Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Episode: David Rutherford Show: Why Is Everything A Lie?
Date: February 18, 2026
Host: David Rutherford (standing in for Clay Travis and Buck Sexton)
Producer: iHeartPodcasts
Overview
This episode, hosted by David Rutherford, centers around the widespread feeling of distrust and deception permeating American society—and arguably the world. Rutherford dissects why the public feels that "everything is a lie," weaving together recent politics, media manipulation, censorship, and psychological insights into lying. He invokes the book People of the Lie by Dr. M. Scott Peck to explore the moral and societal roots of deception and evil.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Current Atmosphere of Distrust
Timestamp: 02:20–07:47
- Rutherford describes a “deep sensation of distrust and disgust” across the country due to political, economic, and social upheavals.
- Cites: Global political scandals, rising debt, market manipulations (e.g., GameStop), AI-induced anxiety, and cultural divisiveness.
- Even teenagers feel it: “Do you guys feel a sense of negativity in the air?” They couldn’t articulate but agreed something was “off.”
- Points to crises ranging from domestic political corruption to international conflicts (Ukraine, Middle East).
“There's a level of corruption present... a large portion of the country distrusts our election systems. And without trustful election systems, the inevitable outcome is destruction, chaos and war.”
— David Rutherford [05:20]
2. The Normalization of Deception
Timestamp: 07:50–15:50
- Argues society has become “accustomed to deceit as a regularity within the social construct.”
- Media, social media, and content creators frame narratives that mislead or manipulate.
- COVID-19 pandemic as the watershed moment:
- Mask mandates, school closures, inconsistent rules for protests vs daily life, evolving vaccine narratives.
- Points to “lies” about virus origins, vaccine risks, and government coverups (EcoHealth Alliance, Fauci, etc.).
“We have allowed ourselves to become accustomed to deceit as a regularity within the social construct of our everyday activities...”
— David Rutherford [07:53]
3. Censorship, Tech, and Institutional Gaslighting
Timestamp: 18:22–22:20
- Details on how censorship—originally used for “color revolutions” abroad—has been turned inward.
- Twitter Files revelations, government agencies’ influence on social and news media.
- Immigration narratives (“We need people to pick our fruit”) and the effects of mass migration on society.
- Mentions high-profile cases (Biden’s health/fake signatures, the Epstein scandal) as proof of institutional gaslighting.
“Now the ultimate which just continues and it's the Epstein files. Anybody telling you or trying to tell you that it was not that bad... is just guilt by association.”
— David Rutherford [22:19]
4. The Roots and Development of Lying
Timestamp: 22:20–35:48
- Introduces People of the Lie by Dr. M. Scott Peck as inspiration for the episode.
- Notes Peck’s blend of psychiatry and theology to distinguish between evil and mental illness.
- Lying is innate: starts as a developmental milestone in childhood (ages 2–3), peaks in preschoolers, and stabilizes in later childhood/adolescence.
- Social, cognitive, and parental influences shape lying—e.g., authoritative parents model honesty better.
- Discusses “theory of mind” (ToM)—the ability to understand others have different beliefs, key for social lying.
“Lying we learn from a very early age... it emerges as a normative part of child development.”
— David Rutherford [23:39]
5. Dr. M. Scott Peck’s Concept of Evil
Timestamp: 35:48–41:00
- People of the Lie frames evil as “militant ignorance”—a willful denial of personal responsibility, distinct from treatable mental illness.
- Malignant narcissism: evil people maintain a false self-image through denial, projection, and destruction, often cloaked in normalcy or piety.
- Case studies: families rationalizing harm (e.g., gifting a suicide weapon to a surviving child); people justifying behavior through metaphysical pacts.
"Evil manifests as itself as a malignant narcissism where the person maintains an unassailable self image by scapegoating, projecting flaws onto others and destroying the lives physically and spiritually without remorse."
— David Rutherford [35:49]
6. Lying in Everyday Life: The Psychology
Timestamp: 41:00–48:50
- Summarizes research (DePaulo, 1996): Most people lie 1–2 times per day, mostly small, self-serving lies.
- Lies to men are more self-centered; to women more often “other-oriented.”
- Most lies are minor, unplanned, and not regretted—social lubricant rather than moral breaches.
- Another study finds only a small minority (“prolific liars”) are responsible for almost half of all lies—this mirrors the prevalence of psychopathy and sociopathy.
- 5% of people (potential “evil”/psychopathic) account for 46% of all lies.
“Most people are honest most days, but a few prolific liars inflate averages.”
— David Rutherford [45:40]
7. The Moral and Societal Danger of Institutionalized Lying
Timestamp: 48:51–End
- Conclusion: Some level of lying is ordinary and adaptive; the threat arises when “militant lying” becomes normalized or coordinated by society’s most powerful.
- Urges listeners to “choose the side that's not the psychopathic evil of lying. Choose the side that's rooted in the free exchange of truth.”
- Truth is the only remedy—both personal and societal. Rutherford ties the solution to Christian values of self-examination, repentance, and growth.
“Because at the end of the day, when we speak the truth, we become better ourselves, because then we're facing the hard, constructive criticism and recognition of things that we need to change or grow from in our own souls. And that's what Christ wants us to do...”
— David Rutherford [48:51]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On pervasive unease:
“There's a, an innate disturbance present in how they were experiencing the world.”
[03:10] - On COVID-19 deception:
“It didn't take a genius to figure out, right? You're getting lied to.”
[11:57] - On institutional coverups:
“Lies on top of lies on top of lies.”
[21:55] - On evil and lying:
"Evil...is a sin hardened into persistent pattern of denial which is often cloaked in normalcy or piety leading to a refusal to submit to higher truths."
[36:12] - Actionable advice:
"What I want you to do is arm yourself with the understanding of the prevalence of this...[and] focus on the truth, wherever that takes us in whatever scenario."
[49:30]
Key Resources & Recommendations
- Book Recommendation:
- People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil by Dr. M. Scott Peck
- Research Mentioned:
- DePaulo, B. M., et al. (1996). "Lying in everyday life." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
- Serata et al., “The Prevalence of Lying in America: Three Studies of Self-Reported Lies,” Human Communication Research.
Episode Structure with Timestamps
- 02:20 – Social and political climate of distrust
- 07:50 – Roots of deception and normalization of lies
- 15:50 – Censorship and major coverups
- 18:22 – Tech industry’s role in gaslighting and misinformation
- 22:20 – Lying as human development & Dr. Peck’s biography
- 35:48 – Defining evil vs. mental illness; case studies from Peck
- 41:00 – Psychological studies on lying frequency and distribution
- 48:51 – Conclusion: Truth as the cure and call to moral action
Takeaway
David Rutherford argues that while lying is a near-universal and sometimes adaptive human behavior, the dangerous escalation comes from societal elites institutionalizing “militant lying” for power and self-preservation—what Dr. Peck describes as evil. His solution is for individuals to recognize the prevalence and structure of deceit, arm themselves with truth, and embrace personal accountability—rooted in moral, often Christian, principles.
To listeners: The episode is a passionate, dense meditation on the moral and psychological crisis of truth in modern society, blending recent political controversy with classic psychological and theological analysis. Those interested in the intersection of culture, politics, and morality will find it both provocative and deeply relevant.