The next is a transcript of an interview with Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that aired on Dec. 1, 2024.
MAJOR GARRETT: We flip now to Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who joins us this morning from Houston. Senator, it is good to see you. Good morning to you. Let’s decide up this thread on tariffs. I bear in mind overlaying your presidential marketing campaign in 2016 and also you have been a skeptic of tariffs. Then I do know the politics round tariffs have modified, President-elect Trump has completed that, however have the economics modified?
SEN. TED CRUZ: Effectively, I am going to let you know, what hasn’t modified is, is the significance of leverage. And I obtained to say, you have a look at the specter of tariffs towards Mexico and Canada, instantly has produced motion. We have seen the President of Mexico rise up and promise that she goes to work hand in hand with the President of the USA, President Trump, to safe the border. I am going to let you know, representing Texas, we have seen 4 years of an invasion at our southern border. Let me ask you, Main. Why hasn’t Joe Biden completed this? Why hasn’t Joe Biden really stood up and used leverage to safe the border? And the reason being, Joe Biden and the Democrats needed this invasion to occur. And I obtained to say, it is a promise that I consider President Trump goes to ship on and ship rapidly. We’re going to safe the border. That is about utilizing leverage to get Mexico and Canada to cooperate. And I am going to let you know Main I believe one of many very first payments we’ll take up within the Senate, vote on, and I hope go, is my laws, the Justice for Jocelyn Act, that may be a response to the horrific rape and homicide of Jocelyn Nungaray, 12-year-old lady in Houston, Texas, killed by violent legal unlawful aliens launched by Joe Biden and the Democrats. It is a promise the President must ship on and I believe he will.
MAJOR GARRETT: So when you concentrate on tariffs and President-elect Trump, you do not take them critically as an financial matter. You’re taking them critically solely as a diplomatic lever.
SEN. CRUZ: Effectively, look, I believe the President was specific with Mexico and Canada. He stated he’ll impose these tariffs until they safe the border. It was explicitly leveraged. And by the way in which, that’s the identical manner that President Trump negotiated the Stay in Mexico settlement. Should you bear in mind, throughout his first time period, President Trump threatened tariffs towards Mexico and AMLO, then the President of Mexico. He was extremely scared and anxious. He was petrified of Trump, and he ended up signing the stay in Mexico settlement, which produced the bottom charge of unlawful immigration in 45 years. It was extremely profitable. What did Joe Biden the Democrats do once they got here in? The very first week in workplace, they ripped up that extremely profitable worldwide settlement. I count on we are going to as soon as once more enter into stay in Mexico, and we’re going to see, I make a prediction proper now, we are going to see the numbers plummet of unlawful immigration coming into this nation, not in a yr, not in six months, however in January and February, as a result of we may have a president who will vigorously implement the legislation.
MAJOR GARRETT: On that time. Senator Cruz, you’ll concede, within the final three or 4 months, numbers have gone down already, have they not?
SEN. CRUZ: They’ve ticked down barely. Now we have nonetheless seen over these 4 years the very best charge of unlawful immigration in our nation’s historical past. 12 million unlawful immigrants have come into this nation. And I obtained to say, in a state like Texas, you wish to see the results. This final election was an unimaginable landslide for President Trump. He received all seven of the swing states. And in Texas, President Trump received Hispanic voters in Texas, I received Hispanic voters in Texas, I received statewide by 1,000,000 votes, 9 factors. And South Texas, the Rio Grande Valley, has actually spent over 100 years as a vibrant blue Democrat Bastion. This cycle, South Texas flipped Republican. And it’s wonderful what having 12 million individuals invade your private home can do to vary individuals’s voting habits. I believe the President has a mandate to ship on securing the border, and I stay up for working hand in hand with him to ship on that promise.
MAJOR GARRETT: Kash Patel steered by President Trump as the brand new chief of the FBI. How enthusiastic are you about that?
SEN. CRUZ: Hear, I believe Kash Patel is a really robust nominee. I believe the whole slate of Cupboard nominees President Trump has put ahead may be very robust. I consider each one in all these Cupboard nominees goes to be confirmed by the Senate. I believe Kash Patel goes to be confirmed by the Senate. You have a look at his background, he has a critical skilled background. He was a prosecutor, he was a public defender. He was a senior intelligence staffer on Capitol Hill. He was a senior intelligence staffer within the White Home. He was the Chief of Workers of the Division of Protection. He was the deputy director of nationwide intelligence. And I obtained to say, the entire weeping and gnashing of enamel, the entire individuals pulling their hair out, are precisely the people who find themselves dismayed about having an actual reformer come into the FBI and clear out the corrupted partisans who sadly have burrowed into senior profession positions on the FBI. The FBI and the Division of Justice are two establishments extremely vital to the rule of legislation in the USA. I revere each. And one of the tragic penalties of 4 years of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is each the DOJ and the FBI have been politicized and weaponized, and I believe Kash Patel is a really robust nominee to tackle the partisan corruption within the FBI.
MAJOR GARRETT: As you already know, Senator, there is not a emptiness on the prime of the FBI. What ought to turn out to be of Christopher Wray, appointed by President Trump?
SEN. CRUZ: Effectively, I believe he’ll make a selection. I believe both he’ll resign or President Trump will fireplace him. However it’s no secret to anyone, together with Chris Wray, that he’s not going to proceed to function the top of the FBI underneath Donald Trump. Hear, in the event you have a look at James Comey and Chris Wray, there has by no means been a interval in our nation’s historical past the place the FBI has suffered a higher lack of respect, the place extra Individuals doubt the basic integrity of the FBI, and it is as a result of James Comey and Chris Wray presided over permitting the FBI to turn out to be a partisan cudgel for use to focus on mother and father in school board conferences, for use to focus on individuals who selected to not take the COVID vaccine, for use to focus on President Trump and to focus on the political opponents of Joe Biden the White Home. It’s tragic. That isn’t what the FBI is for. That isn’t what the DOJ is for. And I obtained to say Pam Bondi and Kash Patel, I believe collectively, are a really robust slate of nominees to go and restore integrity to each establishments.
MAJOR GARRETT: How do you place that up towards the prosecutions of Bob Menendez, a congressman, a Democrat from Texas, Hunter Biden. Are these political prosecutions as effectively or not?
SEN. CRUZ: Effectively, to begin with, let’s be clear, Bob Menendez was- was actually caught with gold bars and a stack of money along with his fingerprints taking bribes, and it is why Bob Menendez just isn’t my colleague anymore. At that time, the proof was overwhelming. Look Main, I wrote a complete e book entitled “Justice Corrupted: How the Left Has Weaponized the Authorized System”, and it broke down- it began sadly underneath Barack Obama, the place he started utilizing the federal authorities to focus on his political opponents. The e book particulars what number of of these partisans then burrowed in to senior profession positions in the course of the Trump administration. They waged conflict towards President Trump throughout his first time period, and now underneath Joe Biden, they’ve been open and brazen, and I believe it has completed unbelievable injury to the integrity of the Division of Justice and the FBI. I believe Merrick Garland will go down in historical past as essentially the most partisan Legal professional Common our nation has ever seen. And I obtained to say, I hear often from- from prosecutors, from FBI brokers, who’re deeply dismayed concerning the establishment they devoted a lifetime working for because- hear, I do not need a Republican Division of Justice. I do not need a Democrat Division of Justice. I need a Division of Justice and an FBI that enforces the legislation no matter get together. And sadly, we have not seen that these final 4 years.
MAJOR GARRETT: What are you able to inform us concerning the three Individuals launched by China who’re in San Antonio. Have you ever been in contact with them? And do you may have any considerations concerning the contours of that swap?
SEN. CRUZ: Effectively, at this stage, we do not know the entire particulars of the contours of the swap, however I am going to let you know, I’m celebrating the return of three Individuals, particularly Mark Swidan. Mark Swidan is a Texan from Houston. His mother, Katherine, is from Luling, Texas. I’ve talked with Katherine many occasions. I authored and handed a decision within the Senate that handed unanimously calling for Mark Swidan’s return to America. He spent 12 years unjustly imprisoned in communist China. I am going to let you know, I’ve raised it instantly with the overseas minister of China. I’ve raised it with President Biden. I’ve raised it with Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, and I’ll give them credit score on this. Tony Blinken, simply two weeks in the past was the latest time I spoke with him about Mark Swidan, and the administration has pressed the Chinese language authorities and Mark Sweden is again residence along with his mom, who has prayed for him, who has loved- liked him. I wish to say, Mark, welcome residence. Katherine, congratulations. I advised you this present day would come. It is a time the place all Texans and all Individuals needs to be celebrating.
MAJOR GARRETT: In a short time, Senator Cruz. As a result of I additionally know you care concerning the case of Austin Tice. Do you may have any sense that the insurgent good points in Syria of the current classic may have any probability of unlocking Austin Tice’s freedom?
SEN. CRUZ: I do not know. I actually hope and pray Austin Tice wants to come back residence, and I hope and pray. Hear, there is a mixture of two issues working. One, as Joe Biden is within the strategy of transitioning out any- any outgoing President is seeking to attempt to get some last wins, I might encourage him, and I am certain he’s doing every part he can to carry Austin Tice residence, to carry the hostages in Gaza residence, each the Israelis and the Individuals carry them residence on this window. I additionally suppose President Trump coming into workplace on January 20, the enemies of America, I believe, are afraid of President Trump. That may be a moment- I hope we have now a second proper now that may be very very like the tip of the Jimmy Carter Administration proper earlier than Ronald Reagan got here in. And we noticed on January 20, our hostages in Iran launched, I believe, in important half as a result of the Ayatollah was afraid of Reagan. I hope an identical dynamic is enjoying out, and if we will see extra hostages come residence, that might be trigger for huge celebration.
MAJOR GARRETT: Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, thanks. Good morning. We’ll be again with Face the Nation in only one second. Please stick with us.
