The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Daily Review with Clay and Buck – February 18, 2026
Host: Buck Sexton (Clay Travis out today)
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

Today's episode, hosted solo by Buck Sexton, focuses on the themes of political madness and mass delusion within the American Left, with a special spotlight on his new book, Manufacturing Delusion. Key topics include New York City's escalating budget crisis, progressive tax and welfare policies, the controversy around FCC equal time rules as discussed with Commissioner Brendan Carr, the legacy of Rush Limbaugh, and breaking news about the rollback of transgender medical programs for minors.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction & Book Launch

[00:00 – 05:30]

• Buck opens the show noting Clay Travis’s absence and mentions "fancy things at Mar-a-Lago."
• Buck plugs his newly released book Manufacturing Delusion, framing it as a timely exploration of political mass hysteria and manipulation among Democrats.
• He positions the book as a challenge to Jon Meacham’s anti-Trump release, urging listeners to help him outpace Meacham on bestseller lists.
• Teases never-before-shared stories from Buck’s time in the CIA, NYPD, and Iraq/Afghanistan:

  "Even if you've listened to me for 15 years, there are things in this book... that you will have never heard..." [02:15]

2. New York City Budget Crisis & Progressive Policy Critique

[05:30 – 16:30]

• Buck analyzes a press conference from NYC’s Mamdani (audio clip at 05:32) proposing significant property tax hikes and withdrawals from city reserves to cover a projected $127 billion budget.

• Comparative spending analysis: NYC (8.5M people, $127B) vs. entire state of Florida (21M people, $117B).

  "New York City, 8.5 million people. Florida, 21 million people. And Mamdani wants to spend more taxpayer dollars on New York City than my entire state..." [06:20]

• Historical budget growth in NYC:
  2021: $88B → 2026: $127B (a 50% increase).

• Critiques the allocation:

  • 40% to Dept. of Education, with poor outcomes.
  • 26% to social services/welfare.
  • High per-pupil spending ("$25,000-$30,000 range—insane").
  • Billions spent on newly arrived illegal immigrants.

  "You're paying absolutely egregious taxes in New York so that you can have a failing education bureaucracy and a massive welfare state..." [08:45]

• Argues that no amount of taxation will ever satisfy such progressive governance:

  "It's never enough money. Whatever the Mamdanis of the world... want this year from the taxpayer—to take. Remember, they don't ask, they take this from you with the force of the state." [10:35]

• Frames the left’s fiscal policy as neo-Marxism—a "civil religion" based not on outcomes but on the “right thing to do,” no matter how damaging.

• Predicts high-tax policies will not bring down living costs, but will drive out high-earners, worsening city finances.

3. FCC Equal Time Rule Controversy – Interview with Commissioner Brendan Carr

[16:30 – 29:15]

Background & Media Manipulation

• Buck and Commissioner Carr dissect a recent controversy involving Texas state Rep. James Talarico, Stephen Colbert, CBS, and claims of government censorship of Colbert’s show.
• Carr explains the supposed "hoax":

  "Colbert and Talarico concocted a scheme to try to drive views and clicks... by claiming falsely that the government had somehow censored their program." [17:05 – Carr]

Equal Time Rule & Misconceptions

• Carr outlines the law:
  • Both radio and TV, by statute since the 1950s, must provide equal time to qualified candidates if they host one.
  • Bona fide news exceptions apply, but are now being challenged in cases like The View.

  "All we've done is remind people that... if you think you're bona fide news... we'll adjudicate whether you qualify for the exception. But other than that, you got to comply with equal time." [19:24 – Carr]

• Enforcement underway involving Disney/The View.
• Distinguishes FCC's remit over broadcast (public airwaves, government-licensed) vs. cable/streaming/podcasts (private, unregulated by FCC in this way).

  "When the government gives you a license, they're necessarily excluding other people... so you have an obligation to operate... in the public interest." [24:23 – Carr]

Robocalls and Elder Fraud

• Brief foray into FCC action against spam robocalls and elder fraud, with Carr listing ongoing initiatives and cooperation with FTC and state AGs.

  "We're making it harder for bad actors to get phone numbers... and looking at additional regulations to compel foreign call centers to disclose their location..." [27:03 – Carr]

4. Tribute to Rush Limbaugh & Listener Call

[31:46 – 32:45]

• Listener David from Tennessee thanks the show for carrying on after Rush Limbaugh’s passing. Buck reflects on Rush’s influence:

  "The answer... is just listening to Rush. It's how I learned, it's how I know... I wanted to do it."

• Notes that many on the current show team were with Rush for 20+ years and expresses annual gratitude for Rush’s role as a patriot and trusted friend.

5. Transgender Youth Medicine Developments & Mass Delusion

[Mixed in throughout, breaking news at ~35:00+]

• Buck introduces breaking news: NYU Langone Medical Center will discontinue "gender medicine" programs for minors, citing the changing regulatory climate.

  "This is a massive step forward... just a few years ago, there were people saying it's never going to change." [~37:30]

• Buck frames this as evidence of backlash against what he calls a "mass hysteria" and manufactured delusion about transgender medicine, particularly for minors.

  "You are not a woman because you think you're a woman. That is not reality. That is not real. You can never become a woman." [~39:00]

• Argues that honest debate is stifled and compares the rigidity of "transgender ideology" to totalitarian mind control in history (referencing themes from his book about mind control and menticide).

• References Joost Meerloo’s “menticide” (mental annihilation) and how confusion and degradation are key elements used to break down resistance to delusions by both past totalitarian regimes and (in his view) current leftist movements.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On NYC taxes & budget bloat:
  "You're paying absolutely egregious taxes in New York so that you can have a failing education bureaucracy and a massive welfare state." [08:45 – Buck]
• On progressive governance:
  "Leftist progressive political thought is a religion replacement... They will do things that make people poorer, that hurt the city overall, because they say... it's the right thing to do." [12:05 – Buck]
• On FCC enforcement:
  "If you want to distribute to this one particular unique medium, then you got to comply with the rules and regulations that apply to it." [26:34 – Carr]
• On Rush Limbaugh's legacy:
  "When someone has had that profound an effect on your life... you think back to it... every year we'll take that moment to say thank you for what he did and the role that he played..." [32:05 – Buck]
• On transgender treatment for minors:
  "Hopefully... nowhere, because it's not going to turn out well for them. And if it was going to turn out well for them... don't you think we would have all the long term data and the studies?" [~40:00 – Buck]
• On fighting mass delusion:
  "When you ask honest questions, you should get honest answers... If all they want to do is shout you down and bully you, there's a problem." [~41:00 – Buck]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00] – Introduction, book promotion, overview of today's solo show.
• [05:32] – Mamdani NYC budget announcement (audio clip).
• [06:20 – 16:30] – NYC fiscal policy critique, progressive governance as mass delusion.
• [16:30] – Interview: FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr; media hoax, equal time rule, misinformation in media.
• [27:03] – Robocalls and efforts to combat elder fraud.
• [31:46] – Listener tribute to Rush Limbaugh and show’s legacy.
• [~35:00+] – Breaking news: NYU Langone halts transgender youth program; commentary on medical ethics and mass delusion.

Tone & Style

• Buck maintains his trademark mix of dry humor, polemical fervor, and well-researched critique.
• Frequent asides referencing personal experience ("stuff I did in Iraq...").
• Direct challenges to listeners to buy his book and engage in the political battle of ideas.

Conclusion

This episode covered a sweep of contemporary political and cultural flashpoints: big-city progressive spending, media manipulation and regulation, the legal fight over equal time in broadcasting, the enduring influence of Rush Limbaugh, and the pushback against radical gender medicine for minors. Buck wove these diverse issues through the central narrative of "manufactured delusion," consistently urging listeners to arm themselves intellectually and politically against what he views as an ascendant, irrational left.