Ted Cruz is prepping for tonight's debate by reading the Bible, playing iPhone games


Debates are Ted Cruz's time to shine — and with a reputation of "exhaustive preparation" that dates back to his Princeton days, Cruz knows how to keep the moderators and competition right where he wants them, Politico reports.
"He'll get up, give a speech and ignore everything you just said. When you lose to someone who does that, you want to lose your mind. It's like, you won all the arguments, he just gave that big speech," Andrew Cohen, who debated against Cruz several times, said.
What, then, does the arguably best and most experienced debater in the GOP field do to warm up before a night like tonight?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On the day of a debate itself, Cruz aides say, the senator simply wants to decompress with his wife, Heidi, and his two young daughters. He reads the Bible, they say, but also plays games on his iPhone.The current rotation includes "Plants vs. Zombies 2" and "Tower Madness 2." [Politico]
Ted Cruz will be sharing center stage with Donald Trump in North Charleston, South Carolina, beginning at 9 p.m. Eastern on Fox Business News; the debate will be the last chance candidates have to prove their worth before the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
'Enforcement of rulings remains spotty at best'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Book reviews: 'King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution' and 'Gwyneth: The Biography'
Feature How the Iranian Revolution began and Gwyneth Paltrow's life in the spotlight
-
Garrett Graff's 6 favorite books that shine new light on World War II
Feature The author recommends works by James D. Hornfischer, Craig L. Symonds, and more
-
Trump taps Missouri AG to help lead FBI
Speed Read Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been appointed FBI co-deputy director, alongside Dan Bongino
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'
-
DC protests as Trump deployment ramps up
Speed Read Trump's 'crusade against crime' is targeting immigrants and the homeless
-
Ukraine, European leaders to meet Trump after Putin talks
Speed Read Trump meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week
-
Border agents crash Newsom redistricting kickoff
Speed Read Armed federal Border Patrol agents amassed outside the venue where the California governor and other Democratic leaders were gathered
-
Man charged for hoagie attack as DC fights takeover
Speed Read The Trump administration filed felony charges against a man who threw a Subway sandwich at a federal agent
-
Trump BLS nominee floats ending key jobs report
Speed Read On Fox News, E.J. Antoni suggested scrapping the closely watched monthly jobs report
-
Trump picks conservative BLS critic to lead BLS
speed read He has nominated the Heritage Foundation's E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics