Daily Review with Clay and Buck - May 9 2025

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show Episode: Daily Review with Clay and Buck – May 9, 2025
Release Date: May 9, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts

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Introduction

In the May 9, 2025 episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton delve into pressing political and economic issues shaping the United States. The episode features a lively discussion on the deteriorating standing of President Joe Biden, the strategic maneuvers within the Democratic Party, and insightful interviews with key figures like Kelly Loeffler of the Small Business Administration and Steve Hilton, a Fox News personality running for Governor of California.

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Main Topics Discussed

1. Declining Legitimacy of President Joe Biden

Clay and Buck open the episode by critically analyzing President Biden's recent public appearances and media interactions. They argue that Biden's performance, particularly his disastrous interview on The View, has exposed his administration's weaknesses. Clay emphasizes the importance of holding the media accountable, stating:

"I think it's hugely important to hold the media accountable because it also delegitimizes any of their reporting now about Donald Trump and whether or not he's fit to be in office."
(02:15)

Buck adds that the portrayal of Biden as sharp and effective has been undermined, leading to internal conflicts within the Democratic Party.

2. Internal Struggles Within the Democratic Party

The hosts discuss the upcoming revelations from new books by Alex Thompson and Jake Tapper, which they believe will significantly damage Biden's reputation and the Democratic Party’s credibility. Buck remarks:

"This is the end of it right now. To your point about getting ahead of some of the stuff, they have to."
(05:18)

They explore how these revelations are causing a power struggle within the party as Democrats scramble to manage the fallout and maintain their political standing.

3. Kelly Loeffler on the State of Small Businesses and Trade Policies

Kelly Loeffler, Head of the Small Business Administration, joins the show to provide insights into the current economic landscape. She highlights the critical role small businesses play in the American economy and supports President Trump's pro-business agenda. Key points from her interview include:

• Trade Policies and Tariffs: Loeffler defends the implementation of tariffs aimed at ensuring fair trade and reducing dependence on Chinese manufacturing. She asserts that while there may be short-term supply shocks, the long-term benefits of reshoring manufacturing outweigh the initial challenges.

  "The president's been very clear about that. And as we talk with small businesses, that concern is far outweighed by the opportunities that they see to finally have fair trade."
  (24:00)

• Economic Optimism and Tax Cuts: She emphasizes the importance of tax certainty for businesses, advocating for the continuation of tax cuts introduced in 2017 to foster economic growth.

  "I think this economy is spring loaded for tax cuts. ... we have so much counter-inflationary good news coming into this economy."
  (25:49)

• Impact of Trade Deals: Loeffler discusses recent trade deals with the UK and India, highlighting their potential to boost exports and create a more resilient supply chain.

  "Small businesses are certainly just critical in this conversation and I am making sure that they have a seat at the table because this is the backbone of our country."
  (28:43)

4. Steve Hilton’s Candidacy for Governor of California

Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, announces his run for Governor of California. He critiques the current Democratic leadership, particularly targeting Governor Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris. Key themes from his discussion include:

• Critique of California’s Governance: Hilton attributes California's challenges, such as wildfires and economic mismanagement, to Democratic policies.

  "It's an absolute symbol of everything that's wrong with California, because it's this combination of ideological extremism and governing incompetence."
  (60:10)

• Political Realignment and Voter Shifts: He highlights a shift among Latino and working-class voters from the Democratic to the Republican Party, presenting this as an opportunity for his campaign.

  "Latinos are the largest group in California, 40% of the population. And the working class vote... is right there for the taking."
  (57:37)

• Strategic Campaigning: Hilton outlines his strategy to build a grassroots movement by focusing on positive populism and leveraging recent electoral gains in traditionally Democratic counties.

  "I've been on the road now nearly three weeks. Everywhere I go, you get this huge energy. People just sick and tired of the nonsense and really optimistic that now we got a candidate with the energy and the ideas to make a difference."
  (55:12)

5. Strategic Foreign Policy Concerns

The discussion extends to international affairs, particularly the ongoing India-Pakistan tensions and their implications for U.S. foreign policy. Buck Sexton raises concerns about nuclear-armed nations and the strategic importance of fostering strong alliances with countries like India to counterbalance China's influence.

"These are both nuclear countries. And I just for me right now, after having suffered through the last four years with Ukraine... this one's even more strenuous to me."
(40:36)

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Key Quotes with Attribution and Timestamps

1. Clay Travis on Media Accountability:

   "I think it's hugely important to hold the media accountable because it also delegitimizes any of their reporting now about Donald Trump and whether or not he's fit to be in office."
   (02:15)

2. Buck Sexton on Democratic Damage Control:

   "This is the end of it right now."
   (05:18)

3. Kelly Loeffler on Fair Trade:

   "Small businesses are certainly just critical in this conversation and I am making sure that they have a seat at the table because this is the backbone of our country."
   (28:43)

4. Steve Hilton on California's Governance:

   "It's an absolute symbol of everything that's wrong with California, because it's this combination of ideological extremism and governing incompetence."
   (60:10)

5. Steve Hilton on Voter Shifts:

   "Latinos are the largest group in California, 40% of the population. And the working class vote... is right there for the taking."
   (57:37)

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Conclusions and Insights

The episode underscores a pivotal moment for U.S. politics, highlighting the waning influence of President Biden and the Democratic Party's internal struggles. The hosts and their guests advocate for a shift towards centrist and pro-business policies, emphasizing the importance of fair trade, tax cuts, and revitalizing small businesses to drive economic growth.

Additionally, the discussion with Steve Hilton brings to light the potential for significant political realignment in states like California, suggesting that voter dissatisfaction with current Democratic leadership could pave the way for Republican gains. The strategic focus on empowering small businesses and fostering international alliances reflects a broader vision for restoring American economic and political strength.

Overall, the episode presents a critical analysis of current political dynamics, advocating for accountability, strategic policy shifts, and grassroots movements to effect meaningful change in the American socio-political landscape.

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Further Listening

For a deeper exploration of the Iran-Contra affair, Clay and Buck recommend Leon Nayfak's podcast, Fiasco Iran Contra, available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, and other major platforms.

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Note: This summary excludes advertisements, promotional segments, and non-content sections to focus solely on the substantive discussions and insights presented by Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.

Transcript

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

You're listening to an iHeart podcast.

[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

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[Clay Travis]

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[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

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[Clay Travis]

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[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

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[Clay Travis]

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[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

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[Clay Travis]

In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a.

[Buck Sexton]

Massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. It became known as the Iran Contra affair. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story. Listen to Fiasco Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Clay Travis]

Yesterday we got the brand new American Pope and as a result, we did not spend as much time breaking down Joe Biden's disastrous appearance on the View. And I think Democrats actually got a break by the fact that the Pope announcement happened while Biden was doing an interview because it was an unmitigated disaster. And for those of you out there who say, okay, we know that they covered up, we know that Biden was never able to be President. We know that the media was was willing to carry water for him. Why do you keep talking about it? I think it's hugely important to hold the media accountable because it also delegitimizes any of their reporting now about Donald Trump and whether or not he's fit to be in office. And you could say, well, we know he's fit, yes, but you have to persuade. Politics is the art of persuasion. And if you can delegitimize the arguments of people who are dishonest over time. That's how you win a landslide in all 50 states, which is what Trump did in 2024 and what we hope will continue in 2026 and going forward in 2028. So this matters for that reason and we did not play this. But there seems to be a series of revelations that must be particularly devastating to Joe Biden, which we told you would happen as soon as his political career was over. The truth would finally be told. And it appears maybe in this new book that's coming out from Alex Thompson and from Jake Tapper. Whatever you think of them as the source, it appears that this is going to be uniquely devastating not just to Joe Biden, but to the Democrat Party and their legacy media allies who continue to argue, hey, he's able to do this job. And so they're trying to get in front of this. This is my theory, Bob. They're trying to get out in front of this. And pre.

[Buck Sexton]

But it a bit a slight adjustment to that Clay. It wasn't that he was okay to do the job. It said he was the best he had ever been. It's that he was sharp as attack. That's right. If you didn't see this the way they did, you were the propagandist, you were the person that was living in a fantasy. Joe Biden could challenge somebody to a cognitive test and a push up contest, anybody in the room and he was going to win. That was the tone for four years. I just, I just want to add, you know, it wasn't okay guys, he's a little enfeebled but we still think that when push comes to shove, you know, he could make the wise judgment from the wheelchair, so to speak, if he has to. It was. He's awesome. Yeah, he's the best version he's ever been. Sorry, I just, I think that's.

[Clay Travis]

No, I think that's true. I mean it wasn't even just that he could do the job. To your point, for the Joe Scarboroughs of the world and many of MSNBC's host, it was Biden's not just doing the job, he's great at it and he's the best version of himself.

[Buck Sexton]

Yes. I think the phrase sharp as attack will never be the same after the Biden era.

[Clay Travis]

No doubt. Ok, so he was asked about this and do you believe this by the way, that the Biden people must know that this is going to be devastating because otherwise why are they deciding to do interviews? I guess Another argument could be, well, this is just the Biden money train, and they're trying to chug along and hoover up as much cash as they possibly can. But I don't even think that's working anymore because we know Hunter's basically bankruptcy. I think this is about trying to prebut the arguments that are soon going to be impossible to ignore because, you know, even cnn, when Jake Tapper writes the book, they're going to treat it like, I mean, it's the Great Gatsby that's just been released for the first time.

[Buck Sexton]

I think it's also. It's damage assessment and it's who is going to, you know, since. Since they have had this blow up within the Democrat Party, which this last election, the whole Biden Kamala fiasco clearly was. Clay, I think that part of this also is an internal Democrat fight for who's going to be the leadership. I don't just mean the candidate. I mean who are going to be the people calling the shots for the Democrats going forward. Because right now it doesn't really. It's an open field that doesn't really exist. It's like they're emerging from the ruins of their own integrity, which is gone.

[Clay Travis]

Um, okay, let's go ahead and let's play this. Was Alyssa Farah Griffin, who used to work in the Trump White House, specifically referencing the book and asking Biden to defend himself. I'm not sure how long this cut is exactly, but guys, do we have the part where Jill Biden just takes over because Joe can't answer the question and has to answer it for him? Okay, so that's the important pivot here. Biden tries to argue, oh, I'm fit as a fiddle. I'm great at being president. That's totally untrue. Can't even make the argument himself. And Joe Biden has to step in and try and make the argument for him. Listen, what is your response to these allegations, or are these sources wrong? They are wrong. There's nothing to sustain that, number one. Number two, you know, think of what we're left with. We left with a circumstance where we.

[Buck Sexton]

We had an insurrection and I started.

[Clay Travis]

We did not sense a civil war. We had a circumstance where we were in a position that we. Well, the pandemic, because of the incompetence of the last outfit, end up over a million people dying. A million people dying. And we're also in a situation where we found ourselves unable to deal with a lot of just basic issues, and which I won't go into in interest of time. And so we went to work and we got it done. And you know, one of the things that. Well, I'm. Well.

[Kelly Loeffler]

And Alyssa, you know, one of the things I think is that the people who wrote those books were not in.

[Clay Travis]

The White House with us and they.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

Didn'T see how hard Joe worked every single day.

[Clay Travis]

So she goes on and tries to make the argument, I saw Joe Biden work so hard and everything else. I just think this is again, a lot of this went under the radar, fortunately for Democrats, because the Pope got announced right as Biden was trying to go on the View. He. I don't understand, although it is sad how often and why he hasn't called on it. He always tries to get out of trying to answer questions now by saying he doesn't have enough time. Have you noticed this?

[Buck Sexton]

Yes.

[Clay Travis]

The only reason you're on that program is to have as much time to make the case as you would like. I understand. Sometimes we have to cut people off, sometimes we have to cut ourselves off because we're going to commercial break. But Joe Biden is not going to commercial break. Every time his brain just trails off and he can't continue and then other people around him have to kind of pick up the pieces, which is what you saw. Jill talked for over a minute. Whatever you think about her, she was 10,000 times as effective of a communicator. And in that answer as Biden himself was.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, I also think that a big part of what we see going on here is that there are Democrats who realize, and when I say Democrats, I mean elected office, but mostly the media wing of the DNC or just the media, the non conservative news media, that they realize they've humiliated their own voters, they've humiliated their own base. And you and I talk about this sometimes, right? There are a lot, journalists can get away with a lot. But you know, they can lie, they can, they can be totally dishonest on a whole range of things. But as long as they are making the people at home watching MSNBC or reading the Washington Post feel like they're smarter and haha, they're like making fun of the Republicans no matter what, they can basically get away with it when they run into real problems is when they, they tell their audience to go along with something they do and they're made to look like idiots and they lose, right? If, if Kamala had won, let me tell you, none of these people would have cared about all these Biden stories at all. The problem that they're dealing with now is they said, hey, guys, go along with this lie that Joe Biden's fine and look like dumb asses who can't tell, you know, anything from anything. And then they had to say, oops, sorry, go behind Kamala, or, you know, get behind Kamala. She's going to be the one who wins this. And then it was, oops, sorry, Trump actually defeated us, right? So they have disappointed and humiliated their own base by pushing the lie. And so I think part of this clay is damage control within their tribe, so to speak. This is why Biden's going out there and these books are coming out and it's. They've got to make the, the Democrat audience feel like, hey, there's some excuse, there's some narrative here for what happened that isn't, we have no ethics and we made you look like idiots and we were wrong about everything because that's actually what happened.

[Clay Travis]

Would it not help them if Biden just vanished, though? Like, if you were trying to clean up the mess on aisle Biden, isn't the best way to clean up the mess on aisle Biden just to have Biden vanish.

[Buck Sexton]

This is the end of it right now. To your point about the getting ahead of some of the stuff, they have to. They know that the bad. You know, this is really all within their own. This is like an intramural fight, right? This is within the Dem. They already lost. Trump crushed them. Republicans are in charge. You know, Trump and his team are all focused on the. Doing stuff in governing the country and, you know, making the economy harm, all these things, securing the border. Democrats are in the shadows. They're in the way in the backbench. They're up in the bleachers trying to figure out, okay, so who's calling the shots now and what the heck just happened? They're still in that phase. I know it's May, so it's been a few months, but I think that they're in the, you know, military, right? You'd call it a hot wash. After you, after you go out outside the wire, they're still figuring out what the heck happened. And that's why they need to present this stuff in a way that their own side can psychologically get past what a total disaster the last 12 months were for. I mean, the last 12 months of the Democrat Party was just an outright disaster. You know, not just losing the election. It's how they lost the election. Who they lost the election to, what promises were made to them. I mean, to the Democrat voter, I.

[Clay Travis]

Think this is not going to go away. And a part of me thinks that Biden cares about his legacy. Jill certainly cares about Biden's legacy. What they should do is just have him vanish. Most presidents who choose not to run again or who are in a position where they were term limited out, which effectively Biden was in some ways kind of vanish. I mean, when do you ever see George W. Bush? George W. Bush didn't even show up at the White House. Now, I know he doesn't have a great relationship with Trump, but they have unveiled a new Barbara Bush stamp. Melania did yesterday, looks fabulous, by the way. George W. Bush and Laura Bush wouldn't go to the White House.

[Buck Sexton]

Clay, I think this is the last, this is the last gasp of Bidenism on the public stage, period. I don't think this is about him trying to get more money, but that's not happening. He has nothing. He has nothing left to sell. He sold his office and his soul. It's all over. Right? It does. There's nothing left. So this is the last of. It's just for him trying to set the legacy in the least damaging light possible of what, you know, what his presidency was. And I know this is a little intense and maybe sounds like a little mean spirited even, but I just think it's true. And I think that the truth, unfortunately in this case is mean spirited. He had brain issues. They lied about it. They put the country in peril. They sold their, their dignity and their integrity to try to defeat Donald Trump and they lost. And now they're dealing with the emotional and psychological devastation as a party that they brought on themselves. They deserve this. Yeah.

[Clay Travis]

And mistake this else. Either they're still trying to argue they would have won the race. I mean, he said it directly on the View. This is the only way I think the Biden team can justify anything. We told you that eventually it's going to turn into a knife fight over who's to blame. They're trying to say basically Kamala lost, that Biden would have won, but that the party was not allied behind him. They we told you this would happen too, right? If he steps down and she wins, he's a hero. If he steps down and she loses, well, it's her fault, of course.

[Buck Sexton]

But also, Clay, think about what the alternative is. The alternative would be that Donald Trump, who they said needed to be locked up in a cell and tried to do so. Ok, they raided Mar A Lago, they brought four criminal indictments. They had Letitia James running nonsense civil cases against him. They threw the kitchen sink at Trump and not only did he effectively defeat Biden with a debate, he defeated their next in line. Yes, it was a one, two punch. Think about what that looks like. The president and vice president are supposed to be the two best shots. You got to run the country. Right? It's supposed to be really generally speaking. I mean, you could argue with the vice president thing. Trump beat them both in the same election cycle. So the only way to have any sense of the Democrat party is not a total joke right now is to say, okay, we made a mistake about Biden. We should have kept him in. Otherwise it's Trump could have run the table and beaten anybody we threw against it. Which I think which is true.

[Clay Travis]

That's what's happening in 27. We're giving you a two year preview on their talking points. When Trump can't run again, they're going to argue, hey, it's not about us being bad. It's that Trump is not Hitler anymore. He's the greatest political candidate Republican party will ever have in any of our lifetimes. You, you think I'm crazy? That's gonna be the argument they start making in 27. Not spring without buckets of rain coming down one part of the country or another. We had big storms yesterday, knocked out the 10 year old's soccer match. Clean gutter can clear the way for you for a carefree summer. Whether you're tired of unclogging your gutters. Don't even know what they look like. Don't want to get on that ladder right now. Save up to 30% [e-mail] Clayandbuck gutter clogs not just a nuisance, they can cause extensive water damage too. Let leaffilters trusted pros help protect your home from flooding, foundation issues and more. They'll clean out, realign, seal your gutters before installing Leaffilters award winning patented technology, the number one gutter protection system. Schedule your free inspection. Get up to 30% off your entire purchase at leaffilter.com clayandbuck that's leafilter.com clayandbuck see the representative for warranty details.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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 podcasts.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

Customers with a minimum financial commitment. See if you qualify for half [e-mail] Clay that's oracle.com Clay did you know that just like here in the US, Israel has their own Independence Day? In case you missed it this year, Israel's Independence Day was a few days ago on May 1. But for the people of Israel, freedom is nothing more than a daily struggle to survive. There's no real peace, only terror, no joy, just suffering. The Israeli government relies on the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews for ongoing help to make sure the elderly, the sick, the wounded, soldiers and impoverished families don't fall through the cracks. That's why your gift to the Fellowship will provide such important life saving aid. Medicine, hearty meals, safety and comfort. I believe that when you bless the people of Israel, we unlock God's blessing in our lives as well. So to show your support for Israel's independence, you can make a life saving gift. Today. You can call 888-488-IFCJ. That's 888-488-4325. You can also go online to ifcj.org that's ifcj.org Time is precious and so are our pets. So time with our pets is extra precious. That's why we started Dutch. Dutch provides 24,7 access to licensed vets with unlimited virtual visits and follow ups.

[Buck Sexton]

For up to five pets.

[Clay Travis]

You can message a vet at any.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

Time and schedule a video visit the same day.

[Clay Travis]

Our vets can even prescribe medication for many ailments and shipping is always free. With Dutch, you'll get more time with.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

Your pets and year round peace of mind when it comes to their vet care.

[Buck Sexton]

In the fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency. Did you make a mistake in sending.

[Clay Travis]

Arms to Tehran, sir? No.

[Buck Sexton]

It became known as the Iran Contra affair.

[Clay Travis]

And I'm not taking any more questions.

[Buck Sexton]

In just a second I am going to ask. I'm Leon Nayfak, co creator of Slow Burn. In my podcast, Fiasco Iran Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane, I can't begin to tell you. Please do to hear the whole story. Listen to Fiasco Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Clay Travis]

Kelly Loeffler with us now. She's in the Trump cabinet as the head of the Small Business Administration. Also David Rutherford gonna be with us next hour. And then Steve Hilton running for governor of California. I think you did mention that because you mentioned his fabulous accent. She also is fabulous. Kelly Lefler. Been all traveling all over the country as part of Small Business Week. And Kelly, I just want to kind of tee you up here right off the top. How do you see based on your travels and the data that you have access to, small business is clearly the engine that drives by and large, the American economy is not huge businesses. Actually, it's all the dynamic small businesses out there that are so incredibly important. What are you seeing on your travels and and how would you assess the overall economic status of the country right now?

[Kelly Loeffler]

Well, you're absolutely right. Small businesses are not only the backbone, but they're the economic engine of this Great Nation. It's 99% of all businesses across this country. So it's incredibly humbling to Be the cabinet level person advocating within the Trump administration for small business. And there is no stronger champion for small business than President Trump. He always says, kelly, small business is big business. And I've seen that as I traveled across the country. I was everywhere from Boise, Idaho to Phoenix, Arizona to Nashville this week. But every week I'm out with small businesses. And there's tremendous optimism, thanks to President Trump's pro business, pro growth agenda, to lower taxes, get rid of regulation, get red tape out of the way. And obviously what we do is we provide capital, which is a lifeblood of businesses.

[Buck Sexton]

Kelly, thanks for being here with us. There's some that I know in the small business community who are all supportive when it comes to the Trump tariffs, what he's trying to accomplish, and they think it will benefit them long term. But I have heard concerns about short term supply shock, you know, that could hit in the next few months, for example, because of particularly what's going on with China. Right. That's where there's some issue. Are you seeing any reason for concern when it comes to supply shock that could affect a lot of businesses that rely on some of those imports. And if so, what do you think can be done to kind of mitigate that so we can get to the other side where the trade deals are in and things are booming?

[Kelly Loeffler]

Yeah, it's an important question. Look, there's going to be a period of adjustment, and the president's been very clear about that. And as we talk with small businesses, that concern is far outweighed by the opportunities that they see to finally have fair trade. So when you hear the word tariff, they think fair trade and restoring what we used to have in this country, which was a reliable supply chain that obviously got hollowed out. We lost 70,000 manufacturing plants, 5 million jobs. So at the SBA, what we're trying to do is create a connection between supply chains, manufacturers to onshore. We're going to be providing those connections to small businesses so that they can have alternatives to, to where they're importing from China. If they've built their businesses around Chinese Communist Party manufacturing, we have to make sure we bring that back. But it's already being done in America. Everything from aerospace to socks to microchips and beyond, like, we're already doing this. The left wing media narrative is that we can't and we should not do this. But I'm telling you it's happening. And all it relies on is continuing to push those tax cuts through, get rid of regulations and make sure we have a skilled workforce and we're, we're going to be stronger than ever before.

[Clay Travis]

Kelly, when you look at this bill that is obviously working its way through Congress right now, the so called big beautiful bill that we expect to see come through sometime around Memorial Day, how much, how important do you believe it is based on the conversations that you're having to have some form of tax certainty given that the tax cuts that Trump initially put into Place in 2017 are set to expire and how important is it for businesses to know what to expect in that arena?

[Kelly Loeffler]

Well, I think it's incredibly important Clay, because I think this economy is spring loaded for tax cuts. And you know, I think it's something that's frustrating to me as a someone who spent decades in finance is the when when the Fed only looks at tariffs as an issue. We've got so much counter inflationary good news coming into this economy. Not only is inflation falling, but taxes are going to go down, regul regulation is going to go down if we give small businesses the certainty that they will continue to have the 20% deduction, bonus, depreciation, accelerated depreciation back to January 20th. I have talked to many manufacturers who are waiting to put in the order for more CNC machines to buy more land to grow and build because they're already getting the orders thanks to President Trump's tariff strategy to bring people to the table and bring manufacturing here. People are saying we want to reshore so it's ready to go. We need Congress to act.

[Buck Sexton]

What's your go ahead?

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, I was just going to say sorry building on that question. I can't believe the number of countries out there that are cutting interest rates like crazy in particular all over Europe. I don't know that we've ever seen a divide like this. Is there any doubt in your mind based on what you are seeing that the Fed should be cutting interest rates?

[Kelly Loeffler]

There's no doubt in my mind. We have four year inflationary core inflationary lows. It's much lower when they did double cut cuts last fall right ahead of the election. And when you have these counter inflationary trends of lower taxes, less regulation, falling energy prices unbelievably low. We had a five handle on the oil price the other day. The 10 year is already kind of self regulating itself down. So I feel very confident that we should go into the next rate cut looking at it. But who knows? I mean if this has become a political issue, anything could happen if things.

[Buck Sexton]

Go and we're speaking to Kelly Lefler who runs a Small Business Administration. For anyone joining us, if things go as the Trump team is hoping and as we've started to see some indicators, for example, the deal with the UK we're hearing about an India deal, we're hearing about other deals on the horizon. If these trade deals go through, let's say in the next 60 days or so, at least most of them, right. China is probably going to be a longer issue. But what happens for businesses for the rest of the year that is positive? Like how are the way. Because right now I think as you've said, Trump has made it clear there might be an adjustment period. And if you're relying on supply chain from China, there could be some issues with that. But what is the upside of making this fair trade for we have a lot of small business owners listening right now, a lot of people who work for small businesses right now. How does this get better for them if the Trump policy and well, if the Trump deals rather go through.

[Kelly Loeffler]

Yeah, that's a great question. We just saw yesterday the UK Trade deal opened up our ag markets to the tune of $5 billion. It's going to bring in about 6 billion in tariff revenue. But what it's also going to do is remove some of the non tariff barriers that were put into their regulatory apparatus that blocked our ability to ship our products overseas. I talked to one logistics company who said his business used to be half import, half export 10, 15 years ago. Today it's 10% export because of all the trade barriers against our country and that have made us more dependent on bringing in goods. So small businesses, what that I'm seeing on the ground, the manufacturers in particular are gearing up to invest and make things in America that we can then ship overseas, keep for ourselves and not be reliant on anyone for food, for pharmaceuticals, other critical areas of our trade. So I think, look, small businesses are certainly just critical in this conversation and I am making sure that they have a seat at the table because this is the again, it's really the backbone of our country and we have to make sure that we're well aware of everything going on. The president is on top of it and that's why he's pushing fair trade. Lower taxes, less regulation, low energy prices. This all benefits small businesses.

[Clay Travis]

Kelly, I hear you were touring the Tennessee Titans football stadium. Hopefully at some point in time they'll actually start winning games when that new stadium opens up. But there is a lot of optimism. Obviously you've been in Tennessee. Nashville is growing very rapidly. I know you live in Georgia which has also got a pretty good economy rolling. What'd you think of the stadium and, and, and in general, what do you think that's going to mean for downtown Nashville, where for people who are around here, I think we're going to get a Super bowl, which is going to be pretty cool in a few years for the city of Nashville.

[Kelly Loeffler]

I think it's a tremendous investment that is really powering the economy. Even Today we saw 1,000 workers on site, driven by more than 65 small businesses that are helping build that stadium. And so in addition to the entertainment value and the value it brings to small businesses in terms of creating sustainable businesses around that stadium, it's just going to create this venue that builds a really strong community. And I was with your great governor, Governor Lee, and just looking at, I think the state bird is now the crane, the construction crane, given how many cranes are in the air there. But it was exciting to see and they're doing a fantastic job. There was a great small business contractor that won the sba, one of the contractor or the SBA awards and he was just talking about the generational change that this economic development is creating for all communities across Tennessee.

[Buck Sexton]

What does it look like, Kelly, if we get to a reasonable best case outcome, specifically with the trade tariff issue with China, like what we know with our other allies, because you've already seen some of they go, okay, we need to reassess this, we need to even some things out, that's fine. China is a different ball of wax and a much bigger challenge, I think, than obviously our allies are for clear reasons. What does it look like if Trump gets that where he wants it to be?

[Kelly Loeffler]

Yeah, that's an important question. Those conversations are starting tomorrow, it sounds like. And what we need to make sure is that America, America's interests are protected in this in ways that they have not been in the past. Whether it's intellectual property. What happened is we would send our intellectual property overseas, they'd manufacture it for us and then they put the trade barrier up so they would have stolen our intellectual property, manufacture it there for their people, and then we lose that market. So we're going to have those protections, we're going to have larger markets, if we can have more cooperative reciprocal trade levels and then we won't have the non tariff trade barriers that they set up against us. They put up kind of false environmental barriers, health barriers and other things that they don't hold themselves to, but they can erect that against our manufacturers. And so I think restoring our strength by having manufacturing here and pursuing our energy dominance agenda. We start mining in America again, getting the rare earth minerals and making sure that we protect our economic security and our national security at the same time. Because we have seen with the chips situation and others, rare earths, we're way too dependent on China in terms of national security. And I've seen some great chips manufacturers, small businesses in America. This can be done, but we have to really focus in on that as much as we're focusing on what China is doing.

[Buck Sexton]

Kelly Lefler, administrator of the U.S. small Business Administration. Kelly, thanks so much for being with us. Appreciate it.

[Kelly Loeffler]

Thank you all. Great to be with you.

[Buck Sexton]

I'm optimistic. Well, we've been optimistic the whole time.

[Clay Travis]

Actually about the economy I think this summer. And again, I don't want to go full Jim Cramer here because he tends to be wrong on everything. But I think the summer, as more and more of these trade deals are rolling out, I think we will be back near an all time high in where stock prices are. That's right.

[Buck Sexton]

Some of our adversaries get a vote as well. And officials from the BRICS nations are meeting in Brazil this July to discuss the US Dollar. I mean these are big countries with big economies. China, Russia, India, South Africa. One of the topics at that meeting is whether they can displace the US Dollar as the global currency. They're calling this a Rio Reset for a reason. If that were to happen. There's an if in that statement, but you got to be prepared for it. Then global demand for US Dollars would dramatically decrease and that would bring down the value of the dollars in your savings account. This transition is not going to happen overnight, but it's a good idea to prepare for the uncertainties in the future to hedge for what could happen with these BRICS objectives. Learn if diversifying into gold is smart for you because I thought it was smart for me. I just did it a few weeks ago. Birch Gold Group can help you figure out what makes sense for your portfolio and to take your hard earned savings and put some of them, for example in a tax sheltered IRA in precious metals. Claim your free info kit on gold by texting my Name Buck to 989-898, a rating with a Better Business Bureau. Tens of thousands of happy customers. Let Birch Gold arm you with a free no obligation info kit on Gold before July and the Rio reset because you could see a run up in gold. Then text Buck to 989898 today.

[Clay Travis]

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 podcasts. The Clay and Buck podcast network is absolutely rolling. We got a lot of different people in there that you are gonna love, whether it's Tudor Dixon, whether it's Carol Markowitz, Mary Kathryn Ham. We're about to announce. Is it next week? Buck, we have a new announcement that I think people are going to enjoy. I think I stepped all over it. It's Nicole Sapphire. She's going to be great. But that is coming next week. In the meantime, one of the biggest badasses on the planet, David Rutherford, bringing us the idea of exactly what it's like to be a former Navy SEAL and also a badass when it comes to analyzing so many of the different aspects having to do with defense. But before we get into all that, Buck and I have been debating off air. I don't know we really ever debated it on air. A question that has taken the Internet by fire. It is Friday. You are a Navy seal, training by background, one of the badasses on the planet. If you and 99 of your Navy SEAL buddies got to fight a single gorilla, what would your strategy be, and what do you think the outcome would be? Only your bare hands. Only the gorilla's bare hands as well, obviously. How do you attack? What is your plan, and what is the outcome?

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

Well, Clay, I was. You know what? I didn't want to come on and talk about India or Pakistan today. I definitely didn't want to come and talk about the Pope. I didn't want to talk about Scott Besson's awesome testimony or Cash on the Hill. What I wanted to talk about was this plan on how to hammer these guerrillas. All right, so this is easy. I've been thinking about this since it first came out. You don't need 100 team guys. You need 17 drunk team guys, right? And you need two to bring some type of, like, hypnotization on them, right? Lull them down, and then you need two of your biggest meatheads to attack the legs, attack the arms, and then the rest of them, they just sit on top of them, and they. They. They do these calming petting techniques until he goes limp, and then they just choke him out. That's it. That's the technique.

[Clay Travis]

So you think you could hypnotize the gorilla into submission?

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

100%. Haven't you seen the famous video of Robin Williams sitting with that silverback and, like, petting them and putting him into that or. Or Jane Goodall in the forest? She Goes over and she pets his arm. I'm telling you, the whole thing, like you're going to bum rush a silverback, that's nuts. And I'll tell you what, you got to have 17 drunk team guys to even remotely consider the whole hypnotization process.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, this is what I've been saying to everybody, Rut, and that is if you allow this to be like the Spartans at Thermopylae, where because of the hot gates, they were able to funnel in the Persians and take them not one at a time, but, you know, hundreds at a time, so they couldn't be surrounded. And, you know, that's why I think 17 is the optimal number. I totally agree with you and I appreciate that this, this plan, this, this tactical plan would come straight from you. All right, now we can actually get into some other things in the, in the policy realm. And you guys should all check out the David Rutherford show. How do you think, I mean, I know you're, you were, you were pro secretary Hegseth going into this whole thing. How do you think it's going over there so far? What, what do you make from some of the, Let me ask you this. What are some of the spec ops guys that are dear friends of yours, guys you serve with? How do they feel about the trajectory of the Pentagon right now?

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

Definitely shaky. You know, I think we all love that Pete's out there, he's doing the dog and ponies. He's. He's doing workouts with the troops. Him and Tulsi, that there's nothing better than morale boosting when your leader is out there with you, you know, grinding. But, you know, the Pentagon is a lot different than morning PT routines. That building, as you know, Baca, is, you know, it's its own thing. And with a trillion dollar budget, you need to get in that building and you need to go to every floor, every office, make your presence known and figure out what those offices, what those branches need and start helping them do their job overseas and with foreign policy. Because that's the thing. If you're not in that building, then you might as well. You're. Your position, your power is essentially muted.

[Clay Travis]

Okay. You mentioned the situation with India and Pakistan, and I know you're going to be doing a deep dive for it in the podcast for people out there, and I'll put myself in this category that are not experts in the long term geopolitical relationship between India and Pakistan and the danger that that relationship can provoke and has recently flared up. What should we know? What is the important thing that you think the average American right now should know about why this matters.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

All right, three things are easy, real simple to understand. First and foremost, this has been going on since 1948. When Britain gave that region up, they split in two based on Hindu and Muslim back, you know, backgrounds. So that ever since there, the region of Kashmir has been contentious. They've had three wars, multiple skirmishes. So this is a long running thing that's going on. So it's not out of nowhere, out of new. So that's the first thing. The other thing, the most important thing by far is, you know, this is a very strategic place for the United States because as we try and, you know, reshore a lot of our industrialization and pull it out of China in particular, antibiotics, you know, other different industrial capacities, and we partner with India, that's really going to give us a lot more leverage on the world stage economically. So I think understanding those ties, you know, there is a little bit of a tricky one with India being tied to Russia and receiving all of its weapons or a lot of its really substantial military support from Russia. But you have the same thing with China and Pakistan. So that makes it a little odd. But the number one thing hands down by far is that these are both nuclear countries. And I just for me right now, after having suffered through the last four years with Ukraine and being on the precipice there, this one's even more strenuous to me because there's a lot of pretty radical people in these countries and they are die hard. So those are the real top three things. Obviously, on Monday, I'm going to dig into these in a lot more depth.

[Buck Sexton]

You know, Dave, we're speaking of David Rutherford. He is part of the Clay and Buck podcast network. He's launched the Dave Rutherford Show. David Rutherford show, which is doing fantastic numbers already because you guys are understanding just what a great program it is. And we appreciate that. You know, Dave, Pam Bondi announced one of the largest fentanyl seizures in history this week. Clearly because of the change in the way this administration approaches the border compared to what they had with Joe Biden before. Right. Wide open border. Bad border with actual security procedures and law and order in place. Good. But now it starts to raise, I think, the question again about, well, what about going more to the source? Not just stopping the end users from getting their hands on this, from dealers on the streets, the cartels who pull those strings, but the cartels on the Mexican side of the border. Somebody from the special operations community. How do you think it goes if Trump follows through on what was talked about early on here, with using much more aggressive tactics, including special operators when necessary, to go after top cartel guys across the border?

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

I personally think it could be substantial. The challenge, as you both know, is how integrated the cartels are in the political system in Mexico. You know, I'm still waiting to see a more strict stance by the president of Mexico. She's not doing that. I know. You know, at first, what I would love to see is us really integrate into their intelligence apparatus, start sharing intel, you know, get some assistance with us and our intelligence, in particular the nsa, to really kind of slow roll and take these guys down a little bit more. But, you know, in terms of getting kinetic and putting, you know, CAG or DAMNIC, you know, Delta or SEAL Team 6 on the ground, or even GB ground branch, you know, I want to reserve that for a little bit to see what the reaction will be, because from what I'm hearing from a lot of people, there's already, you know, the turf war has really begun because we've cut off their massive sources of funding from human trafficking. We're debilitating their fentanyl distribution. So that's going to cause a lot more problems. I think we hold off on the kinetics. We really lean in for intelligence support initially.

[Clay Travis]

All right, it's Friday. You have covered a wide range from gorillas fighting humans to. To the India Pakistan, to how to handle the cartels in Mexico. You also weighed in. Buck and I were talking. Was it last week or this week? I can't even remember about the rock. And Buck, I believe, played audio from you as a Navy SEAL. Spoiler alert. 1995 film. The Navy SEALs found themselves in a tough situation against the Marines. You said that's never happening. They're never putting themselves in that spot.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

I did, but I mean, obviously, those. Those gentlemen, their plan of getting into Alcatraz, which is supposedly one of the most secure places ever, you know, that's a good plan. I. You know, my whole thing was. It was having, you know, Master Chief Danny Chalker was in that movie with that. With Joe Haas and Decker, Instructor Decker. And I love these guys so much. They played it.

[Buck Sexton]

Wait, there were. Dave, this is important. I didn't realize this. There were actual seals who were in the. Like, former seals were in the movie.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

Oh, yeah. Command. My, my. When I was at buds, the command Master chief was Dennis Chalker, who was a plank owner at Steel Team 6. When. When. When Dick Marcinko started, he chose that he was one of the original guys. Well, he was in the movie along with two instructors of mine, Joe Haas and Instructor Deckard. And these guys, like, it was really kind of the first time. Other than Hubert Humphries and a couple others, he's the real guru of SEAL tactical consulting in the movie business. But these guys, that was the first time that they were there. Ton of team guys in this movie. It was awesome to see them. We loved it.

[Clay Travis]

That's very, very cool.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, hey, did you know that this whole time. No, I had no idea there were actual seals playing. Seals in the Rock, which is a movie we love.

[Clay Travis]

Probably made it even tougher for them to get wiped out by the Marines like they did those guys. How did those guys show themselves hanging out with the seals after that, bro? You went in as the SEAL and got taken out by the Marines. I would think that they. Yeah, you get to be in a Hollywood movie. Downside, you got murdered. Taken out by guys. You're supposed to be able to kick their ass. This would be like me or Bucket and choked out by Jake Tapper. I don't. Yeah, we get to be in a movie, but I don't know that. I don't know that we could show ourselves anymore on in.

[Buck Sexton]

In media, you know, couldn't after that.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, I mean, look, Jake Tapper taps you out, you're. You're in trouble. We appreciate you being part of the podcast network. You're killing it for people who haven't signed up. How can they find you?

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

You could just go to iHeartMedia app and just look up the David Rutherford show. We're also on Spotify, Apple, itunes, podcast, everywhere there's audio. And you can also find us on YouTube, x Instagram, tic tac, the whole thing, man. We're out there. Just look up the David Rutherford Show.

[Buck Sexton]

Rut, appreciate you. We got to get you out on the range soon because I got to get my skills up to speed so that when Clay comes out there as a first timer, we're really going to get some great footage.

[iHeart Podcast Announcer]

Oh, man, I cannot wait. We are going to run play ragged out there. I cannot wait.

[Buck Sexton]

It's going to be awesome. All right, Rod. Thank you, sir. Great to talk to you. All right. You know, Mother's Day is about a lot of things, one of them being the memories that we made as a family. One of the best gifts you can give any mom is the kind that evokes the best memories and feelings. That's why legacy box services are so perfect for this. For more than a decade now. They've been digitizing pictures, videos, Super 8 film reels, and 15 other types of media. If it has pictures on it, movies on it, they want to digitize it. And not just for moms, but this time of year, especially for moms. When you digitize those memories, you're preserving them forever and making them easy to rewatch and revisit. Legacy Box has been trusted by over a million and a half families already, including our own. Once you and mom send them your tapes, film and photos, they transfer all those memories onto digital files and then return your tapes and film. Plus brand new digital files makes a great gift for mom. Clay and I have both relied on Legacy Box for our families with fantastic results. They do top quality work and it's just a great gift really. Every family, in my opinion should just do this. You're going to love it. Go to legacybox.com buck for their best Mother's Day sale ever. 60% off their regular prices. That's legacybox.com buck for 60% off stories of freedom, Stories of America.

[Clay Travis]

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 podcasts.

[Buck Sexton]

President Trump was right when he said Obamacare Sucks President Trump also said he didn't want to terminate Obamacare, but he wants to replace it with much better health care.

[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

You can have affordable health care for as low as $262 a month. Today. Visit ease for everyone.com clay that's ease for everyone.com forward/clay paid for by Affordable Benefit Choices. Did you know that just like here in the U. S, Israel has their own Independence Day? In case you missed it this year, Israel's Independence Day was a few days ago on May 1. But for the people of Israel, freedom is nothing more than a daily struggle to survive. There's no real peace, only terror. No joy, just suffering. The Israeli government relies on the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews for ongoing help to make sure the elderly, the sick, the wounded, soldiers and impoverished families don't fall through the cracks. That's why your gift to the fellowship will provide such important life saving aid, medicine, hearty meals, safety and comfort. I believe that when you bless the people of Israel, we unlock God's blessing in our lives as well. So to show your support for Israel's independence, you can make a life saving gift today. You can call 888-488-IFCJ. That's 888-488-4325. You can also go online to ifcj.org that's ifcj.org it's true that some things.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Kelly Loeffler]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

Fall of 1986, Ronald Reagan found himself at the center of a massive scandal that looked like it might bring down his presidency.

[Steve Hilton]

Did you make a mistake in sending.

[Clay Travis]

Arms to Tehran, sir? No.

[Buck Sexton]

It became known as the Iran Contra affair and I'm not taking any more questions.

[Clay Travis]

In just a second, I'm going to ask.

[Buck Sexton]

I'm Leon Nayfak, co creator of Slow Burn. In my podcast, Iran Contra, you'll hear all the unbelievable details of a scandal that captivated the nation nearly 40 years ago, but which few of us still remember today. The things that happened were so bizarre and insane I can't begin to tell you. Please do. To hear the whole story. Listen to Fiasco Iran Contra on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We got our friend Steve Hilton on the line with us now. He is of Fox News fame and he is running for governor of our biggest state by population California, a lot of you are residents of that great state which is poorly governed, but still a lovely place. Steve, good to have you on the program.

[Steve Hilton]

Oh, it's fantastic to be with you. And I've got a new claim to fame, okay, which is that Gavin Newsom just launched what he calls a fact checking website to fight back against misinformation and the MAGA trolls. And guess who is his first target? Me. So I think I'm doing something right if he's focusing on me. And guess what? He focused on a point that I made about people leaving California. Said that is false. Our population is growing. And so, Clay, if I can just use a very simple basic sports analogy, own goal. Gavin Newsom. Yes, our population is growing in California, but only because of illegal immigration. Actual people are leaving in droves because of the mismanagement, the taxes, the regulation, the insanity of Gavin Newsom and this 15 years of one party rule by the Democrats.

[Clay Travis]

All right, Steve, I want you to introduce, I know you've been on the show before, you had a great book that came out recently, but I want to give you an opportunity because there's tons of people listening right now in California. Also, as you just mentioned, a lot of people who used to live in California that are listening to us right now. You love the state of California. You grew up a huge fan of a beautiful state. What is your background and how have you come to end up running for governor of California?

[Steve Hilton]

People could hear. I still have the British accent. I was born and raised in the uk. My parents Hungarian actually. They were refugees from communism in Hungary. Most of my family's back in Hungary. And then in 2012 we moved here to California with my wife and my two sons. So I've raised my family here. I taught at Stanford University, I started a business here, all of that before joining Fox News. And in fact, just before moving here to California, I worked in the government in the uk. I was senior advisor to Prime Minister David Cameron where I was really leading our domestic policy reform. So I've worked in government, I've worked in the private sector. I've had this show on Fox News. I've just written a book about how California is the worst run state in America. But the good news is all of that is man made. It's not a natural disaster. These are all decisions and policies implemented by Democrats. We can turn it all around as long as we vote for people who are going to bring change. And that's why I'm running for governor. It's very obvious what needs to be done here. It's just, as the President says, it's just common sense. It's not complicated, but we just need to vote for change. Too many people, I think, have given up on California. They assume it's going to be like this forever. That is not the case. I've been on the road now nearly three weeks. Everywhere I go, you get this huge energy. People just sick and tired of the nonsense and really optimistic that now we got a candidate with the energy and the ideas to make a difference. And that's going to be me.

[Buck Sexton]

Steve. It would be, you know, obviously there was another very successful and well known immigrant to this country, legal immigrant to this country, who became the governor. So we all remember, and he was, I believe, a Republican at the time. So it is possible we're a ways out from where you would get the opportunity to dethrone newsomism, which even though the Democrats would kick and scream about it, would be for their own good. But how do you run that gauntlet? I mean, what can you do in a state like California where, what is it, about 60, 40 Democrat to Republican by registration? Maybe a little more. Yeah, how can you, how can you actually thread this needle and win? It has been done in the not too distant past. What would you have to do to make this a serious race? And, you know, not like there's some people that run for governor there as a vanity campaign. What are you gonna do?

[Steve Hilton]

100%, totally agree with that. And look, the starting point is that there are some ingredients that are grounds for optimism. So in the Last election in November 2024, 10 counties in California flipped from blue to red. And, you know, including some significant ones like Fresno County. I'll be there later today. I'm in the Central Valley today with our great ag industry, which I'm a huge supporter of. Fresno County, Fresno's the fifth biggest city in California, flipped from blue to red along with nine other counties. Huntington beach, the biggest city in Orange county, that's where I launched my campaign a couple of weeks ago because it's so symbolic. Just four years ago, a little bit, little over four years ago, the city council there was 6:1 Democrat, now it's 7:0 Republican. Massive turnaround there and was just rated the best run city in California. You look at the number of votes that President Trump got in California, that's more than enough to win in 2026, which is a midterm year where you tend to have lower voting turnout. So if all the Trump voters turn out in 2026, I will win. Now, of course, that's a big if, but it's something you can work on to persuade people that it's worth going out to vote. And then the final ingredient, and this is really where my focus is going to be, is just as you've seen across the country, country in the Trump years, this massive political realignment with Latinos and working class voters shifting from Democrat to Republican. That's our opportunity in California. Latinos are the largest group in California, 40% of the population. And the working class vote, which the Democrats have taken for granted, is right there for the taking. Now, I was in East LA on Monday sitting down with working class Latino families, parents and business, business owners. They are sick of all the nonsense. They're the people hammered the most by these policies, the tax increases, the regulations, the climate extremism that tells you what kind of truck to drive and how to cook your food. They've had it with all of that stuff, the nonsense in the schools. So I think that's our opportunity and I'm going to really go for it with that kind of populist message. I think that's the real heart of this. The theme of my show was positive populism. I wrote a book a few years ago called Positive Populism. I think that's how we can pull this off in California.

[Clay Travis]

What's the latest on the wildfires in the LA area? Pacific Palacades, Altadena, if I remember correctly, the neighborhoods that were most devastated. And how do you think that might have shaken people out of some of the entrenched politics that they might have embraced for a generation?

[Steve Hilton]

It's incredibly important because it is just an absolute symbol of everything that's wrong with California, because it's this combination of ideological extremism and governing incompetence. Those two things together. The ideology is what led to the fact that these fires were so much worse than they need have been because of the environmental extremism. That said, you can't clear brush, you can't manage your land properly. People are fined for trying to clear brush from their own property, all driven by their climate extremism. And then you see the incompetence, of course, the empty reservoir, the fire hydrants with no water, the fire department that was not deployed properly on and on.

[Buck Sexton]

Right.

[Steve Hilton]

And the reason that's so important. And now you see the incompetence totally exceeding even what we saw before Karen Bass saying to President Trump to his face, yes, we're going to get on with it and issue permits for rebuilding and do it in record time. Still, I mean, a few weeks ago is four permits had been issued. Now I think it's up to the massive number of 30. It is an absolute joke and it exposes how ridiculous these people are. So Karen Bass, a few weeks ago, she did a press conference where she announced where the Post that she put out said, I have just signed an executive order streamlining permitting for rebuilding Los Angeles. If you actually look at what she said, it says, she said, I've just signed an executive order tasking agency heads with developing paths forward to streamlining permits. In other words, it's BS because all you've got from these California politicians is these idiots who have no clue how to run anything. All they do is manage their way around the political machine that's being exposed. And the reason it matters so much that it's in LA is because Los Angeles is the biggest county in California. 23% of the vote is LA County. So the fact that that's the place that's been so directly exposed to the disaster of Democrat rule is incredibly important and another great ingredient for how we can win here.

[Buck Sexton]

Speaking to Steve Hilton, he has announced his candidacy for governor of California. I was wondering, Steve, because you would have an ear to the ground, so to speak, on how things are going with the opposition there, with the Democrats, that you're going to try to unsee the future of Kamala Harris in California politics. People talk about her still as possible Governor. They talk about her still as possible presidential candidate. How do you see Kamala's future?

[Steve Hilton]

Well, just in terms of what I'm hearing, to take the first part of your question, what we're hearing from those close to her and reporters who follow her movements is that she's been told in no uncertain terms that there's really no support for her from the donors from the Democrat machine for another presidential run. The support isn't there for that. So if she wants to do anything, it's going to be governor of California. I would welcome that. Because when people ask me, well, how are you going to win as a Republican in California? Here's what I say. The truth is we've got majorities in California now who say for a long time have been saying it's time for a change, state's going in the wrong direction, all of that. So the candidate who's going to win in 2026, regardless of party label, is the change candidate. Kamala Harris is literally the most implausible change candidate you could ever imagine. She's been around in California politics for decades, and she's done nothing of any note. Where is a single accomplishment in all her years? D.A. of San Francisco, Attorney General of California, Senator for California, Vice President, and a disastrous presidential candidate. Not once in any of those years has she actually delivered anything of value to anybody in the real world. And so I don't think there's anything better that would help our chances more than for Kamala Harris to be the candidate. Plus, you'd get, I think, a lot of support right across the country from people who would love the chance to beat her again.

[Clay Travis]

I love your pitch, and I think that you not being from California actually makes the pitch really resonate. Buck and I have talked about this. I didn't get to go visit the state of California until I think I was 21. I had a college roommate from there, went out and visited. Buck grew up in New York City. California was a shimmering city on a hill dream for a lot of people who live in many parts of the United States. States, and I bet also for kids like you growing up in England, growing up in Europe, that it was. It was a place that people aspired to go. You can help to tell that story and bring it back, but when you travel the state, do you get that sense that there still is that desire to make California really epitomize and personify the American dream?

[Steve Hilton]

Oh, Clay, you're so right about that. In fact, there's a very specific example of what you about back in the day, before, when I was working for David Cameron, he was the leader of the Conservative Party. I was his chief policy advisor before we actually. Before he became prime minister. The Spectator magazine, the print magazine in the uk, ran a cover story about the plans that we were developing. And the headline of the piece was California Dreaming. And the theme of the article was Steve Hilton, David Cameron's policy guru. The plans they're developing are all about making the UK More like California. He's inspired by California. He thinks it's the best place in the world. Okay, this was 20 years ago. So, I mean, is there a single political advisor anywhere in the world who would want to make their country more like California today? Of course not. That shows how far, badly off track we've gotten. But the point is there, exactly as you said, to me, California represents the ultimate expression of America. There's a phrase that I use the whole time, California means to America what America means to the world. So to me, California represents everything I love about this country. Ambition and energy and optimism and dynamism and startup hustle and actually also the rebel spirit. The people who made it here to the west coast and went through the Sierra Nevada and struggled through all those barriers to get here and build this amazing place that we have, as far as I'm concerned, the greatest place in the world, California. That's an amazing energy that we have and it's been crushed by this ridiculous, bossy, bureaucratic, nanny state, bloated government. We lift that off, there's nothing that we can't do in California. And I love that. I'm in love with California in a very, very serious way. And that's why I'm really determined to do this. If we can turn things around in California, it's not just going to be great for all of us here, it's going to be great for the whole country too.

[Buck Sexton]

Steve Hilton, where's your website for the campaign? Anybody who we have a lot of California listeners. Such a big state, so many great Republicans behind enemy lines there. Where do they go?

[Steve Hilton]

So, Steve Hilton forGovernor.com F O R Steve Hilton for Governor.com we would love your support. We're up against a very big and well funded Democrat machine. The government, unions, of course, but I'd love people's time and energy as well. We've got really build a grassroots movement so you can get involved with us at the website. Steve Hilton4Governor.com we'll be talking to you more.

[Buck Sexton]

Steve, good luck to you. Thanks for being here.

[Steve Hilton]

Fantastic. Great to see you.

[Buck Sexton]

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