In the first of five episodes, Cruz offered scenes from the Senate floor, saying that he could see the senators’ “eyes glazing over” because Democratic House impeachment managers repeated their arguments. He added that even reporters didn’t stick around.

“Like everyone had left and said ‘ok, I don't know what's going on here but I'm bored out of my mind,” he recalled.

The podcast is only the latest in Cruz’s defense of Trump throughout the impeachment trial. In addition to the podcast, the Texas Republican often stops at the Senate subways to deliver his take on the trial and also goes on cable TV to defend the president while condemning the House managers' case. And he’s pitched the idea of witness reciprocity to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), arguing that if Democrats subpoena former national security adviser John Bolton, Republicans should get to subpoena Hunter Biden, vice president Joe Biden’s son.

For Cruz, the defense of the president is a stark contrast from his 2016 presidential campaign, when he described Trump as a “pathological liar,” a “narcissist” and a “bully.” Meanwhile Trump dubbed Cruz with the nickname “Lyin’ Ted,” insulted Cruz’s wife and sought to link his father — with no evidence — to conspiracy theories about President John F. Kennedy’s assassination.

But that’s well in the past now.

Cruz’s commentary around the impeachment trial is also a way for him to flex his knowledge and analysis of constitutional issues. A graduate of Harvard Law School and former law clerk for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Cruz led the law firm Morgan Lewis’ Supreme Court and national appellate litigation practice before coming to the Senate. Cruz argues that the House impeachment case does not meet the impeachment criteria for high crimes and misdemeanors.

“There’s a reason much of America has checked out from the constant droning of the impeachment trial,” Cruz said. “Both sides understand that this has been a partisan exercise by House Democrats rather than a genuine use of constitutional authorities.”

Cruz is also using the podcast as a platform to provide advice to Trump’s lawyers, who began their opening arguments Saturday and will continue their defense Monday. In an episode over the weekend, Cruz suggested that Trump’s lawyers attack the Biden family. Hunter Biden has come under scrutiny for his role on the board of Ukrainian gas company Burisma while his father was vice president and working on issues related to Ukraine, though there’s no evidence that Biden used his position to benefit his son.

He’s also using listener feedback as a way to inform his questions ahead of the Senate’s 16-hour question-and-answer period that’s likely to start this week after Trump’s defense team wraps up opening arguments.

“It’s really anyone across the country who wants to understand what’s going on,” Cruz said. “Partisans spend so much time screaming at each other that it’s very hard for a lot of people to understand, 'ok when it comes to impeachment what’s going on, what’s going on with Ukraine and Burisma and Joe Biden and what are all of these issues and what does the constitution say about it.'”

