← The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Loading summary
Transcript115 lines
- [00:00]
Clay Travis
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Have you ever turned a dollar into ten grand?
- [00:08]
Buck Sexton
I doubt it.
- [00:08]
Clay Travis
But now you can. On Better Picks Download the Better app, Pick more or less on your favorite players stats, watch the games and win some cash. It's that simple. Better picks available in 33 states, including.
- [00:18]
Buck Sexton
Texas, California and Georgia.
- [00:20]
Clay Travis
Download the Better App today. That's better. B E T R and get a free $10.
- [00:24]
Buck Sexton
No deposit necessary.
- [00:26]
Clay Travis
Must be 21 or older in a jurisdiction where Better Picks operates terms of condition supply. Better Picks Sports just got better these days it seems like AI agents are just about everywhere you turn, every field and every function. But without identity, you can't trust they'll serve your business instead of jeopardizing it. Fortunately, Okta helps you get identity right by securing your AI agents identities, giving you a single layer of control, a single standard of trust. So whether an AI agent supports a single user or your entire enterprise, with Okta you'll turn risk into opportunity. Secure every agent, secure any agent. Okta secures AI well, the holidays have.
- [01:07]
Buck Sexton
Come and gone once again. But if you've forgotten to get that special someone in your life a gift, well, Mint Mobile is extending their holiday offer of half off unlimited wireless.
- [01:16]
Clay Travis
So here's the idea.
- [01:17]
Buck Sexton
You get it now, you call it an early present for next year.
- [01:21]
Clay Travis
What do you have to lose?
- [01:22]
Buck Sexton
Give it a try@mintmobile.com Switch limited time.
- [01:26]
Clay Travis
50% off regular price for new customers. Upfront payment required $45 for 3 months.
- [01:29]
David Rutherford
$90 for 6 months or $180 for 12 month plan.
- [01:31]
Clay Travis
Taxes and FE speeds may slow after 50 gigabytes per month when network is busy. See terms at TJ Maxx. Feel more you than ever without compromise because we never make you choose the quality you want, the styles you crave and the prices you love. It's all at TJ Maxx, so you can focus on just being you. With so many finds arriving daily, that means so many ways to show your unique style. Shop in store and online@tjmax.com and Max, what makes you you? Welcome everybody to the first 2026 edition of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. And we have so many big things to talk about. First of all, we missed you all. We hope you had a fantastic holiday. It has been great here in the Sexton household. I know Clay and his family had a wonderful time. Hope you had a great holiday. Christmas, New Year, Hanukkah. All the above. And we are racked and stacked for a big show today. And what I think is going to be the best year ever of the Klay Travis and Buck Saxon show. I just have that feeling and things are looking pretty fantastic I might add for the Trump administration. What a way to ring in the new year by bringing the thug of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro to justice. This is a big story. We're going to get into the details today. Maduro is currently being transferred into, into court and there's court proceedings underway. So this is, this is huge. The short version is that the most daring special operations raid since the bin Laden raid occurred in over the weekend and this has now put Maduro into American custody. We will give you the details of this operation. We will analyze this. The tactical success and the strategic implications are incredible and amazing. Work here reportedly by Delta Force. That's, that's the unit that is getting the credit for this in the media which they're tier one just like SEAL Team six. Incredible elite operators, but a whole all of the above approach from different units here involved in this. We'll get into this. Some other big stories I might add. Tim Walls is not going to run for reelection in Minnesota, which comes on the heels of the massive, massive viral clay expose of the scale, this multibillion dollar, who knows how many billions of overwhelmingly Somali immigrant fraud in Minnesota, which is a big deal. And we'll discuss that. We've also got the biggest one year drop in the national homicide rate perhaps ever in 2025, which is something we should talk about with the Trump administration. So we got a bunch of big stories to deal with. Oh and Mamdani in New York, Kami Mamdani, we might hold him tomorrow but he's saying some wild things. I'm very concerned for my beloved Big Apple clay. Let's though, let's dive into this to take us into this moment here. Trump saying after they seize Maduro, not a single US casualty in this raid involving helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, armada off the coast, intelligence operatives, I mean just everything working seamlessly, perfectly together. And Trump is saying we're in charge. This is cut to play it. The next question is who's in charge.
- [05:16]
David Rutherford
Of Venezuela right now?
- [05:17]
Buck Sexton
Have you spoken to the newly sworn.
- [05:19]
David Rutherford
In president there, Rodriguez, and what are.
- [05:22]
Clay Travis
Your thoughts on the entire situation when.
- [05:24]
David Rutherford
You said the US would run Venezuela?
- [05:26]
Clay Travis
We're dealing with the people, we're dealing with the people that just got sworn in. And don't ask me who's in charge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial. What does that mean?
- [05:37]
Buck Sexton
It means we're in charge, Clay.
- [05:40]
Clay Travis
I think everybody knows Trump is calling the shots. Trump is in charge. Huge change in Venezuela and this isn't just about Latin America, this is about the Western Hemisphere. There are big global implications. Russia, China, this is, this is huge.
- [05:56]
Buck Sexton
I think, I think we can do the whole show today on the Venezuela impact on the Delta Force badasses. I think before we even get into the implications, I would imagine that a lot of people are like me and just blown away by the incredible organization and just incredible combat dexterity that was put to, brought to bear in this particular raid. Think about this. We went into Venezuela in the middle of the night and they knew we were coming. I was in the Caribbean for much of the holiday and you would hear constantly planes buzzing. There was this constant discussion about where is the aircraft carrier, where are the American military forces. So it wasn't as if we suddenly went in and there was no pre existing idea that we might be going in. They said that they initially had it scheduled what, four days before and had to change it because of weather. Zero casualties. Now there may have been a couple of people who were wounded, so, but no mortal woundings, no loss of life, no loss of material.
- [07:18]
Clay Travis
Well, no American casualties. About 80 Venezuelans I think. Civilians, military, that's what they're saying. Taken out. Certainly you wouldn't have wanted to be on Maduro's mostly Cuban personal security detail going up against Delta operators who had been training for months on a, on a mock up of exactly the building that they had to go into. You got no chance against those guys.
- [07:44]
Buck Sexton
I thought it was, and I saw you tweet. I think about this more impressive even than when we went and got Osama bin Laden in terms of the moving parts and the requirements involved. You know, the challenge with bin Laden was nobody knew where he was. But the number of people that actually had to go into Pakistan right about, about, if I remember correctly, in order to be able to get him, was relatively small. And the number of people involved in that raid was too. This was basically what 10, 20, 30x in terms of the complexity of the moving parts going into a, one of the most populated cities in the, in the world, candidly Caracas, and just to take out Maduro and do it all without a significant impact to the American forces at all. And to send the message buck to Iran, to Cuba, to frankly probably Russia, any of these bad actors out there of what we are capable of doing in terms of organizational capacity and just lethality. I, I woke up to it like most people had just said. Holy crap. What an unbelievable stroke. And there are lots of implications coming from it, but purely from. You were involved in the CIA purely from the organizational capacities of this is what, is there even an analogy of, of, of an excellent and successful raid like this that you could make that that's anywhere near the complexity and success level. I can't even think of one.
- [09:19]
Clay Travis
No, this, this is, this is something that brought together elements that have never really been used in quite this way before. I mean, let's, let's step back. You compare. The only thing that's comparable in our recent memory would be the bin Laden raid and the, the issues that you deal with here. You know, the bin Laden raid, yes, the Pakistani military response was a concern, but bin Laden, now Abbottabad was near a Pakistani military base. But Bin Laden did not have a battalion of Pakistani military around him in charge of his security all day. Bin Laden could not call upon the direction of air, of surface to air missile sites. And I mean Maduro did have control of the national military of Venezuela. Yeah, so, so that's, this is a whole level of risk and complexity beyond what you would see in that, in that situation. And, and here's, here's the breakdown that we get. They made Vera Caracas, essentially whole areas of it.
- [10:24]
Buck Sexton
They blacked it out.
- [10:25]
Clay Travis
So that's a cyber capability. They had mapped out Maduro's day to day movements to the point where it was reported. They even knew what pets and what outfits he liked to put on day to day. I mean that's how close to Maduro they were. So the intelligence gathering success component of this was also tremendous and that, that brings to bear everything human intelligence, you know, sources, individuals, but also what they can pull out of the sky. Electronic signals intelligence. So the intelligence gathering was flawless. The operational security was obviously very high on this one. They knew that we were coming for him at some point. Trump had made that pretty clear. But exactly when matters a lot because he can't just hide in a closet forever, right? So he's got to be able to move around. He was on the largest military base, Maduro was on the largest military base in Caracas. And we managed to take out, so we bring down their power grid. We managed to take out their surface to air missile and radar installation. So we could fly rotary wings that would require fixed wing. We probably did, you know, F35s or something. And then we bring in rotary, so modified helicopters. And the 1/60 special op special Aviation unit was, you know, the Night Stalkers, famed Night Stalkers. They were involved in this, too. So they come in with the rotary aircraft to deploy troops. Our Delta Force, who take out without a single casualty. All of the guys assigned to at least that we're exchanging gunfire with them do. Assigned to protect Maduro. We load him and his wife into the hilos and get out of the country without a casualty. Clay, this. This can go wrong. This is the thing. And right. This can go wrong a thousand different ways. And yet they didn't. They didn't have a single stumble here.
- [12:15]
Buck Sexton
Even Buck. It could go wrong with things that aren't brought to bear by Venezuela. Right. You could have a helicopter that just has issues. You could have any number of. Of errors that don't even have to do with oppositional forces. To have it be this flawless is. I. I mean, I think it's extraordinary. Now, one of the things that now is brought to bear is what is the goal now? So Maduro is going to be. He's pled not guilty to drug and weapons charges. Not a surprise in a Manhattan federal court that has just happened in the last few minutes. Um, there are not cameras, obviously, inside of that courtroom, but everybody is reporting that he has been arraigned and pled not guilty. Uh, I would imagine that his wife will also plead not guilty. Um, we have. Maybe somebody can go back and grab it because we have a transcript. I know I said, hey, we should go in, we should take Maduro out. Because there was reaction from some of you when I said a couple of months ago that this was coming, and I thought it was a good move. Now the complexity is going to be how do you start to put in place a situation such that you don't end up with Maduro or something worse. People are asking, obviously, you served there. Is this an example of the Iraq situation? I think the countries are very dissimilar, and I don't think that there is the same concerns there. But those are some of the questions that are arising as we figure out how exactly does this play out going forward.
- [13:52]
Clay Travis
Maduro was an illegitimate ruler who ruined his country. So this is a different thing right now. You could say Saddam Hussein was, and he certainly was a brutal dictator and did a lot, a lot of terrible things. But there were a lot of people who looked to him as stability. There were a lot of. I mean, Iraqis, if you were a Sunni Iraqi, and this is why I don't want to get too deep into this. You're a Sunni Iraqi who had been calling the shots. The Sunnis had, and then the Shia who are Actually, the majority of the country all of a sudden are going to come into power. You get a lot of concerns about where that's going. And those concerns were well founded, as we saw from the civil war that effectively broke out during the US occupation. In this case, Maduro is a scumbag narco trafficker. And we're saying very clearly, and there's been a lot of conversations going on for a while. Can I just also point out, the Biden administration said that Maduro was a narco trafficker.
- [14:47]
Buck Sexton
$5 million on him for anybody who could help him get arrested.
- [14:51]
Clay Travis
They put a $25 million bounty on his head. But what's so clear here is this disparity, this, this difference between Democrat and Republican. Democrats will say the things they have to say to seem to seem like they are serious on national security. Republicans, or at least Trump will actually do the thing. Yes, they will do the thing. Right. Democrats will say they want to secure the border. They don't. But they will say that Trump will actually do it. Democrats will put a $25 million bounty on Maduro's head. Trump will actually go and get him. Get his head, so to speak. This is, this is so clear for everybody to see. And once again, the opponents of Trump on this one.
- [15:32]
Buck Sexton
I want more.
- [15:33]
Clay Travis
Bring more of this. We need more aoc, more Mamdani, more international law. What international law says that you can operate a narco state, you can destroy the country. Eight million people fled Venezuela. You can flood our country with drugs. There's no immunity to flood America with drugs. There's no immunity for some scumbag to do this. What are they even talking about?
- [15:56]
Buck Sexton
Well, also they had ready to go, as unfortunately they always do, immediate protests over Maduro being arrested. And the protests, of course, are paid for and the protesters are paid to show up. I mean, it's totally a stage managed production. But contrasting that with people that have connection to Venezuela, either refugees who have fled Venezuela or people in Venezuela itself overwhelmingly supporting the decision that was made. In fact, where you are right now in Miami is what do we say? 800,000 Venezuelans live in the United States. I remember having this conversation before we left for, for Christmas. And the number one place that is the largest population is around Doral, which is where Trump has the golf course. It's probably the highest population.
- [16:48]
Clay Travis
That's right. So the more there are more Venezuelan refugees within 20 minute drive of where I'm currently sitting than anywhere else in the country. And Clay, this tells you a lot. Miami Herald headline from the last 24 hours. Miami Herald, very left wing paper to be clear. After Maduro's capture, Venezuelans in South Florida dream of going home. Yeah, they know. They know that their country was ruined by this guy. And they know that Venezuela is actually a great country with a lot going for it, a lot of resources. We'll talk more about this. It was until Maduro really Chavez and then Maduro came along. More on this coming up. A new year can be an impetus for setting new financial goals, like making sure your savings are secure and diversified. Will this be the year you finally own gold With Birch Gold Group's help? I've purchased gold from Birch Gold and you're going to like working with them a whole lot. They've got a great educational approach and they understand the macroeconomics that keep pushing the price of gold and silver higher. It's one of the reasons why they believe every American should own physical gold until January 30th. If you're a first time gold buyer, Birch Gold is offering a rebate of up to $10,000 on qualifying purchases. To claim eligibility and start the process, just text my name Buck to 9898 98. Birch Gold can help you roll an existing IRA or 401K into an IRA in gold and you're still eligible for a rebate of up to $10,000. Make this month your first time buying gold and take advantage of a rebate up to $10,000 when you buy by January 30th. One more time, text My Name Buck to 9,898 98. Text BUCK do 9,898 98. Claim your eligibility today. You ain't imagining it. The world has gone insane.
- [18:30]
Buck Sexton
Reclaim your sanity with Clay and Buck. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
- [18:39]
Clay Travis
Do you like free money?
- [18:40]
Buck Sexton
Well, today's your lucky day.
- [18:42]
Clay Travis
Better Picks is offering a free $10 just for signing up. Download the Better app, Pick more or less on your favorite player's stats, watch the games and win some cash. It's that simple. Better picks available in 33 states including Texas, California and Georgia. Download the Better App today. That's Better Betr and get a free $10.
- [19:00]
Buck Sexton
No deposit necessary.
- [19:02]
Clay Travis
Must be 21 or older in a jurisdiction where Better Picks operates, terms of conditions apply. Better Picks Sports just got Better. These days it seems like AI agents are just about everywhere you turn, every field and every function. But without identity, you can't trust they'll serve your business. Instead of jeopardizing it. Fortunately, Okta helps you get identity right by securing your AI agents identities, giving you a single layer of control, a single standard of trust. So whether an AI agent supports a single user or your entire enterprise, with Okta you'll turn risk into opportunity. Secure every agent, Secure any agent. Okta secures AI Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder? With a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other, one for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you are drowning in software. Instead of growing your business, this is where Odoo comes in. Odoo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in one fully integrated platform that handles everything CRM, accounting, inventory, E commerce, HR and more. No more app overload, no more juggling logins. Just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part? Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business whether you are just starting out or already scaling up. Plus it's easy to use, customizable and designed to streamline every process so you can focus on what really matters running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you try Odoo for free@odoo.com that's o d o o.com A new year means new financial goals like making sure your savings are secure and diversified. Will this be the year you finally talk to someone from Birch Gold Group like I have? Honestly, they're great people. They're very helpful. I've purchased gold from Birch Gold. I appreciate their educational approach and their understanding of macroeconomics. There are forces pushing the dollar lower and gold higher, which is why they believe every American should own some physical gold until January 30th. If you're a first time gold buyer, Birch Gold is offering a rebate of up to $10,000 on qualifying purchases. To claim eligibility and start the process, just text my Name Buck to 989898 Birch Gold can help you roll an existing IRA or 401k into an IRA in gold and you're still eligible for a rebate of up to $10,000. Make right now your first time to buy gold. Take advantage of this rebate, but you got to do it by January 30th. Text My Name Buck to 989898 Claim your eligibility today. Birch Gold Group welcome back in Clay.
- [21:42]
Buck Sexton
Travis Buck Sexton show the Don Row Doctrine in a place as Venezuela's leader Maduro has pled not guilty in a New York City courtroom. Uh, in the third hour, we'll be talking with David Rutherford about the Delta Force raid and comparing it to the bin Laden raid and more details surrounding it. But there's another big story that is going on and that is this. Tim Walls has announced that he will not be running for reelection as governor of Minnesota. Comes on the heels of a 23 year old YouTuber named Nick Shirley, who we probably ali should reach out to and try to get on at some point in the near future to talk about his mega viral investigation of Somali daycares, which uncovered pretty substantial evidence of huge fraud. Got over, I believe, on Twitter by itself, over 100 million views. If you are on social media, there probably is a very high chance that you have seen that video. And in the wake of that, Tim Walls has now stepped down. That just happened today. News started to come out last night that he potentially was going to be dropping out. Let me go to that in a sec. But Bucket just. Also, I just realized, I teased at the end of the first segment, why did we leave the vp? Let me answer that really quickly. The word is that the VP in Venezuela was responsible for all of the oil production and that the Trump team had been very impressed with her ability, even in the midst of all the crazy sanctions, to have success in being able to produce the oil that was produced. And so, based on back channel conversations, it seems like the Trump team is convinced that she, because she still has the relationships with the military and everything else, will play ball, but be able to accelerate oil production in a way that Maduro was not willing to. So I think there's been a lot of back channel going on between Marco Rubio, other members of the Trump team, and the vice president who now has been elevated to Venezuela. They think that she is going to play ball. They have sent the message if she will not, they will take her out. So that is the answer to the question that Margaret Brennan asked. Okay, back to what's going on with Tim Wall stepping down. Here are a couple of cuts. First of all, let's play the Somali daycare manager saying his business was broken into and all of his, all of his records were stolen.
- [24:34]
Clay Travis
Can we, before we play, can I just. The videos, in case you haven't seen them, and I know you've seen them, Clay and I have. But this guy goes around and he goes to places that are listed as having a hundred kids in Minneapolis, 150 kids, and the state of mini state of Minnesota has given millions of dollars in Many cases to these places to take care of these kids. Well, what they find is it's an empty storefront. What they find is that there are no kids at this place at all. It's just like a. A mailbox LLC address situation. Or in one case, famously, it was listed as the Somali leaning center. Not a learning center, a leaning center. It was missing the R on the sign. So I don't think a lot of great daycare instruction is going on at the leaning center.
- [25:25]
Buck Sexton
Leering center. It's even worse. I'm sorry, Leaning.
- [25:28]
Clay Travis
I'm sorry, the leering. I got the wrong letter.
- [25:32]
Buck Sexton
Leaning. A leaning center. It used to be like, oh, at least that's a word. Leering. L, E, A, R, I, N, G. They did not have learning spelled correctly. They're paying, making millions of dollars. So if you haven't checked this out, what. That's a good question. What percentage of this radio audience do you think has seen those clips? And again, if you're on social media, it's a hundred percent. But I bet this audience, maybe 40% of people are super active on social media. That might even be too high. So we will link this on clay and buck.com if per chance you have not seen it. Now, they played it on Fox News a lot, all of those things. But let's play. This is one of the guys saying, this is a Somali daycare manager saying, hey, the business was broken into. We don't have any records anymore. All of this is the underlying motivation for why suddenly Tim Walls, his political career appears to be over. Cut 31. Unfortunately, we saw that there was important documentation, enrollment of the and also employee documentation that was gone. There were also checkbooks that were ripped.
- [26:41]
Clay Travis
From our check papers that were from our book. This is devastating news and we don't.
- [26:46]
Buck Sexton
Know why this is targeting our Somali.
- [26:48]
Clay Travis
Community as one video made by a specific individual made this all happen.
- [26:54]
Buck Sexton
We've been receiving hateful messages through our voice notes threatening us the past couple of days, including one that happened yesterday morning when the break in, after the break in. This is frightening and exhausting because this is happening to us Somali communities. As Somali Americans, we are supposed to stand with each other and help each.
- [27:12]
Clay Travis
Other through everything that's happening.
- [27:14]
Buck Sexton
This is also sad that a video can cause all of this. I want to say that there are.
- [27:19]
Clay Travis
Hundreds of daycares out there, Somali daycares.
- [27:21]
Buck Sexton
That are out there, and we all help each our children and everyone in our community.
- [27:26]
Clay Travis
We have high quality daycares. And this is very sad news that.
- [27:30]
Buck Sexton
One Individual who made a false claim about fraud that is happening in the daycares. How engaged everyone else to come and.
- [27:37]
Clay Travis
Do this to us? I mean, so, so they brought. Just so everyone's clear, fraud is. And there is tremendous fraud. Just this is. There's lots of fraud. There's billions of dollars. Because, you know, this is the real. When Tim Walls is under all this fire and now he's saying he's not running again, this stuff is all connected. The more you look at this, the more you're going to find it's. It's even worse than people had thought previously. But Clay, this guy is claiming that they broke in and stole the documentation that you would need to, you know, prove that you had students enrolled or where the money went. He's like, they stole our checkbook. Really? A lot of really advanced burglars are breaking into daycare centers to check on their employment records and their enrollees? I don't think so.
- [28:27]
Buck Sexton
I also. Big picture, we should have a conversation about this the top of the next hour because I do think this is significant. Why in the world is the taxpayer being forced to pay for child care for people who are on welfare in this country? I think it's a really. Everybody's going to focus on the fraud and the fraud is real and it is, it's glaring and it shouldn't be allowed to happen. But the process that was put in place where we even created this idea that taxpayer dollars should be going to fund people who are on welfare, childcare, I mean, you create the fraud opportunity by very existence of this program in the first place. Now, Tim Walls has announced that basically his political career is over. Uh, here he is saying that that YouTuber cut 30 is a conspiracy theorist right winger. Well, if that's all true, why isn't he still running for reelection? Cut 30.
- [29:32]
Clay Travis
We've got Republicans here in the state legislature playing hide and seek with potential whistleblowers. We've got conspiracy theorist right wing youtubers.
- [29:42]
Buck Sexton
Breaking into our daycares demanding access to our children.
- [29:46]
Clay Travis
We've got the President of the United.
- [29:48]
Buck Sexton
States demonizing our Somali neighbors and wrongfully confiscating funds that Minnesotans rely on. It's disgusting and it's dangerous. Republicans are playing politics with the future of the state.
- [30:01]
Clay Travis
It's shameful. And I've said it before and I will continue to say it.
- [30:04]
Buck Sexton
We welcome ideas from anyone in any party, from any walk of life who wants to help us continue to stay ahead of these criminals. And we welcome the involvement of the federal government I am grateful to the career professionals at the U.S. attorney's office.
- [30:20]
Clay Travis
And the FBI who have been helping us fight this fight for years.
- [30:24]
Buck Sexton
But I cannot abide the actions of.
- [30:26]
Clay Travis
The political leadership in Washington.
- [30:28]
Buck Sexton
These opportunists are working with our people to score a cheap point.
- [30:32]
Clay Travis
Clay, you know how, you know how we know it's all true?
- [30:36]
Buck Sexton
Yes.
- [30:36]
Clay Travis
He's calling it a conspiracy theory. That is the kiss of death right there that, you know, if he, if a Democrat says when they're under, under the heat on something, it's a conspiracy theory, you got him cornered. It's true.
- [30:49]
Buck Sexton
It's both true that the conspiracy theory is true, also the fact that he's ending his political career, pretty good sign that it's true. I mean, I don't know about you. If people started making up total lies about me, the last thing I'm going to do is suddenly have a press conference and announce that I'm retiring. And because all the lies are so significant that I can't deal with them anymore, I'm going to fight like hell to win in the marketplace of ideas and prove that the people who are telling lies about me are wrong. This is also a good sign that he's running scared. They told all the press that showed up for this announcement that he's not going to be running for reelection, that he was going to be taking questions. He did not take a single question. Think about how many questions Trump takes at just about every public event that he does. He's answering questions from media every single day on every topic under the sun. Listen to the media in Minnesota lose it as Tim Walls refuses to take questions and bails on this press conference. Cut 32.
- [32:01]
Clay Travis
Appreciate it. Thank you.
- [32:04]
Buck Sexton
Wow. Thank you. Thank you all.
- [32:13]
David Rutherford
We'll be back tomorrow.
- [32:15]
Buck Sexton
All right, so you can kind of hear that it's a little bit messy, but even the press that has been covering for Tim Walls, even they were saying, why are you not answering questions? You know what, this is starting to reflect, Buck. The press is fine. The left wing legacy media, we've talked about this a lot. They'll cover for you until covering for you becomes embarrassing for them. Yes, they start to look bad now in Minnesota. They're looking bad because of all of these lies that they've been covering for. And again, I think this is just indicative, Buck, of the era that we're in now where a 23 year old YouTube kid can go out and basically end the political career of Tim Walsh.
- [32:58]
Clay Travis
Well, but look, look at also what Tim Wall said. There doesn't stack up to even a cursory review of the facts on record. They've got almost a hundred people indicted for this already and they're just getting started. So you have federal criminal defendants that he said, oh, I'm glad. The U.S. attorney and the career people.
- [33:16]
Buck Sexton
OK.
- [33:17]
Clay Travis
They're racking up indictments of Somali fraudsters all over Minneapolis for this. The estimate from sources inside the Minnesota government is that of the $18 billion for these programs, 9 billion might have been fraudulent, which is close to the entire gdp, as people have pointed out of the country of Somalia. So this is not to call this a conspiracy theory is absurd, which is why, you know, that it's all true, because that now they're just trying to smear. Oh, it's a conspiracy. This is just delay. This is smokescreen. This is nonsense. Clay, one of the defendants, I thought this is really one of the defendants already indicted on this exact fraud, came from Philadelphia, set up shop in Minneapolis because it was such a free for all and it was so easy to do. So this was like entrepreneurial fraudsters were showing up in Minneapolis from elsewhere in the country going, I want some of that free Somali daycare money.
- [34:16]
Buck Sexton
It was well known too, there is video of parents showing up pretending to drop their kids off, and then also out there of them demanding kickbacks. They demanded that some of the money come back to them. This is just widely known. And again, big question, Buck, you got a one year old, soon to be one year old. I nine months. I've raised kids. Child care is incredibly expensive. It why are taxpayer dollars being used to subsidize child care when so many moms and grandmas out there and dads and granddads are showing up and giving of their time to help provide child care and they're getting no tax benefit for that at all. We got to really look at the way that we handle child care in this country. I mean, in a large discussion that's.
- [35:12]
Clay Travis
A much bigger and very worthwhile, but a much bigger discussion about what is going on in this country with the whole child care situation, the two income trap, all these things. I would just add, though, with the Somali situation, and what you're seeing is this is true in a lot of Muslim Middle Eastern countries, particularly of the poorer ones, like Yemen, Somalia. I know Somalia's in Africa, but it's very close to Yemen, actually. And there's a lot of similarity, a lot of back and forth between the countries. Point is ripping off people like this, it's considered ridiculous to not do this. In these countries. This is what people have to understand when we were talking about importing other cultures and the problems of these other cultures. If you come from Somalia, generally speaking, and as I said, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is like a personal hero of mine. She's a Somali refugee. She's incredible. She's brilliant. She's speaks out against Islam. I'm not, not indicting all Somalis here. But as a broad cultural issue, ripping off the government in a place like Somalia or just ripping off somebody that you can easily get away with is considered the smart thing to do. There's no, there's no reason to morally cringe at this. You rip people off when you can.
- [36:25]
Buck Sexton
This is why the whole warlord mindset, this is why Western civilization is in conflict. Because actually having a recognition and willingness to believe and a larger society. Right. The best interest of a community as a whole. Much of the rest of the world doesn't believe in that. And they come here and they see the generosity of the Minnesotans who are paying all of these taxes and our federal taxpayer dollars, and they see it as a weakness that can be exploited. And they're taking advantage of so many of you out there that are busting your asses to pay taxes, and they're just putting the money right in their pocket. And to your point, Buck, the fraud is as big as the entire GDP of all of Somalia. So is it. 75% of Somal Somali people in the United States are on welfare. Why are we taking anybody into this country at all who immediately goes on to welfare? It's absolutely indefensible. We all stockpile family keepsakes in our homes. Priceless photos, home movies on video, graduation announcements, diplomas. Every item that means too much to just throw away. You store them because you know the valuable memories associated with them. It's only when you do something with those tapes and film, when you digitally transfer what's on them and the magic of rediscovering those memories happens. You need Legacy Box. Legacy Box. The company makes it easy to check an important task off your to do list. Order a shipping box from Legacy Box. Fill up the tapes, film reels, pictures, all of your cherished family memories. And they will help ensure that those great family memories are preserved forever as a part of digital files. You can get hooked up right now at the end of the year as we move into 2026, they've got a brand new phenomenal offer@legacybox.com clay for 55 off. When you preserve your family's past with Legacy Box Kick off the new year by rescuing your family's most cherished memories that haven't been watched or enjoyed in years. Go to legacybox.com clay that website one more time. Legacybox.com clay for 55 off that's a legacybox.com clay two guys walk up to a mic. Anything goes Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back in Clay Travis, Buck Sexton show. Let me just play this. Chuck Schumer was angry at Trump for being too lenient back in 2020. Here's cut 17 flashback how about the hypocrisy?
- [39:14]
Clay Travis
He brags about all these things he wants to do or is doing, but his actions belie his words. Maybe the best metaphor was his claim to bring democracy to Venezuela. There was a big policy there. It flopped. If the policy was working, Juan Guaido wouldn't be in the balcony here, he'd be in Venezuela. He'd be sitting in the President's palace or at least waging a fight to win. He's here and the President brags about his Venezuela policy. Give us a break. He hasn't brought an end to the Maduro regime. The Maduro regime is more powerful today and more entrenched today than it was when the President began. He should just say sorry or else he should man the post himself. You know what I'm saying? This guy's got nothing.
- [40:07]
Buck Sexton
I do think this is the continued impact of Elon on Twitter and we'll talk about this some With Tim Walls deciding he's not going to run, it's harder for legacy media to protect their favored people and their favored arguments because the hypocrisy is just so staggering. Look, hopefully the holidays gave you an opportunity to get some energy back. Maybe though, you're coming out of the holidays and you're even more tired than you were before the holidays started. And Maybe you're deciding 2026 to work out better, have a little bit more energy. Testosterone is what makes the difference for men. Chalk's male Vitality Stack will formulated with natural ingredients can get you 20% increase in testosterone in just three months time. There's also a chalk Female Vitality stack focuses on healthy hormone balance that gives you more energy too. Chalk is spelled with a Q as in C H O Q. Check it out. Texas based company. They want everybody out there to be as productive as possible. And right now you get a free 99 bag of chalk lit powder with your first delivery get hooked up today. Go to chalk.com use my name clay for big discount on subscription for life. That's chalk.com my name C L A Y Not everybody can be good at fantasy football and at Better. We understand that. That's why we're giving away a free $10 just for signing up. Download the Better App. Pick more or less on player stats, watch the games and win some cash. It's that simple. Better Picks is available in 33 states, including Texas, California and Georgia. Download the Better App today. That's better. B E T R and get a free $10. No deposit necessary. Must be 21 or older. In a jurisdiction where Better Picks operates, terms and conditions apply. Better Picks Sports just got Better these.
- [41:54]
Clay Travis
Days it seems like AI agents are just about everywhere you turn, every field and every function. But without identity, you can't trust they'll serve your business instead of jeopardizing it. Fortunately, Okta helps you get identity right by securing your AI agents identities, giving you a single layer of control, a single standard of trust. So whether an AI agent supports a single user or your entire enterprise, with Okta you'll turn risk into opportunity. Secure every agent, secure any agent. Okta secures AI Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder? With a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other. One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you are drowning in software. Instead of growing your business, this is where Odoo comes in. Odoo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in one fully integrated platform that handles everything CRM, accounting, inventory, E commerce, HR and more. No more app overload, no more juggling logins. Just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part? Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business, whether you are just starting out or already scaling up. Plus, it's easy to use, customizable and designed to streamline every process so you can focus on what really matters running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you try Odoo for free@odoo.com that's o d o o.com A new year means new financial goals like making sure your savings are secure and diversified. Will this be the year you finally talk to someone from Birch Gold Group like I have? Honestly, they're great people. They're very helpful. I've purchased Gold from Birch Gold. I appreciate their educational approach and Their understanding of macroeconomics. There are forces pushing the dollar lower and gold higher, which is why they believe every American should own some physical gold until January 30th. If you're a first time gold buyer, Birch Gold is offering a rebate of up to $10,000 on qualifying purchases. To claim eligibility and start the process, just text my name, buck to 98. 98. 98. Birch Gold can help you roll an existing IRA or 401K into an IRA in gold and you're still eligible for a rebate of up to $10,000. Make right now your first time to buy gold. Take advantage of this rebate, but you got to do it by January 30th. Text my name Buck to 98. 98. 98. Claim your eligibility today. Birch Gold Group. All right, welcome back in here to Clay and Buck. As promised, our friend, our podcast host, our guest host of this program over the holiday where I am told many people are saying you did a fabulous job. Many people I have been told. David Rutherford is with us now. He is a former Navy seal, saw combat in Afghanistan, host of the David Rutherford show on the Clay and Buck podcast network, our friend Rut. Happy new year, my friend. Thanks so much for making the time for us.
- [44:57]
David Rutherford
You are more than welcome, gentlemen. Thanks for having me on. And can you believe what a way to kick off 2026 with one of the top, top five best ops I've ever seen or heard about.
- [45:09]
Clay Travis
Yeah, talk us through this one. In terms of the, like, the difficulty, the precision we know that they had because it's been reported widely, they had a mock up of the actual building and they waited till they knew Maduro be in that building. What, what's it like to get to the level of room clearing, speed and precision that this delta team had to have to get in there. Heavily armed compound, not a single casualty there.
- [45:38]
David Rutherford
J SOC units, in particular, Delta, cag, the unit, whatever you want to call it, are the best in the world. And the precision, speed and accuracy of their movements, there's just nobody else on the planet that can compete with these guys. Now you throw in on top of that, the support units in terms of TF160, the ground branch probably was there, you know, the CIA assets and sources online, the naval personnel, the air force, the dia, the intel. This is one of the most complicated operations that could possibly take pace place. And to execute it as flawlessly as they did, I mean, it's like, you know the deal, Buck, you know, what's Murphy's Law, you know if it's going to go wrong, it will. And this thing went flawless.
- [46:32]
Buck Sexton
What do you think it says? We were talking earlier, thanks for guest hosting and everything you're doing as a part of the Clay and Buck podcast network. What does it say? If you just look at the organizational leadership and compare our withdrawal from Afghanistan and you compare it with the tactical brilliance and superiority of the bombings of Iran, when the nuclear sites and now this with Maduro, what do you think people around the world are saying? What does it reflect upon when it comes to our military and their ability to do things like this compared to under Biden?
- [47:12]
David Rutherford
Oh, it's night and day. I mean, obviously the Afghanistan pullout was probably the worst revelation for any G1 operator or person who served over there from the intel community wherever. It was like a dagger through your heart. And so now when we finally see some real pipe hitters go in to project, you know, American power and reestablish ourselves as somebody you don't want to mess with around the world, there's nothing more significant as the global power game shifts. And that's what's taking place. I mean, the implications of this operation are not just. Don't just stop and, you know, as it affects the Monroe Doctrine in Central and South America and the Americas itself, this affects the entire world and puts everybody on notice. Hey, stand by because there's some pipe hitters back in control now and things are going to change.
- [48:15]
Clay Travis
We're speaking to David Rutherford, former Navy SEAL and host of the David Rutherford show on the Clay and Buck Podcast network. You guys should all go check it out. Dave's going to have some deep dive into the tactics and the strategy implications of what just happened here in Venezuela. And I want, I want to ask you, Dave, about the cartel Mexico component about this in a second. But, but first, you've been on whether it's a Blackhawk or a Chinook. I mean, you've been on that on the Hilo, going in, in your case, during the G what days, Afghanistan, knowing you're on that, you're on that bird and you're going after an hvt. Your, your Delta brothers just did this in Venezuela. But what's the, what's going through your mind? Like, what's the focus? I mean, how do you get ready to put literal boots on the ground and go into a situation where, you know, you're going to see combat and the enemy is ready for you and you're going to have to bring all your skills to bear?
- [49:12]
David Rutherford
That's a great question. And I think the, from all the, you know, guys that I know that were tier one, obviously I was not a tier one operator but did get to suit up and conduct missions. You know, the biggest thing is to remain calm and just relaxed. You know, you've done so many dry runs, you so many rehearsals. You know, these guys are the top of the top, right? They're, they're the elite of the elite. And so it's staying calm, knowing what your role is, staying focused, staying relaxed and not getting spun up as, as any normal human being would. You know, their heart rate would be over, you know, 175, 185 beats per minute. These guys are chilling at 115 beats per minute. They, they're, they've rehearsed, they know exactly what's going to take place and then if something does go wrong, they adapt, assimilate, assess and then continue to kick ass as they did down in Caracas.
- [50:11]
Clay Travis
Also. I know I was going to ask you about the cartels, but can you just speak to and I'm sure my, my, my in laws who have a lot of aviators on that side. There's actually a SEAL Team six guy on that side too, but a lot of aviators on that side. The 1/60th. I mean the stuff that I remember seeing a little bit of when I was in the agency that these guys and gals can do is incredible.
- [50:33]
David Rutherford
They're, they're the best pilots I've, I've ever seen, I've ever worked with. I mean I got picked up on the side of a mountain with like a 2500 foot cliff. They put the back gate on an edge as we jumped on board after recon. You know, I've done an innumerable amount of training stuff with them. They're the best of the best and they just keep getting better. And you know, I also to pay tribute to, you know, your, your, your father in law there who just retired, you know, the aviators that conducted the airstrikes as well too to take out the, you know, the air defense capabilities. They were, everything was so succinct and so flawless. Like this is the capability of the American military and intelligence community. And when employed in the right capacity, it can disrupt the global hegemony as it should. And that's what we're using it for right now. We're receding the distribution of power in the world and we're doing it with precision and just absolute perfection.
- [51:37]
Buck Sexton
David Rutherford with us right now. Encourage you to go sign up for his podcast Part of the Clay and Buck podcast network you mentioned. It's a top five all time operation that you've seen. I'm curious if you could give us some based on the evidence that's out there so far. Compare and contrast the difficulty of the Osama Bin Laden raid with the capture of Maduro. Both Buck and myself, as nowhere near the experts that you are, said that this seems to be a far more impressive raid even than what went on when Bin Laden was taken out. Is that your impression? How would you compare and contrast these two situations based on your expertise play?
- [52:21]
David Rutherford
That's, it's a really, you know, unique way to assess it in terms of, you know, the complexity issue. And I think that's the only way. I mean, obviously I was in Pakistan with the agency and the lead up in the aftermath of the Bin Laden raid and had a lot of friends that were on the op. But the size and scope of that op was not probably what, 110 the size of this, maybe 1 20th the size of this, maybe even smaller. Obviously the legwork done in preparation and the hunting of down was unbelievable of Bin Laden. But this in terms of all the intelligence they had to collect in the weeks or months leading up and then the complexity and coordination of all these different units, no shade on Bin Laden rate. Obviously that's from my generation, unbelievable. But this, this operation is, I mean we just went in and snatched a world leader in his sleep and didn't take one casualty. That just, it's mind blowing to what our capabilities truly are.
- [53:29]
Clay Travis
It reminds me a little bit actually Rod of the. I think it's the opening of Air Force One, right? Don't we swoop in, we send in a bunch of guys on, on parachutes and they snatch like the, some bad guy they're saying that this is.
- [53:43]
Buck Sexton
And some of the people may have watched Rut, you may have watched this building on what Buck's saying, that the Jack Ryan show that now is a part of Amazon prime, that season two is basically this, that this happens. I have not watched that show, but I've heard a lot of people and they've been reacting and saying this is basically that show.
- [54:02]
David Rutherford
I agree. That's one of my favorite seasons of the show. I just, I think, you know, it's always in those first couple seasons, whether it's Homelander or, or Jack Ryan, like their, their narratives are so close to reality that it's the truth. And you know, let's just take a step back and look at Maduro. 45,000 foot, right? Illegal you know, leader of the, In a, in a, in a compromised election system. You know, the relationship, the alleged relationship that Gary Bernstein and Martin Rodeal point out and Ralph Pizzulo's incredible book, Stolen Elections. You know, they did a ton of human research with, you know, the corruption of their, Venezuela's control over, alleged control over smartmatic and Dominion. Then you've got the Cartel de Solis and the impact of what they're doing around the world in terms of the international drug flows, illegal arms flows and illegal oil. Right. The whole oil thing is, I mean, think about if we are able to kind of strangle the oil outflows out of that country, who does that input? What countries? How does it affect their governance? How does it affect their preparation for what they're doing around the world? I mean, this is like one of those major chess moves that it takes, is very complicated to understand the totality of it. But it is one of the most remarkable things that I've ever seen, obviously, in my operational lifetime. And then on a grander context that we've seen in modern geopolitical tactics and initiatives, I mean, you know, you go back, what, 10 years ago in our South America, Central America, you know, operations in terms of, you know, quelling the rise of socialism, communism, whatever you want to call it, was almost obsolete. And now we're literally writing or changing the global power hegemony with these types of missions in our own hemisphere. I absolutely love it.
- [56:10]
Buck Sexton
Rut, how many countries do you think, based on what you see here from Venezuela, do you think the United States could go into and grab a leader like this and get out with no casualties? I mean, 95% of the countries in the world, 98%. I mean, if you're Iran or heck, I mean, maybe some of these other countries that have nuclear weapons, like North Korea are saying this could never happen to us because of that. But don't all those leaders have to be looking around saying, if the US can do this to Venezuela, they can do this to me really easily?
- [56:42]
David Rutherford
100% clay. And that's, I think that's the posture President Trump and Secretary Hegseth and, you know, Secretary Rubio are saying to everybody, this is a notice. This is a notice to the world. Listen, America is done playing the games of the last administration, the Obama administration, even in some capacity, the Bush administration, Right? Where now we're going to be incredibly focused on what we're going to do, have a reason behind it that's going to alter. Right. Like I said, this global hegemony that's been globalist in nature is now getting back to American spring superiority.
- [57:23]
Clay Travis
Rut, what is your operator spidey sense tell you about the possibility of, let's just say, an increased ops tempo against cartels to the south of our border in Mexico?
- [57:38]
David Rutherford
Okay, what shine bomb came out? You know, it didn't quite condemn it. You know, gave kind of soft language on it. You know, I believe that she is absolutely quaking in her boots right now. I think the cartels down there are probably, you know, gearing up and starting to realize, hey, this is a different game these guys are playing. They'll probably go underground for a while and get real quiet just to hope it passes by. But I think everybody's on notice. In particular, if you're a cartel and you're engaged in any type of drug trafficking that directly impacts American civilians, then guess what? You probably just got put on the JSOC door knock list, which is a list, I'm telling you, if you're listening to this anywhere around the world, you never want to be on the JSOC door knock list.
- [58:39]
Buck Sexton
Go follow him. David Rutherford, part of the Clay and Buck podcast network. Thanks again for guest hosting while we were out. Great feedback on that. And enjoy 2026, brother.
- [58:50]
David Rutherford
Thanks, guys. God bless you. Keep doing what you're doing. You're crushing it.
- [58:55]
Buck Sexton
Let's dive in here. Buck prize picks. Was just talking with Buck. I think Buck is going to come with me to the national title game potentially going on in his hometown of Miami. We don't know who's going to play yet.
- [59:08]
Clay Travis
Could be my beloved Miami Hurricanes.
- [59:11]
Buck Sexton
Could be. Could be the Miami Hurricanes who are playing against Ole miss on one side, Indiana and Oregon on the other side. The world. The world championship of football, also known as the super bowl, has been set. The wild card playoffs are set. Amazing game between the ravens and the Steelers last night. Stayed up and watched that. Outstanding. If you love football, whether it's NFL, whether it's college football, guess what? 2026 Price Picks is now available in all 50 states. You can play everywhere. You are listening right now. They continue to grow. They are expanding. Great American business success story. You can play in California, Texas, Florida, Georgia, all 50 states. $50 when you play. $5 at prizepix.com My name, Clay. Play $5. I'll give you a pick for the wild card going into the weekend. We'll have some fun with that. Prizepix.com Code Clay. That is prizepix.com Code clay. Get hooked up today. Prizepix.com code play making America Great again.
- [60:23]
Clay Travis
Isn'T just one man, it's many.
- [60:25]
Buck Sexton
The Team 47 podcast Sundays at noon.
- [60:29]
Clay Travis
Eastern in the Clay and Buck podcast feed.
- [60:31]
Buck Sexton
Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you like free money? Well, today's your lucky day. Better Picks is offering a free $10 just for signing up. Download the Better App, pick more or less on player stats, watch the games and win some cash. It's that simple. Better Picks is available in 33 states, including Texas, California and Georgia. Download the Better app today. That's better. B E T R and get a free $10. No deposit necessary. Must be 20 or older in a jurisdiction where Better Picks operates, terms and conditions apply. Better Picks Sports Just got Better these.
- [61:06]
Clay Travis
Days it seems like AI agents are just about everywhere you turn, every field and every function. But without identity, you can't trust they'll serve your business instead of jeopardizing it. Fortunately, Okta helps you get identity right by securing your AI agents identities, giving you a single layer of control, a single standard of trust. So whether an AI agent supports a single user or your entire enterprise, with Okta you'll turn risk into opportunity. Secure every agent. Secure any agent. Okta secures AI My favorite thing about Shipt since I signed up for target circle360 no price markups when I order same day delivery from tons of local stores, only a handful of alcohol retailers and items don't count. I won't lie, I've had too much fun being like markups on groceries not in my fridge. Markups on pet food not for my dog. Markups on tools, electronics, home goods, meds not in my house. Anyway, it's awesome. Order now@shipt.com 360 terms apply. Hi, it's Karen and Georgia from my favorite murder Reading. A skincare label shouldn't feel like decoding a dead language. Instead of mystery ingredients, Crunchy gives you skincare and makeup that's safe and effective. Crunchy delivers uncompromised clean beauty with clinically proven ingredients, sustainable packaging, and trusted certifications like EWG Verified and and Leaping Bunny Crunching is creating a future where clean beauty is a genuine promise, not just a marketing term. Because trusting what you put on your skin should be the standard, not the luxury. From their award winning foundation to their nourishing skin care line, Crunchy is raising the bar. It's so true. So I've been putting on more makeup than I ever have in my life because we've been doing videos and live shows. And so I am really, really careful about what I put on my skin because I break out easily. So I love that. Crunchy is so clean and so nourishing. I'm actually wearing makeup that's good for my skin and makes my skin look better instead of hiding all the imperfections, which is usually what I use makeup for, honestly. Visit crunchy.com to shop clean beauty that performs and take 20% off your order with code MFM. That's code MFM at c r u n c-h I.com the real clean Beauty Goodbye. This is an I heart podcast. Guaranteed human.