Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz told "Axios on HBO" he doesn't think the Trump campaign's focus on the Biden family's business dealings are having any sway with voters.
The big picture: After watching the Trump-Biden debate with "Axios on HBO" on Thursday night, Cruz said he thought Trump had done very well. But when asked whether he thought voters were moved by the release of the Hunter Biden emails, Cruz replied, "I don't think it moves a single voter."
- Cruz also said that "one of Biden's best points was when he said, 'All of these attacks back and forth about my family and his family, they don't matter. What matters is your family.'"
Why it matters: Cruz is not alone in this view. One of Trump's top advisers told me he had urged Trump to stop talking about anything to do with Hunter Biden, Hillary Clinton's emails or "Russiagate" and to instead focus solely on the economy.
- "I think we should be unifying, we should be explaining, we should be lifting people up," Cruz said. "I think it's a turnout election. But my assessment of turnout is the left is showing up no matter what. That those who hate Trump will crawl over broken glass to vote against him."
- "The big unknown in this election is: Is everyone else gonna show up?"
Highlights from our interview:
1) The gender gap: We discussed why women have abandoned the Republican Party in droves. Asked why men find Trump much more appealing than women do, Cruz replied, "Why do men like pro wrestling more than women do?" (Cruz acknowledged he thinks the party’s "tone and rhetoric has alienated some women.")
2) The national debt: We had a lively exchange on the Republican Party's hypocrisy on the issue.
3) The Supreme Court: I asked Cruz how he reconciles his 2016 view that it was fine to hold the Supreme Court at eight justices throughout a Hillary Clinton presidency, if necessary, with his current view that it's essential to confirm a ninth justice to prevent a "constitutional crisis."