The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 1 – High Stakes Tennessee Showdown
Date: December 1, 2025

Episode Overview

This hour focuses on the high-stakes special congressional race in Tennessee’s 7th district, drawing national attention as a potential upset for Republicans in a deep-red seat. Clay Travis (a constituent of the district) and Buck Sexton discuss the importance of turnout, the Democrats’ surprise push, and broader implications for the national political landscape. They also discuss holiday travel experiences, recent news updates (including crime and Venezuela), gas prices reaching new lows, and upcoming special guests, all interlaced with their trademark banter and humor.

Key Discussion Points

1. Thanksgiving Recap & Holiday Travel

• Clay expresses amusement at how few families play football on Thanksgiving, citing his own poll.
  • [02:37] Clay Travis: “I was stunned how few people actually do play football on Thanksgiving day... Only 16%...”
• Buck admits to opting for children’s TV (“Bluey”) over football with the family.
  • [03:50] Buck Sexton: “My family mocked me and said, you don't have to pretend, Buck... We ended up turning on Bluey for my little nephew.”

2. West Virginia National Guard Shooting & Afghanistan Refugees

• Clay and Buck discuss the ongoing critical condition of a West Virginia Guardsman, linking the incident to Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal and perceived failures in vetting new arrivals.
• They promise to monitor developments and praise the heroism of the service members.

3. Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District Showdown

Central Theme of the Hour

• Race Details: Matt Van Epps (R) vs. Afton Bain (D), in Clay’s own district, with voting the next day.
• Unusual Factors: Democratic spending, recent redistricting, and expected low turnout are combining to threaten a seat that "should" be safely Republican.

Trump’s Phone Endorsement

• President Trump calls into a rally for Matt Van Epps, offering full-throated support:
  • [06:24] Donald Trump:
    “Go Matt Van Epps, he's a winner. He's going to be great... But she [Afton Bain] said two things above all else that bothered me. Number one, she hates Christianity. Number two, she hates country music. How the hell can you elect a person like that? ... He's going to be a fantastic congressman.”

Importance of Voter Turnout

• Clay draws a sports analogy: Democrats are “playing with House money,” trying to embarrass the GOP through an upset.
  • He reminds listeners that the district is newly drawn (2022), so many may not even be aware they live in TN-7.
  • He urges: “Just show up. If you’re not in the district, at least you tried.”
• Buck frames the risk as “low probability, high impact”:
  • [08:05] Buck Sexton:
    “In CIA analyst nerd school, we would call this low probability, high impact. ... If they did [win] it would give a lot of momentum, at least psychologically and for fundraising, to Democrats very early.”

Characterizing the Candidates

• Clay describes Afton Bain as further left than AOC:
  • [09:34] Clay Travis: “She makes AOC look moderate. That's the person that Democrats are running.”
• Both hosts emphasize the narrative importance if Democrats can “spike the football” in a prominent conservative media backyard.

Voter Information Challenge

• The hosts and callers discuss the confusion caused by recent redistricting in Nashville and surrounding areas, where neighbors may belong to different congressional districts.

4. Broader Political Implications for Congressman Control

• Discussion about Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s active involvement and why even one seat matters in a closely divided Congress.
  • [12:04] Clay Travis: “It only takes a couple of people getting sick or a couple of things going wrong when your majority is this small and you don't even have a House majority this year. ... That's part of this Democrat calculus, I think as well.”

5. Inflation and Gas Prices: Practical Impact

• Buck introduces the topic as central for upcoming elections:
  • [20:26] Buck Sexton: “The fate of the Congress in terms of control ... is probably going to be determined by affordability.”
• They play a CNN report on gas prices hitting 4½-year lows (“down by 7 cents in just the past week”).
  • [21:18] Clay Travis: “For the first time in four and a half years, gas prices are averaging $3 a gallon nationally...”
  • [21:58] Buck Sexton: “Certainly nice to see this, Clay. Got to bring down prices. Got to bring down prices.”
  • Clay notes that gas prices are “the number one story of the 2026 election,” especially contrasted with the continued high prices of everything else.

6. Venezuelan Crisis and U.S. National Interests

• Brief discussion about U.S. policy toward Venezuela, with recent developments and rumors of a possible U.S.-backed transition.
  • [14:29] Clay Travis: “I think we should take Maduro out. ... Would also go a long way toward bringing down oil prices even more because ... Venezuela is the highest producing country basically when it comes to oil and gas.”

7. Crime and Immigration

• Follow-up on violent crime in Washington, D.C., and Memphis after a presidential mobilization of resources.

  • Buck and Clay highlight drops in murders and discuss the role of immigration enforcement after attacks involving Afghan refugees.
  • Trump, in a recent speech, frames the attack as an “act of terror” and calls for stricter measures:
    • [40:27] Donald Trump:
      “This heinous assault was an act of evil and act of hatred and an act of terror... We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden...”

• Concern about U.S. Media Radicalization:

  • Clay worries that some recent immigrants might be radicalized by consuming extreme American media, not just by foreign ideology.

8. Listener Engagement & Election Logistics

• Multiple callers chime in about the confusion of redistricting:

  • [28:01] Caller from Harris County:
    “A lot of people do not know what district they're in ... Go to the website, try your zip code.”

• Clay reiterates—check if you’re in TN-7 and just show up to vote.

• Humor from a regular trucker listener, flipping Clay’s own argument back at him (about electing crazy progressives to expose the party):

  • [30:02] Dylan, truck driver:
    “If she gets elected, it could benefit the Republican Party because then she becomes one of the faces of the Democratic Party...”

• Clay responds with humility but insists the stakes are too high for such an experiment in this race.

9. Upcoming Guests & Teasers

• Psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert will join in Hour 2 to discuss the clinical reality of “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
  • [36:23] Buck Sexton:
    “Trump derangement syndrome is actually a true disorder of the mind, that people become irrational, unreasonable in a clinical way.”
• Guests Speaker Mike Johnson and candidate Matt Van Epps will also join in the next hour.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [06:24] Donald Trump:
  “She hates Christianity. Number two, she hates country music. How the hell can you elect a person like that?”

• [09:34] Clay Travis:
  “She makes AOC look moderate. That's the person that Democrats are running.”

• [11:29] Clay Travis (on voting effort):
  “90% of success is just showing up. If you show up and you happen to not be in the 7th congressional district, you don't have to stand in line. You just get to turn around.”

• [21:18] Clay Travis (on gas prices):
  “For the first time in four and a half years, gas prices are averaging $3 a gallon nationally...”

• [40:27] Donald Trump (on Afghan refugee attack):
  “We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:37 - 04:16: Thanksgiving and holiday travel recap
• 06:24 - 07:04: Trump’s phone endorsement of Matt Van Epps
• 08:05 - 10:24: Why this race matters: turnout and national implications
• 11:25 - 13:40: Voter confusion, district redrawing, and why “showing up” matters
• 20:26 - 23:04: Discussion of gas prices and their political importance
• 28:01 - 28:58: Call-in advice on how to check your congressional district
• 30:02 - 31:10: Listener’s theory on backfiring Democratic win, Clay’s rebuttal
• 36:23 - 37:39: Tease for upcoming interview about “Trump Derangement Syndrome”
• 40:27 - 41:06: Trump’s comments on Afghan refugee attack and response

Tone & Style

The conversation is irreverent, energetic, and at times combative—full of banter and cultural asides. Clay is more personal and animated, especially since it’s his own district at stake, while Buck takes a slightly broader analytic approach. Both maintain their trademark blend of humor and directness, all aimed at energizing their politically conservative listener base.

Summary

This episode dives deep into the surprise competitiveness of a special congressional election in a Tennessee district considered safely Republican—a situation primed by Democratic spending, GOP complacency, and confusion after redistricting. Clay and Buck reiterate over and over: show up and vote, don’t take anything for granted, and understand that what happens here could ripple all the way to national control of Congress, fundraising, and political “narrative.” The hour also explores national political undercurrents (immigration and security, inflation, international flashpoints), primes listeners for the next hour’s special guests, and lets a few callers and real-life stories illustrate the ground-level confusion and consequences at play.