The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Episode: Daily Review with Clay and Buck – Oct 1, 2025
Host: Clay Travis (solo, with Buck Sexton traveling in Taiwan)
Notable Guest: Congressman Tim Burchett (Tennessee)
Date: October 1, 2025
Overview
In this Wednesday edition, Clay Travis covers the nuances and underlying causes of the ongoing government shutdown, zeroes in on the dysfunction in American healthcare and tax systems, and discusses congressional stock trading controversies, with an extended and candid interview with Rep. Tim Burchett. The episode also tackles media polarization, advertising bias, and includes a discussion with Paul Finebaum about political evolution.
Key Topics & Discussion Points
1. Government Shutdown: Origins & Impact
[00:05 – 16:00]
- Clay’s Opening:
- With Buck Sexton out, Clay is solo, covering listener calls and pressing topics, mostly focusing on the government shutdown.
- Offers a historical perspective: since 1976, there have been 20 shutdowns; most resolved quickly with debt increases.
- Main Issue:
- The shutdown centers on whether to continue COVID-era healthcare subsidies (costing ~$450 billion over the next decade), seen by Clay as out-of-control spending championed by Democrats.
- Republicans oppose extension, viewing it as unnecessary and benefiting non-taxpayers, including illegal immigrants.
Notable Analysis (Clay Travis):
"The healthcare system in the United States is broken. Every single one of you listening to me right now is nodding along because it is just a broken marketplace. It makes no sense the way we have designed it."
(06:52)
- Personal Anecdotes:
- Clay illustrates the absurdities of U.S. healthcare: hidden costs, insurance confusion, tie to employment, and inefficiency.
- Example: Comparing strep throat treatment costs for his children with and without insurance.
- Critique of Obamacare: “collapsing” due to reliance on healthy people subsidizing the sick, but younger people often opt out.
Structural Comparison:
- Likens both healthcare and tax code to “constantly shifting buildings with no structural stability,” both threatening America's future given an aging population.
"Insurance is the only thing all of us have to pay for that we hope to never use. And the entire insurance industry is totally broken in conjunction with health care."
(10:15)
2. Congressional Stock Trading & Ethics: Interview with Rep. Tim Burchett
[16:00 – 30:54]
Main Themes:
- Clay introduces Burchett as a critic of congressional stock trading, noting “some of the best timing that has ever existed.”
Burchett on Corruption:
"Congress is broke and it is crooked as a dog's leg, brother. There is no other explanation. When a congressman can make 600% return on their investment... it is unfreaking believable.”
(16:54, Tim Burchett)
- Appearance of Impropriety:
- Focuses on Nancy Pelosi’s stock trades, calls the system “gutless” and “shady.”
- Discusses need for a complete ban on individual stock trades by members, except for mutual/index funds.
- Personal Example:
- Shares frustrations with needing a business plan and legal review to sell handmade skateboards, but “if I want to do insider trading, just become a member of Congress and it rains on you.” (18:44)
- Specific Example:
- References defense stock purchases by committee members with advance knowledge of Ukraine arms deals.
Clay’s View:
"We're not even saying... that members of Congress can't own stocks. It's just don't trade individual stocks. Like this is having a blind trust."
(19:06)
On the Shutdown’s Resolution:
- Burchett predicts Chuck Schumer will relent if his polling drops and is pressured by leftists like AOC.
- Critiques Schumer’s drift left for power retention.
"All he sees is AOC and that big grin of hers bearing down on him. He knows that she can raise millions of dollars overnight."
(22:33, Tim Burchett)
Personality Segment:
- Burchett on making skateboards as therapy: “It's cheaper than a psychiatrist.”
- On controversial questions: Roasts Kamala Harris’s VP pick and UCLA football. (28:12)
Ethical Integrity:
- Despite frustration, Burchett insists on following ethics protocols for his skateboards: "I just want to be the man my little girl thinks I am." (30:27)
3. Media, Advertising, and Polarization
[31:00 – 38:07]
- Algorithm & Censorship:
- Clay describes how YouTube views tripled once restrictions lifted, highlighting how algorithms reflect biases of their programmers.
“You can create an algorithm to do anything. My fear... about AI... it's just going to become even more polarized."
(31:54)
- Media Landscape:
- Reflects on being labeled “controversial” for mainstream views (e.g., men's vs. women's sports).
- Notes advertising industry bias: “We've never had a car advertisement... never had a restaurant.” He attributes this to leftist pressure on advertisers and media funding.
4. Marketing, Culture Wars, & Sex Sells
[38:07 – 49:15]
- Cites American Eagle’s sales surge after Sydney Sweeney ads, dismissing claims of eugenics or Nazi symbolism as cultural overreach.
- “Pretty girls sell products… Victoria’s Secret—make lingerie sexy again—sold out.”
- Critiques modern ad agencies for prioritizing social causes over business sense.
5. Political Evolution: Changing Sides (Paul Finebaum)
[54:57 – 56:52]
- Timely Conversation:
- ESPN's Paul Finebaum recounts growing up as a liberal, but shifting Republican over time; even his mother hung up on him when he first voted Republican in ‘94.
- Clay frames this as emblematic of many listeners: “A lot of us… haven’t moved very much on issues. It’s just the Democrat Party's gone insane, and we weren’t willing to hop on the train to crazy town.”
6. Democracy, Authoritarianism, & COVID
[56:52 – 61:24]
- Clay rebuts the idea that Trump is a fascist:
- During COVID, instead of seizing power, Trump deferred to state/local governments.
- Contrasts with Biden, who centralizes authority.
- “If that were actually true, why didn’t Trump take over everything during the early days of COVID in 2020?”
7. Memorable Moments & Quotes
On Congressional Stock Trading:
"Congress is broke and it is crooked as a dog's leg, brother." (16:54, Burchett)
"Nancy Pelosi is Warren Buffett-level investing savant." (16:49, Clay)
On Broken Systems:
"You would actually do better if you just tore them both down and built a functional, rational healthcare system and tax policy." (13:08, Clay)
On Media and Culture:
"Fox News is just normal. They try to always label me controversial. If you read any article about me…within 30 seconds they will say... right wing, conservative political commentator." (34:49, Clay)
On Advertising Bias:
“We’ve never had a car advertisement… flip on MSNBC, every car brand in America advertises on MSNBC. Flip on CNN, every restaurant in America advertises on those brands.” (35:23, Clay)
On Sex Sells:
"All they did was go back to the old adage of sex sells. Put a pretty girl in jeans and they immediately sold out." (41:33, Clay)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- 00:05 — Show Intro; Buck in Taiwan; Government Shutdown context
- 06:52 — Clay’s rant on broken healthcare
- 16:00 — Rep. Tim Burchett joins show
- 16:54 — Burchett: “Congress is broke... crooked as a dog’s leg…”
- 22:33 — Burchett on Schumer/AOC “rearview mirror” analogy
- 28:12 — Burchett on Kamala Harris and political decisions
- 31:54 — Clay on media algorithms and polarization
- 38:07 — Clay on marketing, culture, and “sex sells”
- 54:57 — Paul Finebaum on his political shift and family reaction
- 56:52 — Clay arguments against “Trump the dictator” narrative
- 61:24 — White House comment line message: shutdown update
Summary Tone & Style
Energetic, candid, irreverent, and heavily opinionated—with ample humor and personal anecdotes. Clay often pivots from data to storytelling, always with an undercurrent of frustration over perceived dysfunction in government, media, and culture.