The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Daily Review with Clay and Buck – December 5, 2025 (iHeartPodcasts)

Overview

In this episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton dive into major news stories in politics, sports, and culture, applying their trademark mix of skepticism, humor, and analysis. Key topics include massive fraud and policy failures in California government, a live update from the FIFA World Cup draw in Washington DC (including Trump’s surprise FIFA Peace Award), crime and safety in the nation’s capital, a critical interview with Senator Markwayne Mullin on national security and the American beef industry, and a candid, culture-focused conversation with Gen Z commentator Isabelle Brown about media bias, American family revival, and trends among young Americans.

1. California Corruption and Policy Debate with Steve Hilton

• Guest: Steve Hilton, candidate for Governor of California
• Segment: [02:07 – 15:34]

Key Points

• Rampant Fraud & Waste in California:
  • Hilton asserts that California’s one-party rule has led to unprecedented corruption, citing examples of financial mismanagement:
    • $20 billion lost to fraud in pandemic unemployment funds.
    • $24 billion spent on homelessness policies with little result.
    • $13 billion for healthcare for illegal immigrants.
    • “That’s $57 billion that we know about and that’s before you get into the rest of the bloated nanny state bureaucracy.” – Steve Hilton [04:22]
• The ‘Homeless Industrial Complex’:
  • Money intended to address homelessness is funneled to crony nonprofits and developers, producing “permanent supportive housing” at up to $1 million per unit.
  • “The problem gets worse because none of these units have any strings attached... It’s just a total disaster, all of it totally corrupt.” – Steve Hilton [07:12]
• Governor Gavin Newsom’s Failures:
  • Hilton mocks Newsom’s “Marshall Plan” to rebuild after wildfires, saying only one show home (not even for real residency) was completed after years of grandstanding.
  • “This guy for half a billion dollars, can’t even produce a working phone line.” – Steve Hilton [13:21]

Notable Quotes

• “In California, everything is a thousand times worse.” – Steve Hilton [03:05]
• “They are running away with the taxpayer money. And meanwhile, the problem gets worse...” – Steve Hilton [07:01]
• “There’s no appetite for Kamala Harris here in California, just as there isn’t across the country if she decides to run for president.” – Steve Hilton [11:05]

Timestamps

• California corruption & fraud: [03:01]
• Homeless policy critique: [06:00]
• Wildfire and infrastructure failures: [08:32]
• Kamala Harris discussion: [11:09]
• Newsom for President ambitions: [12:27]

2. Live from the FIFA Event: Trump Wins a New Peace Award

• Segment: [22:52 – 33:12]
• Reported live by Clay Travis from the Kennedy Center in D.C.

Key Points

• FIFA World Cup Draw Update:
  • Clay provides atmosphere and behind-the-scenes details of the draw, where the U.S. team’s path will be set.
  • U.S. Men’s National Team expected to be competitive, but still outside the top tier globally. “We’re around the 12th through the 13th best team, United States men are.” – Clay Travis [25:48]
• Trump’s Surprise: FIFA Peace Award:
  • Trump honored on stage at the event; Clay notes sports journalists’ and European players’ outrage (“The journos are furious in the sports media” – Clay Travis [27:28]).
  • Clay praises Trump’s tactical engagement with the FIFA event and sees it as a preamble to America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
  • “I actually thought Trump’s acceptance speech was relatively humble, as Trump acceptance speeches go, but he immediately put his gold medal of Peace on, which has got everybody losing their minds.” – Clay Travis [31:31]

Notable Quotes

• “Soccer is kind of a sport for the left wing... In America, it’s kind of flipped.” – Clay Travis [27:28]
• “It’s, I think, kind of smart of Trump to lean in on this...” – Clay Travis [28:03]
• “I give the president of FIFA credit... There are lots of European countries that are soccer watching this right now live.” – Clay Travis [32:31]

Timestamps

• FIFA event coverage: [23:21]
• Trump’s FIFA Peace Award: [27:17]
• U.S. team hopes: [25:48]
• Safety and crime improvements in D.C.: [29:18]

3. Interview: Senator Markwayne Mullin (Oklahoma)

• Topics: U.S. military strikes, Venezuela, American beef industry
• Segment: [34:20 – 47:39]

Key Points

• U.S. Strikes on Narco Boats:
  • Senator Mullin defends recent military actions against Venezuelan drug boats, calling them “a good hit.” – [37:56]
  • Claims some Democrats criticizing the strikes are “flat lying to you, 100%, completely lying to you.” – Senator Mullin [37:56]
• Venezuela and Regime Change:
  • The U.S. supports opposition to Maduro and would allow him peaceful exile.
  • “He’s destabilized the entire region because Venezuela used to be this great democracy... He has now turned it into his playground for terrorism and drugs.” – Senator Mullin [40:15]
• Struggles for American Ranchers:
  • Highlights pressure from big foreign-owned meat packers, falling prices, and industry consolidation.
  • “You can’t have both... today land prices are so high, tractor prices are so high... You can’t be a startup ranch.” – Senator Mullin [44:02]
  • Suggests discussion about potential ranching “backstop” or insurance, as in crop farming, may be needed.

Notable Quotes

• “We know this was an active terrorist organization that was actively trying to bring poison drugs into our, into our country.” – Senator Mullin [38:17]
• “It’s very tough to be a rancher today.” – Senator Mullin [43:18]

Timestamps

• Narco boat strikes: [37:09]
• Venezuela policy: [40:15]
• American rancher challenges: [42:08]

4. Culture War & Gen Z Trends with Isabelle Brown

• Guest: Isabelle Brown, The Isabelle Brown Show
• Segment: [52:00 – 65:04]

Key Points

• Inside CNN: Confronting Media Bias
  • Brown describes being the sole conservative voice on a combative CNN panel, repeatedly interrupted and used as a “metaphorical punching bag.”
  • “It’s obvious that everything is violence except actual violence. To the left, right, words are violence, ideas are violence... but planting pipe bombs actually isn’t violent, I guess, according to CNN.” – Isabelle Brown [55:09]
• On Raising a Family, Gen Z, and the Cultural Shift
  • Brown and Buck connect over recent parenthood, both speaking glowingly of how it inspires renewed purpose and optimism.
  • Discusses a countercultural “family revival” among Gen Z, citing high-profile moves by young Americans toward faith and traditional family values, even as national stats say otherwise.
  • “There is a very clear agenda to make you lonely, depressed and miserable. I mean, for God’s sakes, the last Surgeon General of the United States... actually issued a public health warning that parenting is dangerous to your health.” – Isabelle Brown [59:46]
• Rejecting ‘Doomerism’:
  • Skeptical of past “climate doomerism” that discouraged family growth; notes Bill Gates recently dialed back on apocalyptic predictions.
  • “People are actually running headlines like... ‘It is almost shameful to want to have children’.” – Isabelle Brown [59:46]
• Light-Hearted Talk:
  • Discussion ends with playful banter about youth fashion ("mom jeans") and a call for revived classic American style.

Notable Quotes

• “I love that Baby Speed wants his own podcast. My daughter is constantly talking all the time.” – Isabelle Brown [57:57]
• “All of my friends are engaged, married or having babies. My best friend had her baby last night... It’s just so exciting.” – Isabelle Brown [61:41]
• “We can have thriving careers and some of the girl boss culture without the toxic corporate element to that, but that means nothing if we don’t have our children to share it with.” – Isabelle Brown [62:27]

Timestamps

• CNN panel & media conflict: [52:32]
• American family and Gen Z: [57:57], [59:05]
• Critique of anti-family culture: [59:46]
• Climate change “doomerism” and rebound: [61:41], [62:19]

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Steve Hilton on CA homelessness: "Permanent supportive housing... a home with no strings attached. That costs a fortune... Here in California, they can build an apartment for $250,000, $300,000 a door... these homeless... apartments, $800,000, $900,000... in San Francisco... $1 million. So it's four times the cost for exactly the same kind of building. Why? Because it's being eaten up in payments to the other component of it. Not just the crony nonprofits, but the crony affordable housing developers..." [06:00–07:01]
• Clay Travis on Trump’s FIFA Award: “The journos are furious in the sports media.... It's kind of smart of Trump to lean in on this because... several of [the international players] were rolling their eyes at the idea... which again, I just think is absolutely spectacular. Just drove them crazy.” [27:17–28:43]
• Senator Markwayne Mullin on ranchers: “It's very tough to be a rancher today.... There is any startup ranches today. You can't do that. You either own your land and you're running cattle on it or you're going broke...” [43:18–44:02]
• Isabelle Brown on Gen Z family revival: “My daughter means so much more to me than any paycheck ever will. And the response I'm getting, even from young women on the very radical left about this, that they're quitting their birth control, they're deleting their dating apps, they are desperate to find a God fearing husband and wanting to build a family...” [62:27]

Episode Structure & Flow

1. Political Analysis & Government Critique: [02:07–15:34]
2. Sporting & Political Crossover (FIFA Event): [23:21–33:12]
3. National Security & American Agriculture: [34:20–47:39]
4. Culture, Media, & Generational Change: [52:00–65:04]

Summary Takeaways

This episode delivers a whirlwind tour of headline political scandals, the intersection of sports and presidential politics, national security policy, and a vibrant discussion on the social trajectory of young Americans. The hosts’ fast-paced, sometimes sardonic style is complemented by candid guests who bring both fire and humor to hot-button issues—from California’s fiscal misadventures and the spectacle of the FIFA World Cup to the hopefulness of a “family revival” led by Gen Z.

For listeners who missed the show, this episode is a definitive snapshot of the day’s top controversies, cultural observation, and the ongoing tensions between left, right, and independent America.