1 00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Welcome in his vernic with Center, Ted Cruz ben Ferguson 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: with you. It is nice to have you with us 3 00:00:05,840 --> 00:00:08,560 Speaker 1: as we are doing part two of our in depth 4 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,319 Speaker 1: conversation on Venezuela, What has happened since Maduro has left? 5 00:00:12,400 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: What is next? And Center. We've got three different things 6 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about, and if people miss episode one, 7 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: it's one that really went viral, so makes you go 8 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:22,159 Speaker 1: back and listen to it. But we're gonna go in 9 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:26,200 Speaker 1: depth again in this episode on three major different aspects 10 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: of this story. 11 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 2: Well, listen episode one, which came out Monday. We did 12 00:00:31,040 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 2: a deep dive into number one, what happened, what happened 13 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 2: in Venezuela, what President Trump did sending in the military 14 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 2: to capture and arrest. 15 00:00:39,720 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 3: Nicholas Maduro and his wife. 16 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 2: We secondly discussed why Venezuela matters, what are the geopolitical 17 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 2: consequences of Venezuela, the massive oil reserves, the massive gold 18 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:54,840 Speaker 2: reserves and other minerals. We talked about why Russia and 19 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 2: China and Iran and HESBLA were all in Venezuela. And finally, 20 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 2: we did a very careful explanation of the legal basis 21 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:05,720 Speaker 2: the legal authority for why President Trump had the authority 22 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 2: to order this attack, to order this arrest. 23 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:10,600 Speaker 3: We laid it out in detail. 24 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 2: We're seeing a lot of democrats and the media and 25 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,360 Speaker 2: law professors, all of which are coming from exactly the 26 00:01:16,400 --> 00:01:19,839 Speaker 2: same place, claiming this is illegal, this was a kidnapping. 27 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:21,280 Speaker 3: All of that is nonsense. 28 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 2: And if you didn't listen to Monday's podcast, you should 29 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:26,640 Speaker 2: go back and I lay out the legal basis and 30 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,440 Speaker 2: in fact the opinion from the US Department of Justice 31 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 2: for the January third, nineteen ninety arrest of Manuel Noriega 32 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 2: in Panama under very similar circumstances. And so those are 33 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:44,280 Speaker 2: three big questions we addressed today. We're going to address 34 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 2: three additional questions. Number One, a lot of folks are 35 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 2: asking who is the first Lady of Venezuela and why 36 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 2: was she arrested? Why was she included in that. We're 37 00:01:56,240 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 2: going to lay out some more detail as to what 38 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 2: her background is. Secondly, we'll talk about what are the 39 00:02:02,080 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 2: geopolitical consequences of Maduro being arrested, being prosecuted for the 40 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:10,920 Speaker 2: rest of Latin America and for the Western hemisphere. They 41 00:02:10,960 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 2: are significant. We're gonna break them down carefully and systematically. 42 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 2: And finally, and this is important, we're going to talk 43 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 2: about what's next in Venezuela, what we can expect in 44 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 2: the days and weeks and months ahead, What does this mean, 45 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:26,919 Speaker 2: what's the leadership going to be in Venezuela, And what 46 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,760 Speaker 2: should the United States want to have happen next in Venezuela. 47 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:32,320 Speaker 3: All of that on today's pod. 48 00:02:32,560 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's really gonna be a fun one. When I 49 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:36,440 Speaker 1: also talk to you real quick about our friends at 50 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:42,760 Speaker 1: Compassion International. 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All right, So, Senata, we're gonna 67 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: pick it up literally where we left off in Monday's pod. 68 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: And there have been so many questions about the wife 69 00:03:59,160 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: of Maduro. Why was she arrested, why was she charged? 70 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: Why was she brought to America. I had to watch 71 00:04:05,440 --> 00:04:07,600 Speaker 1: some of the crazy liberals and debate them on TV. 72 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: They're angry that she was arrested instead of others around Maduro, 73 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:14,720 Speaker 1: that they would rather have had arrested. It was the 74 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: argument that was being made which just made my head 75 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: explode as I was listening to the incompetence. But let's 76 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:24,359 Speaker 1: go through why she was actually indicted, why she's being held, 77 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:26,599 Speaker 1: why she's arrested, why she's probably gonna be found guilty 78 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: of a lot of major crimes. 79 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:28,760 Speaker 3: Yeah. 80 00:04:28,839 --> 00:04:31,360 Speaker 2: Look, look, she has been indicted, she has been charged, 81 00:04:31,360 --> 00:04:34,880 Speaker 2: and she's being prosecuted. And yes she is Maduro's wife. 82 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 2: She is also a lawyer. She's a long time Hugo 83 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 2: Chavez loyalist. She's a communist, she's a Marxist, she is 84 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 2: viciously anti American. 85 00:04:46,279 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 3: She is corrupt. 86 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 2: She was intimately involved in the narco trafficking that Maduro 87 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 2: was engaged in. She has been sanctioned by the Treasury 88 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,120 Speaker 2: Department for her involvement in that. And she's also been 89 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 2: a senior government official. And in fact, here I'm going 90 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 2: to give you some of the background. The New York 91 00:05:04,440 --> 00:05:05,640 Speaker 2: Post reported. 92 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:10,719 Speaker 3: So Cilia Flores was arrested. 93 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 2: Celia Fortt Flores is the first Lady. She has been 94 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 2: called the Latin Lady Macbeth. She's sixty nine years old, 95 00:05:18,360 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 2: and she's been described by a former head of intelligence 96 00:05:21,360 --> 00:05:25,679 Speaker 2: in Venezuela as being quote behind the curtain, playing, pulling 97 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 2: the strings. And here's what one prosecutor in the Maduro 98 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:33,440 Speaker 2: government said, quote she is a fundamental figure in corruption 99 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 2: in Venezuela, absolutely fundamental, and especially in the structure of power. 100 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 2: And he continued, many people consider her far more astute 101 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:51,320 Speaker 2: and shrewd than Maduro himself. Now, what is her background. 102 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 2: Her background, She was a lawyer for Hugo Chaves, the 103 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,960 Speaker 2: original Marx who took over Venezuela was elected and drove 104 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,960 Speaker 2: the economy into the ground. She has been nicknamed in 105 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:11,280 Speaker 2: addition to Latin Lady Bigbeth, she's been nicknamed First Warrior, 106 00:06:13,080 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 2: and she's accused of accepting massive bribes from drug dealers 107 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:20,920 Speaker 2: and in fact, her nephews, and in fact they've been 108 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:25,159 Speaker 2: called her narco nephews, were both previously arrested in the 109 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 2: United States for cocaine trafficking, and they planned to use 110 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:32,679 Speaker 2: the money from their drug sales. This is the narco 111 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 2: nephews to fund Flores's twenty fifteen campaign for National Assembly 112 00:06:38,279 --> 00:06:44,800 Speaker 2: in Venezuela. She is she is a political leader. She 113 00:06:45,480 --> 00:06:48,520 Speaker 2: is alleged to participate in the trafficking of cocaine quote, 114 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:53,039 Speaker 2: much of which had been seized by Venezuelan law enforcement 115 00:06:53,040 --> 00:06:56,279 Speaker 2: with the assistance of armed military escorts. That's, according to 116 00:06:56,279 --> 00:07:00,919 Speaker 2: the indictment, while guarded by quote state sponsored get gangs 117 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 2: known as collectibos. And the gangs, according to the indictment, 118 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:09,600 Speaker 2: were to quote protect their drug trafficking operation. 119 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:12,200 Speaker 1: By the way, ten years ago. It had to be 120 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:14,440 Speaker 1: at least ten years ago. Now, I went back to 121 00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: a conversation I had in New York City in the 122 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: green room at Fox there was a Venezuelan dissident. Basically 123 00:07:20,920 --> 00:07:23,840 Speaker 1: they'd been put into exile, and we were sitting talking 124 00:07:23,880 --> 00:07:27,880 Speaker 1: about the oil and the narco terrorism. This was over 125 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:31,239 Speaker 1: a decade ago from him, and they described the wife 126 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: to me as quote, not a housewife, but a brilliant mastermind. 127 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 1: They said that Chavez would have never gotten to where 128 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: he was without her being behind him, that she was 129 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:46,920 Speaker 1: able to really and as you mentioned, a lawyer, they said, 130 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:50,160 Speaker 1: she's very smart. She understands how to set this stuff up. 131 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:52,920 Speaker 1: She understands how to work it to the family's advantage 132 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 1: and to make money, and the idea. They were laughing 133 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: basically as they were describing, They're like, if you think 134 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: this is just some first lady in essence a house wife, 135 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 1: you are mistaken. She is ruthless to the cores. They 136 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:07,400 Speaker 1: described it, saying that that she was a businesswoman that 137 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: the mob would even be afraid of. 138 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, listen, I mentioned Flores got her start 139 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:17,520 Speaker 2: with Hugo Chavez. Actually, Hugo Chavez was arrested in the 140 00:08:17,520 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 2: wake of a failed coup attempt in nineteen ninety two, 141 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 2: and Flores stepped forward as his lawyer. And in fact, 142 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 2: she was such a socialist and such a Marxist, she 143 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:34,400 Speaker 2: was literally spray painting Chavez's names on walls around Caracas, 144 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 2: and she stepped forward. She represented Hugo Chavez pro bono 145 00:08:38,440 --> 00:08:40,640 Speaker 2: for free, and she ended up getting him out of 146 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:43,320 Speaker 2: jail in nineteen ninety four before he ever stood trial. 147 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:50,560 Speaker 2: And she met she met Maduro while being an activist 148 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 2: for Chavez. And Chavez was elected president in nineteen ninety eight, 149 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:04,040 Speaker 2: and Maduro and Flores both served under Chavis. She was 150 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:08,680 Speaker 2: attorney general yep, and he was vice president. And and 151 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:15,320 Speaker 2: and this, you know, she is someone intimately involved in 152 00:09:15,440 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 2: the corruption in the drug trafficking. Uh and and that's 153 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:23,080 Speaker 2: why she's been arrested. It's why she she is indicted 154 00:09:23,360 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 2: and and and it's why I believe both she and 155 00:09:25,920 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 2: her husband will be convicted. 156 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 1: It really is interesting to see how the media has 157 00:09:29,840 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: just gone to like compassion on this, where they're just like, well. 158 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:35,560 Speaker 2: No, she's just a sweet little old lady. You know, 159 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,440 Speaker 2: why are you picking on this sweet little old lady. Yeah, 160 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:41,840 Speaker 2: you know, sweet little old lady attorney general. You know, 161 00:09:41,880 --> 00:09:46,400 Speaker 2: sweet little old lady Attorney general narco terrorist, drug trafficker. 162 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:48,280 Speaker 3: But other than that, she's a sweet little old lady. 163 00:09:48,600 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 1: Yeah. This is why I, by the way, love doing 164 00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 1: this show because no one else is talking about this, 165 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:54,920 Speaker 1: and I hope people that listen they're like, Okay, well 166 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 1: now we know, so you can correct the record and 167 00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:59,320 Speaker 1: be like, well, it's just it was just an easy 168 00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 1: one for them to go, so they grabbed your No. 169 00:10:01,440 --> 00:10:03,960 Speaker 1: This is a woman who literally helped set up all 170 00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:06,640 Speaker 1: of this corruption and was heavily involved in it, which 171 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:08,720 Speaker 1: brings me to the big issue. And we've seen a 172 00:10:08,720 --> 00:10:12,120 Speaker 1: lot of conversation about this as well by the talking 173 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:15,440 Speaker 1: heads members of Congress that you serve with. Uh And 174 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 1: the word that I wrote down was Western hemisphere. There 175 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:22,319 Speaker 1: has been a fever pitch of Western hemisphere and how 176 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 1: Venezuela fits into this and what happens with China or 177 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:28,400 Speaker 1: Russia or Iran Cuba gets involved, X Y and Z 178 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:32,200 Speaker 1: in Venezuela. Can we just take a half a step 179 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:37,760 Speaker 1: back explain politically what the meaning of Western hemisphere means 180 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 1: for people that maybe don't understand why it's so important 181 00:10:41,120 --> 00:10:43,440 Speaker 1: and how it relates to national security with the United 182 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: States of America as a broader point before we go 183 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,559 Speaker 1: into to then why some other countries want to be 184 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:49,840 Speaker 1: involved in Venezuela. 185 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:50,280 Speaker 3: Yeah. 186 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:53,720 Speaker 2: Look, the Western Hemisphere is just North America and South America. 187 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:55,280 Speaker 3: It's our half of the world. 188 00:10:55,360 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 2: It's it's the the bi and also the Caribbean Islands, 189 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:01,240 Speaker 2: and and and and and but it essentially the land 190 00:11:01,320 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 2: that has the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the 191 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:06,679 Speaker 2: Pacific Ocean on the west and and and the Western 192 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:10,240 Speaker 2: Hemisphere is distinct from the Eastern hemisphere, which is Europe 193 00:11:10,280 --> 00:11:12,959 Speaker 2: and Asia and Africa and Australia. All of that's the 194 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 2: Eastern hemisphere. But the Western hemisphere, you know, you know, 195 00:11:15,679 --> 00:11:18,480 Speaker 2: going back to the very earliest days of America, where 196 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:21,240 Speaker 2: where the Monroe Doctrine laid out that that that we 197 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 2: are going to protect the Western hemisphere. This is our hemisphere. 198 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,280 Speaker 2: And and we talked about in Monday's podcast how Donald 199 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:31,080 Speaker 2: Trump believes very much in the Monroe doctrine, so much 200 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:33,280 Speaker 2: so that it's now being widely referred to as the 201 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 2: Donro doctrine because he's put his own own stamp on it. 202 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:39,160 Speaker 3: And and and I'm going. 203 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:41,439 Speaker 2: To give a couple of stories to give some context, 204 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:45,760 Speaker 2: because I think this is massively consequential for other countries 205 00:11:45,840 --> 00:11:48,720 Speaker 2: in the Western Hemisphere and for US national security. 206 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:51,280 Speaker 3: I mentioned on Monday's pod. 207 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:55,880 Speaker 2: That that that the Office Legal Counsel is who prepared 208 00:11:56,080 --> 00:12:00,959 Speaker 2: the legal memorandum UH that laying out the basis arresting 209 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:05,360 Speaker 2: Noriega and Panama. And I mentioned that Bill Barr was 210 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:07,760 Speaker 2: the head of the Office Legal Council who wrote that memo. 211 00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 2: But I also mentioned that there'd been lots of very 212 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:16,240 Speaker 2: respected lawyers who had headed OLC, including antonin Scalia, including 213 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:18,800 Speaker 2: William Rehnquists, and I mentioned Chuck Cooper, who was my 214 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:22,800 Speaker 2: very first boss when I came from clerking for Chief 215 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:26,400 Speaker 2: Justice Renquist, and I was a twenty seven year old lawyer. 216 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 2: My first boss was Chuck Cooper. He's one of the 217 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:32,080 Speaker 2: top Supreme Court litigators in the country. And as it 218 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:36,679 Speaker 2: so happened, we recorded Monday's pod Sunday evening, and then 219 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:38,880 Speaker 2: we finished recording the pod and I went to have 220 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,199 Speaker 2: dinner with Chuck. So I literally went to Chuck's house 221 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:43,760 Speaker 2: as soon as we finished recording, and he told me 222 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 2: a story I didn't know, which is during the Reagan administration, Chuck, 223 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:54,360 Speaker 2: as a young thirty something lawyer, was the one that 224 00:12:54,600 --> 00:13:01,360 Speaker 2: Reagan sent down to Panama to negotiate with North no way, 225 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:04,079 Speaker 2: and so he went down there and he was sort 226 00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:06,079 Speaker 2: of laughing, is like, I was the only one kind 227 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 2: of foolish enough to accept the assignment. And he went 228 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:14,640 Speaker 2: down and he said, you know, Noriega came and arrived 229 00:13:14,720 --> 00:13:18,280 Speaker 2: in like a caravan of of big armored cars and 230 00:13:18,520 --> 00:13:21,880 Speaker 2: he had all sorts of soldiers with with automatic weapons. 231 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:23,800 Speaker 2: And you know, Chuck sitting there as this, you know, 232 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:27,680 Speaker 2: young lawyer from dj and they were trying to negotiate 233 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 2: Noriega's leaving voluntarily, and he was going to leave voluntarily 234 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 2: and go to a third country and he could live 235 00:13:35,240 --> 00:13:37,400 Speaker 2: in exile and live in peace. And by the way, 236 00:13:37,960 --> 00:13:40,160 Speaker 2: Trump tried to do the same thing, which is negotiate 237 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:43,040 Speaker 2: with Maduro. If you want to leave in peace, we'll 238 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:47,280 Speaker 2: let you leave in peace. And Noriego, just Noriega Maduro 239 00:13:47,360 --> 00:13:51,560 Speaker 2: both made the same stupid mistake. They said, no, I'm 240 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:53,200 Speaker 2: not going to leave. And Chuck told me he said 241 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 2: he was negotiating, and Noriego was like, absolutely not, I'm 242 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:57,239 Speaker 2: not going anywhere. 243 00:13:57,720 --> 00:13:59,120 Speaker 3: That will never happen. 244 00:13:59,600 --> 00:14:01,720 Speaker 2: And Chuck told me he finished the meeting at the 245 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 2: end of the meeting, and he said said, Miss President, 246 00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:08,480 Speaker 2: I need to tell you something, which is I'm going 247 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:10,719 Speaker 2: to leave now. I'm going to go back to the 248 00:14:10,840 --> 00:14:14,600 Speaker 2: United States, but people are going to come after me 249 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 2: and they're not going to take no for an answer. 250 00:14:16,760 --> 00:14:18,079 Speaker 3: And he did that. 251 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:21,120 Speaker 1: By the way, isn't it amazing that Chavez has happened him? 252 00:14:21,360 --> 00:14:29,520 Speaker 1: Maduro saw it, Maduro's wife saw it, and the sorry, yeah, it's. 253 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:31,359 Speaker 3: Hard to keep these Latin American dictator. 254 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 1: Straight exactly, but you see it. It's like you would 255 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:35,480 Speaker 1: think they would look at the history and be like, Okay, 256 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:39,640 Speaker 1: we know how this ends, like we understand how this ends. 257 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: And yet and it's there, like they can see it. 258 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 1: It's tangible. They can see the fallout afterwards. They can 259 00:14:45,160 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: see how it went down. And then when Donald Trump 260 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:49,560 Speaker 1: calls you and is like, hey, man, like we'll let 261 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:52,760 Speaker 1: you leave, like we're literally letting you leave, if you'll 262 00:14:52,920 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 1: just leave, He's like, nope, never leaving. You can and 263 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:56,840 Speaker 1: then he goes down on stage. You can come and 264 00:14:56,880 --> 00:14:59,440 Speaker 1: get me, you coward. Well okay, we did it. 265 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 3: Yeah. 266 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 2: He was literally chanting and and and screaming at Trump, 267 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:06,640 Speaker 2: calling him a coward, and in Spanish guard thee And 268 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 2: well it turned turned out he said come and get me, 269 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:12,240 Speaker 2: and Trump said okay, and and and he did, and 270 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 2: and and that, Uh, look in terms of Latin America, 271 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:19,720 Speaker 2: I'll tell you also, yesterday I spoke with President Trump 272 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:21,680 Speaker 2: and and in the in the oval, and we talked 273 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:24,240 Speaker 2: about a lot of topics. But but I I told him, 274 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:28,760 Speaker 2: I said, listen, congratulations on on on the Venezuela attack. 275 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:29,560 Speaker 3: On the arrest. 276 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 2: I said, mister President, candidly that that that that took 277 00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:38,160 Speaker 2: cast iron balls to issue that order, because frankly, it 278 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 2: could have gone wrong a thousand different ways. 279 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 3: And and there's. 280 00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 1: Also part of it when you make those orders that 281 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 1: I think people don't realize. You've been around it, and 282 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:50,960 Speaker 1: I've been around it. You were making a decision that 283 00:15:51,160 --> 00:15:53,320 Speaker 1: very well could cost an America in their lives. 284 00:15:53,680 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 3: Well, and the President and I talked about that. 285 00:15:56,080 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: That's a lot. I mean, people don't realize I think 286 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 1: how much that weighed, even on President Bush when I 287 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,119 Speaker 1: was around him, when he knew that there were Americans 288 00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:06,280 Speaker 1: dying because the decision that you're making. Donald Trump, I 289 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:07,920 Speaker 1: think really understands that as well. 290 00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:10,880 Speaker 2: Yeah, and we talked about that and we both talked 291 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 2: about we marveled at the incredible military precision that they 292 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:19,760 Speaker 2: carried out. That the fact that this attack they went 293 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:24,040 Speaker 2: in and they landed in the middle of a major 294 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:26,600 Speaker 2: metropolitan city with five million people. They landed in the 295 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:30,400 Speaker 2: middle of a huge military base. You know, it's been 296 00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:34,080 Speaker 2: now publicly reported that there were thirty two Cuban soldiers 297 00:16:34,120 --> 00:16:35,920 Speaker 2: guarding Maduro, all of whom were killed. 298 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:40,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, and we did not lose a single. 299 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:46,000 Speaker 2: US serviceman who was there. Two were shot, but neither 300 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:49,440 Speaker 2: was killed. And I'll tell you something a fact I 301 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:52,720 Speaker 2: learned today at which I didn't know, which is when 302 00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 2: they had Maduro and the First Lady and the Cuban 303 00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:59,920 Speaker 2: security forces were opening fire on them, and then they 304 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:05,200 Speaker 2: they were engaged in a firefight. Our soldiers blocked Maduro 305 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:07,439 Speaker 2: and the First Lady with their own bodies. No, they 306 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:09,959 Speaker 2: had body armor, but they were trying to make it 307 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:13,600 Speaker 2: un arrest that they actually treated it under the protocol 308 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:17,679 Speaker 2: for a hostage extraction because they didn't want them shot 309 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 2: in the process. They wanted him to come back to 310 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:23,280 Speaker 2: the United States and faced prosecution and face justice. And 311 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 2: so you want to talk about the bravery of Delta Force, 312 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,679 Speaker 2: literally putting their bodies with body armor in front of 313 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:34,359 Speaker 2: Maduro and the first Lady so that they didn't get 314 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 2: shot by the Cuban. That's extraordinary. And I got to 315 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:43,439 Speaker 2: say so when I was talking with President Trump, he 316 00:17:43,480 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 2: actually asked me he brought up He said, he brought 317 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:50,080 Speaker 2: up in the first term, his taking out General Solomoni 318 00:17:50,119 --> 00:17:54,359 Speaker 2: in Iran. He talked about his taking out a bag Daddy. 319 00:17:54,880 --> 00:17:58,879 Speaker 2: He talked about his launching the military bombing attack on 320 00:17:58,920 --> 00:18:03,520 Speaker 2: the nuclear facilities, and he talked about this, and all 321 00:18:03,560 --> 00:18:07,920 Speaker 2: of them were spectacular successes. And actually President Trump asked 322 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 2: me a question. He said, ted, which was more important 323 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 2: the nuclear facilities in Iran or take arresting Maduro actually stops. 324 00:18:18,840 --> 00:18:21,840 Speaker 2: That's a hard one, I said, was President, that is 325 00:18:21,880 --> 00:18:25,000 Speaker 2: a very good question. And I said, to be honest, 326 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:28,840 Speaker 2: it's really close. If you forced me to answer that, 327 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:31,520 Speaker 2: here's what I would say. I think taking out the 328 00:18:31,600 --> 00:18:35,880 Speaker 2: nuclear facilities in Iran was more important geopolitically in terms 329 00:18:35,920 --> 00:18:39,800 Speaker 2: of our national security. The Iyahtola with nuclear weapons could 330 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:42,560 Speaker 2: have murdered vast numbers of Americans, and so taking out 331 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:46,640 Speaker 2: those nuclear facilities made America much much safer. But I said, 332 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:52,160 Speaker 2: arresting Maduro is a very close second because it changed 333 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:56,000 Speaker 2: the entire geopolitical balance of power in the Western Hemisphere. 334 00:18:56,000 --> 00:18:58,000 Speaker 2: And it's interesting the President said, you know, you know, 335 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:00,360 Speaker 2: I agree that that's exactly how I would run those 336 00:19:00,359 --> 00:19:03,159 Speaker 2: two and so it was an interesting you know, Trump 337 00:19:03,280 --> 00:19:09,000 Speaker 2: is rarely, i would say, deeply introspective. That's not just 338 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:11,000 Speaker 2: his nature, and he was kind of reflecting on that. 339 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 2: We had a good conversation, and to be honest, I 340 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:16,359 Speaker 2: hadn't until he asked me that question. I hadn't really 341 00:19:16,400 --> 00:19:20,399 Speaker 2: thought of. But hands down, those are the two most 342 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:25,119 Speaker 2: important foreign policy decisions that he's made. And in terms 343 00:19:25,119 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 2: of the Western hemisphere, what does that mean. Well, let's 344 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:30,840 Speaker 2: take Cuba. Cuba is probably the country most impact and 345 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:33,919 Speaker 2: we talked about this a little on Monday's pod So 346 00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:37,600 Speaker 2: Cuba for years, it's a communist dictatorship. It's been under 347 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:41,560 Speaker 2: communist control since Fidel Castro led a revolution that succeeded. 348 00:19:41,080 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 3: In nineteen fifty nine. 349 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:47,040 Speaker 2: And the people, just like Venezuela, the communists in Cuba 350 00:19:47,440 --> 00:19:50,680 Speaker 2: destroyed the economy that people suffer in misery and poverty. 351 00:19:51,800 --> 00:19:56,000 Speaker 2: But they've been ruthless and for many decades. They survived 352 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:58,760 Speaker 2: in significant part because the Soviet Union sent him vast 353 00:19:58,760 --> 00:20:00,919 Speaker 2: amounts of money, and so they were satellite power of 354 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:04,040 Speaker 2: the Soviet Union. Obviously led to things like the Cuban 355 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 2: Missile crisis, where the Soviets were trying to put missiles 356 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 2: in Cuba to target the United States. But in the 357 00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:16,240 Speaker 2: early nineteen nineties, when the Soviet Union collapsed, suddenly Cuba 358 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:20,640 Speaker 2: did not have that financial lifeline anymore. And when that happened, 359 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:26,000 Speaker 2: the country that stepped in was Venezuela. And because Venezuela 360 00:20:26,040 --> 00:20:29,880 Speaker 2: has these massive oil reserves and at the time still 361 00:20:29,880 --> 00:20:33,640 Speaker 2: had significant money. Essentially, the trade off that Venezuela has 362 00:20:33,680 --> 00:20:38,000 Speaker 2: done for years is Venezuela sends massive amounts of oil 363 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 2: to Cuba and it fuels the Cuban economy, what little 364 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:44,720 Speaker 2: of it there is, and Cuba in effect pays for 365 00:20:44,760 --> 00:20:49,719 Speaker 2: it by sending thugs, by sending soldiers and guards. And 366 00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:55,159 Speaker 2: the Cuban thugs they number one that they repress the 367 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:58,960 Speaker 2: Venezuelan people. They murder people, they torture people. But look, 368 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:03,600 Speaker 2: it speaks volume that Maduro's guards were the thirty two 369 00:21:03,640 --> 00:21:06,959 Speaker 2: Cubans who were guarding him. I mean that's literally his 370 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:08,400 Speaker 2: armed forces around him. 371 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, it wasn't Venezuelan armed forces, it was Cubans. 372 00:21:12,359 --> 00:21:17,119 Speaker 2: And President Trump is continuing to enforce the oil blockade, 373 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:21,200 Speaker 2: so there is not Venezuelan oil flowing to Cuba right now. 374 00:21:21,240 --> 00:21:24,720 Speaker 2: That is putting massive pressure on the Cuban economy. And 375 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 2: I got to say, the communist leadership there is looking around. 376 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:31,120 Speaker 2: And number one, you want to talk about their military prowess. 377 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 2: They had thirty two soldiers guarding Maduro. All thirty two 378 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:37,359 Speaker 2: Cuban soldiers are dead. Not a single US soldier lost 379 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:41,920 Speaker 2: his life. They're sitting there going okay, our days are numbered. 380 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:46,280 Speaker 2: And I'm hopeful one of the consequences of this will 381 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:49,680 Speaker 2: be a free Cuba, that the communist regime falls in Cuba. 382 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:52,679 Speaker 1: And that could be a fall because of just the 383 00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:57,160 Speaker 1: economy totally collapsing and the lack of the lights literally 384 00:21:57,240 --> 00:21:59,800 Speaker 1: staying on because of the oil not showing up. 385 00:22:00,680 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 2: Yes, And I'll say more broadly, dictatorships depend upon the 386 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:11,280 Speaker 2: perception of strength, the perception of invulnerability. We're seeing this 387 00:22:11,320 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 2: play out in Iran right now. In Iran, they're protests 388 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:17,240 Speaker 2: all over Iran on the streets and the people are 389 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:21,720 Speaker 2: rising up and regular listeners a verdict will recall that 390 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:25,199 Speaker 2: in the wake of President Trump or ordering the bombing 391 00:22:25,200 --> 00:22:28,040 Speaker 2: on the Iranian nuclear facilities, I predicted on this podcast. 392 00:22:28,119 --> 00:22:31,240 Speaker 2: I said, I think the Iotola and the Balahs their 393 00:22:31,320 --> 00:22:37,040 Speaker 2: days are numbered. And here's why the Iatola lost a war. 394 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:40,480 Speaker 2: And there are real consequences in the real world when 395 00:22:40,480 --> 00:22:43,920 Speaker 2: you lose a war. Now, first, they lost the Twelve 396 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:46,840 Speaker 2: Day War to Israel, and Israel took out all of 397 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:49,400 Speaker 2: their air defenses, took out much of their senior leadership, 398 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:51,920 Speaker 2: took out much of the IRGC, took out the head 399 00:22:51,960 --> 00:22:54,679 Speaker 2: of the IRGC. Literally day after day after day they 400 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:56,920 Speaker 2: kept pointing someone new and he was killed the next day. 401 00:22:57,800 --> 00:23:04,239 Speaker 2: And if you are a radical Islamist leader who not 402 00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 2: only loses a war, but loses a war to Israel, yeah, 403 00:23:09,840 --> 00:23:12,360 Speaker 2: you know what, you ain't the supreme leader any war. 404 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:16,359 Speaker 2: You look weak and ineffective. And there's no ambiguity about it. 405 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:19,520 Speaker 2: There's no amount of spinning that can say no, no, no, 406 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:21,960 Speaker 2: we didn't lose. And then you put on top of that, 407 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,159 Speaker 2: the President of the United States bombs into oblivion your 408 00:23:26,240 --> 00:23:30,399 Speaker 2: nuclear facilities. And what I said is, look, we don't 409 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:33,520 Speaker 2: have to send in the US military to Iran for 410 00:23:33,560 --> 00:23:37,560 Speaker 2: the regime to fall. The regime is so weakened. My 411 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,000 Speaker 2: hope is the Iranian people will rise up. I think 412 00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:43,639 Speaker 2: there's a real possibility that's happening right now, and they 413 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:48,720 Speaker 2: are weakened. The same is true certainly Venezuela. The fact 414 00:23:48,840 --> 00:23:53,280 Speaker 2: that that Maduro was captured has weakened the communist regime there, 415 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:57,200 Speaker 2: But the communist regime in Cuba, the fact that their 416 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:01,840 Speaker 2: soldiers were just obliterated. Just like it weakens Iran, it 417 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:04,040 Speaker 2: weakens Cuba as well. And by the way, the same 418 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:07,960 Speaker 2: thing is true for Daniel Ortega and Nicaragua and other 419 00:24:08,000 --> 00:24:12,320 Speaker 2: communists to Sandinista. The same thing is true for Gustavo 420 00:24:12,359 --> 00:24:17,480 Speaker 2: Petro in Colombia, another radical left winger who's viciously anti American, 421 00:24:17,920 --> 00:24:21,480 Speaker 2: and even Lula in Brazil. Now, Brazil is a more 422 00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:25,520 Speaker 2: stable and stronger country than the other players, but Lula, Likewise, 423 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:30,040 Speaker 2: every leftist in Latin America who hates America and hates 424 00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:34,520 Speaker 2: President Trump is materially weaker. 425 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:39,960 Speaker 3: And I believe a resting Maduro is going to result in. 426 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:46,640 Speaker 2: More freedom loving and America loving leaders in Latin America 427 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:51,000 Speaker 2: and more countries moving in the direction to be our friends. 428 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:53,480 Speaker 2: That's good for Latin America, but it's good for America. 429 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:55,439 Speaker 1: And there's another country when I ask you about, and 430 00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:59,800 Speaker 1: that's Mexico. Yeah, you actually had a codell what three 431 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:02,919 Speaker 1: four months ago where you went down into Latin America. 432 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:05,719 Speaker 1: I would be very interested to see how that codell 433 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:09,480 Speaker 1: would go down today and what the conversations would be 434 00:25:09,640 --> 00:25:11,919 Speaker 1: like with the leaders you met with today compared to 435 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:16,159 Speaker 1: Then let's talk a little bit about Mexico. It's pretty 436 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:18,800 Speaker 1: clear now that people are accepting the fact that it's 437 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:21,960 Speaker 1: a failed state. The narco terrorists are in charge of it. 438 00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:26,480 Speaker 1: The president of Mexico is a figurehead at best. There's 439 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:29,159 Speaker 1: a lot of people that are asking the question is 440 00:25:29,200 --> 00:25:31,320 Speaker 1: that now I guess you could say the reality of 441 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:34,959 Speaker 1: this because of what we are witnessing, and maybe she 442 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 1: doesn't seem to be as strong as she was before. 443 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,199 Speaker 1: What does this mean for the narco terrorists there? And 444 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:42,879 Speaker 1: what does this mean for America's response? And is this 445 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:45,320 Speaker 1: also an opportunity with us to stop the flow of drugs. 446 00:25:45,359 --> 00:25:48,160 Speaker 1: We stopped the human trafficking, we stopped the illegal immigrants 447 00:25:48,200 --> 00:25:51,080 Speaker 1: coming across the border. That's amazing, But there's still a 448 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:53,200 Speaker 1: lot of drugs that are in Mexico that come into 449 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:55,520 Speaker 1: the United States of America find their way in. So 450 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 1: what does this do now for Donald Trump's hand and 451 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:00,280 Speaker 1: our national securities? Time and the drugs the same we 452 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:01,160 Speaker 1: did in Venezuela. 453 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:02,040 Speaker 3: Yeah. 454 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:04,680 Speaker 2: Look, so I think what you said about Claudia Scheinbaum, 455 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:07,879 Speaker 2: the president of Mexico, is too strong. I would not 456 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:11,639 Speaker 2: describe Mexico as a failed state, and I think she 457 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:17,639 Speaker 2: is in a fundamentally different position than a Maduro or 458 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:21,720 Speaker 2: the other communist dictators in Latin America. She is a leftist. 459 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:25,720 Speaker 2: She's following Amlo who was elected as a leftist. But listen, 460 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:29,880 Speaker 2: Mexico and the United States have massive trade and commerce 461 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 2: back and forth. We cooperate on a great, great deal 462 00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:38,920 Speaker 2: of matters. You know, we've talked on this podcast before 463 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:39,880 Speaker 2: about Mexican water. 464 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:42,120 Speaker 3: There's a water treaty called the Water. 465 00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:45,240 Speaker 2: Treaty of nineteen forty four that obligates Mexico to provide 466 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:47,639 Speaker 2: three hundred and fifty thousand acre feet of water a 467 00:26:47,720 --> 00:26:51,520 Speaker 2: year to South Texas, and under Biden, the Biden administration 468 00:26:51,560 --> 00:26:54,320 Speaker 2: didn't enforce that treaty and Mexico walked all over US 469 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:58,800 Speaker 2: and ended up being one point three million acre feet 470 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:00,520 Speaker 2: of water in arrears. Now what if that means a 471 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:04,080 Speaker 2: practical matter. It meant that the farmers in South Texas 472 00:27:04,080 --> 00:27:06,960 Speaker 2: were facing a drought, not a natural disaster, but a 473 00:27:06,960 --> 00:27:09,680 Speaker 2: man made disaster. It was caused by the Mexican government 474 00:27:09,760 --> 00:27:13,400 Speaker 2: defying their treaty obligations. And by the way, the Mexicans 475 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:17,120 Speaker 2: were diverting that water from South Texas to the farmers 476 00:27:17,119 --> 00:27:20,440 Speaker 2: in northern Mexico. And so the drought in South Texas, 477 00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:23,120 Speaker 2: you had farmers who were taking about half their acreage 478 00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:26,840 Speaker 2: out of production, were laying off workers. The only sugar 479 00:27:26,880 --> 00:27:30,479 Speaker 2: mill in Texas in twenty twenty four closed down because 480 00:27:30,520 --> 00:27:34,639 Speaker 2: of the drought caused by Mexico defying the treaty. And 481 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:38,240 Speaker 2: the farms in northern Mexico were lush and verdant. I 482 00:27:38,280 --> 00:27:40,879 Speaker 2: mean they were a wash in water. And I spent 483 00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:43,880 Speaker 2: the entire Biden presidency trying to get the Biden State 484 00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:45,119 Speaker 2: Department stand up to Mexico. 485 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:46,240 Speaker 3: They refused to do so. 486 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:50,600 Speaker 2: When Trump came in, I went to him directly and 487 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:52,760 Speaker 2: asked him, and in fact I worked with him to 488 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:55,879 Speaker 2: draft a tweet that he sent that made very clear. 489 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:58,560 Speaker 2: He threatened Mexico, if you don't give the water that 490 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:03,119 Speaker 2: Texas deserves, were going to impost sanctions or tariffs. The 491 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:06,080 Speaker 2: day President Trump sent the tweet, and to be clear, 492 00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:09,800 Speaker 2: it was a tweet that I helped write. Yeah, that night, 493 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:14,080 Speaker 2: Claudia Scheinbaum called an emergency cabinet meeting at seven pm 494 00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:17,879 Speaker 2: that evening to decide how to respond, and she responded 495 00:28:17,920 --> 00:28:20,640 Speaker 2: by releasing about four hundred thousand acre feet of water, 496 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:24,560 Speaker 2: which was enormously helpful to the farmers in South Texas. 497 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:29,359 Speaker 2: And then just in December, the Mexicans had started slow 498 00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:31,600 Speaker 2: walking the water again, and so I went to Trump again. 499 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:33,600 Speaker 2: I went to the Oval and Number one, I told 500 00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:36,160 Speaker 2: him the story of like the emergency cabinet meeting, which 501 00:28:36,200 --> 00:28:38,360 Speaker 2: I don't know that he had heard the blow by 502 00:28:38,400 --> 00:28:42,040 Speaker 2: blow of what had happened. But then I said, look, 503 00:28:42,040 --> 00:28:44,560 Speaker 2: they're slow walking it again. Would you send another tweet? 504 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:46,440 Speaker 2: He said, sure, draft something for me and we'll do 505 00:28:46,520 --> 00:28:49,000 Speaker 2: it within like a day or two. He sent out 506 00:28:49,000 --> 00:28:51,680 Speaker 2: the other tweet, and he said, look, we're going to 507 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:57,479 Speaker 2: respond forcibly against Mexico unless you agree to provide us 508 00:28:57,520 --> 00:28:59,880 Speaker 2: that they owe us for under the treaty a little 509 00:29:00,120 --> 00:29:04,080 Speaker 2: eight hundred thousand acre feet of water remaining, and Mexico agreed, 510 00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 2: we're going to. 511 00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:05,240 Speaker 3: Provide the water. 512 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:09,600 Speaker 2: So I will say Mexico, look, look, Claudia Schinbaum is 513 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:15,520 Speaker 2: no doubt disturbed by seeing Maduro weekend. And Mexico had 514 00:29:16,040 --> 00:29:21,160 Speaker 2: to some extent aligned with the Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Columbia access. 515 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:25,160 Speaker 2: But Mexico also has very close relationships with the United States, 516 00:29:25,160 --> 00:29:26,480 Speaker 2: so it stands on a different footing. 517 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:26,960 Speaker 3: But you're right. 518 00:29:27,040 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 2: In August, when I was in Mexico meeting with senior 519 00:29:30,160 --> 00:29:33,720 Speaker 2: government officials, I said, listen, you guys are either going 520 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:36,640 Speaker 2: to go after the narco traffickers who are in Mexico, 521 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:40,840 Speaker 2: the cartels who became massively powerful under Biden, or if 522 00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:43,080 Speaker 2: you don't go after them. I said, I believe Donald 523 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:46,520 Speaker 2: Trump will, and they were skeptical. I got to tell you. 524 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:49,600 Speaker 2: One of my senior foreign policy guy was on the 525 00:29:49,600 --> 00:29:50,120 Speaker 2: trip with. 526 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 3: Me and he argued with me. 527 00:29:52,560 --> 00:29:54,680 Speaker 2: And what he argued with me at the time is 528 00:29:54,720 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 2: he said, I think Trump will go after Venezuela before Mexico, 529 00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:02,400 Speaker 2: And I said, I don't know about that. I think 530 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:05,240 Speaker 2: the Mexican cartells he's very focused on it. Well, it 531 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:08,160 Speaker 2: turned out he maintains we made a bet on it. 532 00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 2: I don't recall any wager, but he. 533 00:30:11,320 --> 00:30:13,200 Speaker 1: I believe that there was a bet. Now I totally 534 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:15,200 Speaker 1: believe it because I know you're talking about it. I'm 535 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:17,120 Speaker 1: going to side on this one for sure. 536 00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:21,480 Speaker 2: I am skeptical that there was any wager, but I 537 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:26,520 Speaker 2: will say you're right for Mexico. Also, I have every 538 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:28,880 Speaker 2: confidence that it is going to focus the mind of 539 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:32,960 Speaker 2: the administration that when the Trump administration says let's go 540 00:30:33,080 --> 00:30:37,640 Speaker 2: after the narco traffickers, they better cooperate or bad things 541 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 2: can happen. And I think that's a great thing. As 542 00:30:41,080 --> 00:30:42,959 Speaker 2: I told the President yesterday when I talked to him, 543 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:45,240 Speaker 2: I said, listen, the world is safer, the world is 544 00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:48,160 Speaker 2: better off. America is safer when we have a strong 545 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:51,000 Speaker 2: commander in chief as compared to a weak commander in 546 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:52,840 Speaker 2: chief as compared to Joe Biden. And I'll tell you 547 00:30:53,240 --> 00:30:55,960 Speaker 2: Trump and I both talked about We both immediately went 548 00:30:55,960 --> 00:30:59,680 Speaker 2: to the same analogy, which was Jimmy Carter when he 549 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:03,320 Speaker 2: in a rescue team to rescue our hostages in Iran 550 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:09,200 Speaker 2: in nineteen seventy nine, and that rescue team crashed in 551 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:12,640 Speaker 2: the desert. Two helicopters crashed into each other, and there 552 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 2: was no opposing fire. They hadn't even gotten there, they 553 00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 2: just crashed and it was at Actually Trump asked me 554 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:22,000 Speaker 2: the following question. He said, do you think Carter would 555 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:25,760 Speaker 2: have lost if those helicopters hadn't crashed? 556 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:26,560 Speaker 3: And I said, I don't know. 557 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,200 Speaker 2: It's a very good question. And he said, or if 558 00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,320 Speaker 2: there hadn't been a hostage crisis. I said, that's a 559 00:31:31,360 --> 00:31:34,040 Speaker 2: really good question. I said, I think Carter lost for 560 00:31:34,120 --> 00:31:37,480 Speaker 2: two big reasons. One, the economy was a disaster and 561 00:31:37,520 --> 00:31:41,040 Speaker 2: he screwed it up badly. And two the incredible weakness 562 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:43,920 Speaker 2: of the hostage crisis. Americans don't like a week president. 563 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:47,240 Speaker 2: I think those two are what elected Ronald Reagan. And 564 00:31:47,640 --> 00:31:49,520 Speaker 2: I told President Trump, I said, we don't have to 565 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:50,600 Speaker 2: go all the way back to Carter. 566 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:52,360 Speaker 3: We can go to Joe Biden. 567 00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:56,240 Speaker 2: Joe Biden lost and you won number one because he 568 00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:59,560 Speaker 2: screwed up the economy, and number two for the same thing. 569 00:31:59,760 --> 00:32:02,560 Speaker 2: Four and policy weakness. And it's why I said that 570 00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:05,920 Speaker 2: President Trump showed so much courage by ordering this attack 571 00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:08,400 Speaker 2: because these things can go wrong. 572 00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:08,600 Speaker 3: Now. 573 00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:10,520 Speaker 2: I think part of the reason the military was so 574 00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:15,360 Speaker 2: effective is he's he's taken the shackles off them and 575 00:32:15,480 --> 00:32:18,000 Speaker 2: let them focused on war fighting, on doing their job, 576 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:20,360 Speaker 2: on being effective. You don't have a bunch of. 577 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:24,040 Speaker 1: Lawyers anymore right before. You don't have a bunch of 578 00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:25,960 Speaker 1: dudes acting like chicks that are trying to get me 579 00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:27,160 Speaker 1: armed forces. 580 00:32:26,920 --> 00:32:29,080 Speaker 3: That that that's exactly right. 581 00:32:29,160 --> 00:32:33,680 Speaker 2: And he allows them to focus on excellence and performing 582 00:32:33,720 --> 00:32:37,040 Speaker 2: their job of keeping this country safe and and and 583 00:32:37,840 --> 00:32:40,840 Speaker 2: it was an extraordinary operation in Venezuela. 584 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:44,760 Speaker 1: It really was. So let's go to Venezuelan now and 585 00:32:44,920 --> 00:32:48,080 Speaker 1: rap with this what is next? And let me just 586 00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:50,800 Speaker 1: I could look at my Twitter feed and I was 587 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 1: on CNN last night and it was the topic of conversation, 588 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,680 Speaker 1: and that is there are a lot of people that 589 00:32:57,800 --> 00:33:01,800 Speaker 1: believe that America First policy that Donald Trump ran on 590 00:33:01,920 --> 00:33:07,120 Speaker 1: was not invading countries and staying indefinitely like Iraq, Afghanistan. 591 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:10,960 Speaker 1: There is a lot of concern. I heard it. You 592 00:33:11,000 --> 00:33:13,560 Speaker 1: probably saw the clip of Lindsey Graham on Air Force 593 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:15,280 Speaker 1: One with the President saying, you know, this is the 594 00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:17,400 Speaker 1: guy that loves to be in these forever wars. And 595 00:33:17,440 --> 00:33:20,000 Speaker 1: there was people that were really concerned with that image 596 00:33:20,320 --> 00:33:22,680 Speaker 1: of if that's who's in his ear. I don't want 597 00:33:22,720 --> 00:33:25,959 Speaker 1: to get bogged down in Venezuela. I don't want our 598 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:28,560 Speaker 1: men and women to be there and the loss of 599 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:32,000 Speaker 1: life to mount and grow because we decide to take 600 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:34,520 Speaker 1: over a country indefinitely. There's a lot of people that 601 00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:37,240 Speaker 1: voted for Trump. They believe that's what he was never 602 00:33:37,400 --> 00:33:38,920 Speaker 1: going to do, and now they're like, well, hold on, 603 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:41,040 Speaker 1: we're here, we're going to take it over. There is 604 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 1: a lot of concerns, So let's dive into that and 605 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:46,600 Speaker 1: talk about what this looks like next to Venezuela. What 606 00:33:46,760 --> 00:33:50,479 Speaker 1: is responsibility, what responsibiity? Do we have to do it 607 00:33:50,560 --> 00:33:53,600 Speaker 1: the right way, but also to not just sit there indefinitely. 608 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:56,520 Speaker 2: Well, listen, first of all, let me be clear, we 609 00:33:56,560 --> 00:34:00,520 Speaker 2: are not at war with Venezuela. This is not a 610 00:34:00,560 --> 00:34:03,840 Speaker 2: forever war. It's not even a war. This was a 611 00:34:03,880 --> 00:34:07,320 Speaker 2: military operation to execute an arrest warrant. It was the 612 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:13,000 Speaker 2: military supporting the FBI and arresting indicted narco terrorists and 613 00:34:13,080 --> 00:34:14,839 Speaker 2: it took a couple of hours and was over. They 614 00:34:14,880 --> 00:34:17,440 Speaker 2: went in, they got them, and they left. That was 615 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:19,440 Speaker 2: the conclusion of the military conflict. 616 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:20,160 Speaker 3: It's not a war. 617 00:34:20,640 --> 00:34:22,640 Speaker 2: It's not as I said, it's not a forever war. 618 00:34:22,680 --> 00:34:24,440 Speaker 2: It was not even a five hour war. It was 619 00:34:24,480 --> 00:34:27,040 Speaker 2: about a two hour war. And I wouldn't even call 620 00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:29,960 Speaker 2: it a war. It was when you go and arrest someone, 621 00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:34,240 Speaker 2: it was an arrest with the military supporting and protecting 622 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:39,560 Speaker 2: the law enforcement officers carrying out the arrest. What happens next. So, 623 00:34:41,120 --> 00:34:45,680 Speaker 2: the day after Maduro was arrested, Delci Rodriguez, who was 624 00:34:45,719 --> 00:34:49,680 Speaker 2: the vice president, was sworn in as the interim president. Now, listen, 625 00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:54,000 Speaker 2: no American should be happy with Delsi Rodriguez as the 626 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:57,200 Speaker 2: president of Venezuela for any extended period of time. And 627 00:34:57,360 --> 00:34:58,880 Speaker 2: I'm going to go into a little bit of background 628 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:01,319 Speaker 2: in terms of who she is and then talk about 629 00:35:01,360 --> 00:35:05,000 Speaker 2: what should happen next. Now, Now, Delsia Rodriguez is a communist. Yes, 630 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:07,880 Speaker 2: she was the vice president. She hates America. Let me 631 00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:12,800 Speaker 2: give you some of her background. She was the vice president. 632 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:18,719 Speaker 2: Before that, she was the oil minister, and she was 633 00:35:18,800 --> 00:35:21,600 Speaker 2: she is a lawyer to like the first lady, and 634 00:35:21,719 --> 00:35:25,360 Speaker 2: she's been in in just about every post she was. Also, 635 00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:29,120 Speaker 2: she was foreign minister, she was President of the Constituent Assembly, 636 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:33,399 Speaker 2: vice president and oil Minister. She was sworn in as 637 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:35,840 Speaker 2: the interim president. You know who swore in? Here's that 638 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:39,560 Speaker 2: her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, who is the head of the 639 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:46,080 Speaker 2: National Assembly. So to understand this is is a corrupt Marxist, 640 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:48,520 Speaker 2: communist America hating woman. 641 00:35:48,560 --> 00:35:50,160 Speaker 3: And let me give you her background. She was born 642 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:50,800 Speaker 3: in Caracas. 643 00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:55,799 Speaker 2: She is the daughter of a Marxist Gorilla leader named 644 00:35:55,880 --> 00:36:01,320 Speaker 2: Jorge Antonio Rodriguez, and she is a rather Her dad 645 00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:03,000 Speaker 2: was a co founder of the Socialist League. 646 00:36:03,520 --> 00:36:06,000 Speaker 3: Her dad was arrested. 647 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:09,640 Speaker 2: In connection with the nineteen seventy six kidnapping of American 648 00:36:09,680 --> 00:36:15,759 Speaker 2: businessman William F. Niehouse and died in police custody, and 649 00:36:17,239 --> 00:36:22,000 Speaker 2: one source said the following that Ordeal is the foundation 650 00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:27,959 Speaker 2: and origin of Delce's hatred of the West and of democracy. 651 00:36:28,920 --> 00:36:34,239 Speaker 2: Her whole background was Marxist and in fact, the source continued, 652 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:38,960 Speaker 2: the Gorilla Marxist element kidnapped at American executive nineteen seventy six. 653 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:43,239 Speaker 2: He was held for three years until authorities located the 654 00:36:43,239 --> 00:36:45,760 Speaker 2: group hiding in the Amazon jungle. 655 00:36:48,080 --> 00:36:50,919 Speaker 3: She is She was. 656 00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:56,560 Speaker 2: Sanctioned by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign asset control. 657 00:36:57,640 --> 00:37:01,440 Speaker 2: Because of her senior role in the Maduau administration, those 658 00:37:01,440 --> 00:37:07,360 Speaker 2: sanctions are still in place. She was also caught transporting 659 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:12,600 Speaker 2: gold illegally into Spain. She had forty bags four zero 660 00:37:12,760 --> 00:37:15,880 Speaker 2: bags full of gold in a private jet as the 661 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:18,719 Speaker 2: vice president, and they put the bags through the X 662 00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:20,520 Speaker 2: ray and they said, wait, you got forty bags full 663 00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:23,080 Speaker 2: of gold, and she was. 664 00:37:23,120 --> 00:37:25,080 Speaker 1: She's like, I'm from Venezuela. This is normal, this is 665 00:37:25,080 --> 00:37:27,600 Speaker 1: how we operate there. I'm the vice president. Right, that's 666 00:37:27,600 --> 00:37:28,200 Speaker 1: some big deal. 667 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:32,840 Speaker 2: Look, she is a communist leader and she is not 668 00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:35,000 Speaker 2: a friend of the West. Now, I will say this 669 00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:39,759 Speaker 2: right now, it appears she's cooperating with the Trump administration. 670 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:43,799 Speaker 2: I'm sure it made an impression seeing Delta for show 671 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:45,040 Speaker 2: up at arrest Madua. 672 00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:45,520 Speaker 3: In the first lady. 673 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:47,359 Speaker 1: Yeah, she could be next. 674 00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:52,880 Speaker 2: She's cooperating right now. We'll see if she continues to cooperate. 675 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:55,279 Speaker 2: By the way, there are multiple reports of violence on 676 00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:57,960 Speaker 2: the ground. There have been reports of potential coups from 677 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:00,680 Speaker 2: other leaders in the government. There is some stability, but 678 00:38:00,719 --> 00:38:03,240 Speaker 2: I'll tell you what needs to happen. No one should 679 00:38:03,239 --> 00:38:07,160 Speaker 2: be happy. Number one. What you said is exactly right. 680 00:38:07,239 --> 00:38:10,319 Speaker 2: We do not want to see an American occupation. We 681 00:38:10,320 --> 00:38:13,200 Speaker 2: don't want to see an extended American presence on the ground, 682 00:38:13,680 --> 00:38:17,480 Speaker 2: and we don't want to see this America hating communists, 683 00:38:19,280 --> 00:38:24,520 Speaker 2: essentially the Madurea regime continuing. What should happen is free 684 00:38:24,520 --> 00:38:27,799 Speaker 2: and fair elections, and free and fair elections. Look, the 685 00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:31,480 Speaker 2: last election we talked about in the last podcast that 686 00:38:32,440 --> 00:38:34,840 Speaker 2: Madua was arrested because he's an arco trafficker, but he 687 00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:38,000 Speaker 2: was also arrested because he's illegitimate because in the last 688 00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:41,919 Speaker 2: election he lost decisively to the opposition party, and yet 689 00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:44,200 Speaker 2: he stayed in power just as a thug and dictator. 690 00:38:44,200 --> 00:38:47,160 Speaker 2: And that was part of the legal basis for why 691 00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:49,600 Speaker 2: we could do this, because he was no longer legitimately 692 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:52,160 Speaker 2: ahead of state and he was not recognized as the 693 00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:54,440 Speaker 2: head of state by the United States, including the Biden 694 00:38:54,480 --> 00:38:59,160 Speaker 2: administration and much of the rest of the world. There 695 00:38:59,239 --> 00:39:01,360 Speaker 2: should be free in fair elections, and I think it 696 00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:05,239 Speaker 2: would be very very good for Venezuela and very very 697 00:39:05,239 --> 00:39:07,840 Speaker 2: good for America if they were to elect a leader 698 00:39:09,239 --> 00:39:13,840 Speaker 2: who who is a pro America, pro free market leader 699 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:18,160 Speaker 2: and Venezuela were to return to being a friend. Particularly 700 00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:21,360 Speaker 2: look one of the big things. They've got the largest 701 00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:23,720 Speaker 2: proven oil reserves of any country in the world. 702 00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:26,800 Speaker 1: And it really is amazing that if you think about 703 00:39:26,960 --> 00:39:29,680 Speaker 1: the amount of oil they have and also gold, that 704 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:32,480 Speaker 1: how quickly they could come out of this. If they 705 00:39:32,560 --> 00:39:35,200 Speaker 1: just didn't have communists running the country like this is 706 00:39:35,600 --> 00:39:37,880 Speaker 1: this would be one of the easiest is. I was 707 00:39:37,880 --> 00:39:40,600 Speaker 1: described today by a banker and he was he was 708 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:43,000 Speaker 1: just trying to put in perspective. He's like, when other 709 00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:45,319 Speaker 1: countries fall, then they need the World Bank. Then he'd 710 00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:46,840 Speaker 1: be able to come in and give him cash and 711 00:39:46,920 --> 00:39:49,960 Speaker 1: and and and and to help just stabilize at the 712 00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:52,839 Speaker 1: bare minimum of the total collapse of their economy. He said, 713 00:39:52,880 --> 00:39:55,560 Speaker 1: if you asked me right now, what country would I 714 00:39:55,640 --> 00:39:57,680 Speaker 1: want to be able to take over based on their 715 00:39:57,719 --> 00:40:00,719 Speaker 1: resources to build them back up the fastest. He was like, 716 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:03,200 Speaker 1: Venezuela is like one of the easiest ones in the 717 00:40:03,239 --> 00:40:06,680 Speaker 1: whole world to do because of how minutes they have 718 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:10,600 Speaker 1: to sell. They could get their economy up and roaring, 719 00:40:10,719 --> 00:40:12,920 Speaker 1: and the people could have a great life. And they 720 00:40:13,040 --> 00:40:14,960 Speaker 1: used to have that. By the way that Venezuela people 721 00:40:15,000 --> 00:40:15,440 Speaker 1: forget that. 722 00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:20,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, remember in nineteen fifty Venezuela had the fourth highest 723 00:40:20,680 --> 00:40:23,760 Speaker 2: GDP per capita in the world. The United States was first, 724 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:27,080 Speaker 2: then Switzerland, then New Zealand, and Venezuela. 725 00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:30,560 Speaker 3: Was number four. That's what these communists screwed up. And listen. 726 00:40:30,719 --> 00:40:33,200 Speaker 2: President Trump has focused a great deal on trying to 727 00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:36,719 Speaker 2: get US oil companies to go and invest in Venezuela 728 00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:37,959 Speaker 2: now to produce the oil. 729 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:38,680 Speaker 3: And even though they have. 730 00:40:38,719 --> 00:40:43,680 Speaker 2: Proven reserves, their infrastructure has collapsed. It's good the corruption 731 00:40:43,840 --> 00:40:48,239 Speaker 2: of the communism. They're not producing what they could, and 732 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:52,000 Speaker 2: to be able to produce will take an investment of 733 00:40:52,239 --> 00:40:56,719 Speaker 2: likely hundreds of billions of dollars. It's not a cheap proposition. Now, 734 00:40:57,400 --> 00:41:00,320 Speaker 2: the oil that will be produced would generate more revenue 735 00:41:00,400 --> 00:41:03,000 Speaker 2: than that. But I'll tell you I actually spent a 736 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:05,759 Speaker 2: good chunk of the day talking to people in the 737 00:41:05,840 --> 00:41:09,680 Speaker 2: energy industry and asking their views on Venezuela. And a 738 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:13,840 Speaker 2: big question that if you're let's say you're the CEO 739 00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:15,840 Speaker 2: of Chevron or the CEO of ex On Mobile, and 740 00:41:15,880 --> 00:41:19,480 Speaker 2: you're trying to decide do I invest tens of billions 741 00:41:19,560 --> 00:41:22,680 Speaker 2: or hundreds of billions? Your number one question is what's 742 00:41:22,719 --> 00:41:25,960 Speaker 2: the government there? Are they stable? Is their rule of law? 743 00:41:26,239 --> 00:41:27,839 Speaker 2: Are they going to protect me or are they going 744 00:41:27,880 --> 00:41:29,680 Speaker 2: to seize am I going to invest one hundred billion 745 00:41:29,719 --> 00:41:32,160 Speaker 2: dollars and they come seize the assets like they did before. 746 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:36,480 Speaker 2: If you don't trust the government there to protect your pity, 747 00:41:37,400 --> 00:41:40,759 Speaker 2: you're not going to invest. And it's why having free 748 00:41:40,760 --> 00:41:43,400 Speaker 2: and fair elections and a stable government that is friends 749 00:41:43,400 --> 00:41:47,279 Speaker 2: of the United States, that that is not Communists is 750 00:41:47,440 --> 00:41:52,239 Speaker 2: critical to the success, uh, not just to Venezuela, but 751 00:41:52,320 --> 00:41:56,799 Speaker 2: to the success of America's relationship with Venezuela. And so 752 00:41:56,920 --> 00:42:00,800 Speaker 2: I will say, you know, there's some folks you're seeing 753 00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:03,040 Speaker 2: people are saying, well, no, no, no, this this was not 754 00:42:03,280 --> 00:42:06,640 Speaker 2: regime change because we just arrested Maduro. But the exact 755 00:42:06,640 --> 00:42:08,760 Speaker 2: same regime is in place. And let me be clear 756 00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:13,120 Speaker 2: this I very much hope will be regime change at 757 00:42:13,160 --> 00:42:16,080 Speaker 2: the ballot box, which is a very different thing. That 758 00:42:16,160 --> 00:42:18,319 Speaker 2: it will be the voters that that there will be 759 00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:20,800 Speaker 2: a free and fair elections and the voters will choose 760 00:42:21,200 --> 00:42:26,080 Speaker 2: We don't want these corrupt Marxist Narco traffickers. We want 761 00:42:26,120 --> 00:42:29,560 Speaker 2: a leader that we choose to represent us and to 762 00:42:29,640 --> 00:42:32,319 Speaker 2: bring us back to prosperity. And if you want prosperity 763 00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:37,680 Speaker 2: in Venezuela. You want free enterprise, you want incentives for 764 00:42:37,840 --> 00:42:41,160 Speaker 2: investment to develop the massive natural resources, and you want 765 00:42:41,160 --> 00:42:43,200 Speaker 2: to trade with the United States of America. And so 766 00:42:43,320 --> 00:42:46,239 Speaker 2: that's the outcome all of us should be rooting for. 767 00:42:46,320 --> 00:42:49,800 Speaker 2: And I believe that's the outcome President Trump is working 768 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:50,840 Speaker 2: very hard to produce. 769 00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:53,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's gonna it's gonna be very interesting to see. 770 00:42:53,560 --> 00:42:55,839 Speaker 1: We're gonna keep covering it. I can promise you that 771 00:42:56,280 --> 00:42:58,360 Speaker 1: don't forget. We did this show Monday, Wednesday Friday, and 772 00:42:58,400 --> 00:43:00,960 Speaker 1: if you miss part one of our deep dive into 773 00:43:01,000 --> 00:43:03,799 Speaker 1: Venezuela and what has happened, make sure you go back 774 00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:07,360 Speaker 1: and grab Monday's podcast wherever you get your podcasts, And 775 00:43:07,520 --> 00:43:10,040 Speaker 1: also you can watch your episodes on YouTube. Subscribe to 776 00:43:10,080 --> 00:43:12,920 Speaker 1: channel there. It's free. Also on Facebook, you can do 777 00:43:12,920 --> 00:43:14,839 Speaker 1: that as well. Follow The Center and Night on x 778 00:43:14,880 --> 00:43:16,440 Speaker 1: and we will keep you up to date on everything 779 00:43:16,480 --> 00:43:17,880 Speaker 1: going on in the world and The Center and I 780 00:43:17,880 --> 00:43:19,480 Speaker 1: will see you back here Friday morning.