BONUS: On the Ground with President Bukele in El Salvador plus Cracker Barrel Surrenders

Aug 28, 2025

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In this bonus episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz:

Cruz’s Visit to El Salvador
- Cruz is in El Salvador meeting with President Nayib Bukele, government officials, U.S. military, and embassy staff.
- He describes dramatic changes in safety under Bukele’s leadership—highlighting the crackdown on gangs, mass arrests of MS-13 members, and construction of a mega-prison.
- Cruz emphasizes the murder rate dropping from the highest in the world (100 per 100,000 in 2015) to 1.9 per 100,000 in 2024, a 98% decrease.
- He contrasts Bukele’s tough-on-crime approach with U.S. cities that, in his view, are paralyzed by progressive policies.
- Cruz stresses that security improvements are also prompting reverse migration: Salvadorans in the U.S. are reportedly returning home.
MS-13 and U.S. Politics
- They discuss Kamar Abrego Garcia, an MS-13 member from Maryland involved in human trafficking and domestic abuse, who is facing deportation.
- Cruz criticizes Democrats, particularly Senator Chris Van Hollen, for being sympathetic to such individuals instead of supporting law and order.
- This segment is framed as an example of Democrats prioritizing criminals over public safety.
Cracker Barrel & “Go Woke, Go Broke”
- Cruz and Ferguson mock Cracker Barrel’s recent rebranding decisions, claiming the company abandoned its traditional customer base for “woke” marketing strategies.
- They compare the backlash to similar situations with Bud Light and Target, noting plummeting stock prices and customer revolt.
- Cruz highlights investor warnings that leadership ignored, framing the reversal as a victory for conservative consumer pushback.

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