The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Date: September 2, 2025
Episode: Hour 1 - Code Switching

Overview

In this episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton dive into the political and cultural phenomenon of "code switching," using a recent clip from Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett as a springboard to discuss political authenticity, media personas, and the current state of political resistance against Trump 2.0. The hosts also touch on judicial resistance to Trump’s policies, border issues including the handling of unaccompanied minors, American urban crime rates, and what it takes to build a political or media brand in today’s environment.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump 2.0 and Judicial Resistance

• Clay and Buck express skepticism about the seriousness of continued legal resistance to Trump’s policies, especially from federal district court judges frequently overturned at higher levels.
  • Clay Travis [02:22]: "The resistance is going to be the same … Federal district court judges are going to wrongly decide the law and just try to throw up roadblocks … the Supreme Court always says he does [have the authority]."
• Buck highlights specific recent cases:
  • Federal judges ruling Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles was illegal.
  • A judge blocking the reunification flight of 76 unaccompanied Guatemalan children with their parents.
  • Buck Sexton [03:36]: "Judge Sparkle Suknanp has blocked that flight from the reunification of Guatemalan children with their families … Anything Trump does, Trump taking kids who don't have their parents and reuniting them with their parents is bad because Democrats hate Trump."
• Both agree these legal obstacles are anticipated and largely performative, with little long-term impact given higher courts' tendencies to overturn.

2. Political Resistance: Where’s the Energy?

• The hosts discuss the diminished energy of the anti-Trump "resistance," noting how protests and demonstrations are now rare and largely ineffectual.
  • Clay Travis [06:01]: "The street protest as the resistance to Trump 2.0 is nonexistent politically … the Democrat Party … are so bereft of ideas, and the ideas they do have are just flat out wrong and rejected by huge majorities of the country."
• They set up the next segment on code switching using Representative Jasmine Crockett as a case study in political branding and communication.

3. Jasmine Crockett: Code Switching, Authenticity, and Persona

• The heart of the episode revolves around two audio clips of Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett: one in a standard professional tone (from when she first ran), and one in an exaggerated vernacular (from a recent comment).
• The hosts dissect whether Crockett’s use of grammar and style is authentic communication, deliberate code switching, or pandering:
  • Clay Travis [08:52]: "This is embarrassing … This is one of 435 members of Congress to be talking like this in public intentionally not able to speak basic grammar."
  • Buck Sexton [11:04]: "I think she's trying to code switch and trying to appeal to different constituencies in different ways as part of her growing."
• They compare this to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's branding, noting AOC's transition from Westchester upbringing to Bronx persona.
• On authenticity in media and politics:
  • Clay Travis [15:00]: "Ultimately what connects with people is authenticity … In a social media sphere, the only thing that matters is authenticity."
  • Buck Sexton [16:38]: "Elected office is a stepping stone into audio, social media profile, all that kind of stuff … It's changed dramatically."
• Buck argues the rise of "personality politicians" is driven by the rewards of media attention and brand creation rather than policy leadership.
  • Buck Sexton [26:38]: "I think she's gotten a lot more famous over the last year and thinks that this is working for her."

Notable Quotes

• Jasmine Crockett [08:27]:

  "Well, they are crazy because they always talk about how Christian they is. Yeah. I don't know how many of them on that side are getting divorced because they getting caught up sleeping with their co workers, staffers, interns, all the things. Yeah, you ain't got to believe me. Just go Google. You'll find some of it, I'm telling you. And the wives is being messy and petty. They putting it in the divorce. I'm like, oh, that's got to be true, because your lawyer would know that."

• Clay Travis [08:52]:

  "There’s no way to say, hey, this is someone who represents 700,000 people in the United States. This is one of 435 members of Congress to be talking like this in public intentionally not able to speak basic grammar. It's embarrassing."

• Buck Sexton [11:55]:

  "She's trying to code switch and trying to appeal to different constituencies in different ways as part of her growing."

Side-by-side Code Switching Example

• Jasmine Crockett, Professional Tone [23:09]:

  "Good to see you in the new year. You know, no one could have told me that when I went down to Austin … I would be running for Congress. It's just not what my plan was. But what I've always decided is that I would step up when there was a need."

• Jasmine Crockett, Vernacular [23:35]:

  "Because these people, they are crazy because they always talk about how Christian they is. Yeah, I don't know how many of them on that side are getting divorced because they getting caught up sleeping with their co workers, staffers, interns, all the things …"

4. Does Code Switching Work Politically?

• Debate over whether Crockett’s style works for her and if it could be politically beneficial or harmful long-term.
  • Clay Travis [13:12]: "I think she has lost her way … she's actually destroying her, any future that she had in politics with this."
  • Buck Sexton [13:39]: "I think for a lot of people, elected office is a stepping stone into audio, social media profile, all that kind of stuff … I think it has changed dramatically over the last 20 years."
• Discussion on whether such personas can transcend local success (i.e., become senators/governors or succeed at a national level).
• Comparisons to other "persona politicians" (AOC and Frederica Wilson), with Buck highlighting that branding can ensure local dominance but not necessarily higher office.
  • Buck Sexton [29:13]: "She is a person, Frederica Wilson. She is a Persona. She is a brand. She is a media entity. And she's been elected."

5. Audience Reaction and Black Voter Perspectives

• Clay solicits black listener feedback on whether this strategy resonates with black voters, expressing skepticism that educated black voters would appreciate or be inspired by code switching to "sound dumber."
• Caller Sean (New York) argues it does appeal to certain black audiences and is akin to the speaking style of Al Sharpton/Jesse Jackson, though Clay disputes their comparison [38:48].
  • Sean [38:48]: "They are definitely trying to garner to a certain crowd of people, and it works, unfortunately, with the black community."
  • Clay Travis [39:25]: "But Sean, sorry to cut you off, but you mentioned Al Sharpton. You can mention Jesse Jackson … I’ve never heard them speak like Jasmine Crockett did in the clips we played."

6. Broader Trends in Media and Politics

• Hosts suggest that the media landscape now rewards persona, polarization, and "vibe" over policy or traditional oratory.
• Authenticity (as persona, if not as truth) is necessary for building a lasting media presence, and current politicians are often pursuing celebrity more than classical leadership.

Notable & Memorable Moments with Timestamps

• Clay on Judicial Resistance
  • [02:22] “Federal district court judges are going to wrongly decide the law … And so far the Supreme Court always says he does.”
• Buck on Guatemalan Children and Judges
  • [03:36] "Anything Trump does … is bad because Democrats hate Trump."
• Jasmine Crockett’s Viral Clip
  • [08:27] Crockett’s “how Christian they is” quote.
• Comparing ‘Educated’ and Vernacular Crockett
  • [23:09 & 23:35] Side-by-side clips demonstrating code-switching.
• Authenticity vs Pandering
  • [15:00] Clay: "Ultimately what connects with people is authenticity."
  • [16:38] Buck: "Elected office is a stepping stone into audio, social media profile."
• AOC Comparison
  • [11:55, 25:05, 34:44] Discussion of Ocasio-Cortez’s own code switching and the rewards for persona-driven politics.
• Listener Sean’s Call
  • [38:48] “They are definitely trying to garner to a certain crowd of people, and it works, unfortunately, with the black community.”

Segment Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Theme | |---------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:05 | Opening banter, return from Labor Day, college football | | 02:22 | Trump 2.0 and judicial resistance | | 03:36 | Judges blocking Trump border policies; media overreaction | | 06:01 | Resistance to Trump: street protests, lack of political energy | | 07:53 | Jasmine Crockett as case study: education & code switching | | 08:27 | Crockett viral clip (vernacular) | | 09:47 | Code switching: does it help politically? | | 11:04 | Elite education and grammar; media personas vs. authenticity | | 13:12 | Politics as stepping-stone to media careers | | 14:19 | Communication as the core political skill; authenticity debate | | 16:38 | Trend: elected office → media stardom | | 18:06 | Media’s focus on court rulings; discussion of National Guard deployment | | 23:09 | Jasmine Crockett, ‘professional’ clip; side-by-side compared to vernacular | | 25:05 | Will her code switching strategy work with black voters? | | 29:13 | Persona politicians: Frederica Wilson, AOC, and political branding | | 38:48 | Caller Sean gives perspective on black community’s response |

Tone & Style

The hosts blend irreverence, sharp debate, and pointed criticism, often using humor to highlight what they see as absurdities in contemporary political communication. Buck tends to view code switching as a calculated and currently successful approach to branding in politics, while Clay emphasizes the primacy of authenticity and is skeptical such tactics have broad or lasting appeal.

Summary

This episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show focuses on how politicians use code switching and constructed personas to navigate modern media and politics, using Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett as a prime example. The hosts argue over whether such approaches are savvy or self-defeating, explore how judicial rulings serve as a tactical—and often superficial—resistance to Trump, and reflect on how authenticity, or the appearance of it, has become the most valued currency in the age of social media-fueled politics. Listener perspectives suggest these issues are divisive not only across the political spectrum but within key demographic constituencies as well.