Hour 1 - Clay & Buck v Thom Tillis

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show - Hour 1: Clay & Buck vs. Thom Tillis

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
• Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
• Description: Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics, and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
• Episode: Hour 1 - Clay & Buck vs. Thom Tillis
• Release Date: May 7, 2025

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Introduction and Key Topics (00:35 - 01:44)

Buck Sexton kicks off the episode by outlining the major stories to be discussed:

• Scott Besant’s Economic Reality Check: Addressing concerns about the current administration’s handling of the economy.
• The Conclave of Cardinals: Covering the ongoing process to elect a new Pope, with insights from Raymond Arroyo, a Fox News reporter based in Rome.

Notable Quote:

• Clay Travis (01:55): “This is the perfect story to be covering because you really don't even have to, you can't interview anybody. Right.”

Election of the New Pope and Betting Markets (01:45 - 02:51)

Clay and Buck delve into the details of the Papal Conclave, highlighting the global interest given that there are 1.5 billion Catholics worldwide. They discuss the unique aspect of wagering on the next Pope, noting that "20 [sounds like] million dollars has been wagered already" (02:51). This betting market serves as a primary indicator of the Conclave's progress, especially since traditional communication is limited during the voting process.

Geopolitical Tensions: India and Pakistan (02:51 - 06:07)

Buck addresses recent military actions by India against Pakistan, emphasizing the precarious nature of nuclear-armed neighboring countries engaging in limited hostilities.

Notable Quote:

• Buck Sexton (02:51): “But you know, if you go up to a guy in a bar and you slap him across the face, you could say, hey, man, that was non-escalatory. I didn't use a fist. Doesn’t mean he's going to agree with you.”

Praise for the Administration and Policy Discussions (06:07 - 12:56)

The hosts commend the administration’s efforts, particularly highlighting a conversation with Senator Rand Paul about targeted tariffs and avoiding unnecessary escalations in trade policies. However, the focus swiftly shifts to internal Republican dynamics, particularly Senator Thom Tillis’s recent actions.

Main Segment: Senator Thom Tillis Blocks Ed Martin’s Nomination (06:07 - 29:06)

Background and Initial Reactions (06:07 - 15:49)

Clay and Buck criticize Senator Thom Tillis for refusing to support Donald Trump's nominee, Ed Martin, for the position of U.S. Attorney in Washington D.C. They argue that Tillis's stance undermines Republican solidarity and punishes a qualified nominee based on Martin’s previous defense of individuals involved in the January 6th events.

Notable Quotes:

• Thom Tillis (06:07): “I have no tolerance for anybody who entered the building on January 6th. ... They made a stupid decision and they disgraced the United States.”
• Buck Sexton (06:56): “I've never heard Thom Tillis speak this angrily about anything else with this kind of force.”

Hosts’ Critique and Call for Tillis to Explain (07:35 - 14:43)

Clay and Buck elaborate on why they find Tillis’s actions unacceptable, emphasizing the importance of the U.S. Attorney role in maintaining justice and safety in Washington D.C. They invite Tillis to the show to clarify his decision, suspecting underlying motives beyond the stated stance on January 6th.

Notable Quote:

• Clay Travis (08:07): “This appointment is very important. ... Ed Martin should be in, and I think it's shameful that there would be a Republican senator stopping it from happening, frankly.”

Listener Callers’ Perspectives (14:43 - 29:06)

Multiple callers from North Carolina express their disappointment and frustration with Senator Tillis. They argue that Tillis is betraying Republican values by blocking a pro-Trump nominee and share personal stories reflecting the broader Republican base's dissatisfaction. Callers urge Tillis to reconsider his position and support Ed Martin.

Notable Quotes:

• Caller from Asheville (20:44): “I can't understand the logic. ... His job is to represent that person to the best of their abilities within the legal specifications and the parameters.”
• Mike from North Carolina (34:25): “I am super ashamed to hear Thom Tillis take that position and I think I speak for a lot of like-minded, level-headed people here in North Carolina.”

Implications for the Republican Senate and Future Elections (28:51 - 37:47)

Clay and Buck discuss the potential political fallout for Tillis, predicting that his actions may jeopardize his re-election chances. They examine the broader Senate map for the 2026 elections, expressing optimism about flipping Democratic seats but also noting challenges due to incumbent weaknesses and candidate quality.

Notable Quote:

• Clay Travis (34:59): “The amount of money that's going to be spent against him from Democrats is monumental because the board is not that great for them again in 2026.”

Support for Washington D.C. and Positive Changes (16:30 - 28:51)

Shifting focus, Clay highlights the improvements in Washington D.C., attributing positive changes to the administration’s policies. Increased foot traffic and revitalization of local businesses are cited as indicators of a safer and more vibrant city.

Notable Quote:

• Clay Travis (16:30): “People are back in the District and that matters because it helps to make things safer because there's more people there who are not engaging in violent crimes in virtually empty cities.”

Other Topics and Final Remarks (29:06 - 39:07)

The hosts briefly touch on additional topics, including Disney’s decision to build a theme park in Abu Dhabi amidst controversial social policies. They also mention the importance of investment in American companies and introduce various advertisements related to Rapid Radios and Dutch pet care services.

Notable Quote:

• Clay Travis (37:36): “It feels personal to me. And sometimes senators have personal conflicts with individuals that otherwise would be confirmed.”

Conclusion and Listener Engagement (39:07 - End)

The episode wraps up with continued listener feedback, reinforcing the hosts' stance against Senator Tillis’s decision. Clay emphasizes the need for justice and accountability within the U.S. Attorney’s office and reiterates the open invitation for Tillis to discuss his actions on the show.

Notable Quote:

• Buck Sexton (34:59): “And the candidate quality is not elite so far in terms of who's going to be able to win those races.”

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Summary: In this episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton primarily focus on Senator Thom Tillis’s controversial decision to block Donald Trump’s nominee, Ed Martin, for U.S. Attorney in Washington D.C. They argue that Tillis’s actions betray Republican principles and hinder the administration’s efforts to restore justice in the capital. Multiple callers from North Carolina echo this sentiment, expressing deep disappointment and urging Tillis to support Martin. The discussion extends to the potential political repercussions for Tillis in future elections and broader implications for the Republican Senate strategy. Additionally, the hosts touch upon positive developments in Washington D.C. and briefly mention other current events, maintaining an engaging and critical tone throughout the episode.

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Note: Advertisements, non-content sections, and minor topics were intentionally excluded to maintain focus on the episode's primary discussions.

Transcript

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[Buck Sexton]

Welcome everybody. Wednesday edition of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show gets going right now. We're gonna dive into all of the news with you as we always do. Play. We've got a few things here, including Scott Besant, the Treasury Secretary giving a bit of a reality check to anybody who thinks, thinks that this administration does not know what they are doing on the economy. The Conclave of cardinals is underway to elect a Pope. Very important for those who are members of the Catholic flock, but very interesting to the media, I suppose because of all of the. Well, because it's 1.5 billion Catholics and also a lot of pageantry and ceremony and smoke coming out of the chimney to say whether the Conclave has elected a Pope or not. I think they vote a few times today. We're going to have Raymond Arroyo on this. Right. We got somebody who follows this. Yes. From Fox News. Follows this closely. He is joining us live from Rome. Oh, man.

[Clay Travis]

Pretty cool.

[Buck Sexton]

That's, that's tough. That's tough duty. You think he's.

[Clay Travis]

I was thinking that as well. Yeah.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah.

[Clay Travis]

First of all, he might have to.

[Buck Sexton]

Skip his second plate of carbonara in order to hang out with us.

[Clay Travis]

This is the perfect story to be covering because you really don't even have to, you can't interview anybody. Right. I mean the, the, all of the cardinals are locked in the Conclave. You just kind of sit and wait for the white smoke to emerge from the St. Peter's chimney that they put in. This is going to be fun to follow. Buck, I don't know if you. Because you're far less flawed than I am when it comes to gambling. Did you know that there is wagering you can bet on who the next Pope is going to be. 20 sounds million dollars has been wagered already with people putting money out on the table on who they think is going to be the next Pope, which is amazing and also probably not very saintly. But that is going on right now. That is the Number one way to track the odds market from what's going on in the conclave, because everything else is shut down.

[Buck Sexton]

Now we've got that and a bunch of other stories we're going to be getting to with you here, including that there's been military strikes inside of Pakistan by India. I know it's far away in countries we don't talk about that much, but they're big countries and they have nukes and they are now on the. Well, there's limited hostilities going on. It's interesting you'd call this an incursion, Clay. This is just like the exercises during a CIA analyst training. We would have to come up with ways to assess is this an escalation or is this a limited strike? Is this going to result in crossing a red line? And right now they've gone after non military, the Indian military and Indian Air Force has gone after non military terrorist training camps in Pakistan. But, and they're saying this is, quote, non escalatory. But you know, if you go up to a guy in a bar and you slap him across the face, you could say, hey, man, that was non escalatory. I didn't use a fist. Doesn't mean he's going to agree with you. Right? So we got to see where this goes. Hopefully things calm down there because, yeah, war is bad and nuclear war is very bad. I don't think that's going to happen. I think this is all going to calm down. But, you know, people worth paying attention to, worth understanding that there are hot spots that can crop up very quickly around the globe. But, Clay, I wanted to start with this, you know, because I think we do a fair amount of high fiving, the team, so to speak, for the administration so far doing a great job, which they are, and a lot of members. I think we had a great conversation with Senator Rand Paul yesterday. I was really pleased to hear him explain he's not opposed to all tariffs, but he doesn't think that blanket tariffs, you know, he wants it targeted and precise. He understands we're not in some free trade Shangri La, you know, we're not in the Xanadu of free trade. But he also doesn't want things to escalate unnecessarily. Anyway, we do a lot of good work is being done. We want to tell you about that. The administration wants to tell you about that. But we also sometimes have to have a conversation when someone on our team, so to speak, team Republican, comes up way short. And Clay and I have been looking into, looking into what's happened here with Senator Tillis in North Carolina. We have a lot of North Carolina listeners. He made it clear yesterday that he would not support Ed Martin, who was Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C. and so essentially he went and said, I will not go forward with this. I will not be willing to support. Thom Tillis is not willing to support Trump's U.S. attorney for D.C. this is a really important position. This is not just something that is another U.S. attorney. Some U.S. attorneys are more important than others in terms of the kinds of cases politically that they handle. But, Clay, before we dive into this, this is what Senator Tillis, a Republican, mind you had to say about why he will not allow Ed Martin, Trump's nominee, no longer former nominee, I guess, for U.S. attorney D.C. play two.

[Thom Tillis]

I think anybody that breached the perimeter should have been in prison for some period of time, whether it's 30 days or three years is debatable, but I have no tolerance for anybody who entered the building on January 6th. And that's probably where most of the friction was. Mr. Martin did a good job of explaining how there were people that probably got caught up in it, but they made the stupid decision to come through a building that had been breached and that the police officers and others were saying, stay away. So the difference wasn't that they should be charged, in my estimation, it's by how much. That's an argument I'm willing to have. But we have to be very, very clear that what happened on January 6 was wrong. It was not prompted or created by other people to put those people in trouble. They made a stupid decision and they disgraced the United States.

[Buck Sexton]

I've never heard Thom Tillis speak this angrily about anything else with this kind of force. I am so ticked off by this, Clay. He's saying that basically taking the position that because Ed Martin worked as an attorney. Right. We all know about what happened with John Adams and the British and the Boston Massacre and defense. Ed Martin worked as an attorney on behalf of J6 people who were treated horrifically on unfairly by the system. And now we have a Republican senator blocking him from being U.S. attorney Trump's pick in the maybe the most important seat in all of D.C. in all of the country.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, I think it's unacceptable. And I don't even know we've reached out. We should say to Tom Tillis's office.

[Buck Sexton]

Oh, yeah, I want him on the show. I want him on the show. I want to have it out with him on this January 6th. They needed to be punished more severely.

[Clay Travis]

Well, look, I've donated money to the defense fund for January 6th defendants. We've had Julie Kelly on the show, probably more than almost any single guest.

[Buck Sexton]

Can you say Thom Tillis would say you shouldn't be able to be a U.S. attorney Clay, anywhere in the country, even though you're a lawyer and you know a lot of excellent things about you. We don't get into that right now.

[Clay Travis]

But, but yeah, look, I mean, I think that Thom Tillis should come on the show. We have extended an invite to him to explain this decision and I'll just kind of continue to hammer my perspective on this. President won a victory landslide every, all 50 states moved more conservative. He won all seven battleground states, including North Carolina by a substantial amount. I'm confident that Trump is more popular in North Carolina than Tillis is. And this, this particular appointment, as you just laid out, is, is very important relative to the power that it wields. Trump is making Washington, D.C. better in conjunction honestly with Muriel Bowser who showed up for the, the, the White House event announcing that the draft would be taking place there. Buck, I was just up in a couple months ago, I'm going to be up. You're going to be up in June. I was just up two weeks ago. I think that, that D.C. is and you live there. I went to college there. We spent a lot of time in the, in the, over the past several decades there. They are making it safer. They are starting to put violent criminals in prison. But make no mistake, when Joe Biden came into office, they decided through the U.S. attorney's office in D.C. that they were going to drop almost all serious felony charges of a violent nature to misdemeanors, except they were going to elevate a lot of misdemeanors related to January 6th to felonies. So it wasn't just that they went soft on crime, it's that in this particular office they went soft on crime, on actual danger that people faced in a day to day lives in D.C. while drastically over punishing people who found themselves in any way affiliated with January 6th. Some, as you pointed out and we pointed on the show, just people who walked inside open doors, grandmas with selfie sticks were being put in solitary confinement, being locked up for potentially years and a D.C. gulag and nobody talked about it. This appointment is very important. The idea that Tillis would be saying, oh, January 6th was somehow, look, I'm not defending January 6th, but in the context of how BLM rioters and protesters were treated for months. January 6th was very different treatment in D.C. and other places. And we need some semblance of justice to return. I think that this is an easy decision. Ed Martin should be in, and I think it's shameful that there would be a Republican senator stopping it from happening, frankly.

[Buck Sexton]

I know that North Carolina is a competitive state and people will make the argument, oh, well, maybe Tillis is, you know, the best we can do. No, it's not Maine. You can do better than Thom Tillis because this is a guy who doesn't know what time it is, doesn't understand, or I should say, lacks the courage to be in the fight the way that he needs to be right now. His problem, apparently, with Ed Martin, is that as an interim U.S. attorney, Martin opened up an investigation into the D.C. hand, the D.C. u.S. Attorney's office, handling of J6 cases. And there were some federal prosecutors who were fired during that, you know, that period. And they all. I think they all should have been fired. I think that using your office to destroy American citizens to make some kind of political point when they haven't done anything bad or really bad, you know, depends on who we're talking about here, right?

[Caller]

Yeah.

[Buck Sexton]

I mean, am I pro trespassing? No, I'm not pro trespassing. I think you could get a fine. You know, it depends on who now are. Are you able to punch cops in the face and get away with it? No. Unless you're a Democrat Biden voter, then it's okay to punch cops in the face. You just have to say you're doing it for George Floyd. We have all seen the way that this game was played, and we are furious about it. And I think what Thom Tillis, to me, Clay, this is like somebody who was, you know, supported, like fauciite vaccine mandates. This is a one and done for me. To stand in the way of a solid choice from the Trump administration to clean up the obvious weaponization of the D.C. u.S. Attorney's office is outrageous. It's cowardly. And I just hope the people. We got a lot of North Carolina listeners. I hope they remember, I hope they spread the word. You can do better than Thom Tillis. Some of the worst hat tip our friend Jesse Kelly on this. He's totally right. The worst Republican betrayals of the base come from Republicans who are in red and sometimes very red states.

[Clay Travis]

Yes.

[Buck Sexton]

And they get away with it.

[Clay Travis]

I agree. I mean, it's partly because when you get elected, people don't really pay attention to what you do. This is the truth. When you win in a red state and Jesse's been on this for a while, primary turnouts almost non existent. We'll see what happens in the state of Texas because there is probably going to be a huge red state primary battle between John Cornyn and Ken Paxton and we will see how exactly that all shakes out. But I think there may well be Tillis challengers in North Carolina and I just for the life of me, I don't understand how in the world this could have occurred, which is why we've offered him an opportunity to come on. It feels buck to me, very personal, as if there is something that is not being said publicly that actually is motivating this privately. Does that make sense to you? Because arguing, hey, he was too lenient on January 6th protesters and therefore I can't support him to be US Attorney when he's otherwise very well qualified. Doesn't add up to me.

[Buck Sexton]

It, it's, you have to look at this from the perspective of a quisling and it's not smart for the quisling to do this unless there's something we're not. You know, unless he thinks that he's going to be able to just edge things. He's up for reelection in 26, so. But I don't think anyone is, I don't think anyone cares about, you know, like I don't think this would be a strike against it with any Republican.

[Clay Travis]

In North Carolina or even independent voters. I don't understand how that would be even for his own political viability. This doesn't add up to me because it doesn't seem to me to be a significant, significant enough issue that it would motivate turnout either way.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, there might, there may be, there may be something else that is at work here. Something else we should be aware of in this. All right. When rapid. Sorry, when disruptions happen, power outages occur, communication options become more limited and you want to have all the options you can at hand. Rapid radios make modern day walkie talkies the count. The kind that allow you to connect with family and friends no matter how close or far away they are. That's because these rapid radio walkie talkies connect to a nationwide LTE network so you can connect with a single touch of a button. Rapid radios are built with long lasting batteries with power that can last for up to five days. They're ready to go right out of the box. While there are other ways to stay in touch, Rapid radios allows you the ease of connecting by pushing a single button to talk. And rapid radios allow you to connect with multiple people at the same time. Literally up to 200 people at a single time. In tough times and great times, Rapid Radios are really helpful and easy to use. Go to Rapid Radios.com get up to 60% off that's Rapidradios.com get up to 60 percent off plus free UPS shipping and a free protection bag. Make sure you use code radio and get an extra 5% off.

[Clay Travis]

Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Mic drops.

[Buck Sexton]

That never sounded so good.

[Clay Travis]

Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in Clay Travis, Buck Sexton show Breaking down the battle over the U.S. attorney in Washington D.C. there are, like we said, many different things that I think are occurring that are making Washington D.C. better. And I do think sometimes we need to shine a light, as you said on opposition but positive story here. I think the real impact that's that's changing DC is workers have to go into their offices now. And for years since COVID shut down, nobody has been in the D.C. federal office buildings and it's a ghost town in many of these blocks. Businesses have shut up, shut up, shut down. If you are instant, for instance, selling coffee, you're used to being able to have federal workers come in and out of your buildings on a regular basis. Heck, if you're selling hamburgers. Nobody was going into any of these businesses when I was just back up in D.C. it was a very noticeable vibe shift in terms of just the walking foot traffic on the streets. People are back in the District and that matters because it helps to make things safer because there's more people there who are not engaging in violent crimes in virtually empty cities. And I think it's going to lead to a very positive return for D.C. and I think Trump deserves some credit for this and we need to add more positivity to it by having a guy in charge who could put violent criminals behind bars, which is something that everybody who lives in D.C. honestly wants, even if they may not be big time Trump supporters. So it feels like a no brainer to me. And again, the offer is out to Tom Tillis, senator from North Carolina, to come on the show and explain to you guys why he's making the choice that he is.

[Buck Sexton]

Yes, and I think he should, because if he feels that strongly about it, he should be willing to address his constituents in part because like I said, we have a lot of listeners in North Carolina as well as across the country. And I want him to explain why somebody working for the rights of J6 defendants makes them not OK to be a U.S. attorney. What is, what is that? Think about the scumbags that Democrats and high profile Democrat lawyers and you know, will work on behalf of Democrats have just, and I know you're gonna say it's not all Democrats pretty much is. They've raised a million dollars for the Luigi Defense Fund. Okay. But now we're drawing the line at ed Martin for U.S. attorney. He would have been very effective. This is a, this is a very disappointing moment here for those of us who care about this stuff. All right. Alaska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Texas, Wyoming, just some of the states across the nation that have a sovereign wealth fund. If you're a resident of those states, you know all about the benefits of establishing such a fund. Case in point, Alaska's plan is reported to have more than $70 billion in assets on a national case. There are more than a few, few folks out there who think that our nation has an asset that could be worth as much as $150 trillion. This endowment, so to speak, so large it could pay off our national debt four times over. Why has it been kept secret? Well, thanks to a new Supreme Court decision, President Trump could soon release it to the public. Jim Rickards, former adviser to the White House and Federal Reserve, says if you're over 50, this could be your best chance to build lasting wealth from a once in a century event. To hear more of Jim's thinking, go to birthright2025.com that's birthright2025.com birthright2025.com paid for by Paradigm Press. All right, welcome back into Clay and Buck. Calling out Senator Tillis for blocking Trump's former now that's been withdrawn nominee for U.S. attorney. He was interim U.S. attorney in D.C. and they wanted to get him voted in on a permanent basis. And Tillis said, nope, you're Too nice to J6 defendants to Ed Martin. And so here, here we are. I can see our, like I said all along, a lot of North Carolina listeners and Not a surprise. They are unhappy with what their senator, who's supposed to represent them, has done. Here we have Sean in Asheville, North Carolina, where my, some of my in laws live. What's going on, Sean?

[Caller]

Hey, man, thank you for taking my call. Just, you know, still recovering from Helene here. Hope you're.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah.

[Clay Travis]

How is it. How is it there now? Sorry to cut you off, but how is it for people in the Asheville area? How much support are you getting? Is there enough help in the Trump era so far?

[Caller]

I think it is better now than initially. I mean, the first couple of weeks was like pure chaos. No one was doing anything. My local town officials did absolutely nothing. I mean, we were without water, like three weeks. They had no distribution centers. They didn't come around with loudspeakers in the police cars. And I live in a very small town just north of Asheville, and none of that was happening. But then things started to open up a little bit better. It's been better since Trump has gotten in. Actually have gotten some actual response from FEMA after it came to light that maybe if you had a Trump sign in your yard that they, you know, they'd turn away. But, I mean, as I look out my front window, I have a pile of, of root balls because you, you can't haul those off. They're like £2,000 a piece. I can't pick them up and get them down to the roadway. And it's been, you know, they keep saying, well, we'll get back to you if we can help you with that. And, you know, $30,000 into grading equipment trying to get these things out of here and still no help. So it's coming, but it's very slow.

[Clay Travis]

Okay, well, hopefully people are listening in the Trump team and they are going to continue to give you guys resources. But I wanted to know how things were going there. Thank you for that feedback. Now, you wanted to tell us also about Thom Tillis.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah.

[Caller]

You know, and I've already called his office. I have been a longtime supporter of Tillis, but I can't understand the logic. I mean, I'm not an attorney, but my understanding is, is that every person is innocent till proven guilty, and they have the right to legal counsel, which this attorney provided to them. I don't think it's the attorney's responsibility. And you guys can straighten me out if I'm wrong. I don't think that attorney has to decide, oh, I can only represent a person that's going to fall on this side or that side. Their job is to represent that person to the best of their abilities within the legal specifications and the parameters.

[Clay Travis]

Yes, we agree.

[Caller]

He's got his. I don't know what he knickers in a wad for, but I'm certainly extremely disappointed. And I've already called his office and let him know that, you know, no more. He must be. The only logic I can come to is he's part of the swamp.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, thank you for the call. This is Buck. Couple more of these calls here in North Carolina, but you and I, it just doesn't add up to me. And this is why I would like him to come on the show and explain. There has to be something else other than this that is truly motivating the decision.

[Buck Sexton]

Remember when Mitt Romney was marching with a mask on? Outside. Outside, mind you, with mask on. And he was like, I'm here because black lives matter. Like, really, Mitt? Really? This is, this is what it's come to with you. You're part of the BLM march with your mask on. Really?

[Clay Travis]

Yes.

[Buck Sexton]

You know, and it turned out we learned who Mitt Romney really was. So.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah. No, I mean, and maybe it's just that. Dave In Outer Banks, North Carolina, what's your take?

[Caller]

Hey, great show, guys. Ms. Rush, but you guys are doing a great job. My take, and Tillis is I've called his office. It took me two days to get through through. And I spoke to. Spoke to his. One of his people going to get a response, but I want to remind you guys that the North Carolina Republican Party censored Thom Tillis in 2023 for his backing of LGBTQ + rights, immigration and gun violence policies. He was back in the red, the red flag law. And he was against moving military funds, military construction funds from that to the building of the border wall. We have never been till. His fans, my wife and I only voted for him because President Trump backed him and said he had turned a corner. Well, I think he's done a turnaround and has gone back to his liberal ways. He doesn't show up at our conventions. He never comes to the eastern portion of North Carolina, and we're through with him.

[Buck Sexton]

Do you think he might get primaried?

[Caller]

We're looking for somebody.

[Buck Sexton]

I figured you might be. Well, you know, put a. You're putting the word out to a lot of people listening right now. I'm sure there's some exceptional patriot out there in the state of North Carolina who may want to give them better representation in the Senate. Sharon in Raleigh, North Carolina, you're up next.

[Caller]

Hi, Enjoy listening to your show. And I wanted to voice the same sentiments that the gentleman just basically stated. Mr. Tillis sends out emails to his constituents and ask about how he's doing, how he wants to, you know, how we think he needs to proceed. And I feel like most everybody's probably given him the indication that we want him to support Mr. Trump. And as you stated earlier, I think this is to do with the upcoming reelection issue. And I feel like he needs to reconsider his position. And I'm hoping I called him up the message. I know her back from him. And I've also told him I think he needs to call your show. He needs to voice his why he wants to stand this way. If as constituents, we need to understand. But what you stated, it makes no sense, basically, because anybody that supported Trump is aware of the January 6 issue. And like you said, it really just doesn't. It's not logical for his decision.

[Buck Sexton]

It feels, it feels like, it feels a bit, Sharon, to me, like moral preening or some kind of just vain showboating maneuver. I don't get it. I mean. And maybe he thinks it'll do better for him in reelection somehow, but that's a political calculation that I can't square. I don't see that. So to me, it just feels like. Just feels like really bad judgment. I think that's the easiest way to put it. Thank you for calling in, Sharon. We'll take one more here, Alan, in eastern North Carolina. What's going on?

[Caller]

Yeah, I've always thought of.

Tom Tillis is a rhino, but I cover. I used to work in the local news here, and I covered him when he was first running for Senate. At the time, it was held by a Democrat.

Deceit. And so people were excited about him, but he was a John McCain Republican.

[Buck Sexton]

John McCain came here and.

[Caller]

And campaign for him.

And it just seems like ever since.

He'S been in there, he's been at.

[Buck Sexton]

Opposition with Trump on.

[Caller]

On a lot of things.

[Buck Sexton]

Even though he's changed his vote on.

[Caller]

Dozens of things, it seems like.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, thank you. Thank you.

[Clay Travis]

I just don't get it. And again, open invite to Thom Tillis to come on and explain. This guy Ed Martin is already the acting director of the office, so he's already doing the job. It feels personal to me. And sometimes senators have personal conflicts with individuals that otherwise would be confirmed. That's not necessarily uncommon. But the rationale that he has provided so far to me is not compelling as to why Ed Martin shouldn't be able to get this job. And again, this is a very important job when it comes to who's in charge of justice in Washington, D.C. he's come in and tried to clean up the office. He's fired a bunch of people that he thinks are too left wing in their prosecutorial basis.

[Buck Sexton]

I think here's a good data point to add into this. They made damn sure that every J6 case stayed in the D.C. u.S. Attorney's docket because they didn't want to. They didn't want any of them to get a fair trial.

[Clay Travis]

Yes.

[Buck Sexton]

Right. So what does that tell you? They knew that it was like the legal wood chipper for anybody who had been on. Been involved with Trump J6 any of that. Well, clearly there's a problem there when the. When the weaponized Justice Department, or rather when the weaponization of justice is so consolidated that they clearly would rather have everybody who was. I think there was not a single change of venue. Clay was there. I'm not aware of a single change of venue out of the District of Columbia. No, it was not allowed because they knew. Yeah, they knew that. It was just. It was a. An assembly line of destroying and humiliating Trump voters who were at the Capitol on January six. That was the whole point of what the U.S. attorney's office was doing. And all the people who got fired deserved it.

[Clay Travis]

And by the way, I said, and I still would echo this, they need to give everybody who gets charged with federal crimes the opportunity to take those cases to their actual location. That is your. Your particular domicile. You shouldn't be able to prosecute someone in Washington, D.C. without them being able to remove it federally to their local jurisdiction. That, to me, would be one way to try to take away some of the power that Democrats have embedded in the D.C. you know, court system in general. And. But in the meantime, here's a question for you, and maybe some of you can find them. Did any nominee that Joe Biden put forward not get confirmed by Democrats? Did this happen anywhere to Joe Biden? Did any major office in the Department of Justice that Joe Biden wanted an appointment confirmed? Did any Democrat senator stand up and say, no, I won't allow this Elections. This is one Barack Obama got right have consequences. And one of those consequences is the president should get to pick the people that he wants to represent him in important offices?

[Buck Sexton]

I'm also gonna say this. I don't like this blue slip thing, which I know Thune has said he's going to. He's going to, you know, agree to. This is just when the Senate Judiciary Committee has this practice of making sure that the senators in the home state, they get a blue piece of paper to put their opinion of the nominee on. And so you, you know, why do we do this? Because I'm going to tell you something, the Democrats get through their communist left wing, legislate from the bench people under the guise of, remember, Thom Tillis voted for Merrick Garland.

[Clay Travis]

I know. That's what I'm saying.

[Buck Sexton]

Merrick Garland is okay with me. A. Okay, Merrick. But this is the thing. We always get screwed by this game of oh, well, we have this idea that there's going to be a, you know, we're going to cool things down with the blue slip process. We should be, we should be, you know, letting the freight train loose here. We should not be slowing things down for these Democrats. Not now, not after what happened.

[Clay Travis]

Amen. Open invite. We'll see if Senator Tillis wants to come on and explain his decision making. In the meantime, Israeli residents continue to need our help. For more than a year and a half now, the country has been in a near constant state of high alert. Knowing where the nearest bomb shelter is has become sadly a way of life. While the military's done the best to defend the populace, it has been very, very difficult for everyone living there. One organization dedicated to keeping us connected with those in Israel, that's the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the ifcj. The Israeli government relies on the IFCJ for ongoing help to make sure the elderly, the sick, the wounded, soldiers and impoverished families don't fall through the cracks. Your gift to the Fellowship today will provide life saving aid, medicine, hearty meals, safety and comfort. When we bless the people of Israel, we unlock God's blessing in our lives as well. Show your support for Israel by making a life saving gift today. Call 888-488-IFCJ. That's 888-488-4325. You can also go online at supportifcj.org one word supportifcj.org want to be in the know when you're on The Go the Team 47 podcast Trump highlights from the week, Sundays at noon Eastern in the Clay and Buck podcast feed. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in Clay Travis, Buck Sexton Show Appreciate everybody hanging out with us. We got a bunch of different reactions obviously pouring in. Not a surprise to the Thom Tillis decision and how it does not make a great deal of decision. Here's Mike from North Carolina 106.1 FM Talk Radio. Here's his reaction as well.

[Buck Sexton]

Listen, hey Clay and Buck, Mike here in North Carolina and I gotta say I am super ashamed to hear Thom Tillis take that position and I think I speak for a lot of like minded, level headed people here in North Carolina that he will not be the senator for much longer. He's not going to win the next, the next election. No way. We'll see these incumbents in red states. Sorry Clay, just they, they somehow managed to hang on.

[Clay Travis]

The amount of money that's going to be spent against him from Democrats is monumental because the board is not that great for them again in 2026. And now that we have opened up a three Senate lead and have the tie break, that means Democrats would have to flip four different seats, which frankly I just, I don't think is possible in 2026. Now unfortunately, if you look at the Senate map, there have been individuals out there that had good chances to win. Brian Kemp in Georgia, for instance, the current governor who's been very popular, decided not to run for the Senate. So flipping Democrat seats, whether it's in Michigan, whether it's in Georgia, whether it's in some of these places, Arizona, where in theory there may, I believe be opportunities to flip seats may not be as easy as we had hoped. New Hampshire, another location there. I mean the map is not bad for Republicans, but the candidate quality is not elite so far in terms of who's going to be able to win those races.

[Buck Sexton]

What always ends up happening is you say how could this state have such a bad incumbent Republican? They should be able to get a great and then people say, oh, he's better than the guy who tried to beat him or the gal who tried to beat them last time she was even bigger rhino. Ok, well how do we fix this?

[Clay Travis]

I just think it's an easy answer. And look, if I were in the Senate and a Republican president won election, I would unless it was something totally outlandish in terms of a nominee. I would sign off on all the president's nominations and the guy is already the acting U.S. attorney. Some of you may be better proceeds. Certainly some of you out there listening right now are better procedurally than I am on this. Can the president. How long can someone be an acting U.S. attorney? A long time, right? So if it doesn't become official, what is the time frame under which this gentleman, Ed Martin would have to be removed? And also, are there any recess appointment opportunities if Trump wanted to make him? I'm not sure again how this works for U.S. attorneys. Some of you out there are procedural experts when it comes to issues like this. I haven't seen it written or talked about. But I do wonder if Tillis refuses to change his opinion on this, what restrictions are in play here such that and options that the president would have if he wants this individual, Ed Martin to be remaining in the office? He's already in.

[Buck Sexton]

Clay, you have us at the top of the next hour. What incredible journey are you going to be leading us on here into the world of news, analysis, commentary and all things.

[Clay Travis]

Did you see Buck, that Disney? I want to have some fun with this. Disney has decided to build a new theme park in Abu Dhabi. Okay, Middle East. Remember they were angry at Florida Governor Ron DeSantis over the so called don't say gay bill. They filed a lawsuit over it. Everything else. Were you aware, Buck, that in Abu Dhabi if you are gay, you can be beheaded?

[Buck Sexton]

I was aware. Yes. I was aware.

[Clay Travis]

Seems, seems a little bit tougher than kindergarten. First, second, third graders can't get taught sexuality related issues. I think this is a really interesting moment and I'm curious if people are going to hold the company like Disney accountable over how their policies apply around the world versus in this country. We'll have some fun with that.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

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