The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 1 - Make America Affordable Again
Date: September 10, 2025
Hosts: Clay Travis & Buck Sexton
Podcast Description: Clay and Buck tackle the hottest news stories and current events, focusing on the economy, crime, and political debates, with their characteristic blend of intelligence, opinion, and humor.

Episode Overview

This episode centers on America's affordability crisis, especially surrounding inflated housing costs, mortgage rates, and persistent high prices post-pandemic. Clay and Buck explore the roots and political responsibility for these economic woes, discuss breaking crime stories highlighting failures in the criminal justice system, and critique the media's selective coverage of racially charged violence. The show also addresses public safety, the impact of recent headline-grabbing murders, and ongoing political infighting in the Democratic Party.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Economic Reality: Inflation, Rates, and Affordability Crisis

• Mortgage Rates & Home Prices

  • Buck introduces the latest economic data, noting widespread anticipation for a Fed rate cut. (05:54)
  • Clay: “Housing affordability in this country is crazy right now. You have to make double the money to be able to afford... based on rates and the cost of buying a new home.” (05:54)
  • Median home prices and mortgage rates (now 6.4–6.5% for 30-year fixed) are described as “unsustainable” and “pricing people out.”

• Inflation's Lasting Effects

  • Clay blames rapid inflation on the Biden administration’s pandemic spending and late response from the Fed:
    “Jerome Powell was far too late to recognize that inflation was becoming a major issue... we went all the way... to 9.1% inflation.” (08:02)
  • Buck: “There is no free lunch. We printed money without the attendant productivity behind it... we had rampant inflation.” (09:54)

• Interest Rate Cuts: Prediction and Prescription

  • Clay calls for a 50-basis point rate cut, minimum:
    “Should be a 50 point basis cut. And... a one point overall cut in interest rates before the end of the year.” (09:10)
  • He sees this as critical for breaking the “log jam” in housing.

• Prices Aren't Coming Back Down

  • Clay emphasizes inflation's permanence in consumer goods:
    “Prices are never coming back down... You’re never going to be able to buy a hamburger for the price that you did before COVID... That’s now embedded, thanks to Biden’s economic failures.” (12:08; 14:07)
  • Buck: “Food prices, they can’t hide from you... you cannot get a filet... for less than 60 bucks. Really. I mean, it’s very hard to find.” (15:31)

• Consumer & Business Health

  • A clip from the Wells Fargo CEO notes:
    “Consumer spend continues at the same year over year pace across almost all wealth levels. Consumer credit is as good as it’s been... Companies are in great shape... [but] there is this big dichotomy between higher income and lower income consumers.” (11:16)

2. Day-to-Day Economic Frustration

• Dining Out and Grocery Prices
  • Both hosts rant about how even “affordable” restaurants and fast food now cost far more than pre-pandemic. Fast food is barely cheaper than sit-down dining.
  • Clay recounts a story:
    “My son ordered a filet... and the waiter said, the cost on our filet is now over $40... That’s not even included in the menu now.” (16:28)
  • Memorable Moment—Fries Rule:
    Buck: “Even when you’re out at a restaurant, Clay, important rule: whenever someone says, ‘Oh, we don’t need the fries,’ yes you do. Always get the fries.” (17:53)
    Clay: “You always get the fries.” (18:20)

3. Criminal Justice Failures & Race in Coverage

• Case Discussions

  • Buck details several recent headline crimes:
    • Irina Zarutska (Ukrainian refugee stabbed on train in Charlotte): “There’s another case in New York City... a double murder... failure of the criminal justice system.” (03:16)
    • Similar stabbing deaths in Alabama and New York, emphasizing recidivism and the criminal justice system's inability to prevent repeat offenders.

• Full Video Release & Media Silence

  • Irina Zarutska video:
    • Buck: “The callous nature of individuals around this woman... people just leave her and no one does anything. No one even makes a move to call the police on their phones. They just let her bleed to death.” (28:04)
    • Clay echoes: “Once she sat down and selected that seat, there was nothing she could have done to keep herself from getting killed... Even a grown man... would have been unable to defend himself.” (29:22)

• Racial Dynamics

  • Explicit discussion of media and political narratives surrounding interracial violence:
    • Buck: “The perception has changed about interracial violence... how it is treated by law enforcement, how it is covered by the media... There is a dynamic here that people are addressing.” (32:02)
    • Clay: “There’s a lot of racism that has nothing to do with white people... the idea that only racism can occur white to black is one of the most dishonest things said in America.” (34:10)

• Media Double Standards & Political Responses

  • Multiple examples of selective outrage:
    • “Biden said the biggest threat in America was white supremacy. That was the talking point... and I think a lot of Black people are recognizing just how dishonest much of the coverage around BLM was.” (36:33)
    • Discussion of the “Stop Asian Hate” coverage and its quick disappearance when attackers didn’t fit the preferred media narrative. (38:20)
    • Discussion of dangerous career criminals released by the system, leading to further tragedy.

• Impact on Public Psychology

  • Tips on staying safe—sitting with back to the wall, increased vigilance on public transit.
    Clay: “If you’re riding public transportation... be with your back against something where no one can come at you without you being able to see them.” (29:22)

• Notable Quote—Decay of Justice:
  Buck: “No more trying to deal with racial injustice of the past by creating racial injustice today... People see this and they say, you can’t have people arrested 15 times, and it’s only taken seriously after they murder someone.” (32:02)

4. Political & Social Fallout

• Kamala Harris vs. Joe Biden

  • Mention of Harris’s new book where she “takes some shots at Biden,” previewing a battle within the Democratic Party about who’s to blame for electoral defeats.

• Listener Feedback: Accountability for Judges

  • A caller from Phoenix suggests judges should face liability for crimes committed by repeat offenders they release.
    • Clay: “No one would want to be a judge if you were criminally culpable... What I do believe is you should lose your job if you are consistently putting violent criminals back on the streets.” (45:23)
    • Added critique of “prosecutors” for making plea deals and enabling repeat offenders.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the enormity of the affordability crisis:
  • “You have to make double the money to be able to afford... housing... compared to 2019.” – Clay Travis (05:54)
  • “You’re never going to be able to buy a hamburger for the price you did before COVID.” – Clay Travis (14:07)
  • “I can’t find a steak anywhere... you cannot get a filet... for less than 60 bucks.” – Buck Sexton (15:31)
• On inflation and economic policy:
  • “There is no free lunch. We printed money without the attendant productivity behind it... we had rampant inflation.” – Buck Sexton (09:54)
• On race and media double standards in violent crime:
  • “No more trying to deal with racial injustice of the past by creating racial injustice today ... People see this and they say, you can’t have people arrested 15 times, and it’s only taken seriously after they murder someone.” – Buck Sexton (32:02)
  • “There’s a lot of racism that has nothing to do with white people in America.” – Clay Travis (34:10)
• On social trust and safety:
  • “If you are riding public transportation... you need to be with your back against something where no one can come at you without you being able to see them.” – Clay Travis (29:22)
  • “The problem is, this individual leaves the train and Irina is there, in terror, clutching at her neck and crying, and people just leave her and no one does anything.” – Buck Sexton (28:04)
• Memorable humor:
  • “Even when you’re out at a restaurant... whenever someone says, ‘Oh, we don’t need the fries,’ yes you do. Always get the fries.” – Buck Sexton (17:53)
  • “You always get the fries.” – Clay Travis (18:20)
• On judiciary accountability:
  • “No one would want to be a judge if you were criminally culpable... You should lose your job if you are consistently putting violent criminals back on the streets.” – Clay Travis (45:23)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Economic overview, mortgage, and housing crisis: 05:54–11:16
• Wells Fargo CEO on macroeconomic stability: 11:16–11:59
• Permanent effects of inflation on prices: 12:08–14:07
• Restaurant and grocery price shock: 15:31–18:20
• Crime, public safety, race and media coverage: 25:17–38:40
• Irina Zarutska video, safety tips, and systemic failure: 28:04–32:02
• Listener on judge accountability: 44:32–45:59

Summary

This episode delivers a focused, highly opinionated, and frequently personal discussion about the worsening cost of living for average Americans—housing, food, and more—while critiquing the economic policies (mostly under Biden) that led to this state of affairs. The hosts pivot to the criminal justice system’s failures, with an unvarnished examination of racially charged violence and how the media and politics shape—and often distort—the narrative around crime. Memorable stories, listener feedback, and some classic Clay & Buck banter make the hour relevant and engaging for listeners seeking both outrage and practical context for today’s top headlines.