The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show: "Manufacturing Mass Delusion" (Hour 1)

Date: February 18, 2026
Host: Buck Sexton (Clay Travis absent)
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Episode Theme: Examining the "manufactured delusion" present in U.S. politics, especially on the left, through budgetary, political, and immigration lenses, while highlighting growing government overreach and ideological mass hysteria.

Episode Overview

With Clay Travis out for the day, Buck Sexton takes the mic solo, leveraging the opportunity to plug his new book, Manufacturing Delusion, and to lay out what he sees as the increasing grip of mass delusion and neo-Marxist ideas within the Democratic party, especially evidenced by New York City politics and U.S. immigration policy. Buck weaves together headlines about city budgets, tax policy, and progressive governance with broader themes of political madness, civic religion, and mass manipulation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The "Manufacturing Delusion" Book & Political Madness

• Buck opens with reflections on the theme of his new book, citing "mass delusion" as a through-line in recent U.S. history: climate change, BLM, COVID, and the transgender issue.
• He frames the Democratic Party as being "in the grips of continuous but shifting mass hysteria" and credits this to coordinated mind control tactics.

Notable Quote:

"The Democrat Party, I would argue, has been seized by political madness for years now."
— Buck Sexton (01:14)

2. New York City: A Case Study in Progressive Overreach

Buck pivots to New York City as a warning to the nation—a microcosm of what happens when progressive social justice eclipses traditional values like private property rights and individual liberty.

a. Mamdani’s Budget Announcement & Tax Policy

• Buck analyzes comments from New York City Councilman Zohran Mamdani, who outlines new property tax hikes and the use of city reserves as budget solutions.

Audio Clip:

[Mamdani]: “At heart of this path is a property tax increase. This would effectively be a tax on working and middle class New Yorkers ... We do not want to have to turn to such drastic measures that to balance our budget.” (05:32–06:18)

• Buck highlights the staggering size of NYC’s proposed $127B budget, noting it now exceeds the entire state budget of Florida.

Notable Quote:

“This is completely insane ... In six years, a 50% budget increase for New York City, which was already a massive and bloated budget.”
— Buck Sexton (07:00)

b. Budget Breakdown: Education & Welfare

• 40% to the Department of Education, 26% to social services ("welfare stuff").
• Buck criticizes the effectiveness of NYC public schools and argues the system spends far more per pupil than private schools, for worse results.
• He spotlights $14B spent on newly arrived undocumented immigrants.

Notable Quote:

“You're paying absolutely egregious taxes in New York so that you can have a failing education bureaucracy and a massive welfare state.”
— Buck Sexton (09:41)

c. Philosophy of Progressivism

• Buck argues recurring tax hikes are inevitable due to the progressive belief system—a "civic religion" rooted in envy and resentment.
• He labels Mamdani and like-minded officials as "neo-Marxists," asserting their policies will not lower the cost of living or improve city life.

Notable Quote:

“Communism is a religion. Leftist progressive political thought is a religion replacement ... It's neo Marxism. It's not going to bring down the price of anyone's apartment.”
— Buck Sexton (13:50)

3. The Flawed Logic of "Taxing The Rich"

A throwback audio clip from Mamdani (November prior) suggests a 2% tax on millionaires would transform life for every New Yorker.

Audio Clip:

[Mamdani]: “Having the top 1% of New York who are making more than a million dollars a year, having them pay 2% more for an economic agenda that would transform every New Yorker's life, including their own, is something that is worthwhile.” (17:10–17:27)

• Buck responds with skepticism:

“How could anyone believe that this charlatan ... will transform their life for the better? ... It just does not make any sense to me.”
— Buck Sexton (17:40)

4. Immigration Policy, Enforcement, and Incentive Structures

Buck expands his "manufactured delusion" thesis to U.S. immigration policy:

a. Democratic Obstructionism

• Argues Democrats are the "open borders party," hiding true intentions behind procedural obstacles rather than policy debates.
• Critiques their opposition even to deportations ordered after criminal convictions, claiming the left’s abolitionist movement wants to eliminate most incarceration.

b. Manipulation of Process

• Explains how New York DA Alvin Bragg increased paperwork for prosecutors, deterring charges and allowing criminals to remain unpunished.
• Suggests the same delay-and-hinder tactic is now being used against immigration enforcement.

Notable Quote:

“Democrats abuse the process so much ... they want to make it impossible to actually send anyone home to their actual country.”
— Buck Sexton (27:40)

c. The Asylum System as a "Scam"

• Recounts his debates about asylum claims, criticizing the overwhelming majority who never show up for hearings and arguing most aren’t actually refugees.
• Explains that if asylum is allowed simply for economic betterment, it would open the door to a billion people.

d. Border Security & Republican Weakness

• Calls for stronger workplace enforcement and criticizes not only Democrats but also Republicans who “get squishy.”
• Endorses physical barriers (walls), using personal experiences at the border to rebut left-wing "walls don't work" talking points.

e. Caller Contribution: Incentivizing Illegal Entry

• [34:59–35:27] Chris from Maine suggests that as long as economic incentives exist, people will keep coming.
• Buck agrees, emphasizing the need to "turn off the magnet" at worksites to reduce illegal immigration—a topic even many Republicans avoid.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Progressive Budget Bloat:
  “$127 billion! ... The entire state of Florida ... has a budget of $117 billion. ... This is just completely insane.”
  — Buck Sexton (06:18)

• On Progressive Philosophy:
  “They pander to the takers by scapegoating the makers.”
  — Buck Sexton (11:40)

• On the Immigration "Scam":
  “I've been telling you for years that the whole asylum thing's a scam. ... If that's asylum, then we better get ready for about a billion people to come to America.”
  — Buck Sexton (29:40)

• On Law Enforcement & BLM:
  “Body cameras effectively defeated the BLM movement. ... Now that the body camera footage can get out and be freely shared, yeah, BLM’s got a big problem.”
  — Buck Sexton (32:20)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00–03:30 — Buck introduces the "Manufacturing Delusion" premise, plugs his book, and sets tone: Democratic Party mass delusion.
• 05:32–06:18 — Mamdani’s property tax & reserve spending clip.
• 06:18–14:00 — Buck’s dissection of NYC budget growth, city as warning for the nation.
• 17:10–17:27 — Mamdani’s 2% millionaire tax solution; Buck’s rebuttal.
• 21:00–34:59 — Extended critique of Democratic immigration policy and procedural obstacles, abusive "process," and the “abolition” mindset.
• 34:59–35:27 — Caller Chris from Maine on incentives for migration; Buck’s response expands on workplace enforcement.
• 35:27–end — Closing with further reflections on enforcing immigration law at the job site and policy implementation challenges.

Episode Tone

Buck Sexton delivers the solo hour with a combative, polemical, and somewhat sardonic approach, mixing incredulity at progressive policies with urgency and calls to action. Throughout, he makes frequent appeals to arm listeners with arguments and forewarns of the consequences if leftist mass delusions continue unchecked.

For Listeners: Core Takeaways

• Buck’s new book, Manufacturing Delusion, frames the hour’s discussion of mass hysteria and manipulation from the left.
• NYC is presented as a canary in the coal mine for unchecked progressive governance—ballooning budgets, failing outcomes, runaway taxation.
• He draws parallels between budget fights and immigration battles, tying both to an ideology he decries as “neo-Marxist” and fundamentally anti-competence.
• Buck contends that both criminal justice and immigration reform efforts by Democrats are dishonest and ultimately destructive, employing process as a weapon.
• Demands action: better workplace enforcement for immigration, broader public awareness of left-wing tactics, and resistance to reflexive progressive policies.

This summary skips advertisements and focuses entirely on substantive discussion and analysis. For further deep dives and policy breakdowns, see companion hours of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show or check out Buck's new book for the full argument.