Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) hosts a podcast that drops three times per week. He has recently come under fire from Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) for being a “content machine” instead of a legislative machine, but Cruz argued that his podcast is a valuable way to reach citizens who live in his district.
During an interview with Business Insider about Allred’s criticism, Cruz claimed the content he is producing is part of his duties and responsibilities as a public servant.
“Congressman Allred’s idea that communicating with voters is somehow separate from the job is a bizarre and frankly silly idea,” said Cruz. “The podcast is an incredibly valuable tool to explain the issues facing America.”
Cruz continued by saying hosting a podcast allows him opportunities other mediums don’t present.
“If you go do a TV hit, which I do every week, you’re on for six, eight minutes. You have a soundbite or two, and there’s value to that, but you can’t really sit down and explain an issue in substance,” said Cruz. “What I like about the podcast is sometimes the podcast is 20-30 minutes, sometimes it’s an hour, depends on what the issue is.”
The senator moved his podcast to the iHeartMedia portfolio in October of last year. He had previously hosted the program with The Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles. According to Chartable.com, Verdict with Ted Cruz is the 224th most popular podcast in all genres on Apple Podcasts, while sitting in the 7th place in the political genre.
