CONVERSATION WITH THE PRESIDENT.

WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING WITH US.

JOINING US LIVE FROM WASHINGTON,

SENATOR TED CRUZ.

GOOD TO HAVE YOU ON THE PROGRAM.

WELCOME BACK.

HERE'S MY TAKE, SENATOR, AND I

THINK IT'S FAIRLY SIMPLE.

YOU DON'T GET TO SHOOT AMERICAN

DRONES OUT OF THE SKY.

YOU DON'T GET TO TAKE AN

AMERICAN HOSTAGE TO DISRUPT THE

LIFEBLOOD OF THE WORLD'S ECONOM

ECONOMY.

YOU DON'T GET TO BE THE NUMBER

ONE STATE SPONSOR OF TERROR.

YOU DON'T FIGHT PROXY WARS.

YOU DON'T GET TO TAKE OVER THE

ENTIRE REGION AND THREATENED TO

WIPE ISRAEL OFF THE MAP WITHOUT

EXPECTING A RESPONSE.

I DON'T WANT A WAR.

I DON'T THINK YOU DO EITHER,

SENATOR.

BUT THERE HAS TO BE A RESPONSE,

DOESN'T THEIR CUSTOMERS THINK OF

NO, SEAN, I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY

RIGHT.

IRAN IS EXCEPTIONALLY DANGEROUS.

TAKING SOLEIMANI OUT, HE WAS THE

MOST DANGEROUS TERRORIST IN THE

WORLD.

THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TELLS

US THAT HE WAS DIRECTLY

RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DADS OF AT

LEAST 603 U.S. SERVICEMEN AND

WOMEN.

HE HAS DIRECTED TERROR GROUPS

ACROSS THE WORLD, TARGETING

AMERICANS, TARGETING CIVILIANS.

IF WE LOOK AT THIS MISSILE

ATTACK, THEY ARE TARGETING OUR

BASES.

BUT I WILL SAY THIS AND I THINK

WHAT YOU CAUTIONED IN YOUR

OPENING MONOLOGUE IS EXACTLY

RIGHT.

WE ARE NOT GOING TO GET INTO AN

EXTENDED LAND WAR IN THE

MIDDLE EAST.

WE ARE NOT GOING TO DO IT.

WHEN YOU SEE DEMOCRATS AND THE

MEDIA LIGHTING THEIR HAIR ON

FIRE AND SAYING THAT WE ARE

HEADED TO WORLD WAR III, THIS IS

HYSTERIA DRIVEN BY THE FACT THAT

THEY HATE DONALD TRUMP, BECAUSE

IT USED TO BE THE CASE THAT WE

COULD ALL COME TOGETHER AND SAY

THAT WHEN THERE'S A TERRORIST

WAS TARGETING AMERICA, IN THIS

CASE, SOLEIMANI, HAD JUST

DIRECTED AN ATTACK ON THE

U.S. EMBASSY IN RECENT DAYS,

THAT TAKING OUT A TERRORIST IS A

GOOD THING?

I COMMEND PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR

FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES OF PEACE

AND RESTRAINT BUT AT THE SAME

TIME, WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE

SENDING OUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS

INTO HARM'S WAY FOR AN EXTENDED

LAND BATTLE IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

>> Sean: ONE OF THE THINGS WE

SHOULD BE THANKFUL FOR LIVING IN

THE GREATEST COUNTRY GOD ABOVE

EVER GAVE MAN, THIS COUNTRY, THE

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, OUR

GREAT MILITARY AND OUR

SOPHISTICATED WEAPONRY, ONE OF

THE THINGS THAT WE CAN CONFIRM

IS THAT THE IRANIAN ECONOMY HAS

BEEN IMPACTED GREATLY.

WHOEVER THOUGHT OF THE FACT OF

BRIBING KIM JONG UN WOULD WORK?

THE QUESTION IS THIS.

THEY HAVE THREE MAJOR REFINERIES

IN IRAN, SENATOR.

THREE.

I WOULD IMAGINE THOSE REFINERIES

BLEW UP ONE DAY.

THEY GOT THEMSELVES A DOMESTIC

PROBLEM, BECAUSE THAT'S GOING TO

RESULT IN MAJOR POVERTY FOR THE

PEOPLE OF IRAN.

IF THEY WANT REGIME CHANGE,

THAT'S UP TO THEM.

MAYBE WE COULD HELP THEM WITH

ARMS AND HELP THEM IN SOME WAYS,

BUT WE ARE NOT SENDING OUR SONS

AND DAUGHTERS THERE.

>> I THINK YOU'VE SEEN A

DRAMATIC SHIFT.

UNDER BARACK OBAMA, THE POLICY

WAS APPEASEMENT.

THE POLICY WAS TO GIVE OVER

$100 BILLION TO IRAN.

THEY LITERALLY FLEW $1.7 BILLION

IN CASH IN UNMARKED BILLS IN THE

DEAD OF NIGHT INTO IRAN IN A

VERY REAL SENSE, THE MISSILES

THAT WE SAW FIRED OR

PAID FOR BY THE BILLIONS THE

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION FIRED

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION GIRED

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION GAVED

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION GAVE THE

AYATOLLAH.

LET ME SAY, THE LAST THREE

YEARS, I'VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME

WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP, URGING HIM

TO PULL OUT OF OBAMA'S

DISASTROUS IRAN DEAL.

HE DID THAT.

HE TOOK ON HIS OWN STATE

DEPARTMENT AND MADE THE RIGHT

DECISION THERE.

WE HAD WAIVERS IN PLACE THAT

WERE ALLOWING IRAN TO SELL

1 MILLION BARRELS A DAY IN OIL.

THE PRESIDENT AGREED AND ENDED

THOSE WAIVERS.

SO, THE EFFECTS OF THESE

SANCTIONS IS HAVING A REAL

EFFECT.

BUT WE NEED TO STAND UP TO THE

AYATOLLAH.

IT'S A RADICAL RELIGIOUS ZEALOT.

HE HATES AMERICA.

HE LITERALLY CHANTS "DEATH TO

AMERICA" HE CALLS ISRAEL THE

LITTLE SATAN AND AMERICA THE

GREAT SATAN.

THE WAY TO DEAL WITH THEM IS NOT

THROUGH WEAKNESS, BUT THROUGH

STRENGTH.

WE SAW THAT IN TAKING OUT

SOLEIMANI THIS PAST WEEK.

>> Sean: YOU ARE RIGHT.

I KIND OF KEEP SAYING OVER AND

OVER AGAIN THAT YOU WANT TO WHAT

THE COUNTRY OFF THE MAP AND THAT

WOULD BE ISRAEL.

THEY ARE THE LITTLE SATAN AND WE

ARE THE BIG SATAN.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT IDEOLOGY

THAT YOU ARE RIGHTLY DESCRIBING

EVER GOT A HOLD OF NUCLEAR

WEAPONS?

DO YOU HAVE ANY DOUBT, BECAUSE I

DON'T, THAT THEY WOULD MARRY

THAT IDEOLOGY WITH THE WEAPONS,

AND THE WORLD COULD FACE A

HOLOCAUST OF MONUMENTAL

PROPORTIONS?

WE DID LOSE OVER 100 MILLION

SOULS.

>> I THINK YOU ARE EXACTLY

RIGHT.

IT'S WHY I'VE SAID FOR MANY

YEARS THAT THE BIGGEST NATIONAL

SECURITY THREAT FACING AMERICA

IS THE THREAT OF A NUCLEAR IRAN.

THE RISKS ARE UNACCEPTABLY HIGH,

THAT WE WOULD FIND THAT OUT

THROUGH A MUSHROOM CLOUD.

I'M NOT WILLING TO ROLL THOSE

DICE.

A THEOCRATIC LUNATIC SHOULD NOT

BE ALLOWED TO ACQUIRE NUCLEAR

WEAPONS.

WE STOP FUNDING IT.

WE STOP THE DEAL FUNDING THEM

WITH BILLIONS.

BUT WE NEED TO BE ABSOLUTELY

UNEQUIVOCAL THAT HE WILL NOT GET

NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

TONIGHT COULD HAVE PLAYED OUT

VERY DIFFERENTLY.

YOU COULD LITERALLY BE SEEN

MILLIONS OF CASUALTIES.

THAT'S NOT A RISK WE SHOULD

ALLOW.

WE HAVE AIR POWER.

WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO PROJECT

FORCEFULLY ECONOMIC SANCTIONS.

THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF STOPS

SHORT OF SENDING IN THE MARINES

AND OUR MISSION SHOULD NOT

BECOME A SOMETIMES REPUBLICANS

HAVE GOTTEN OFF TRACK AND

THOUGHT THAT OUR MISSION SHOULD

BE TO TURN FOREIGN COUNTRIES

INTO DEMOCRATIC UTOPIAS.

I DON'T WANT TO TURN IRAN INTO

SWITZERLAND.

I THINK IT WOULD BE A WONDERFUL

THING FOR THE IRANIAN PEOPLE IF

THEY OVERTHREW THE AYATOLLAH AND

IF THEY ENDED THIS TYRANNY AND

OPPRESSION --

>> Sean: BUT WE ARE NOT DOING

IT.

>> IT'S NOT THE JOB OF OUR

SOLDIERS TO GO IN AND DO THAT.