Transcript: Sen. Ted Cruz on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Dec. 1, 2024

The pursuing is simply a transcript of an interrogation with Sen. Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, connected "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" that aired connected Dec. 1, 2024.

MAJOR GARRETT: We crook present to Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who joins america this greeting from Houston. Senator, it's bully to spot you. Good greeting to you. Let's prime up this thread connected tariffs. I retrieve covering your statesmanlike run successful 2016 and you were a skeptic of tariffs. Then I cognize the authorities astir tariffs person changed, President-elect Trump has done that, but person the economics changed? 

SEN. TED CRUZ: Well, I'll archer you, what hasn't changed is, is the value of leverage. And I got to say, you look astatine the menace of tariffs against Mexico and Canada, instantly has produced action. We've seen the President of Mexico basal up and committedness that she is going to enactment manus successful manus with the President of the United States, President Trump, to unafraid the border. I'll archer you, representing Texas, we've seen 4 years of an penetration astatine our confederate border. Let maine inquire you, Major. Why hasn't Joe Biden done this? Why hasn't Joe Biden really stood up and utilized leverage to unafraid the border? And the crushed is, Joe Biden and the Democrats wanted this penetration to happen. And I got to say, this is simply a committedness that I judge President Trump is going to present connected and present quickly. We are going to unafraid the border. This is astir utilizing leverage to get Mexico and Canada to cooperate. And I'll archer you Major I deliberation 1 of the precise archetypal bills we're going to instrumentality up successful the Senate, ballot on, and I anticipation pass, is my legislation, the Justice for Jocelyn Act, that is simply a effect to the horrific rape and execution of Jocelyn Nungaray, 12-year-old miss successful Houston, Texas, killed by convulsive transgression amerciable aliens released by Joe Biden and the Democrats. This is simply a committedness the President needs to present connected and I deliberation he's going to.

MAJOR GARRETT: So erstwhile you deliberation astir tariffs and President-elect Trump, you don't instrumentality them earnestly arsenic an economical matter. You instrumentality them earnestly lone arsenic a diplomatic lever. 

SEN. CRUZ: Well, look, I deliberation the President was explicit with Mexico and Canada. He said helium volition enforce these tariffs unless they unafraid the border. It was explicitly leveraged. And by the way, that is the aforesaid mode that President Trump negotiated the Remain successful Mexico agreement. If you remember, during his archetypal term, President Trump threatened tariffs against Mexico and AMLO, past the President of Mexico. He was incredibly frightened and concerned. He was frightened of Trump, and helium ended up signing the stay successful Mexico agreement, which produced the lowest complaint of amerciable migration successful 45 years. It was incredibly successful. What did Joe Biden the Democrats bash erstwhile they came in? The precise archetypal week successful office, they ripped up that incredibly palmy planetary agreement. I expect we volition erstwhile again participate into stay successful Mexico, and we are going to see, I marque a prediction close now, we volition spot the numbers plummet of amerciable migration coming into this country, not successful a year, not successful six months, but successful January and February, due to the fact that we volition person a president who volition vigorously enforce the law. 

MAJOR GARRETT: On that point. Senator Cruz, you would concede, successful the past 3 oregon 4 months, numbers person gone down already, person they not?

SEN. CRUZ: They person ticked down slightly. We person inactive seen implicit these 4 years the highest complaint of amerciable migration successful our nation's history. 12 cardinal amerciable immigrants person travel into this country. And I got to say, successful a authorities similar Texas, you privation to spot the consequences. This past predetermination was an unthinkable landslide for President Trump. He won each 7 of the plaything states. And successful Texas, President Trump won Hispanic voters successful Texas, I won Hispanic voters successful Texas, I won statewide by a cardinal votes, 9 points. And South Texas, the Rio Grande Valley, has virtually spent implicit 100 years arsenic a agleam bluish Democrat Bastion. This cycle, South Texas flipped Republican. And it is astonishing what having 12 cardinal radical invade your location tin bash to alteration people's voting behavior. I deliberation the President has a mandate to present connected securing the border, and I look guardant to moving manus successful manus with him to present connected that promise.

MAJOR GARRETT: Kash Patel suggested by President Trump arsenic the caller person of the FBI. How enthusiastic are you astir that?

SEN. CRUZ: Listen, I deliberation Kash Patel is simply a precise beardown nominee. I deliberation the full slate of Cabinet nominees President Trump has enactment guardant is precise strong. I judge each 1 of these Cabinet nominees is going to beryllium confirmed by the Senate. I deliberation Kash Patel is going to beryllium confirmed by the Senate. You look astatine his background, helium has a superior nonrecreational background. He was a prosecutor, helium was a nationalist defender. He was a elder quality staffer connected Capitol Hill. He was a elder quality staffer successful the White House. He was the Chief of Staff of the Department of Defense. He was the lawman manager of nationalist intelligence. And I got to say, each of the weeping and gnashing of teeth, each of the radical pulling their hairsbreadth out, are precisely the radical who are dismayed astir having a existent reformer travel into the FBI and cleanable retired the corrupted partisans who sadly person burrowed into elder vocation positions astatine the FBI. The FBI and the Department of Justice are 2 institutions incredibly important to the regularisation of instrumentality successful the United States. I revere both. And 1 of the astir tragic consequences of 4 years of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is some the DOJ and the FBI person been politicized and weaponized, and I deliberation Kash Patel is simply a precise beardown nominee to instrumentality connected the partisan corruption successful the FBI. 

MAJOR GARRETT: As you know, Senator, determination isn't a vacancy astatine the apical of the FBI. What should go of Christopher Wray, appointed by President Trump?

SEN. CRUZ: Well, I deliberation he'll marque a choice. I deliberation either helium volition resign oregon President Trump volition occurrence him. But it's nary concealed to anybody, including Chris Wray, that helium is not going to proceed to service arsenic the caput of the FBI nether Donald Trump. Listen, if you look astatine James Comey and Chris Wray, determination has ne'er been a play successful our nation's past wherever the FBI has suffered a greater nonaccomplishment of respect, wherever much Americans uncertainty the cardinal integrity of the FBI, and it's due to the fact that James Comey and Chris Wray presided implicit allowing the FBI to go a partisan cudgel to beryllium utilized to people parents astatine schoolhouse committee meetings, to beryllium utilized to people radical who chose not to instrumentality the COVID vaccine, to beryllium utilized to people President Trump and to people the governmental opponents of Joe Biden the White House. It is tragic. That is not what the FBI is for. That is not what the DOJ is for. And I got to accidental Pam Bondi and Kash Patel, I deliberation together, are a precise beardown slate of nominees to spell and reconstruct integrity to some institutions. 

MAJOR GARRETT: How bash you spot that up against the prosecutions of Bob Menendez, a congressman, a Democrat from Texas, Hunter Biden. Are those governmental prosecutions arsenic good oregon not?

SEN. CRUZ: Well, archetypal of all, let's beryllium clear, Bob Menendez was- was virtually caught with golden bars and a stack of currency with his fingerprints taking bribes, and it's wherefore Bob Menendez is not my workfellow anymore. At that point, the grounds was overwhelming. Look Major, I wrote an full publication entitled "Justice Corrupted: How the Left Has Weaponized the Legal System", and it broke down- it started sadly nether Barack Obama, wherever helium began utilizing the national authorities to people his governmental opponents. The publication details however galore of those partisans past burrowed successful to elder vocation positions during the Trump administration. They waged warfare against President Trump during his archetypal term, and present nether Joe Biden, they person been unfastened and brazen, and I deliberation it has done unbelievable harm to the integrity of the Department of Justice and the FBI. I deliberation Merrick Garland volition spell down successful past arsenic the astir partisan Attorney General our federation has ever seen. And I got to say, I perceive regularly from- from prosecutors, from FBI agents, who are profoundly dismayed astir the instauration they devoted a beingness moving for because- listen, I don't privation a Republican Department of Justice. I don't privation a Democrat Department of Justice. I privation a Department of Justice and an FBI that enforces the instrumentality careless of party. And sadly, we haven't seen that these past 4 years.

MAJOR GARRETT: What tin you archer america astir the 3 Americans released by China who are successful San Antonio. Have you been successful interaction with them? And bash you person immoderate concerns astir the contours of that swap?

SEN. CRUZ: Well, astatine this stage, we don't cognize each of the details of the contours of the swap, but I'll archer you, I americium celebrating the instrumentality of 3 Americans, particularly Mark Swidan. Mark Swidan is simply a Texan from Houston. His mom, Katherine, is from Luling, Texas. I've talked with Katherine galore times. I authored and passed a solution successful the Senate that passed unanimously calling for Mark Swidan's instrumentality to America. He spent 12 years unjustly imprisoned successful communist China. I'll archer you, I person raised it straight with the overseas curate of China. I've raised it with President Biden. I've raised it with Secretary of State, Tony Blinken, and I volition springiness them recognition connected this. Tony Blinken, conscionable 2 weeks agone was the astir caller clip I spoke with him astir Mark Swidan, and the medication has pressed the Chinese authorities and Mark Sweden is backmost location with his mother, who has prayed for him, who has loved- loved him. I privation to say, Mark, invited home. Katherine, congratulations. I told you this time would come. This is simply a clip wherever each Texans and each Americans should beryllium celebrating. 

MAJOR GARRETT: Very quickly, Senator Cruz. Because I besides cognize you attraction astir the lawsuit of Austin Tice. Do you person immoderate consciousness that the rebel gains successful Syria of the caller vintage volition person immoderate accidental of unlocking Austin Tice's freedom?

SEN. CRUZ: I don't know. I surely anticipation and commune Austin Tice needs to travel home, and I anticipation and pray. Listen, there's a operation of 2 things working. One, arsenic Joe Biden is successful the process of transitioning retired any- immoderate outgoing President is looking to effort to get immoderate last wins, I would promote him, and I'm definite helium is doing everything helium tin to bring Austin Tice home, to bring the hostages successful Gaza home, some the Israelis and the Americans bring them location successful this window. I besides deliberation President Trump coming into bureau connected January 20, the enemies of America, I think, are acrophobic of President Trump. That is simply a moment- I anticipation we person a infinitesimal close present that is precise overmuch similar the extremity of the Jimmy Carter Administration close earlier Ronald Reagan came in. And we saw connected January 20, our hostages successful Iran released, I think, successful important portion due to the fact that the Ayatollah was acrophobic of Reagan. I anticipation a akin dynamic is playing out, and if we tin spot much hostages travel home, that would beryllium origin for tremendous celebration. 

MAJOR GARRETT: Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, convey you. Good morning. We'll beryllium backmost with Face the Nation successful conscionable 1 moment. Please enactment with us.