Daily Review with Clay and Buck - May 16 2025

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – Daily Review with Clay and Buck
Episode Date: May 16, 2025
Host(s): Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
Guest(s): Joe Getty, Nicole Parker
Platform: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In the May 16, 2025 episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton delve into pressing political and current events, featuring insights from guest Congressman Joe Getty and former FBI agent Nicole Parker. The episode primarily focuses on recent controversies involving former FBI Director James Comey, legislative developments in Congress, and internal reforms within the FBI.

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James Comey's Controversial Instagram Posts

[04:00] Clay Travis initiates a heated discussion about former FBI Director James Comey's recent Instagram activity. Comey posted images of seashells arranged to display the numbers "8647," which many interpret as a covert threat against President Donald Trump ("86" being slang for "kill"). This marks Comey's second such post, the first endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.

Key Quotes:

• Clay Travis [05:27]: "James Comey was the single worst bureaucrat of the 21st century until Fauci came along."
• Jack Armstrong [08:15]: "It's super weird, too. The guy's 64 years old. So the idea that you would decide..."

Discussion Highlights:

• Both hosts express disbelief and concern over Comey's actions, questioning his motives and mental state.
• Clay Travis [10:46] criticizes Comey's sanctimonious public persona, suggesting his actions are indicative of deeper issues within the FBI.
• The conversation underscores the potential legal repercussions for Comey, emphasizing the seriousness of making veiled threats against the President.

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Legislative Developments: The "Big Beautiful Bill"

[19:24] Joe Getty provides an overview of a significant legislative effort dubbed the "Big Beautiful Bill." The bill aims to implement substantial tax cuts for American families and businesses, establish work requirements for public assistance recipients, and allocate resources to secure the U.S. borders.

Key Highlights:

• Tax Cuts: Affirmation that both new and permanent tax cuts are included to benefit families and stimulate business growth.
• Work Requirements: Introduction of stipulations requiring able-bodied individuals receiving assistance to engage in work or job training programs.
• Border Security: Reinforcement of resources to ensure the effectiveness of border security measures, building upon the initiatives started by the Trump administration.

Key Quotes:

• Joe Getty [20:09]: "Two things. One, that it just what I talked about: tax cuts for American families and business R&D expansion."
• Clay Travis [21:42]: "Congressman Jordan, I know you only have a minute before you gotta run..."

Discussion Highlights:

• The hosts and Getty discuss the potential impact of the bill on reducing the national deficit and promoting economic growth.
• Concerns are raised about the political dynamics in Congress that may impede the bill's passage, including conservative House Republicans' potential blockades.

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Impact of COVID-19 Vaccine Disclosure on the 2020 Election

[22:27] Joe Getty shares revelations suggesting that information about the COVID-19 vaccine's development was suppressed prior to the 2020 presidential election, potentially influencing its outcome.

Key Quotes:

• Joe Getty [22:27]: "They go, Shazam. The results are great."
• Clay Travis [24:15]: "Why is there any reason why he wouldn't be able to do that?"

Discussion Highlights:

• The hosts speculate that if voters had been aware of imminent vaccine availability, it might have swayed the election in favor of Trump.
• Getty mentions efforts to depose individuals involved in vaccine development to uncover the truth behind the alleged suppression.

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Interview with Former FBI Agent Nicole Parker

[30:40] Clay Travis welcomes Nicole Parker back to the show to discuss her experiences at the FBI during and after James Comey's tenure.

Key Quotes:

• Nicole Parker [31:01]: "James Comey... single-handedly destroyed the FBI."
• Nicole Parker [33:58]: "Comey is playing ignorance right now. Oh, I had no idea."

Discussion Highlights:

• Parker recounts the decline of the FBI starting from July 5, 2016, highlighting Comey's controversial decisions, including his handling of the Hillary Clinton email investigation and the initiation of the Russia collusion probe.
• She criticizes Comey's leadership style, labeling him a "total narcissist" and attributing the bureau's current issues to his influence.
• Parker emphasizes ongoing efforts under the current administration to reform the FBI, eradicate internal corruption, and restore its integrity.

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Internal FBI Reforms and Leadership

[39:05] Nicole Parker elaborates on the current state of reforms within the FBI, focusing on Director Cash Patel's initiatives to dismantle corruption and rebuild trustworthy operations.

Key Quotes:

• Nicole Parker [39:05]: "Director Patel has a lot of work cut out for him."
• Nicole Parker [42:13]: "He knows exactly what he was doing."

Discussion Highlights:

• Parker discusses the bifurcation within the FBI: the "good" agents versus those involved in corrupt practices.
• She details the steps being taken to evaluate and reassign agents, remove corrupt personnel, and strengthen the agency from the ground up.
• The conversation highlights the challenges Director Patel faces in restoring morale and ensuring a unified, ethical workforce.

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Congressional Budget Negotiations and Debt Ceiling

[50:59] Jack Armstrong and Clay Travis engage in a critical analysis of the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations, expressing skepticism about the proposed increases and the lack of clear spending cuts.

Key Quotes:

• Clay Travis [51:19]: "We're gonna go from $37 trillion in debt to over $60 trillion in debt."
• Jack Armstrong [56:20]: "The United States Congress. It is large, it is comprehensive..."

Discussion Highlights:

• The hosts critique the proposal to raise the debt ceiling by $5 trillion without corresponding spending reductions, labeling it fiscally irresponsible.
• They urge for transparency regarding the exact cuts and spending reforms needed to mitigate the national deficit.
• The conversation underscores the frustration with bipartisan gridlock and the urgent need for actionable fiscal policies to prevent a potential financial catastrophe.

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Conclusion

The episode concludes with a strong emphasis on the need for accountability and reform within both the FBI and Congress. Hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton, along with their guests, advocate for decisive actions to address internal corruption, ensure the integrity of governmental institutions, and implement responsible fiscal policies. The discussions reflect a deep concern over the current state of American politics and governance, urging leaders to prioritize transparency, ethics, and the nation's long-term well-being.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Clay Travis [05:27]: "James Comey was the single worst bureaucrat of the 21st century until Fauci came along."
• Nicole Parker [31:01]: "James Comey... single-handedly destroyed the FBI."
• Clay Travis [51:19]: "We're gonna go from $37 trillion in debt to over $60 trillion in debt."
• Nicole Parker [33:58]: "Comey is playing ignorance right now. Oh, I had no idea."

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Final Thoughts

This episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show provides a comprehensive analysis of recent political events, emphasizing the need for systemic reforms and responsible leadership. Through engaging discussions and expert insights, listeners gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing American governance and the steps necessary to foster a more transparent and accountable political landscape.

Transcript

[Clay Travis]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.

[Buck Sexton]

Men. If you're ready to reclaim your edge, listen up. I used to be held back by constant bathroom trips with multiple wake ups during my sleep and looking for restrooms whenever I was out. Then I discovered Better Man. After just two months, I started experiencing fewer trips to the bathroom, less urge to go, and I even slept through some nights. I feel a noticeable boost in my overall well being, even sexual stamina. It gives me the freedom and confidence to live life on my terms. Better man is clinically tested and trusted by thousands of men over 25 years ready to take back control. Go to be better now.com to order your supply today. That's be better now.com these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Use is directed. Individual results may vary.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand?

[Clay Travis]

We're not boring. A lot of news is boring and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tedious and depressing and makes you angry. You don't want to live your life like that. Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty. We're Armstrong and Getty.

[Clay Travis]

We try to bring you the truth.

[Jack Armstrong]

And help you figure out this crazy.

[Clay Travis]

Modern world about something about a comedic tone.

[Jack Armstrong]

We have a winner.

[Clay Travis]

Yes. Listen to Armstrong.

[Jack Armstrong]

You get it on Demand on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome in Friday edition. You made it to almost another weekend. We hope all of you have had a fabulous week hanging out with us. We have had an awesome time hanging out with you, encourage you to get out there and subscribe to the podcast. Clay Travis, Buck Sexton show. We have added Nicole Sapphire. Continue to expand the Clay and Buck network and you will enjoy it. If you make the decision to go ahead and sign up and hang out with us in your free time, wherever you may be around the country or around the world. And obviously with summer vacation season beginning in earnest next weekend with it being Memorial Day weekend, lots of graduations, lots of activities, you may find yourself on the road and want to take the show with you. So, boom, there you go. Search out Clay Travis, search out Buck Sexton and you can take the show with you wherever you are interested in going. All right, let's dive into a lot of the activities that are taking place right now, but let me give you a little bit of a roadmap. Congressman Jim Jordan gonna join us at 12:30. He has uncovered emails suggesting yet another conspiracy was correct, which is the COVID shot was hidden from voters in 2020. Now, we know that ultimately the COVID shot became to a large extent worthless, but it would have likely swung the election if there had been an opportunity for people to know in November, hey, we think we have a Covid shot vaccine. Trump would have surged in the polls. I really do believe this. And that, among many other aspects, might well have decided the election, given how close Things were in 2020 in Wisconsin, Georgia and Arizona. So we're going to talk about that story with Jim Jordan. We're also going to be joined by our friend Nicole Parker, former FBI agent. Big news coming out from Cash Patel about the choices that he is going to make regarding the FBI J. Edgar Hoover headquarters building. But also the story that I wanted to start with that happened yesterday in the afternoon. James Comey, former head of the FBI from 2013 to 2017, who effectively out of nowhere helped to create the idea of Russia collusion as it pertained to Trump's election victory in 2016, posted a Instagram message photo of seashells arranged so that the numbers 8, 6, 4, 7 were shown. He claimed that he had just been walking on the beach and seen it. Interestingly, Buck, and this is me going full Sherlock Holmes. I was on with Jesse Waters last night, and my prep for that was something I didn't expect that I would ever end up doing, which was going through James Comey's past Instagram post, and prior to that, he had found a seashell also on the beach that miraculously was painted to endorse Kamala Harris, and he had shared that. So I. I am not the greatest investigator who has ever lived, but if you are posting multiple seashell stories to give political opinions, it would suggest to me that the former head of The FBI did this, 8647, or some of his friends, family, whoever he was hanging out with, he had to know what this meant. Otherwise, it's just a super weird thing to post. And he now claims that he had no idea about it at all. What was your reaction, Buck? And for those of you who don't know and may not have seen this story, uh, 86 is basically take somebody out. Uh, Donald Trump is obviously the 47th president of the United States, in pretty much any parlance that would be associated, I would imagine, with any sort of investigative branch. This would be a call to arms, a suggestion that Trump, who has already survived two assassination attempts, should be killed by someone. What was your reaction when you saw it? Were you as stunned as I was? Buck?

[Clay Travis]

I think that James Comey was the single worst bureaucrat of the 21st century until Fauci came along. And maybe he's a little jealous of all the attention for Fauci's awfulness and decided that he wanted to be in the headlines again. I would say this is so shockingly stupid, but if you've actually spent any time thinking about, learning about, reading about James Comey, he is truly, I think, a pathological narcissist and has created this narrative in his head where he is the greatest and most ethical human being alive in America, maybe in the world, and does not believe that anybody else can. I mean, that's why I used to call him Sanctacomy. I mean, he's the most sanctimonious person, may even be more sanctimonious than Fauci. And he put the country through a horrible ordeal, largely orchestrated himself. I mean, just. Just to take a step back here for a few moments as we are looking at this issue. James Comey bragged about sending FBI agents to go ambush the incoming National Security Advisor with a perjury trap over nothing because he said that he thought it was a violation of the Logan Act, a law that has never been success, never been used in 200 plus years to prosecute anybody ever. So. So he thinks he is too clever and then some. And he's not nearly clever enough because Donald Trump is president now and he destroyed his entire, whatever belief he had that he'd go down in the history books as some kind of hero. No, he is a schmo of the first order. He is the absolute worst. And he got right alongside Fauci. And you also, just for those who want to take a little trip down memory lane with me on this clay, you know that he was the U.S. attorney who pushed very hard to prosecute Martha Stewart and make sure that she served jail time just because he was showboating. He's the ultimate prosecutorial showboat, which is a menace, a menace in a free society. Somebody who thinks I'm going to ruin someone else's life and take away their freedom because of how it will make me look in the newspapers. That is the last person that you want to be making tough calls about prosecution and wielding the power of the state. Fauci, I mean, sorry, Fauci Comey is. Is a really malignant force in America. He knew exactly what he was doing, but I guess he didn't think past the implications of. Your buddies aren't calling the shots at the FBI anymore, Comey. Now, it's Cash Patel and Dan Bongino. And they don't think your little subtle threat to the President of the United States is clever. They think it's a crime and he's going to have to have some explaining to do here.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's super weird, too. The guy's 64 years old. So the idea that you would decide.

[Clay Travis]

Do you remember all the Instagram photos he used to post of himself, like staring at lakes during the Russia collusion thing? The guy's in love with himself. He's a weirdo, Clay. A weirdo. Sorry.

[Jack Armstrong]

I was going to say, I mean, I understand when you're a 19 or 20 year old influencer that you're posting photos all the time from the beach. This whole thing is very strange to me. I thought when this story popped, I was like, there's no way this guy could be this much of a moron. Part of me is thinking, is he begging to be arrested? Because it's so awfully dumb for someone who has been in charge of the FBI to be suggesting in any way that the President of the United States should be killed and to do it with seashells on the beach. It's. It's just a very weak.

[Clay Travis]

It's like a beta male threat against the President. I mean, this is like the low T terrorist extraordinaire. What are you doing? It's insane. But, Clay, it's also a reminder that these people who, who threw their. Everything they had into destroying Trump, they're. They're actually not very bright and they're weirdos and they had a lot of power in government before Trump came along. Some of the people that he has exposed just by existing, he's done a Trump. I mean, Trump, Trump has done us a huge favor because all these wackadoos at the top of the government bureaucracy showed us who they are.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, it's a good point. It has led to a great collection of memes of people posting their own seashell messages on the beach. But I just like, if you're a grown man and you are posting pictures of seashells, I just like, what is going on in your world? What is going on in your mind? And to have done it twice and then to claim that you don't know who did it, which is now his claim. They posted a seashell photo to endorse Kamala Harris. And then there's a seashell photo of a call to kill Trump. And you claim that you just took a photo and posted it. I mean, it's not an insubstantial amount of time that it would have taken to make a seashell message. And I just, I, I, I don't, I don't get it. And I hope that he is already being questioned about this, but a part of me thinks that does he want to be arrested? Like, this is just such a dumb thing to do?

[Clay Travis]

No. He's so used to playing these little sanctimonious games in public that I think Clay, he thought with, with the usual comey sophistry. I mean, do you remember when. I mean, he really. He presents himself like a blameless friar from, you know, the medieval period or something. He's like, oh, I was just doing my Russia collusion. I just pursuing the bureau's prerogatives. I just, you know, he is such a phony baloney. And now he's doing this. I didn't think about what the implications of this would be. You're the FBI director.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's my thing. It's so weird.

[Clay Travis]

Like, what, there's. What leeway should you get for. I didn't. First of all, did he give anyone else ever in his career the oh, I didn't think that was actually a crime when I did it leeway? I don't think so. And secondly, you would know this. You should know this better than anybody that that's not something that you should play games with. And even beyond the. There's the legality of this, and he's gonna fight it, and he's gonna say that it's like, you know, this is a free speech. And it doesn't actually. What. Those are just numbers. Just like the. What is the marijuana plant? Smiley face one three on the guys. It's just a coincidence, clay. It's a 1 in 10. It's a 1 in 10 trillion coincidence that that guy Abrego Garcia happened to have those things on his knuckles which anybody would look at and go, hmm, I think I know what you're doing here. But. But there are coincidence theorists, and Comey is so used to getting away with insulting our intelligence, and that's what he's doing once again.

[Jack Armstrong]

And I don't know what should the concert. So let's pretend you are in charge of investigating this, which is unfortunately, should be totally unnecessary, right? I mean, the fact that we have to spend time on something this dumb.

[Clay Travis]

He's going. He's going to. I can tell you what he's going to do. He's not going to get criminally. They're not going to be able criminally nail him on this. And don't get mad at me. If I'm wrong, I'll come on and apologize. I'm just telling you what's going to happen. Ok. If I'm wrong, I'll say I was wrong. They are charging him and they're taking seriously. Should they? Yeah, but should they and will they is not the same question. Right. I think Clay, what he's going to do here is he's going to say I observed something and I shared what I observed and if anything, you want to know how sanctimonious Comey is. You ready for this everybody? If this was any kind of threat against Trump, Comey will claim by sharing it I exposed the threat. That's who James Comey is.

[Jack Armstrong]

Here's a good question for you.

[Clay Travis]

Why is there any reason why he wouldn't be able to do that? Clay, think this one through for a second. Given that he says he didn't even know what the numbers meant, you don't think he'd pull that off?

[Jack Armstrong]

Well, I wonder. Usually you don't take only one photo on your phone. I would think that his phone will get seized and I would wonder whether there is evidence of who did this, meaning him or someone else. A video like think about it. And I went to my 4th grade talent competition, not mine, my 4th graders talent show today and I took a bunch of different pictures and videos, usually on social media and I'm going to sound like a 23 year old Instagram influencer right now. You take multiple photos and choose the one that you think best reflects what the message is that you want to get out there that you post on Instagram. So, so my thought on this, and again I'm not Sherlock Holmes, but I do have a little bit of experience, is that his phone is likely to have multiple versions of this photo and or potentially a video or evidence of who did this. And I think his phone's probably going to get seized. And so I think he did this right. Like I don't think it's very likely that some, in some way that he had no knowledge of some person he didn't know at all, wrote down 8647 in shells. And James Comey, who happens to hate Trump is walking down the beach and takes a photo.

[Clay Travis]

The one that I think is the, is the toughest for the Comey defense is what you told me, that he has other shell message, a Kamala message. And this is how Comey, this is like finger painting by James Comey. I mean we're going to, we'll see.

[Jack Armstrong]

Just let's again go in full Sherlock Holmes here. Buc. How many seashell photos have you posted with political messages ever in your life on Instagram?

[Clay Travis]

You know the answer is zero.

[Jack Armstrong]

Okay, so me, you and I combined have never posted a political message with seashells. I bet.

[Clay Travis]

But that doesn't go to his defense. His defense is going to be that he found it. So unless he has photos of him making it, he's going to say, I stumbled upon this on the beach and I was just showing.

[Jack Armstrong]

I understand that's going to be his defense. I just don't think that he only took one photo. I think there's going to be evidence on his phone that he may try to delete. I'm telling you, think about it.

[Clay Travis]

Clay. Come on.

[Jack Armstrong]

How often. Don't come about. Think about it.

[Clay Travis]

Get out of here.

[Jack Armstrong]

How often when you post something on Instagram? I only want 25 year olds and younger here to respond. Nobody only takes one photo.

[Clay Travis]

So if he has multiple photos, he'll just say he took multiple photos. I don't. Unless he has a photo of him placing the stones, which would be truly insane.

[Jack Armstrong]

No, I'm saying I think there will be photos. I think it was like his kid or it was somebody in his group and they were joking around. They took a photo. I think they took a. This is my prediction. They took a series of photos joking around. Then he said, hey, should I post this? Oh, it's going to get MAGA so worked up. Ha ha ha. They're drinking wine like a couple of losers on the beach. I got this whole story in my head and I think that's the story. I think. I think he may have created a big mess for himself here. As big of a mess as the Knicks will be in if they manage to lose to the Celtics tonight to force a game seven and send Buck into great deal of uncertainty as the weekend begins here. Playoff action. The Knicks Celtics. Can they get it done? W.W. o R listeners. 50 years long suffering Knicks fans. Can the ghost I know he's still alive of Patrick Ewing. Can the ghost I know he's still alive of John Starks come back and save the Knicks once again like it is the 1990s and send them in to play against the Pacers. NHL action underway as well. Major League Baseball can my Braves ever get back above.500 there in Boston going up against the Red Sox for a weekend series prize picks the best way to have fun on with sports in more than 30 states including California, Texas and Georgia. If you've been feeling left out. Withdrawals fast, safe, secure, some hitting your account as little as 15 minutes. It's legal, it's easy. You're gonna love it. Go to prizepix.com use my name Clay as the code and and when you play $5, you get $50. That's prizepix.com code clay $5 turns into $50. Prizepix.com code clay price picks Run your game. Making America great again isn't just one man, it's many. The Team 47 podcast Sundays at noon Eastern in the Clay and Buck podcast feed. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Buck Sexton]

Men. If you're ready to reclaim your edge, listen up. I used to be held back by constant bathroom trips with multiple wake ups during my sleep and looking for restrooms whenever I was out. Then I discovered Better Man. After just two months, I started experiencing fewer trips to the bathroom, less urge to go, and I even slept through some nights. I feel a noticeable boost in my overall well being, even sexual stamina. It gives me the freedom and confidence to live life on my terms. Betterman is clinically tested and trusted by thousands of men over 25 years ready to take back control. Go to be betternow.com to order your supply today. That's be betternow.com these statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Use this directed. Individual results may vary.

[Jack Armstrong]

Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand?

[Clay Travis]

We're not boring. A lot of news is boring and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tedious and depressing and makes you angry. You don't want to live your life like that. Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty. We're Armstrong and Getty.

[Clay Travis]

We try to bring you the truth.

[Jack Armstrong]

And help you figure out this crazy.

[Clay Travis]

Modern world about something about a comedic tone.

[Jack Armstrong]

We have a winner.

[Clay Travis]

Yes, listen to Armstrong.

[Jack Armstrong]

You get it on Demand on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck Sexton show. We head up to Capitol Hill to be joined by our good buddy Congressman Jim Jordan of Ohio. Lots to get into with him on a variety of different subjects. But let's start off right off the top here. Big beautiful bill making its way through the House and the Senate. Some, some, maybe some challenges along the way. What should the audience out there know about where this is and where it's headed?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, I mean, I think in the end good be with you guys, I think in the end we get there because sort of one, I've always thought this one sort of overriding fact is we're the party that's as we don't raise taxes and if we don't get this passed, taxes go up on the families. We get the representing and just one of the hallmark basic fundamental principles of the Republican Party is we think moms and dads should keep more of their money to spend on their goals, their dreams, their kids, their objectives in their communities. We think businesses should keep more of their money to plow back into their business to expand and grow and help our economy, which ultimately leads to more revenue coming into the treasury. So we're for lower taxes. So I think in the end we get there. We had a little setback here a few minutes ago in the budget committee, but we'll keep working and I think we, we get this bill done.

[Clay Travis]

What's the most beautiful thing in the big beautiful bill or the most beautiful thing if you're just giving us some top lines, Congressman. So we know what's in there because let's be honest, very few people out there are going to read the entirety of the bill. But if it gets through, what should we be excited about?

[Joe Getty]

Two things. One, that it just what I talked about yet there'll be tax cuts for American families and business R and D expansion. All the things that help not to.

[Clay Travis]

Interrupt you new new tax cuts, not just like making old tax that Trump had permanent. Is that right?

[Joe Getty]

Both of those, both of those will happen. So I think that is, I think that is huge. Second work requirements. You know, if you're able bodied, one of the, one of the things you guys all know this, y' all had jobs. I mean I remember my brother and I, we mow country lawns. You know, you learn to work, you learn the satisfaction of a job well done. You learn to interact with customers. You need to keep a schedule. It's all important things. And if you don't have people work who are able bodied, they just live off the taxpayer. That is not good for taxpayers. It's not good for our economy. Most importantly, it's not good for the people who get robbed of learning what we all learned with those first jobs. So that the work requirement elements that we have in there for people receiving public assistance and then finally this came directly from our committee. The resources we have sent to the administration to make sure our borders stay secure. It's already secure. What President Trump and his team have done. Stephen Miller, Tom Holman, Kristi what they've done is amazing, but we want to make sure they have the resources that came from our committee. So I think those are sort of the three big things that I think are just key principles and things we talked about in the campaign that are in this bill.

[Jack Armstrong]

You had a big revelation about the potential, it appears, attempt to keep news about the COVID shot and the progress that was being made from being released right before the election, because theoretically, it would have been beneficial to Trump. And I've always found it. I know many people out there did as well. Super suspicious that within, I don't know, a week or 10 days after the election, we suddenly found out that there had been very good progress being made on the COVID shot. Now, I'm not getting into the efficacy of the COVID shot going forward, but In October of 2020, if there had been an expectation of a COVID vaccine, I think Trump would have won. I don't think it would have been close. What happened? What have you uncovered?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, no, Clay, I agree with you. Whatever you think about the vaccine, I personally didn't get it. But it's still. You got to go back to the text then. And it wasn't a week after. It was a day after the election was November 3rd. November 7th, Joe Biden's declared winner. November 8th, they go, Shazam. The results are great. It like you. You that when you knew. Yeah. So. So this guy. And this guy tells. He goes to a subsequent pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline, and he tells them after this past presidential election, when President Trump wins, he says, you know, I'd like to get transferred to Canada. And because it's no coincidence on the timing of the results back in 2020. Well, you don't have to leave the country if you didn't do something wrong. So we sent a letter to this doctor, we want to depose him. And then we sent a letter to Pfizer where he worked when they were developing this vaccine and doing the test, that he said that they slowed down their results getting to the public. And again, remember the context. You couple that with all the mail in ballots with the 51 former intel officials who worked with the Biden campaign to put out that stupid letter that was false, saying the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian information operation. All that, Trump wins. If they don't do all that stuff. We understand that. So. And those kind of things just aren't supposed to happen. So we're gonna. We're gonna dig into this and find out what went. What really took Place.

[Clay Travis]

Congressman Jordan, I know you only have a minute before you gotta run. I just wanted to get your reaction to what is kind of an unexpected but still major news story of the day, which is you've dealt with Comey in the past. You're familiar with this fellow. What the heck is he thinking sharing this 86, 47 seashells thing? Like, does this surprise you at all? Or do you, do you think that this guy. Have you always known he was such a weirdo?

[Joe Getty]

I mean, I guess we're all surprised. I mean, like, what are you doing this for? And then I was surprised that he said, well, I think he said that like it was just on the beach. I took a picture of it. He said, come on. He probably arranged. I mean, you got. You got to be kidding me. So, but then you think about it, Comey. I probably depose. I said this earlier to someone today. I said in more deposition, more transcribed interviews than just about any member of Congress over the last 15 years. And certain people when they're in a deposition, their attitude just their, their arrogance, you just, you just see it, you dislike. Comey was almost like, how dare some country hillbilly from western Ohio ask me, Jim Comey questions in a depth. It's like he was like Clapper and Brennan, frankly, with certain people. So I just think he wants attention. It was stupid. It was wrong. And God bless Tristy Noem for in Secret Service for investigating the whole thing.

[Jack Armstrong]

One last question here is, I know you're busy and we appreciate you coming on today. All of the revelations that are coming out about Joe Biden and suddenly Democrats are saying, how could we have possibly known a Democrat media like Jake Tapper is saying, boy, were we ever snookered here. We had no idea this was going on. Why would it not make sense? And you can tell me if I'm crazy on this, given the fact that Democrats had PrimeTime hearings on Jan.6 and that may have been beneficial and impactful for them in the midterms because enough people paid attention and were willing to buy the story that they were telling, why would it not be beneficial to bring all these Biden aides in, put them under oath, question them about what they actually saw, and hold Democrats responsible for the question that I think you probably still have, too. Who the heck's been running the country for the past few years, given that Biden didn't have the mental or physical capability?

[Joe Getty]

Yeah, well, we know who was running it, but we know who was running it in foreign policy. It was the whole darn team that Clinton and Obama had, you know, Jake Sullivan, Wendy Sherman, Bill Burns, Tony Blinket. But we never really kind of knew who was running domestic policy, who's really making the calls over there. But, yeah, you're right. Jake Tapper lied to us for four years and now he writes a book and is making money telling us the truth. I mean, you can't make.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's amazing.

[Joe Getty]

So, so I do think that makes sense, but I think step one in this process is getting the her tapes. And this is why we were after him for, you know, we were after him for the last year and a half whenever, whenever Robert her testified and conveyed to us just, you know, he wasn't going to prosecute, but just how bad that interview was. He told us it. But we'd like that. We'd actually like to have the audio tapes which we know exist and the Justice Department refused to refuse to give to us. We think we're going to get those public here soon. I think that's step one and you will see how they play out. But if, if it's anything like the transcript, I think it's, it's going to be pretty good or pretty interesting, I should say. And then we can go to some of these people after that. But I think that's, that's sort of step one in any investigation that we do.

[Jack Armstrong]

Good stuff.

[Clay Travis]

I appreciate you, sir.

[Joe Getty]

You bet. Thanks. Thanks for all you guys. Do take care.

[Clay Travis]

Well, there we have it.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah. No, I mean, I appreciate him making the time because I think, as always, super impactful to hear from him. And, you know, there's going to be a lot of talk about what exactly is taking place on the, on that bill. But I feel pretty good. And I'm sure you see the breaking.

[Clay Travis]

News, breaking news from the Wall Street Journal. Big, beautiful bill stalled after being blocked by conservative House Republicans.

[Jack Armstrong]

But I feel a little bit like this with this, like I do about the. What do they always.

[Clay Travis]

That shutdown or the debt, debt limit.

[Jack Armstrong]

Government shutdowns, debt ceilings. I would be stunned beyond belief if this doesn't end up getting passed at some point in the near future.

[Clay Travis]

Are you suggesting play that in the Congress? Sometimes there is pointless grandstanding by members who have no intention of changing anything but want a little attention.

[Jack Armstrong]

I would maybe possibly be suggesting that that is almost exactly what's going to happen here and eventually it's going to pass. So I would be, I would be stunned if that isn't the, the ultimate reaction before all is said and done.

[Clay Travis]

All right, we'll take some of Your calls here it is Friday. I'd love to hear from you. 800-282-2882. Also talkbacks. So much fun on those talkbacks. Go to the iHeartRadio app, which you should all have downloaded. It is free. It is fantastic. And go to the Clay and Buck page. Press that microphone, send us your talkbacks. You know, years ago I started investing in gold as part of my savings plan. As it turns out, the gold that I purchased over a decade ago has gone up 160% in value. I mean, you can just look at a chart. You can go online and check it out for yourself. Look at what gold has done over the last 10 years or last 20 years. Purchasing gold today has become easier than ever thanks to partners like Birch Gold Group. And it's important, given the external factors out there that we can't control like inflation and government spending that you take action. Now for the long term, gold is the long term hold. In fact, historically, if you look at it, you could argue it's the ultimate long term hold. Because gold is the store of value not just in our economy but really for all of human history. And one of the best ways to protect your savings is through diversification. And I diversify. Yeah, I've got money in bank accounts, but I've got gold from Birch Gold Group too. In the past 12 months, the value of gold has increased by 40%. And central banks who tend to know where a lot of this stuff is going, they're buying gold in record quantities. And that's why demand doesn't seem to be subsiding these days. You can easily convert an existing IRA or 401k into a tax sheltered IRA and physical gold or buy some to store in your home safe. I've got that set up. Text my name Buck to 989898 and Birchgold will send you a free info kit on gold. There's no obligation. You're just going to find that you're educating yourself about holding gold. Look, gold is something that we've been talking about here on radio for a while and I've been an investor in gold for a long time and it's just been a winner. Join me now. Become an investor in gold and hold gold for the long term. Text my name Buck to 989898 or go online to birchgold.com Buck that's text my name B U C K Buck to 989898 or go Online to birchgold.com.

[Jack Armstrong]

Buck Geek out with the guys on the Sunday Hang with Clay and Buck. Podcast a new episode every Sunday. Find it on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcast.

[Clay Travis]

We're joined by our friend Nicole Parker. She's a Fox contributor and a former FBI Special agent. Nicole, great to have you back. It's my understanding that you at one point were at the bureau while Comey was the director. What was that traumatic experience like for you?

[Nicole Parker]

Well, first of all, thank you for having me. I always love to join y' all. I can tell you that I love being an FBI special agent. But the moment that I knew that things were going downhill at The FBI was July 5th of 2016. And it was when Jim Comey got in front of the American people and said that no reasonable prosecutor would charge Hillary Clinton for her mishandling of classified information on her personal server. And at that moment, it was just downhill with Comey. I mean, it was an absolute train wreck. And then you go into Operation Crossfire Hurricane and his involvement with that. And he, I think, single handedly destroyed the FBI. And I think that many of my FBI colleagues would certainly agree with that. The FBI has never recovered since his destruction. I can tell you that under Robert Mueller, he left the FBI. Comey comes in and we're thinking, okay, let's see what this new director is all about. And he purported himself as being very moral, a strong moral compass. And he does the right thing. And I'm this great guy. And I'll tell you that at first we were fooled. Like, we were like, wow, this guy seems really cool. Like, he seems very, you know, gregarious and, you know, for the agent. But I can tell you it went downhill very quickly. And I'd say most FBI agents, current and former, see him as the root cause of the FBI's problems and a total narcissist.

[Jack Armstrong]

All right, Nicole, this post 86 47. I am maybe spending too much time trying to delve into James Comey's head, but based on the way that he initially posted it and the fact that he's previously posted shells that show or a shell that shows a suggestion that you should vote for Kamala Harris, I do not find it persuasive that he was just walking along the beach, took a random picture of four numbers spelled out on the on the beach, decided to share that with his audience and had no idea what the significance of the four numbers was and nothing to do with the creation of the four numbers in seashells. You're a former FBI agent. Am I crazy? For that analysis point one, point Two, I want you to analyze this further as if this were an investigation. I would think that this could lead to his phone being seized because we know the evidence of this photo presumably came from his phone. I don't think he was walking around with an iPad or with a laptop outside taking photos. Right. And I think he likely has other photos that might suggest who did this or what the intent was. Am I crazy to you for either of those aspects of analysis?

[Nicole Parker]

You know, I'm very impressed with your investigative skills. I would say you're spot on. First of all, Comey is playing ignorance right now. Oh, I had no idea. I had no idea. Okay. First of all, Jim Comey, you were the FBI director. You should know better. Anyone that knows anything about crime, you know terminology, you know better. He knew exactly what he was doing. And I think the fact that you first are going to look at the individual as an investigator, you're going to look at the person and I'm going to look at Jim Comey and you're immediately going to draw a profile. Jim Comey is not some random guy off the street who was in Butler, Pennsylvania, some no name kid. He was the former FBI director. Okay. And then you're going to look at his track record. What is his relationship to President Trump? 47. Okay. He got fired by President Trump in May of 2017. His ego has been bruised so badly and he has never recovered from that. That firing was absolutely justified. But again, he is the former FBI director and his track record is that he was fired and that he's actually said that President Trump is a threat to America. He believes that Trump is a danger to our country. The chance of this being a coincidence is absolutely zero. And again, as an agent, you're going to go in. Yeah. You're going to gather all of the evidence. You're going to look at what he did. Did he take the picture? How did that shell formation occur? The Secret Service will be visiting his house. You have to remember, Secret Service falls under the Department of Homeland Security, which is Kristi Noem's realm. Obviously, Cash Patel and the FBI will be there to provide any support necessary. I think it is fair at this point that this is fully investigated. I think that Jim Comey for too many years has skated by on things and gotten right up to the edge of. He doesn't know when to stop. He likes to be in the spotlight. He likes the attention and he doesn't have a plan to be in the spotlight. He just likes to create problems. And he's creating problems for himself right now. I know that he has a book that's coming out. Maybe he thought it would be a good move to have some media blitz. If anything, this is going to be disastrous for his media appearances. This is going to hurt him drastically. But again, from an investigative perspective, I do think the Secret Service is going to delve into this quite deep, especially considering the fact that President Trump has already had two assassination attempts on him. And they do, they take that rhetoric very seriously. And I've worked closely with the Secret Service. Do I think that he's definitely going to be prosecuted? You know, that's up to the agents and the prosecutors. It is very difficult to prove some of these threat cases and intent. But again, for him to say he didn't know, he absolutely knew he knew. You don't just stumble across a shell formation on the beach and then you take a picture of it and you choose to post it on your social media. That's quite insulting to the American people and frankly, to the law enforcement agency that he used to be the director of. And again, let me just note, he was not respected at the FBI. He was disgraceful. And he has recently talked about potential threats against public. I believe this was a few months ago. You know, there's these ongoing threats and poll workers in the election. But yet you choose to post this photo. And then he says, oh, I didn't know that. You know, 86 implied violence. How does everyone else know this but not you? And so, again, I think he's, he's definitely in some hot water right now, and I think it's catching up to him. He has skated by for so many years on things that were just inappropriate. He has never been federally charged or charged with anything. Again, I'm not saying I think a charge is going to of this, but I do think a very thorough investigation and a reasonable prosecutor will give it a very good look and see what they've got.

[Clay Travis]

So I think, Nicole, I don't, I don't know how this is going to go.

[Nicole Parker]

Right.

[Clay Travis]

I don't know how this is going to go. But certainly there's a possibility here that Comey can go full tapper and his book could be if I rigged the whole Russia collusion thing, this is how I did it. And then, you know, put it forward for everybody so that we could all sit around and say, so wait, are you, are you saying that you're responsible for that or are you? Because apparently that's how the Democrats roll these days. They do a really bad thing and Then they write a book, truth telling about the bad thing that they did. But let me ask you about the FBI and what's going on internally there to the degree that you're hearing from former colleagues who are still inside the Bureau. I know Cash Patel, I know Clay, and I both know Cash and both know Dan Bongino. These are very competent people. They're patriots. Deputy Director Bongino has been pretty regularly updating everybody with some of what they are up to internally. Can you give us any insight into how the FBI is being cleaned up and what is going on over there now that this administration finally is in a position to do something about all the deep state shenanigans, corruption and malfeasance that we have seen?

[Nicole Parker]

Right. So again, going back to the original statement that I made on air with y' all, you know, for me, 2016, July 5th of 2016 is when I started seeing the very deep corruption. This corruption did not start overnight. We're now in 2025. This has been going on for a very long time. And Director Patel has a lot of work cut out for him. You know, I myself am working on a book right now and just laying out all the reasons when I was making the decision to leave and to walk away. I mean, it's just overwhelming. One thing after another after another after another. And as you come in as the FBI director, first you have to get up to speed on the organization itself. He has to determine who can I trust here, who is legitimate and who is part of the problem. Like I said, there's two FBI's, FBI. One, are the good folks doing the good work, honest, hard workers, FBI. Two, deep corruption, problematic. And they need to be, you know, gotten rid of. And I think the goal for Director Patel is to make it one FBI. But he's got to determine where are the underlying issues. And I think he started at the top, right on the seventh floor with executive management. Those individuals were all, you know, they are all gone. And he's brought in new people. That's a very good first step, looking at each individual field office. The special agent in charge of all the 55 field offices around the country, he's looking at every single one. And then you've got to go under that layer, the assistant special agents in charge. Then you have to go under that layer, the supervisory special agents. And then you get down to the field agents. So I think what he's doing is taking the overwhelming problems, for example, like we've spoken before, the kneelers to, you know, the BLM Protesters, they got promotions that is unacceptable. Those people have been moved out to other assignments. And you know, Elvis Chan, who was heavily involved with big tech collusion out of the San Francisco field office, there's other individuals that I know are being looked at, reassigned. And again, it's not because of, oh, well, they support Trump or they don't support Trump or they supported Biden or does no one cares who you voted for. Did you do the right thing with your law enforcement power when you were at the FBI? Are you using your power to push your own political and social agendas? And unfortunately, a lot of people at the FBI did. And so he's got a big task in front of him because what he has to do is he has to eradicate FBI two people that were doing the wrong thing, abusing their power simultaneously, he has to build up FBI one, because people like myself and amazing colleagues I worked with, they're doing good work. And so you've got to continue to build morale and maintain that while saying, FBI 2, you are going to be gone. And so I commend him. I think he's doing a very good job. For the naysayers that say, well, I haven't seen this happen or this or this. This problem didn't happen overnight and solving it isn't going to happen overnight either. But I think with Cash Patel, Dan Bongino, the attorney General, Pam Bondi, I mean, this is a solid team of individuals and they will make the FBI great again. I truly believe that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Nicole, I'm continuing with my Sherlock Holmes moves here. Here's what Jim Comey actually posted, wrote after he posted. I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn't realize some folks associate those numbers with violence. It never occurred to me, but I oppose violence of any kind. So I took the post down. Now, again, I think the odds that he didn't have anything to do with these seashells is, is very, very low. But he's acknowledging that he knew the 47 and he's acknowledging that he knew 86 meant something bad. Right, because otherwise it could be 86, 47 could mean that you're a huge fan of Trump. What is his real defense here? I think Buck may be right, that it's just going to be. I thought it just meant, like, Trump stinks. But given that he's an FBI agent, what percentage of FBI agents in your experience would know that 86 meant kill?

[Nicole Parker]

Again, I work violent crime, so I look at Things differently. If you're a white collar agent, that's like crunchy numbers and bank records.

[Clay Travis]

So.

[Jack Armstrong]

Yeah, that's a good point. So for people who, who are in the FBI, and he would have worked as an FBI supervisor at all different things. But yes, for your point, for people who are engaged in investigating violent crime, obviously that's different than somebody who's an accounting that's trying to figure out whether there's, you know, drug running in that way. What percentage of people that have been involved in violent crime investigations do you think would have recognized that?

[Nicole Parker]

I would say a large majority. I would say a large majority because we have to understand and know the lingo, the verbiage, things that people are saying, what that means, how you interpret it. But again, it can be noted that Jim Comey was never an FBI agent, and that's very obvious with the way that he ran that FBI. He was a DOJ guy through and through. But again, to play the ignorance card, he knows very well, you know, turning a blind eye is not. That's just not a great defense. And the problem that I have is that he's gotten away with these types of things for so long, like such egregious activity, and, you know, it's just. It's going to catch up to him. I think my recommendation with Jim Comey is I would suggest you stay quiet, keep yourself out of trouble, stop trying to be in the spotlight. But to play ignorance, again, you've got to look at intent and looking at how that even transpired. And like, you know, Clay mentioned the phones, looking at what else might be on there. But again, I do not think that he did. He did not know. I mean, whether it's to kill, to get rid of, even to say to get rid of. Okay, let's say he didn't mean, oh, to kill. He knew it was a political statement. He clearly admitted that, you know, it's a political statement. So what did you think it was a political statement of? Oh, to just get rid of Trump. Okay, well, then what does that mean? How is that any different? You want to get rid of?

[Jack Armstrong]

Particularly, as you know, Nicole.

[Nicole Parker]

Yeah.

[Jack Armstrong]

In the wake of double assassination attempts, getting rid of Trump has quite a different connotation than it might have before. Nicole, keep up the good work. We appreciate you. And thanks for coming on and breaking all this down for us.

[Nicole Parker]

All right, y' all have a great one. Have a great weekend.

[Jack Armstrong]

We will, for sure. That's Nicole Parker, former FBI agent, fantastic at what she does. You guys can find her on social media. I'm sure we'll tag her for some of those clips as Sherlock Clay is on the case. I'm sorry, I don't buy anything that Comey is saying. All through the south, southeast, Northeast, people getting pounded with rain this week. We're about to have some big storms roll through here in Nashville potentially as well. If your gutters have leaves, branches, or in my case, Wiffle balls and also Nerf footballs, you're gonna have a mess on your hands. Clean gutter clears the way for a carefree summer. Whether you're tired of unclogging your gutters, don't want an older family member getting on a ladder, it's time for a better solution. Right now you can save up to 30% [e-mail] Clayandbuck gutter clogs aren't just a nuisance, they can cause extensive water damage too. Let Leaffilters Trusted Pro help protect your home from flooding, foundation issues and more. They'll clean out, realign and seal your gutters before installing Leaffilters award winning and patented technology, this America's number one gutter protection system. Schedule your free inspection now. Get up to 30% off your entire purchase at leaffilter.com clayandbuck that's leaf filter.com clayandbuck see the representative for warranty details.

[Clay Travis]

Stories of freedom, Stories of America.

[Jack Armstrong]

Inspirational stories that unite us all. Each day. Spend time with Clay and Buck. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Jack Armstrong]

Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand?

[Clay Travis]

We're not boring. A lot of news is boring and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tedious and depressing and makes you angry. You don't want to live your Life like that. Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty. We're Armstrong and Getty. We try to bring you the truth and help. Help you figure out this crazy modern.

[Clay Travis]

World about something, about a comedic tone.

[Jack Armstrong]

We have a winner.

[Clay Travis]

Yes. Listen to Armstrong.

[Jack Armstrong]

You get it on Demand on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Joe Getty]

People have said they've never seen anything like taking place over the last four.

[Clay Travis]

Days in terms of investment, in terms of the kind of money coming back.

[Joe Getty]

Into the United States and all that money in there. The money is a nice word, but it's really jobs.

[Clay Travis]

We have jobs that are at a.

[Joe Getty]

Level that we very soon will not be able to. Nobody can duplicate it. And people want to be our partner.

[Jack Armstrong]

They want to be investing in the.

[Joe Getty]

United States, and they weren't doing that. They weren't happy with the United States for a pretty long period of time. So we've done something that I'm very proud of.

[Clay Travis]

He's managed to have an incredibly successful trip through the Middle East. And I think that's really, by all accounts, thus far, at least anybody who's trying to be even vaguely honest about it. He has gotten a tremendous amount of investment commitments. He has managed to move the ball downfield on negotiations with Iran. He has opened up a pathway for Syria to become a somewhat normal country that has a future instead of the war torn nightmare that it has been for over a decade now. So, yeah, there's some very good stuff going on. I just want to tell you all as I'm sitting here, Jesse Kelly, who you all know is a excellent host on premier radio networks in the evenings, he has let me know that he and Comey are in fact the same height. I thought that Jesse might be a little smaller than Comey. Turns out, no, they're both 6 foot 8. So he didn't want me to get that one wrong. Thank you, Jesse. Just making sure. That is enormous, by the way. Like these guys. How could you be that tall and not be in the NBA? I bet Comey. I bet Comey throws a baseball like a girl and shoots a basketball like he grew up, you know, in Siberia or something. Well, actually, they may be pretty good at basketball these days, but anyway, yeah, that's, that's where we are on the Mid east trip for Trump. It's going very well. Things are really starting to click with this administration. Hopefully the big beautiful Bill. Do we. That's not the official name, is it? It might be. I don't know. It's Trump. It could be. I mean, if they can call the Biden team can call the Inflation Reduction act something that doesn't reduce inflation at all. If anything makes it worse. I think we called the big beautiful bill. Senator Rand Paul, who was with us a few days ago, this is cut 12. He is not so thrilled about the big beautiful bill when it comes to the cuts, though. Let's take a Look at this. Play 12.

[Jack Armstrong]

The problem is, is it's asking conservatives like self to raise the debt ceiling $5 trillion.

[Clay Travis]

That's.

[Jack Armstrong]

That's historic. No one's ever raised the debt ceiling that much. It will be a record for Congress to raise the debt $5 trillion. But also it indicates that this year the deficit will be over 2 trillion. But it means they're anticipating close to.

[Clay Travis]

3 trillion for the next year.

[Jack Armstrong]

It's really a slap in the face that those of us who are excited.

[Clay Travis]

About Elon Musk and Doge and all the cuts.

[Jack Armstrong]

Where are the cuts? If the cuts are, are real, why.

[Clay Travis]

Are we going to borrow 5 trillion? I have been asking the same thing. I had so much hope for Doge and I think Elon has shown a lot of what is absurd within the government. But there has to be action taken by those in a position of power in government to do something about it to get to those cuts. This is about. It's not just Senator Rand Paul who is concerned about this bill. Senator Ron Johnson. This is 13. He's a little bit unhappy with it. Play it.

[Jack Armstrong]

My calculations, we're gonna actually increase the deficit.

[Nicole Parker]

That's.

[Clay Travis]

We're gonna go from $37 trillion in.

[Jack Armstrong]

Debt to over $60 trillion in debt.

[Clay Travis]

Over the next 10 years. It's completely unsustainable. So we've got to get this under control.

[Jack Armstrong]

But give the President the border funding.

[Clay Travis]

Extend current tax law, take an automatic tax increase off the table, make sure we don't default on a debt. We could have already had that done.

[Joe Getty]

But now we're in this very complex.

[Clay Travis]

Very difficult negotiation on one big beautiful bill.

[Jack Armstrong]

This is not getting the job done again.

[Clay Travis]

I ran in 2010 because we were Mortgage Our Children's Future. We were $14 trillion in debt.

[Jack Armstrong]

Now we're $37 trillion in debt. And Republicans aren't fixing the problem, we're exacerbating it.

[Clay Travis]

That's unacceptable. Yeah, that's not what I like to hear. And you know, we have Senators Paul and Johnson on the show regularly. I think they are. There are two of the best we have on our team. It's been a while. You know, we haven't had Ted Cruz on in a while. Can we get. Can we reach out to Ted. Reach out to Ted's team, Senator Cruz. I just feel like it's been a while. We gotta check in on him, see how he's doing. He's been busy. Um, but, you know, we've got. We've got these great senators who I think are. Are saying what needs to be said on this one. And here's what I would offer up, though. Where should the cuts be? It's one thing to talk about cuts and be the principled person, and I'm not casting any aspersions one way or the other here, but to be the principal person, person who says we need to make more cuts, tell me what those cuts are. We have to know what they're. What they are if we're going to hold anybody in the Congress to account for doing it. And with Doge, you know, the cuts are. Even if they do what we've seen so far, I think it might be in the hundreds of billions, which would be very nice. But if we're raising the debt ceiling $5 trillion, we got to figure out where's all this money going and where can we pull back some of the money. We don't want to do tax increases, of course. Fine. Well, what are we going to do? That means there has to be less spending somewhere. You know, this is where I get a little bit frustrated, because even among conservatives, even among people on the right, we talk in circles on this. And this is why every time there's a debt ceiling fight, I'm like, this is the most boring thing. This is brinksmanship with no brink. And they're gonna raise the debt ceiling. It's not gonna change, you know, oh, there's gonna be a default. No, there's not. But this is where we have to really get our hands dirty. Doge is about efficiency and finding fraud and inefficiencies in governments. Very important. But that's a, I think, best case, hundreds of billions of dollars of cuts. Now we should clearly make those cuts. And so when Senator Paul says, where are the cuts? I agree, but what are the other cuts that can be made so that we don't go a trillion or two every year for the next five or ten years into debt, deeper into debt. What are we going to do? You know, this is where we get into the. All right. I mean, if it really is just that we can't, you know, we need to spend basically what we're spending on the military, because that's very important. And we're not going to do any substantial cuts to the military, which I'm not advocating for, and then we can't touch any entitlements, you know what we're saying? And I mean, even reform, not touching the entire, like if someone's getting their Medicare now, that doesn't get, that doesn't change. But if you don't change it to, you know, to something else for the generation that's, you know, years below that or decades below that, what we're really saying is we know we can't afford this, but we're going to keep spending it anyway. And if that's where we are as a country, I think it's just better for us to say that out loud and understand it so we can stop wasting time pretending like we're going to reign and spend spending. Because if we can't rein in spending right now with Trump and the team around him that he has and with the mandate that he got in this election, because Congress just won't do it, when is Congress ever going to do it? Well, the answer is they won't until it's too late, when there's a true financial catastrophe and a true reset, which would be very painful and not something we would really want to contemplate. We don't know when it will happen. But I just want there to be greater honesty on this. I mean, Speaker Johnson on the other side, this is 14. Speaker Johnson is very pleased with this legislation. So play that clip. This will be one of the most consequential pieces of legislation ever passed by.

[Jack Armstrong]

The United States Congress.

[Clay Travis]

It is large, it is comprehensive, and it deals with reconciling the budget in a way that will be fiscally responsible.

[Jack Armstrong]

We're going to slash taxes, including on tips, overtime, Social Security for seniors and job creators, restore American energy dominance, as.

[Clay Travis]

You'Ve heard, secure our border and deport illegal aliens. We're going to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse, return to peace through strength and reduce spending all at the same time.

[Jack Armstrong]

And I put reconciliation on an aggressive timetable back in January. I said that we would try to.

[Clay Travis]

Do this as quickly as possible. We're still on target to hit that.

[Jack Armstrong]

Memorial Day deadline, which people balked out.

[Clay Travis]

When we first said it.

[Jack Armstrong]

The American people are counting on us.

[Clay Travis]

To get this done and get it done quickly. All right, let's, let's, you know, Team Allie. Let's get, let's get Senator Ron, John or Rand Paul, whoever. I think we had Rand on most recently I don't like either of them. And then let's invite Speaker Johnson. He'll probably say he's busy being speaker of the House and getting this through. But let's, let's see if we get them on next week before the next two weeks, before Memorial Day, because I want to ask these questions because right now there's just, it's like everyone's talking past each other. Rand Paul saying where are the cuts? Ok, where are they? Speaker Johnson says on the House side, and I understand they have to reconcile these. Right. I know it's different bills and they had there's a process, but everybody should know what are the cuts that they want or what the cuts that exist are in, whether it's in their ver, whether it's in the House or the Senate version. So I, I want to know where this is and, and what's going on here. I want to ask Speaker Johnson, ok, are there doe tell us and now, by the way, maybe the whole plan is they're going to tell us next week and they're still working it out. That's very possible. But I do think we should know because now is the time to do good things that really matter, especially for the long term. It's now. It's not in a year. It's not when people are thinking about the midterms. It's certainly not in, you know, three years when we're not going to have a President Trump to lead the Republican Party anymore because he's going to be in the, in the, you know, end of his second term. So, you know, and I mean lead the Republican Party in terms of pushing for this kind of legislation and stuff, and maybe he'll still be pushing, but it's different. As we all know, when a president is in the end of his term, the political capital that he has is not quite the same. So my point being the urgency of now now is when this has to happen and we have to see the kinds of structural changes to spending that will begin to if we all agree there is a problem and we all agree it has to be fixed and I think everybody who is center all the way to the right here and even maybe no, not Democrats, Democrats just want to spend us into oblivion. I really believe that. I think that they've just decided, you know what, smoke them if you got them, spend it if you don't have it, who cares, let's just go for it. I think that's the ethos of their party now, which is the let's just Burn it all down and have fun while it's burning approach to things. You know, this is the Santa Claus is real. Everyone gets stuff it's not going to be paid for. And let's just see what happens. So it is, it is on Republicans to live in reality, just like we have to on so many other issues, to live in the fiscal and monetary and mathematical reality of let's do something about this. And I just want to see what that is. And there needs to be greater clarity. We're hearing of the big beautiful bill. We need to have greater clarity about what is going to be in this, you know, and what is going to be cut, what is going to be improved, what's going to get better here. Because this, I think this is the best spending bill you are likely to see, or rather this is our best chance for a really good spending bill in Trump's second term. Right now, political capital at its peak. Look what Trump is doing. Look where the markets are, all the investment that's coming in. It only gets harder after this. It only gets harder because members of Congress are going to be thinking about their jobs, their position in all this, and they're going to be hedging, you know, the ones that are a little weak in the knees over what to do. So now is the time. So we'll try to get more clarity on that in the next week or two. I just want to let you know we are following that here and looking into these versions of the bills. And it's amazing. It's also Democrat. You're never going to have a Democrat party that is more flat on its ass than it is right now. Now at least. I mean, I don't think realistically you can assume that's going to happen again for a very long time. The Democrats are a non factor except in the ability to obstruct because of the filibuster rule. But they're a non factor in the narrative. They're a non factor in messaging opposition to what's going on here. So the time is now. And I think this is really important. And you know, you got Trump abroad racking up all these wins and doing what he's doing. All right, Congress, let's, let's get some clarity here. Let's get on board and let's have the big beautiful bill be truly worthy of the name and Trump's signature on it. 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[Jack Armstrong]

Keep up with the biggest political comeback in world history on the Team 47 podcast podcast Clay and Buck highlight Trump replays from the week, Sundays at noon Eastern. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Clay Travis]

Made in America means something to us.

[Jack Armstrong]

When you invest 700 billion annually in.

[Clay Travis]

American companies and the 13 million workers and families they support, you're investing in.

[Jack Armstrong]

The success of Main Street.

[Clay Travis]

That's money powering growth in manufacturing, tech, energy and innovation.

[Jack Armstrong]

And it starts with private equity backing American ambition.

[Clay Travis]

Learn how private equity keeps American businesses [e-mail] paid for by the American Investment Council.

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[Jack Armstrong]

Why should you listen to Armstrong and Getty on demand?

[Clay Travis]

We're not boring. A lot of news is boring and.

[Jack Armstrong]

Tedious and depressing and makes you angry. You don't want to live your life like that. Hey, I'm Jack Armstrong. He's Joe Getty. We're Armstrong and Getty.

[Clay Travis]

We try to bring you the truth.

[Jack Armstrong]

And help you figure out this crazy.

[Clay Travis]

Modern world about something about a comedic tone.

[Jack Armstrong]

We have a winner.

[Clay Travis]

Yes.

[Jack Armstrong]

Listen to Armstrong, you, Getty on Demand on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Clay Travis]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.