Ted Cruz claims Buttigieg running against Biden because his 'cadence' is 'mimicking Barack Obama'

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said that he believes Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will challenge President Joe Biden for the presidency in 2024 because his "cadence" sounds like former President Barack Obama.

In a podcast recorded on Sunday, Cruz commented on a CNN interview with Buttigieg about a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon.

"Just something I noticed listening to that — did you pick up on Buttigieg's cadence?" Cruz asked his co-host. "He is mimicking Barack Obama."

Using a robotic voice, Cruz repeated some of Buttigieg's quotes.

"He's doing this speed up and pause; speed up and pause," Cruz observed. "And Buttigieg didn't use to speak that way. I think he's getting ambitions of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. And there's no real mystery about that. But it is a little amazing, given the trainwreck he's presided over at the Department of Transportation for two years, that his ambitions have soared so high."

Cruz, a failed presidential candidate, acknowledged that he should focus on the "substance of what he said and not the amusing cadence and affectation that he's put on."

Listen to the audio clip below from The Verdict with Ted Cruz.