Wednesday night on CNN, Prime Time host Chris “Fredo” Cuomo faced perhaps his strongest interviewee in eons in the form of Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), who spent 20 minutes completely disemboweling the condescending, far-left, and pompous hack on everything from the economy to coronavirus to CNN’s Trump Derangement Syndrome to the election to vile extremists.
But most damaging of all, Cruz repeatedly left Cuomo journalistically compromised by calling out the deadly New York nursing home policy implemented by his brother and Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo.
The full transcript can be found here (you’re welcome, America), but we’ll go through some highlights (even though a thorough dissection would require multiple posts). Cruz was on to promote his Supreme Court book One Vote Away, but that was hardly the topic de jure.
Cuomo led off with this notion that President Trump has vocally endorsed white supremacist groups and, as we would see throughout the affair, Cruz threw him off his game with facts. On this issue, it was Biden eulogizing former Senator and onetime KKK leader Robert Byrd (D-WV), which Cuomo denounced as a “weak ass argument.”
Instead of digging in on that, Cuomo moved to Cruz’s 2016 feud with Trump and wondered why he would support such an administration. Cruz replied by remarking that “[t]here was a time when CNN cared about being journalistic and talking about facts,” but that’s gone as “Donald Trump broke you guys.”
“I mean, you’re just — [y]our entire show, your entire network now is just how much you hate Trump,” he added.
Cuomo continued rehashing 2016, so Cruz replied with the obvious that “you hate the President,” which Cuomo countered with this pants-on-fire lie: “I do not hate the President. You are too smart to say something that stupid. I respect him as President. I want better for this country[.]”
Really? Go take a trip over to our tag of Cuomo Prime Time and let us know if you think otherwise.
The feud found its way over to the coroanvirus pandemic and, when Cuomo went immediately to mocking red states as disasters, Cruz talked about their lower death rates and how he introduced legislation to help businesses obtain testing, but the juvenile CNNer mocked his effort by invoking the time he read Green Eggs and Ham during an ObamaCare filibuster (click “expand”):
CUOMO: And you know why it was wrong for him to tell your governor he was doing the right thing when he wasn't. And he had to learn the hard way? Same in Georgia, same in Florida. Testing, Ted. Testing. Testing, Ted.
(....)
CRUZ: I get that your show wants to attack Texas, and Florida, and Georgia, because they have Republican governors. We have also had much, much lower death rates than many other parts of the country. And — and — and — and it’s — it's political, the attacks you're making. I think what we should be focused on, yes, testing, I'm a big proponent of testing. We need to do more testing.
CUOMO: Right. Why don't we?
CRUZ: But we need people to go back to work.
CUOMO: Why don't we —
CRUZ: And —
CUOMO: — do the testing so people can go back to work? Why don’t we do the testing so kids can go to school?
CRUZ: Well, I’ll tell you. I've introduced actual legislation in the Senate —
CUOMO: Oh, have you?
CRUZ: — in — in the Senate to create a tax credit for employers to test their employees —
CUOMO: Oh, what happened to that?
CRUZ: — on a weekly basis.
CUOMO: Why haven't you guys voted on it?
CRUZ: Well, the Democrats are blocking voting on everything. They've filibustered legislation multiple times. I don't think either Pelosi or Schumer actually want anything to pass because they —
CUOMO: Have they read Green Eggs —
CRUZ: — decided —
CUOMO: — and Ham? By the way, have they tried that one or no? They’re just saving that for you? Right?
CRUZ: Chris, do — do — do you actually want to talk substance or —
CUOMO: We are talking —
CRUZ: — just insults?
CUOMO: — substance. I just like to call out the hypocrisy when it's there, because the audience heads stay on straight that way.
CRUZ: All — alright —
CUOMO: Cause they’re not — this is the Green Eggs and Ham guy. Is he talking about filibustering? You know, that’s what this show is. But I have to tell you, to cheapen it by saying I want to take political shots about COVID, you know I had it, you know my wife had it, you know my kid had it. You know I network with people all over this country who are still suffering with it. You know I hate that kids aren't in school or your staff should have told you I talk about it every night. It couldn't be less political for me. I don't want people to get sick.
With Cuomo having made clear he wants to come across more like a prepubescent kid upset he had his toys taken away, Cruz called out liberals like himself for tying coronavirus deaths to Republicans.
It was here that Cruz brought up Fredo’s brother and New York having the worst death rate in America. In response, Cuomo defied reality in proclaiming that “New York’s record will stand for itself” and took pot shots at Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) (click “expand”):
CRUZ: There is something disgusting that Democrats are doing, that Joe Biden does, and you do —
CUOMO: Really?
CRUZ: — which is you try to blame the — the people who have lost their lives —
CUOMO: Mmm.
CRUZ: — on your political enemies and that's just not —
CUOMO: No.
CRUZ: — right. It’s —
CUOMO: No.
CRUZ: — not right at all.
CUOMO: I'm saying that —
CRUZ: And it’s particularly —
CUOMO: — when you —
CRUZ: — not right —
CUOMO: — when you hear —
CRUZ: — when —
CUOMO: — 200,000 people die, you don't say it is what it is. I’m saying —
CRUZ: — but you know what?
CUOMO: — that when you could —
CRUZ: It’s particularly —
CUOMO: — have slowed it down —
CRUZ: — not right, Chris —
CUOMO: — you didn’t, you own it.
CRUZ: — when your brother has presided over the state with the highest death rate in the country. And —
CUOMO: New York's record —
CRUZ: — I’m not —
CUOMO: — will stand —
CRUZ: And I’m not —
CUOMO: — for itself.
CRUZ: — I know your brother didn't want those people —
CUOMO: Oh yeah?
CRUZ: — to lose their lives but you shouldn't play politics —
CUOMO: Oh, that’s good.
CRUZ: — with these stats.
CUOMO: Oh, you don't think he intentionally killed them? That’s good.
CRUZ: No, of course not.
CUOMO: That’s mature of you, Ted.
CRUZ: Of course not, but I do think —
CUOMO: That's must be the Christian —
CRUZ: — that we can have a —
CUOMO: — in you.
CRUZ: — a very reasonable policy discussion about the policy mistakes in New York and New Jersey of sending COVID positive patients into nursing homes. I think that was a very serious policy mistake.
(....)
CRUZ: Chris, was it a mistake — was it a mistake when your brother implemented a policy that nursing homes had to except COVID positive patients and endanger the lives of tens —
CUOMO: My brother was the first —
CRUZ: — of thousands of seniors —
CUOMO: — one to say —
CRUZ: — in New York State?
CUOMO: — that there was a learning curve and that mistakes were made and they changed things as soon as they could.
CRUZ: But —
CUOMO: Now —
CRUZ: — don't be a hypocrite —
CUOMO: I could write —
CRUZ: — about it.
CUOMO: — that off as —
CRUZ: Then — then —
CUOMO: — a political attack —
CRUZ: — then don’t claim —
CUOMO: — right?
CRUZ: — and I’m —
CUOMO: I could ask you — I could ask you —
CRUZ: Look —
CUOMO: — questions about only things that have to do with your family, but I'm not going to do that[.]
Cruz steered things back to substance with the costs of lockdowns and job layoffs as exhibited by the tens of thousands at Disney, which were largely tied to California attractions remaining closed while Florida’s have opened.
Cuomo expressed annoyance with such logic and dismissed it as political despite Cruz reminding him that such layoffs ruin lives.
Fredo asked Cruz what should states do “when people are getting sick” and thus business must be closed, but Cruz hit back with this zinger: “Well, you you don't send them to nursing homes. You don't send them to nursing homes.”
Since Cuomo was there to try and denigrate, Cruz decided to continue down the path on the record of blue states and whether Cuomo was “trouble[d]...that New York and New Jersey had the highest death rates in the country.”
The CNN hack said it did, but instead of wondering why that was (other than blaming Trump), his inner Mean Girl came out with more schoolyard taunting about what else upsets him. Later, the giant Q-tip guy would insist he was merely shouting at Cruz “to match your own, because you want to play games” (click “expand”):
CUOMO: And to watch guys like you standby and —
CRUZ: — but, Chris, does —
CUOMO: — stroke your beard —
CRUZ: — it make you think —
CUOMO: — like a wiseman instead of telling —
CRUZ: — Chris —
CUOMO: — the president to get on it, when you have power —
CRUZ: — Chris —
CUOMO: — is a problem —
CRUZ: — how about telling your brother to get on it? And how about —
CUOMO: My brother will stand on his own —
CRUZ: — thinking about —
CUOMO: — record.
CRUZ: — public policy.
CUOMO: Why don't you talk to the President the way you talk to my brother, Ted? You afraid of him? You think he’ll smack you down at home?
CRUZ: Oh, yeah.
CUOMO: Is that what it is —
CRUZ: I’m terrified —
CUOMO: — like he shut you up in the primary?
CRUZ: — of the Cuomo’s. You guys are really tough.
CUOMO: I’m not the Cuomo’s. I’m talking about the President. My brother's not the President. I'm talking about the President.
(....)
CRUZ: [Y]ou actually wonder why you don't have a lot of Republicans that want to come on your show —
CUOMO: I have more than any —
CRUZ: — cause you come here and scream at me —
CUOMO: — other show.
CRUZ: — you yell at me and insult —
CUOMO: I’m not —
CRUZ: — insult me.
CUOMO: I'm not yelling at you —
CRUZ: — and that’s fine.
CUOMO: I'm raising my voice to match your own, because you want to play games, Ted —
CRUZ: And you were yelling at me and insulting me —
CUOMO: — and people are dying.
CRUZ: — that — that — that's okay, Chris. I — you're perfectly fine to scream and yell because, you know what?
CUOMO: Oh, but you don't?
CRUZ: You're doing it because you don't want to discuss the substance, like —
CUOMO: I had you on —
CRUZ: — you invited me to be on the show —
CUOMO: — to discuss these things.
CRUZ: — to actually talk about the Supreme Court and talk about the book, One Vote Away. And instead, you just want to repeat insults over and over and over again.
CUOMO: Oh, but you're not?
CRUZ: Let’s actually talk about the Supreme —
CUOMO: You just bring up —
CRUZ: — Court.
CUOMO: — my brother for half the interview because you're a fair guy?
CRUZ: Well, you —
CUOMO: You play it so straight down —
CRUZ: — you —
CUOMO: — the middle.
CRUZ: — you were just —
CUOMO: — right?
CRUZ: — you were just playing in a biased way attacking —
CUOMO: Because the President –
CRUZ: — Texas, Florida —
CUOMO: — cause the President’s not atop —
CRUZ: — and Georgia —
CUOMO: — the food chain?
CRUZ: — coincidentally happen to be Republican states —
CUOMO: Huh.
CRUZ: — the death rates — they are markedly worse[.]
Cuomo eventually steered the rhetorical cage match to a conclusion and on the liberal media-fueled fear Trump won't leave office if he loses, but in the final few moments on COVID, he falsely claimed that Biden never called the administration's China travel ban “xenophobic.” Seeing as how he bet Cruz dinner that Biden never said that, the Texas junior senator should start looking at restaurants as, despite claims from so-called fact-checkers, Biden did say it.
Cuomo's lies, meltdowns, and venom were made possible by advertisers such as Jeep, Liberty Mutual, Qunol, and SoFi. Follow the links to the MRC's Conservatives Fight Back page.
