thing.

00:24:53.100 Canadian women are looking for more. 1.00

00:24:55.120 More out of themselves, their businesses, their elected leaders, and the world around them.

00:24:59.100 And that's why we're thrilled to introduce the Honest Talk Podcast.

00:25:02.840 I'm Jennifer Stewart.

00:25:04.220 And I'm Catherine Clark.

00:25:05.440 And in this podcast, we interview Canada's most inspiring women.

00:25:09.220 Entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, politicians, and newsmakers,

00:25:12.740 all at different stages of their journey.

00:25:14.940 So if you're looking to connect, then we hope you'll join us.

00:25:18.180 Listen to the Honest Talk Podcast on iHeartRadio or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

00:25:22.220 I want to get back to the big story, number three of the week you may have missed.

00:25:28.540 All right.

00:25:28.960 So our guest with us is Eric Trump.

00:25:31.000 Senator, you and I were just talking with him about this, really, his family being under siege.

00:25:36.360 You talked about these big boy subpoenas.

00:25:39.060 Part of that is to financially hurt you.

00:25:42.900 What did you guys spend just doing the fighting of all the lawsuits against you during that four-year period?

00:25:50.720 How much did it cost you?

00:25:53.160 Roughly $400 million.

00:25:55.080 Guys, I laugh when people are like, oh, Trump is profiting off of government.

00:25:59.380 I go, wait, excuse me.

00:26:01.080 If you want to come in, I'll break down the finances.

00:26:03.540 You want to talk about Trump's profit?

00:26:05.200 We spent $400 million to defend ourselves against nonsense.

00:26:10.140 The fact that we did not have secret servers communicating with the Kremlin.

00:26:13.760 The fact that Don wasn't a Russian agent.

00:26:17.280 Remember, you had Adam Schiff out there every single day.

00:26:19.240 Yeah.

00:26:19.480 Donald Trump Jr. is a Russian agent.

00:26:22.560 Guys, if he wasn't protected by the speech and debate clause, honestly, the guy would have been worth zero.

00:26:29.640 He would have been living in a shoebox based on the fact that you would have sued him for slander

00:26:33.480 and taken everything that he ever had.

00:26:36.340 It was all made-up lies.

00:26:38.500 They did everything they possibly could to take us down.

00:26:40.900 We spent over $400 million between that, you know, Letitia, you know, Alvin Bragg, Cy Vance, you know, Fannie.

00:26:48.160 I mean, I could go on and on.

00:26:49.660 The raids, the Mar-a-Lago.

00:26:50.620 Who was the worst to deal with between Alvin Bragg, Cy Vance, Letitia James, Jack Smith?

00:26:55.560 Who was the worst?

00:26:56.700 Probably Letitia. 0.98

00:26:57.820 If you want to know the truth?

00:26:58.680 I mean, it was so corrupt.

00:27:02.020 And I don't know, Alvin Bragg, because you had Mershon.

00:27:04.180 I mean, Judge Mershon's daughter is like the head digital fundraiser for the Democratic Party,

00:27:09.220 and the guy wouldn't recuse himself.

00:27:11.280 And literally, you'd be sitting in these courtrooms, guys, and I would not leave my father's side.

00:27:14.840 I sat next to him every single day.

00:27:17.360 If he was there, I was going to be there as a son to support him.

00:27:20.640 You know, and most of the time, some of these cases I wasn't gagged in.

00:27:23.880 So normally, I was the guy in the courthouse steps, you know, shouting and yelling at the cameras

00:27:27.220 as to what the hell was actually going on, because that's the only way you could communicate a message.

00:27:31.120 But guys, I mean, you had liberal, and I mean liberal reporters who were in that courtroom

00:27:35.420 shaking their heads saying, none of this makes any sense.

00:27:38.580 I mean, they shut down all of Manhattan, lower Manhattan, for a $100,000 payment

00:27:44.420 that my father didn't even make, made by a lawyer.

00:27:48.160 They indicted him 34 times.

00:27:50.040 I mean, you know, Al Capone had one felony indictment.

00:27:53.700 They indicted my father 34 times for a $100,000 payment, by the way,

00:27:58.260 by a district attorney who ran on the premise, you know, of reducing what, you know,

00:28:03.860 just decriminalizing just about anything.

00:28:05.620 You know, you could shoot somebody in the face in Times Square, and it was decriminalized,

00:28:08.740 and you're going to let them out, and, you know, you're going to have community policing 0.97

00:28:11.820 and all sorts of nonsense.

00:28:12.900 I mean, he ran on the premise of literally emptying Rikers Island,

00:28:16.220 so you had no criminals in there.

00:28:17.380 Yet, you know, 34 felonies in a six-month period of time is shutting down New York

00:28:21.640 and the FDR drive every day over $100,000.

00:28:23.820 I mean, it wasn't believable.

00:28:26.000 If only your father were mugging people in Times Square,

00:28:29.820 then Alvin Bragg would never have prosecuted him.

00:28:32.020 But instead, he committed the unspeakable sin of not only being President of the United States,

00:28:37.100 but being an extraordinarily successful and bold President of the United States,

00:28:41.480 which is an unpardonable sin.

00:28:44.240 All right, we don't have much time left, but I want to take it a little bit lighter

00:28:47.700 and ask, what was it like?

00:28:51.180 Like, your father is unique.

00:28:54.080 I've never in my life have I met anyone remotely like your father.

00:28:58.540 He and I have spent a lot of time together.

00:29:00.540 He has extraordinary courage.

00:29:02.480 But before he was President, what was it like growing up as a kid

00:29:06.420 with Donald Trump as your father?

00:29:08.740 Like, what was he like as a dad when you were 10?

00:29:12.660 Honestly, the greatest dad you could ever imagine.

00:29:14.900 Expected big things from us, right?

00:29:16.580 I mean, every day I'd go give him a kiss before I went to school.

00:29:19.440 Honey, no drinking, no drugs, no smoking.

00:29:21.500 You better get good grades.

00:29:22.420 And by the way, never trust anybody, right?

00:29:23.720 You know, once in a while, I'll add that.

00:29:25.060 You never trust anyone.

00:29:26.480 Hey, that's probably...

00:29:27.280 I'm certain that was going to be...

00:29:28.520 Yeah, as I said, it probably benefited us pretty well.

00:29:30.680 So, amazing guy.

00:29:32.460 You know, listen, we were spoiled as hell in that.

00:29:34.100 We lived in, you know, Trump Tower.

00:29:35.380 We had a beautiful roof over our head.

00:29:36.620 We were always well-fed.

00:29:37.680 We had the best education.

00:29:39.660 But we were never handed money.

00:29:40.980 We were never handed cash.

00:29:42.280 If we wanted something, if I wanted a fishing rod, congratulations.

00:29:45.220 You're working for it.

00:29:46.280 I got on our construction sites when I was 11 years old,

00:29:48.540 doing demo, doing electrical, HVAC, you know, running backhoes, excavators. 1.00

00:29:53.460 You know, I grew up working with my hands on our construction sites

00:29:56.500 with many of the guys that work for me today.

00:29:58.800 And you know what?

00:29:59.660 He wanted us to learn a trait.

00:30:00.960 He wanted us to learn the value of a dollar.

00:30:03.220 And by the way, he wanted us to be tired as hell at the end of the day.

00:30:06.300 You know, because, listen, don't give type A kids, or any kid, 1.00

00:30:09.300 but don't give type A kids money or free time because bad things happen.

00:30:13.500 And he was an amazing father.

00:30:15.760 He is an amazing father.

00:30:16.780 And everything we've ever done, we fought together,

00:30:18.960 whether it's real estate, whether it was The Apprentice.

00:30:20.680 I was on that for seven seasons.

00:30:22.640 And then in politics.

00:30:23.400 I mean, when he decided to run, he said to us, he goes,

00:30:26.600 you know, kids, let's do this.

00:30:27.820 You know, I was on Megyn Kelly. 0.50

00:30:28.860 I didn't know what the hell immigration was.

00:30:30.540 I mean, Senator, this was not my world.

00:30:32.620 I built, you know, hotels.

00:30:34.360 And all of a sudden, I'm in a middle of a box.

00:30:36.720 You said, build a wall, and now you're on TV.

00:30:38.700 I've got nine illegal immigrants around me,

00:30:40.700 and I'm battling all of them. 0.96

00:30:41.880 And I don't know the first damn thing about illegal immigration, right?

00:30:44.540 I mean, like, this is not the world that we came from.

00:30:46.660 But my father's a remarkable guy.

00:30:48.800 My mother was an amazing powerhouse and strict, demanded manners, demanded respect, demanded work ethic. 1.00

00:30:55.900 And I have the greatest parents you can ever imagine.

00:30:58.080 I spent a lot of time in Under Siege talking about, you know, being raised by them.

00:31:01.300 And, you know, it was unique in so many ways.

00:31:03.400 But they did everything they could in this strange world that we lived in to ground us

00:31:08.420 and make sure we turned out to be hard workers, normal, you know,

00:31:12.200 and didn't have any of these kind of Hunter Biden-esque problems.

00:31:14.700 I don't have a laptop from hell.

00:31:16.520 You know, I don't do finger painting selling it to, you know, foreign nationals all over the world.

00:31:20.860 I, you know, never married my, you know, my brother's ex-wife.

00:31:24.560 Like, never did that kind of stuff.

00:31:25.780 No drugs, no, you know, no perversion.

00:31:28.320 I was always a good kid who believed in God and believed in hard work and, you know, lived an honest life.

00:31:33.200 Eric, I can't tell you how many times, dozens if not hundreds of times,

00:31:37.500 people have commented that one of the things they admire most about your dad is you and your brothers and sisters.

00:31:45.120 And, listen, it is hard for any successful person to raise good kids.

00:31:51.200 It's challenging.

00:31:51.960 There's a lot of pressure.

00:31:53.800 And, you know, I know your entire family.

00:31:57.980 And I will say, literally, people early on throughout the process, they'll comment,

00:32:02.680 well, you know, somehow his kids are, like, not messed up and incredibly successful and put together.

00:32:09.280 And, I mean, it's – all right, let me ask you.

00:32:11.500 Let's say we have some young parents that are listening to this podcast.

00:32:15.380 Are there any lessons – a young parent, by the way, you know, Ben has young kids.

00:32:21.240 I have teenage kids.

00:32:22.160 Are there any lessons from your dad that young parents should know or lessons that you've tried to apply?

00:32:28.760 Yeah.

00:32:29.680 Keep them poor and make them start working early.

00:32:33.460 Honestly, I mean, that's what it is.

00:32:34.700 Keep them poor.

00:32:35.520 Don't give type A kids money. 0.99

00:32:37.540 And don't give them endless time.

00:32:39.480 That's just a bad recipe, right?

00:32:41.240 And, you know, I can't tell you guys how many friends I had, you know, who were peers who went to school with me.

00:32:46.660 And, you know, three-quarters of them ended up in rehab.

00:32:48.860 And a lot of them went down bad roads.

00:32:51.380 And guess what?

00:32:51.720 They were getting Ferraris, you know, when they're, you know, 16 years old.

00:32:54.740 Like, what do you ever want to aspire to get if that's how you're being raised?

00:33:00.260 I mean, does it surprise you that those people don't have work ethic?

00:33:02.980 Does it surprise you that they go down bad roads?

00:33:05.140 And my father would never let that happen to us.

00:33:07.560 And, you know, he made us work our butts off.

00:33:09.800 And believe me, if I wasn't good at what I did, real estate-wise, I would not be in this chair.

00:33:14.760 I mean, forget about nepotism for a second.

00:33:16.360 And, you know, if we weren't incredibly capable, believe me, I wouldn't be running one of the largest real estate empires anywhere in the world.

00:33:22.440 And he made us work.

00:33:24.100 And he made us prove that we were good at what we do.

00:33:25.840 And we fought every single day.

00:33:27.200 And we're an incredibly tight family.

00:33:29.100 And he's a remarkable person.

00:33:30.740 He's my best friend.

00:33:31.460 I love him to death.

00:33:32.780 And I'm so proud of him, especially in a week where he's accomplished as much as he had.

00:33:36.980 I am so damn proud of what he did and what he's accomplished and a hell of a journey.

00:33:42.700 Guys, it's all worth it.

00:33:43.680 As always, thank you for listening to Verdict with Senator Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson with you.

00:33:49.120 Don't forget to download my podcast.

00:33:51.080 And you can listen to my podcast every other day if you're not listening to Verdict or each day when you listen to Verdict afterwards.

00:33:56.140 I'd love to have you as a listener to, again, the Ben Ferguson podcast.

00:33:59.880 And we will see you back here on Monday morning.

00:34:02.280 This is an iHeart Podcast.

00:34:05.840 Guaranteed human.

Verdict with Ted Cruz - October 18, 2025

Trump's Art of the Peace Deal , Charlie Kirk Honored plus Eric Trump & the cost of Political Warfare Week In Review

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