Hour 1 - Not Mad, Just Disappointed

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – "Not Mad, Just Disappointed"

Release Date: July 18, 2025

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.

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1. Introduction and Roadmap

[00:00] Clay Travis opens the show by welcoming listeners and outlining the day’s topics. He highlights an upcoming discussion with Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania about the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the economy and daily life, likening its potential to the advent of the Internet in the mid-1990s.

2. Autonomous Vehicles and Waymo

The hosts delve into the rise of autonomous vehicles, specifically mentioning Waymo's presence in Miami.

• Clay Travis shares his hesitation to use driverless cars due to discomfort with noisy environments, humorously noting, “I don’t love listening to loud music, especially not the music that I generally don’t like” [01:26].
• Buck Sexton remarks on the isolating experience of being alone in a Waymo vehicle, adding a lighthearted perspective on future transportation.

3. CNBC’s Tennessee Ranking

A significant portion of the discussion centers around CNBC's controversial ranking of Tennessee as the "worst state in America to live in."

• Clay Travis expresses disbelief and disappointment: “I don’t know how this could happen” [04:51].
• Buck Sexton emphasizes the improbability of such a ranking, stating, “It’s one thing to say, hey, it’s not the best to call Tennessee the worst place to live in America” [04:59].
• The hosts discuss their personal connections to Tennessee and plan to defend the state's reputation in upcoming segments.

4. Epstein Case and Trump’s Alleged Involvement

A critical segment of the episode examines Attorney General Pam Bondi’s decision to unseal grand jury testimony related to Jeffrey Epstein, following directives from President Trump.

• Buck Sexton summarizes the Wall Street Journal’s report alleging that Trump contributed a note to Epstein’s 50th birthday book, a claim both hosts dispute: “It doesn’t sound like something Trump would do” [06:00].
• Clay Travis questions the relevance and credibility of the report, asserting, “I don’t see any news value in this story whatsoever” [12:25].
• The hosts express skepticism about the authenticity of the alleged Trump message, citing inconsistencies in Trump’s known communication style.
• Buck Sexton critically analyzes the Wall Street Journal's motives, suggesting an attempt to associate Trump with Epstein without substantial evidence: “Why did they do this?” [07:54].

5. Media Criticism: Wall Street Journal and Chris Cuomo

The hosts critique major media outlets for their handling of the Epstein-Trump story.

• Buck Sexton praises Chris Cuomo’s rebuttal of the Wall Street Journal piece, calling it a “hack job” [22:57].
• Clay Travis draws parallels to past media missteps, such as the Kavanaugh hearings, highlighting the absurdity of using unrelated personal anecdotes to malign individuals: “It's like the four criminal cases … You don’t have to bring four criminal cases against somebody at once” [09:34].
• Both hosts express disappointment in the Wall Street Journal, stating, “We are disappointed in you” [26:54], emphasizing the publication's deviation from their usual standards.

6. Cancellation of Stephen Colbert Show and Funding Cuts

The podcast shifts focus to recent developments in media funding and programming.

• Buck Sexton announces the cancellation of the “Stephen Colbert Show” on CBS News, labeling it as “crazy left-wing comedy” that contributed to the downfall of late-night television [17:52].
• Simultaneously, he highlights the withdrawal of taxpayer funding from NPR and PBS, framing it as a strategic move aligned with Republican efforts to curb liberal media influence.
• Clay Travis underscores the importance of this shift, arguing that public perception of NPR and PBS as neutral news sources is flawed and needs reevaluation [19:27].

7. Listener Reactions and Calls

Engaging with audience feedback, the hosts incorporate listener calls supporting their stance on the Epstein-Trump narrative.

• Kyle from South Carolina suggests that the Wall Street Journal piece is a part of a larger conspiracy to undermine the Department of Justice and discredit the Trump administration [36:39].
• Joe from La Crosse, Wisconsin concurs, asserting that the story shifts focus away from Epstein’s crimes and unfairly targets Trump’s character [40:02].

8. Analogies and Cultural References

To illustrate their points, the hosts use various analogies and cultural references.

• Clay Travis compares the handling of the Epstein story to the Kavanaugh hearings, emphasizing the irrelevance of personal anecdotes to professional actions [30:32].
• Buck Sexton employs a high school yearbook analogy to critique the trivialization of serious accusations, stating, “Like the New York Post … they were right on all the Biden laptop story” [32:23].

9. Concluding Thoughts

Wrapping up the discussion, the hosts reinforce their skepticism about the Wall Street Journal’s motives and the overall media landscape.

• Clay Travis reiterates the lack of newsworthiness in the Epstein-Trump association, inviting listeners to consider the broader implications of unfounded media narratives [22:25].
• Buck Sexton finalizes with a call to action, encouraging listeners to critically assess media reports and support transparent journalism [35:43].

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Notable Quotes:

• Clay Travis [04:51]: “If you want to tell me it’s not top three or top five, I’ll listen to you. But having spent a good amount of time in Tennessee… that is just, I mean, I could name a whole bunch of states that I’d be like.”

• Buck Sexton [07:54]: “I think this is a big swing and a mission. I actually think it’s somewhat beneficial to Trump because it makes him look like the victim here.”

• Clay Travis [12:25]: “I don’t see any news value in this story whatsoever.”

• Buck Sexton [22:57]: “This Wall Street Journal piece is a hack job, okay?”

• Clay Travis [30:32]: “It reminds me of Kavanaugh… they made him explain that bloofing meant farting because it was written in his high school yearbook… what does that have to do with anything?”

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Conclusion: In this episode titled "Not Mad, Just Disappointed," Clay Travis and Buck Sexton provide a critical analysis of recent media narratives, particularly focusing on the Wall Street Journal’s allegations linking Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. They express strong skepticism about the credibility and relevance of these claims, highlighting perceived biases in major media outlets. Additionally, the hosts address broader media trends, including the cancellation of the Stephen Colbert Show on CBS News and the withdrawal of taxpayer funding from NPR and PBS, framing these as indicative of a larger effort to reshape the media landscape. Engaging with listener feedback, Travis and Sexton reinforce their calls for media accountability and transparency, urging their audience to critically assess the news they consume.

Transcript

[Clay Travis]

This is an iHeart podcast. Welcome everybody to the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show on this fantastic Friday, July 18th. Can't believe we're already halfway through summer. Hope you're having a good one. A lot of news to get into. Give you a bit of a road map here where we're going today on the show. Senator McCormick of Pennsylvania will be with us. Got some very interesting things to talk to him about, including how AI is going to transform not just the economy, the world that we live in. And they have this AI summit in Pennsylvania. I think the best way to line this up is for those of us who are. I don't know if anyone's not really a believer in this clay who's paying attention to it, but it's, it's looking more and more like the Internet circa 1996 in terms of the way that this could really transform business and our day to day lives. If this works the way that it is anticipated that it will and that it already is in some ways. So I just think that's a fascinating discussion. And you know, I've got the clay. We got Waymos all over the place here now in Miami.

[Buck Sexton]

I love them. I love them. Have you gotten in one yet?

[Clay Travis]

I haven't. I'm going to be a Waymo guy because, you know, I always feel a little guilty. This will not surprise anybody, but I do not like listening to loud music. That is especially not the music that I. In general, I don't like loud music.

[Buck Sexton]

So you love that there's no driver and you're completely alone in your isolated cocoon of movement.

[Clay Travis]

Because I feel a little bit like a jerk getting into somebody else's car being like, excuse me, sir, excuse me.

[Buck Sexton]

Can you turn down your.

[Clay Travis]

You know, I just, I don't love that. So I try not to do it. And so I have learned a lot about reggaeton and Bad Bunny down here in Miami beach as a result, because I end up listening to it every time I get into a car. But yes, it is, it is a change that is coming here with Waymo and the driverless vehicles. And that is just. This is one of infinity things that are going to be changing.

[Buck Sexton]

I think sometimes we don't always recognize when the future is upon us. And the Internet, I would say because for those of us who remember the dot com bubble, everything they said about the Internet ended up being true. But they said it so early and then everything imploded that a lot of people didn't realize as the Internet kind of took over all of our lives. I mean, I guarantee you there were a lot of people back in the day who were saying, oh, the Internet's overrated. There's no way the Internet's going to change anything about my life. And then nowadays, the Internet is so fundamentally embedded, sometimes you do a tech thing. For me, it was getting in that Waymo vehicle, and I felt like I was in the future. Yeah. You know, we were talking about the Jetsons the other day when I got in there in that vehicle with my son and it drove us around like it did. I said, in the future. And I know people out there get fired up about this. I think driving a car is going to be like riding a horse. I think it's going to be something that people do for fun. That is. Otherwise, most people don't do it. And people like, say, you know, in 1890, everybody knew how to put a horse down. Everybody knew how to feed a horse. Like it was the method of propulsion.

[Clay Travis]

There's an intermediary step. My older brother, who's a car guy, loves. He still drives stick shift. He's got a stick shift car. He loves to get out there and do the shifting with his. You know, I mean, I. I can kind of do it. Not well. And I probably can't really do it. I used to be able to do it. But he loves it. Just because he loves it. It'll be like that driving. Driving a car yourself.

[Buck Sexton]

Designed cars for Ford for 30 years. He loves. In the Detroit area, loves driving cars. Like, if you told him, hey, you're going to go on vacation, he'd be like, I want to drive 12 hours to. I'd be like, that sounds like the worst vacation ever. He loves it. So I'm not saying people. I think in a generation, this is going to be an example of something that is profoundly different than life is today.

[Clay Travis]

Yes. So we'll talk to him about AI. Just. I want us to be familiar with that conversation and start to get into this because I know it might sound like a little something more you'd hear on cnbc, which, by the. By the way, I didn't even mean to transition into this, but I will just note cnbc. CNBC throwing big time shade at the great state of Tennessee. And I think that Clay is going to have to defend Tennessee's honor after cnbc. This is. This is madness. I don't know how this could happen. We'll get to that later. It's. It's a short, shorter conversation. But CNBC has said that Tennessee, based on Their metrics. Okay, Tennessee is the worst state in America to live in. I was like, the worst state across the bow.

[Buck Sexton]

It's one thing to say, hey, it's not the best to call Tennessee the worst place to live in America, as CNBC is virtually impossible.

[Clay Travis]

If you want to tell me it's not top three or top five, I'll listen to you. But having spent a good amount of time in Tennessee in large part because of this show and Clay's residency there, that is just, I mean, I could name a whole bunch of states that I'd be like. Anyway, we can get into that. We can get into that later. Some, some news. Let's, let's pile into some news right now. It's a Friday, so we're a little loose. We're having some fun. We'll take your calls, obviously. So light us up. We love your talk backs. Hit us up with more talkbacks and VIP emails as we go. Couple things for the, for the news cycle. One is Attorney General Pam Bondi is saying she's going to unseal grand jury testimony related to Jeffrey Epstein. And this is following a directive from President Trump. So back in the news cycle, everybody, we're not choosing to talk about the Epstein case. It is now a thing that is happening that is news and that's just something to be aware of. I don't think you'll see much in there that matters. And I think every time I've told you that so far about something not mattering, it has been accurate. But I could be wrong. We'll see. And then Trump tweeted this out. I keep saying tweeted, whatever, truth this out. Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I've asked Attorney General Bondi to produce any and all pertinent grand jury testimony subject to court approval. This scam perpetuated by Democrats should end right now. Ok, Clay, that comes out from Trump and within hours of each other. There is also a Wall Street Journal piece that dropped. This Wall Street Journal piece is. I don't understand what they think the point of it really is. It goes into. We'll just give you the summary of it. And Clay is into the details as well. So fill in anything I miss. But it's that Epstein had a 50th birthday a long time ago and a bunch of people wrote bawdy notes, you know, locker room talk. Nothing like, you know, perverted per se or at least nothing that they're saying Trump wrote was perverted, at least not that I'm aware of, but, you know, writing boobs on things and stuff like that. And they said that Trump was part of this, like, birthday tribute. It was known that Trump used to hang out at, hang out in Palm beach with Jeffrey Epstein. Jeffrey Epstein used to hang out with all the socialites, I believe, in Palm beach of his era. He was just out with all these people. He was a rich guy who liked to party at that time. There was a time when people didn't realize that he was a sick pedophile. So, you know, you have to separate these things into different. You know, if somebody told you that they thought that, like, Bill Cosby was a great American 30 years ago or 20 years ago or whatever it is, that would feel a little different than someone saying, I think Bill Cosby is a great American today. Right. Where there's what people know about somebody's past behavior and what and when they know it. Clay, what was the point of this Wall Street Journal piece? Why. Why would they do this? And it has ticked Trump off in no small measure, which we can get into. But why did they do this?

[Buck Sexton]

I think there is an attempt and a desire to directly connect Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. And I think Trump saw this coming. It's why he has not wanted particularly to focus on the Epstein related issues. And I read the Wall Street Journal piece last night. When it came out, I texted it to you. It doesn't sound like Trump at all. Uh, doesn't sound like something that Trump would do. Having said that, I, I don't know why it's particularly newsworthy. And I also don't know why it wouldn't have come out in 2016 or 2020 or 2024 if it was deemed newsworthy. Look, they accused Trump of having sex with a porn star and paying to keep it from going public. They put him on trial for those charges. They accused him of sexual assault in a changing room. They dropped the Access Hollywood tape. I don't think there's anything you can say about Trump. I'm just being honest about Trump at this point. That is going to cause anyone to change their opinion about Trump. And so I think this is a big swing and a mission. I actually think, and this is maybe a little bit counterintuitive, I actually think it's somewhat beneficial to Trump because it makes him look like the victim here. Meaning it looks so over the top in the way that you are pursuing him. What, like, even if this.

[Clay Travis]

It's like the four. The four criminal cases.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah.

[Clay Travis]

You don't have to bring four criminal Cases against somebody at once who's never been charged with a criminal case in his life. Unless you're just doing the kitchen sink routine, which is what they were doing, throw everything at him. Even if it's nonsense and even if it were true.

[Buck Sexton]

Let's assume that. The way that I like to look at these things is one of the things they teach you. Teach you in law school, is analyze. When you file a lawsuit, one of the things you're supposed to do as a judge is presume everything in the lawsuit is true. And you have to do that for purposes of summary judgment. That's taking you a little bit into the legal world. But presume everything that the Wall Street Journal reported is 100% true. Why does it matter? Jeffrey Epstein had a 50th birthday party, and people that he knew at that time, before he had ever been charged with any crime, they decided they wanted to give him a gift. And that gift was basically a yearbook of joking, bawdy commentary about him at the age of 50. I mean, for anybody out there listening, open phone lines here, explain to me why this would be relevant in any way other than as a way. Because Jeffrey Epstein, we now know, is a felon and a awful felon at that. Right? He's not somebody who stole some toothpaste or something and got arrested for it. He's a sexual predator. So being associated with someone who is negative, you're just trying to stain that person by saying, oh, he knew him. Oh, he. And so Open phone lines, 800-282-2882. Explain to me why this would be supremely relevant as a story even if it were 100% true? I don't buy that. It is.

[Clay Travis]

Okay, secondly, what are we supposed to take from. I don't want to. I don't.

[Buck Sexton]

That's 100% what I'm arguing. Like, even if it were 100% true, how does it in some way implicate this story in a big way?

[Clay Travis]

It doesn't further the story at all. It feels like a throwaway detail in this because we already knew and nobody denied that there was. And we had Dershowitz on who talking about it was Epstein's lawyer and talked about this. And it's also well known that Epstein got creepy with a member's daughter who was. I believe the story is the daughter was underage, and Trump was like, dude, you're being a scumbag. You're out of here.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, so what?

[Clay Travis]

So what are we learning about this? Like that Trump and the other part of this too is, you read this thing that they, that they say was a Trump note. And I'm sorry, I do not believe for one. And this isn't, oh, I love Trump and he's the greatest American president of my lifetime. Put that in a separate bin. I'm really trying to be objective if you ask me, you know, Buck, if you get this right, you get a million dollars. Did Donald Trump write this? I'd be like, no, I do not believe Donald Trump wrote some weird, like poetry to Jeffrey Epstein where he referred to him as an enigma. I do not believe that.

[Buck Sexton]

I don't know that Donald Trump frankly knows the word enigma or could use it. Let me read that to you. But right before we go to break here, here is what Trump is alleged to have written. Drawn a picture of a woman. Also, don't release a naked woman. And then he said voiceover. There must. This is what they allege Trump wrote in the Epstein 50th birthday book. Voiceover There must be more to life than having everything. Yes, there is. But I won't tell you what it is, nor will I since I also know what it is. We have certain things in common, Jeffrey. Yes, we do. Come to think of it, Donald, enigmas never age. Have you noticed that, Jeffrey? As a matter of fact, it was clear to me the last time I saw you. Trump a pal is a wonderful thing. Happy birthday and may every day be another wonderful secret. That is what they allege Trump wrote. They think that Trump made up an imaginary conversation and sounded in no way like anything Trump has ever sounded like in any of our lives. I don't know that it would actually be a good dive. I don't know that Trump's ever used the word enigma in any of his speeches or any of his comments. I don't think it's used appropriately in this sort of mess up. But I also, it doesn't sound like anything Trump would write. So point one, I don't really understand and open phone lines. If you can tell me why this is relevant, worthy of front page storiedom in the Wall Street Journal. Point two, I just don't believe it. Like, it sets off the radar detector in me of, yeah, something just doesn't add up here. I don't think that it is real. So anyway, that is the latest. I actually think this helps Trump because again, it looks like his enemies are being more outrageous and outlandish than he often is. Life in Israel. Contrast in Tel Aviv, you see high rise construction cranes indicating growth, investment and optimism for the future, but you also hear sirens giving residents a 10 minute warning of an incoming missile attack. Everyone relies on an app to find the nearest bomb shelter. The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has been placing new bomb shelters across the country along with necessary supplies for existing bomb shelters. While I was in Israel last December, we visited an IFCJ donated bomb shelter placed next to a falafel business. Your gift to the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has helped countless civilians to help protect Israel and her people. Call 888-488-IFCJ. That's 888488 IFCJ. You can also go online at IFCJ.org that's IFCJ.org Making America Great Again isn't just one man, it's many. The Team 47 podcast Sundays at noon Eastern in the Clay and Buck 5 podcast feed. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Buck Sexton]

Welcome back in. Let me give you some good news here and we're going to have some fun with this too. So the Wall Street Journal story, open forum, you can give talkbacks, you can react to it that is out there. It has gotten a lot of attention. What has not gotten as much attention as really kind of the joyful occasion that I think it is. Stephen Colbert show was canceled on CBS News News broke yesterday evening. This is the crazy left wing comedy in quotation show that basically destroyed late night television. CBS sport. CBS News has ended it. And simultaneously, late last night, after many of us had already gone to bed, the house came over the top and agreed with the Senate and PBS and NPR have officially had their taxpayer money pulled. And I think this is a huge story because as we talked about yesterday with Senator Marsha Blackburn, we'll talk about this a little bit probably with Senator Dave McCormick in the next hour. For generations going all the way back to Ronald Reagan, Republicans have said, hey, we're going to do this, we're going to do this. And Trump did it with this Republican Party. So now none of our dollars, none of yours, none of mine, no taxpayer dollars are going to subsidize NPR and pbs. And I would just point out, buck, for people out there who say, well, it's not such a big deal. Why did NPR and PBS fight like their entire fate as an organization was on the line here?

[Clay Travis]

I really think, I don't, I don't know, Clay, if you, if you co sign this or if any of you co sign this. But I really think that it's because there's this pretense and this arrogance that NPR and PBS deserve public funding because they're neutral and they're news and they're, you know, they're basically, it's, it's a, it's proof of their elevated status in the news ecosystem. Yeah, that needs to be stripped away. PBS show here too. We can just do this for hours at a time.

[Buck Sexton]

I think it's because there's a lot more money that is being connected to this than they have let on publicly too.

[Clay Travis]

They say it's like 10% of their budget or something. But you know, we'll see. Okay. This is not a topic that is a joy to talk about obviously, but something you need to talk about, and you need to take action on it. A will and a trust. A trust or a will? My friends, you need to have a plan for your family moving forward. This is just something you want to get done. And the sooner you get it done, the less you ever have to think about getting it done. Don't procrastinate on this. I know. That's so easy. Look, I have a trust or will. Clay has a trust or will. You should, too. It's so easy to set up now because of trust and willcom. Go to trustandwill.com buck. It's so easy to get your wishes laid out and make an easy plan for your family when that day comes, we know it's coming for all of us. Once you see how easy it is, you realize, oh, I'm so glad I got this done. Go to trust and will.com buck. Make sure you include my name to save 20%. That's trustandwill.com buck for 20% off.

[Buck Sexton]

You know, it's everywhere. It's, you know, leads all, you know, drudge. It's all over the place with, you know, sirens on drugs because it's. Someone drew it in 2003, might have drawn a picture of a, I don't know, a body letter before the guy even, you know, all the real info.

[Clay Travis]

Had even been out at that point.

[Buck Sexton]

I don't think about this guy. The president and I talked about that ridiculous allegation this morning. He said it's patently absurd. He's never drawn such a picture. He's never thought of drawing such a picture. And he said, did you see the language of this bogus supposed communication or card or something I supposedly sent to Epstein?

[Clay Travis]

He said, I don't talk like that.

[Buck Sexton]

I don't think like that. They're literally making things up. He's so frustrated by it, and he's going to wind up, I think, suing some of the media outlets that have put all this out there.

[Clay Travis]

I just. Let's just unpack this for a second, shall we? Clay and I are talking about this. We're trying to be fair to the facts. Most important thing we can do, right? Fair to the facts mean speak the truth. And I don't see any news value in this story whatsoever. And I therefore question why the Wall Street Journal would publish it. It seems to me like you have to go to the thinking, as we always say on the show. It's important to remember, right, Clay, the most important decision you make from editorial perspective is what to cover and what not to.

[Buck Sexton]

That's right, right.

[Clay Travis]

What you spend time on is number one. That is the most powerful thing. How you frame it, what words you use. Yeah, that matters. That shapes the perception. But what's worth your time and what's not, that's step one. This is the, this is the beginning of the whole journey. And I don't understand why they published this story at all. And I'm not alone on this one. Clay's. Clay's right there with me. But also others that you wouldn't necessarily expect.

[Buck Sexton]

I mean, here is.

[Clay Travis]

Formerly of cnn, Chris Cuomo. This is cut three. Listen to this. Play it.

[E]

This Wall Street Journal piece is a hack job, okay? And he says he's suing Rupert Murdoch, who here, you know, is his buddy. They have, you know, Fox kind of made Trump and he's suing the Journal. He's suing everybody. He says he didn't write the birthday letter that they're ascribing to him to Epstein for his 50th birthday. I mean, it's so stupid, okay? The Epstein story is about abusing kids who didn't have the power or agency to do anything about it. That rich and powerful people may have no known it was going on and they got away with it. That's the story, okay? It's not that Trump liked a scumbag, okay? Now I get that in the media. This is great. Cuz it's bad for Trump and he's going crazy and he's gonna pump and move the story for the Wall Street Journal right now by saying it's fake and it's wrong, but it doesn't move the needle in the country.

[Clay Travis]

I think that's correct. I mean, it's. They're just sticking a thumb in Trump's eye for no reason other than, you know what it is, Clay? They think that they can right now for the first time. They think Trump's a little bit not on the ropes, but you know, he's been staggered for the first time in his presidency. And you can just tell some people are looking to just get a little, a little shot in when he's not paying attention.

[Buck Sexton]

Earlier this week, we praised Joe Scarborough. Now I gotta praise Chris Cuomo. I think Chris Cuomo nailed it there. There is no story here. As we were saying off air, if it came out that Trump was sleeping with one of the same women underage that Jeffrey Epstein was, that's a story. I'm sorry, if that's the allegation, that's a front page story.

[Clay Travis]

You Better have you.

[Buck Sexton]

Better have you better have it rock solid.

[Clay Travis]

Rock solid and then some.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, but I'm saying the first question to me that you have to ask, and I say this as a guy who runs a media company, right, For a long time at Outkick, the first question you have to ask is, is this news that is significant and worthy of multiple reporters on it, front page news? Uh, my answer is no. And then the second part is, is it true? To me, it doesn't read as true because it doesn't sound like something Trump would have done. So point one, who cares, right? Point two, I don't even think it's accurate. I think this is a whiff by the Wall Street Journal, a newspaper that I generally like. I think they were the best media outlet during COVID They featured diverse voices, their opinion page. But I think this is a whiff. If I were the editor of the Wall Street Journal, I would have said, I think that's an important covering this.

[Clay Travis]

We're not. It's not like the New York Times, where I think the whole thing. What's the. What's the phrase from Hicks and Aliens?

[Buck Sexton]

All the news fit to print. Like, is the news. Oh, the New York Times byline at the top.

[Clay Travis]

No, no, no, I know. That's the phrase. I'm talking about the phrase from the movie Aliens. I think we have to nuke the site from orbit. We have to nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. That's how I feel about the New York Times. Okay? Like, the New York Times is the Death Star for America. And I'm mixing my metaphors there, but you guys all get what I'm saying, and I think that's funny. Clay goes right to the actual. I'm trying to cite one of my favorite James Cameron movies, which is Aliens, which is a great flick. So, yeah, I would say this, Clay. Generally, we're well predisposed toward the New York Times. Kim Strassel is a friend, great writer, really sharp, really smart, a lot of really good people, a lot of doing very good work at the Wall Street Journal. So that's why this is. I. You know what? I can say this. I'm actually dis. You know, when your parents. Is a great parent, I'm disappointed in you with the Wall Street Journal. I'm disappointed in you that I really feel that way. All these other news sites were just, you know, holding them, holding them to account, holding their feet to the fire. But we expect it, right? We expect them to act like maniacs. I expected more from the Wall Street Journal. I'm a little, I'm a little bothered by this, a little miffed.

[Buck Sexton]

I, I don't think it's. I, That's a great way of putting it. And for all of you out there that are parents or grandparents, and certainly if your kids, hey, I'm not mad, just really disappointed. Is the ultimate dagger parent line. Way better than being just angry. Hey, you know, calmly, not mad, just really disappointed at the choices you've made. I'm disappointed in the choices the Wall Street Journal made here because I don't think again and I don't think a team. Let me know. Has anybody made a newsworthy explanation for why this is hugely important to your point, Buck, we have known that Epstein and Trump knew each other for a long time. There are pictures of them together. I think there's some videos of them together at public parties before Trump has given a quote about Jeffrey Epstein and his proclivity for young kids, young women, 20 some odd years ago in a New York magazine article, if I remember correctly, and we knew the whole story about Trump banning Jeffrey Epstein from Mar A Lago over reportedly dalliances with younger daughters of members of Mar A Lago and him just saying, this is like I'm drawing the line here. It wouldn't be a surprise to me if this happened, but I wouldn't see. Meaning the article, the body thing. But this doesn't sound like Trump. This doesn't sound like Trump at all. And I'm not even being exaggerating here. I don't know that Trump would ever use the word enigma in any way. I certainly don't think. Have you ever known Trump to make up a fake conversation and write it out like he's a screenplay or writer, like a frustrated writer? This does not in any way resonate like Trump. I put up a poll question. You can go vote in this. We'll also share it from the Clay and Buck account. Do you believe this report? Thousands of you have already voted. 86% of you say no. So 86% of my Twitter audience right now says flat out, I don't believe that this story is true. I also think, Buck, if you think about the way that this whole story has gone, I think it shifts the story away from Epstein and it turns it into Trump's connection to Epstein, which is a very different story. This is why I think Chris Cuomo nailed it. The story with Epstein is he preyed on younger women. You heard in detail Alan Dershowitz explain what he pled guilty to yesterday. If you didn't, I would encourage you to go listen to that. And others may have known and also been complicit in their own illegal behavior associated with Epstein. That is the story with Epstein. Him having a 50th birthday card and Trump writing a message in it is not the story. It's just designed to try to attack Trump by the associational negativity proximity that they are able to put in place with Jeffrey Epstein. So I just think this is a huge swing and a miss. And unless there's something more here, I really question the news value of this in general. I mean, I signed a ton of high school yearbooks back in the day. I bet you did, too. I bet everybody out there listening has signed a ton of high school yearbooks. If the person whose high school yearbook you signed in a bawdy way ended up getting arrested for a crime, would the fact that you signed their high school yearbook before they were a criminal in a bawdy way be newsworthy?

[Clay Travis]

It reminds me of. It reminds me of Kavanaugh. Remember when they were trying to destroy him, a manifestly innocent man, if there is such a thing as a man who is innocent of what he is accused of. And they made him explain that bloofing meant farting because it was written in his high school yearbook. They actually made a now Supreme Court justice explain that under oath before the United States Senate. Because anything to try to malign or undermine his character, they were willing to do. And you sit there like, what does that have to do with anything? It had nothing to do with anything.

[Buck Sexton]

But that changed my politics. I mean, that was the, like, final pivot point where when you're quizzing somebody who's sitting for the Supreme Court on what he wrote in his high school yearbook as evidence of whether or not he is qualified to be a Supreme Court justice, He or she. I want to curse. Just get out of here. It was so transparently absurd. And all of you who watch those hearings felt it, too. This is a version of that. How is it newsworthy? I, again, I think you're. I think your parent analogy. I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed. Really applies here because the Washington Post writes it. I mean, democracy dies in darkness. Okay? There are New York Times writes it.

[Clay Travis]

You new real big newspapers. I know we think of the Wall Street. I think of it as a website now, but it's a newspaper. There's so few real newspapers out there that I have any expectation of fairness or professionalism from that this one, this one was, was like, it's disappointing is the best word. I'm disappointed.

[Buck Sexton]

I mean the same way New York Post we love Miranda Devine. If the New York Post had run this, they were right on all the Biden laptop story to their credit. I would look at this and I would say, New York Post, yeah, I'm kind of disappointed in you.

[Clay Travis]

We like the fact that President Trump is looking at our nation's problems from a different point of view, trying to solve them. Some of, some of his actions may make people stop and think for a minute or two, but there's reasoning behind his actions and a lot of contemplation. So if you hear about this administration's plan to monetize natural resources underneath our nation's surface, just know that there's a lot of thinking behind it. According to our former presidential advisor Jim Rickards, the same man who correctly predicted the 2008 crash, Trump's 2016 victory, and the 2020 pandemic, this is much, much bigger. Jim Rickards believes President Trump is about to unleash a $150 trillion state owned asset that's been hidden for over a century. This could trigger an economic boom not seen in a century and send one small sector of the market skyrocketing. But you need to act quickly. Remember, President Trump moves fast and he wants to get as much initiated in the first two years of his second term as he can. Once this breaks is mainstream news, that opportunity could vanish forever. Watch Jim Rickards interview here. Go to birthright2025.com that's birthright2025.com Geek out.

[Buck Sexton]

With the guys on the Sunday Hang with Clay and Buck podcast a new episode every Sunday. Find it on the Iheart app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Buck Sexton]

Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck Sexton show we are breaking down everything going on in the world as a whole as we do every single day. Also hoping to take you into the weekend in a good mood. A bunch of people want to weigh in and let's see, by the way, Senator Dave McCormick going to join us at the top of the next hour. Encourage all of you to go check out Crockett Coffee. I want these books out of my house. Actually Laura Travis wants these books out of the house. You guys don't want Laura mad at you.

[Clay Travis]

You don't want her mad at you. So make sure that you sign up and you use code code book. Otherwise we can't help you.

[Buck Sexton]

She's yes, I'm in trouble. Crockett coffee.com get the books out of the house bunch you want to weigh in? Let's hit some of these calls. Kyle in South Carolina, what do you think about the Wall Street Journal report?

[F]

Hey guys, love what you do. Real quick. If you look at one of the authors of the Wall Street Journal piece, they used to work for a publication, Main justice, which is owned by Glenn Simpson's wife. And it's open reporting now that the doj, they're using the grand conspiracy to run through the statute of limitations against the whole cabal of malcontents who came up with the Russia collusion hoax. This is classic laundering of a hit piece through a reputable publication just to redirect attention, not necessarily as an attack on Trump, but to undermine DOJ and insinuate that they're hiding this information so that it'll ruin their credibility in any future cases going all the way back to the inception of the Russia hoax back in 2018.

[Buck Sexton]

Okay, so thank you for the call. Look, I don't even think you need to analyze how this story came to be written. To me, it goes back to our question. If you came out and you alleged something that was criminal in nature that Trump had done that was connected to Jeffrey Epstein, I would say, oh, wow, this is a story. Whether you believe it or disbelieve it, then I think you can go into the conspiracy thing. I don't even think you need to go into the conspiracy side. I think you just look at this and you're like, so who cares? I think my yearbook analogy, two famous people happen to go to the same high school. One writes a body thing in the high school yearbook, and then the other person who has got the yearbook ends up getting arrested years later for serious crimes. It's just like kind of a click baity headline. Oh, two famous people. It doesn't even add up. It doesn't pass the smell test to me.

[Clay Travis]

To bring our conversation full circle, I mean, would it be, would it be bawdy if you wrote about a buxom lass?

[Buck Sexton]

I, we were talking about this off air with Buck, used the phrase buxom lass on the show earlier this week. First of all, I couldn't keep a straight face, but it makes me think that all of this. I want to go back in time and bring back, like, the 1800s ways that we described women and try to use it in normal conversation and just see if I can pass it off and nobody, like, double blinks. It's like, have you heard, every now and then you'll see somebody say, like, oh, my goodness, I grabbed my pearls and I'm falling on my fainting couch. I don't really know when women did that. Have you seen that phrase? Every now and then you'll see, like, the picture of the maiden in distress where she's, like, grabbing her pearls.

[Clay Travis]

Is it a Southern thing to say, I've got the vapors, or is that just a. I think it's probably old time.

[Buck Sexton]

I think probably a Southern thing because it's so hot down here. I would think that's probably connected to that. And honestly, a Southern thing that I could say applied to this Wall Street Journal story is, bless their hearts. Bless their hearts. You did something really bad when A grandma is like, oh, bless, bless, bless.

[Clay Travis]

See, I've learned what that means because when I said, for example, that mint juleps are overrated, a lot of Kentucky and Tennessee folks were like, bless your heart. And I did. They didn't. They're not really blessing me, Clay. This is what I had to learn. They're not really blessed.

[Buck Sexton]

It is not an actual endorsement, is not a positive statement, but it is very Southern because it has the coverage of being a positive statement, but it is not. Joe in La Crosse, Wisconsin, what you got for us, Joe?

[Clay Travis]

Great show.

[F]

You guys like how you send truth out and you're not afraid? Listen, I think I completely agree with both you guys, Clay. I think you and I think quite a bit alike is that a lot of times I've listened to you say a lot of things that I completely agree with. But I think this is the swamp trying to go after Trump. And let's look here, let's not look, let's not look at what is actually going on. And I think when Trump called it a hoax, I think this is going to settle for a lot of people, that people are going to go, okay, this is just what he was talking about. It's a made up a lot of things. You know, Trump probably, he knew, you.

[Clay Travis]

Know, he might have gotten ahead of this not to jump in on your call. I think he knew this story was coming and got very frustrated because if he were talking about the hoax and the I would with this story, I go, yeah, I get what he's saying. This is nonsense. This is not a real attack on Trump. This is garbage.

[Buck Sexton]

I think Joe's got great intellect, has great arguments, understands when he did he.

[Clay Travis]

Say you were handsome too or just right all the time?

[Buck Sexton]

That was a cosplay like debonair. I mean, I love Joe, but Joe was right and I think you're right here. Buck Trump was ahead of where the story was going. Everyone's loving family freedom from T Mobile. We'll pay off four phones up to $3200 and give you four free phones all on America's largest 5G network. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com familyfreedom. Up to $800 per line via virtual prepaid card typically takes 15 days. Free phones via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement, eg Apple iPhone 16128 gigabyte 82999 eligible trade in eg iPhone 11 Pro for well qualified credits end and balance due if you pay off earlier contact T Mobile.

[Clay Travis]

Samsung Galaxy S25 Con Galaxy AI Por Cuenta Nuestra y cuatro linehas porso. This is an I Heart podcast.