NBC "Meet the Press" - Transcript Interview with Ted Cruz

Interview

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CHUCK TODD:

And joining me now is Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. He's a member, of course, of the Senate Judiciary Committee and he's the author of a new book, One Vote Away: How a Single Supreme Court Seat Can Change History. Senator Cruz, congratulations on the book and welcome back to Meet the Press, sir.

SEN. TED CRUZ:

Chuck, thank you, good morning. Good to be with you.

CHUCK TODD:

Thank you. Let me start with, you've heard a little bit of what the president did over the last week, pulling -- getting out of talks with Congress and Covid relief, pulling back in. Pulling out of the debates, trying to get back in. It's been a whirlwind, perhaps to be charitable. Do you believe the president's behavior is helping the Republican Party right it's ship right now?

SEN. TED CRUZ:

Well, I will say, first of all, I'm certainly grateful that the president has recovered from Covid. It was a scary several days when you had both the president and first lady diagnosed and sick. The entire country was lifting them up in prayer that they would get healthy. We need a strong president. We need a healthy president. I can tell you in the last week, I've spoken to the president twice since he came home from the hospital. And on the phone, he sounds strong, he sounds energetic. And I'm grateful that the doctors were able to treat him and that he is getting healthy. That is a very good thing.

CHUCK TODD:

Yeah. I'm sorry. Go ahead.

SEN. TED CRUZ:

As I was going to say, look, as for the rest, we're less than a month out from Election Day. It's the wild and woolly world of politics now, where both sides are taking shots at each other. And both sides are trying to turn voters out. And I guess we'll get the answer to that on November 3rd.

CHUCK TODD:

You seemed to sound the alarm late last week in an interview with CNBC that you were worried about a complete sweep. What is it specifically that you believe has put you in a situation where you could lose everything, the White House, the Senate, down the line?

SEN. TED CRUZ:

Well, you know, a lot of the headlines out of that interview caught half of what I said. So the point I made is that I think there's an incredible volatility in politics, right now. The delta between possible outcomes is as wide as I've ever seen. So I said, "Look, I think there's a scenario, I believe President Trump can win. In fact, I believe he can have a significant victory and Republicans could take both houses of Congress. But I also think it's possible that we see a Democratic sweep where they win everything and it is a victory of Watergate proportions." And I don't recall an election in my life with the spread, the delta between those two possible outcomes, this close to an election being that wide. And Chuck, I think the outcome really turns on two things. Number one, it turns on optimism. If people are optimistic and hopeful about the future, if they're going back to work, that will be a factor in a very good election for Republicans.

If they're pessimistic and depressed and hopeless, that will help the Democrats. And number two, turnout. As you know, historically, we have two kinds of elections, persuasion elections and turnout elections. Persuasion election, you're fighting over a small band of voters in the middle who are undecided. Turnout elections, both sides are trying to turn out their base. I think this is a turnout election. I think the hard left is showing up, no matter what. They hate the president. And the big open question is, does everybody else show up? I hope that they do. I'm working hard to turn everyone else out. If people turn out, it'll be a good election for Republicans. If people stay home, if they're demoralized, that's how we get into a terrible election.

CHUCK TODD:

I want to get your reaction to something that the majority leader, Mitch McConnell, said this week about the way the White House handles the virus. Take a listen.

[BEGIN TAPE]

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL:

I can tell you I haven't been in the White House since August the 6th and I personally didn't feel that they were approaching the protection from this illness in the same way that I thought was appropriate for the Senate.

[END TAPE]

CHUCK TODD:

Senator Cruz, I know you haven't, I think, been to the White House since the Middle East announcements and those peace agreements with Israel. Do you have -- do you share the same concern as Senator McConnell when it comes to the White House versus the United States Senate?

SEN. TED CRUZ:

Look, I think the White House has put serious measures in place to keep people safe. I know for months, the standing rule has been that anyone meeting with the president has to get Covid tested that day. So I've had multiple tests when I've gone over to the White House. And every person in the room has been tested. It's, frankly, the only place you go where every person in the room is tested. As you noted, the last time I went to the White House was for the announcement of the historic Middle East peace deal between Israel and the UAE. That was on the South Lawn. It was outside in chairs. And that was really a piece of history. And so, listen, any time you do anything right now in this age of pandemic, there is some risk of getting sick. We're fighting this pandemic. We're fighting it hard. But it remains a serious threat. And I think we need to continue battling, battling the virus and doing what we can to keep people safe, but at the same time I don't think we should shut the entire country down, close every small business, destroy people's jobs. And so there's a balance we've got to find. A balance that reflects common sense. I think that's where most Americans are. I know it's where most Texans are.

CHUCK TODD:

I want to ask you about these Judiciary Committee hearings, but first, the safety of it. Senator Joni Ernst from Iowa, she said that she thinks it's a good idea if everybody did get a test before the confirmation hearings in Judiciary. As she said, "Look, if we're going to be working in close proximity over long hours, it's probably not a bad idea." Do you think it would be prudent if everybody got tested, considering, look, you're self-quarantining right now because of Mike Lee?

SEN. TED CRUZ:

Well, listen, I think all the senators are following the guidance of the attending physician at the Capitol. As for me personally, as you noted, I'm at the tail end of a self-quarantine. I got tested. I came out negative. And I am spending two weeks sitting here in my apartment in D.C., actually frustratingly enough, away from Heidi, away from the girls. But I want to do what is reasonable and beneficial to protect the safety of others. When you look at the hearing, I mean, the Senate has had about 150 hearings that have been either remote or hybrid. At this point, in the age of Covid, the Senate's gotten pretty good at this. I think most of the senators are likely to be physically present. Some may participate via virtual interaction with Judge Barrett. And starting tomorrow, I think we're going to have a full and fair hearing and it's going to be an opportunity to consider Judge Barrett's qualifications. I hope it doesn't go down the road it went last time. I hope we don't see Senate Democrats turning it into a political circus like they did with Justice Kavanaugh. I hope we don't see the kind of personal smears, smears directed at her family, directed at her faith. If the discussions next week are about her record and her jurisprudence and her fitness to be a judge, great, that's what the Senate should be doing. If it becomes personal attacks, I very much hope the Democrats refrain from doing that.

CHUCK TODD:

Just a button. Are you open to having everybody get tested before the hearing begins though?

SEN. TED CRUZ:

I think we should follow the guidance of the Capitol physicians. Look, one of the realities on this question, and it's on every question that comes up, is the instant this vacancy occurred, the instant Justice Ginsburg passed away, Senate Democrats were united in saying, "Do not fill this vacancy. Do not fill this vacancy." And so at every step, they're arguing for whatever will delay things. And their objective is just delay beyond Election Day. I understand why they're doing it. They have --

CHUCK TODD:

So you think the call for testing is a delay, is a delay tactic?

SEN. TED CRUZ:

I think they are looking for anything to delay things even a day, or two, or three. And I think that Senate Republicans will follow the guidance, the medical guidance, of the Capitol physician. We'll go through -- we've managed to have hearings for months in a way that has been safe and has protected everyone's safety. We do it socially distanced. We do it following medical guidance, and we'll continue following the medical guidance. But the delay tactics of the Democrats aren't going to work. And I think we're going to see, by the way, some more procedural games and shenanigans. I don't know what they're going to do, whether it's try to boycott meetings or try to impeach the president. But I think they're going to try to do something to delay it. It's not going to work. I believe we have the votes. And I believe Judge Barrett, on the merits, is going to be confirmed, and confirmed by the end of the month before Election Day.

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CHUCK TODD:

Senator Ted Cruz, Republican from Texas. Thank you for coming on and sharing your perspective with us this morning. I appreciate it.

SEN. TED CRUZ:

Chuck, thank you. I appreciate it. I've got to note briefly, the book on the Supreme Court, number one bestseller in the country on Amazon. So if you want to know --

CHUCK TODD:

Well, there you go. Congratulations.

SEN. TED CRUZ:

-- happening at the court, it's a good way to do it.

CHUCK TODD:

You've got it. You got your book plug in. Thank you, Senator.

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