Hour 1 - The Smoke Monster

Summary

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The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 1 - The Smoke Monster

Date: November 11, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)

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Episode Overview

On this Veterans Day episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton delve into the aftermath of the recent government shutdown, the political fallout for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and broad undercurrents of anger and discontent in American society. The hosts analyze the shifting dynamics within the Democratic Party, discuss military morale and enlistment, and reflect on the role and sacrifices of veterans in U.S. history. The episode is punctuated by sharp commentary, cultural references, and notable guest calls, all while maintaining a tone of humor and deep respect for veterans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Veterans Day Reflections and Guests

• Opening Tribute: The episode begins with Clay Travis expressing gratitude for veterans and previewing interviews with David Rutherford (former Navy SEAL) and Dakota Meyer (Medal of Honor recipient).
  "We have a couple of veterans that are going to be on the program with us today. David Rutherford... and Dakota Meyer..." (03:20)

• Trump at Arlington: They note President Trump’s Veterans Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery, playing several clips and discussing Trump’s military ethos (see memorable moments below).

2. Government Shutdown Fallout

• Shutdown Status: The Senate ended the nation’s longest shutdown (40 days) with 60 votes, including eight Democrats. The House vote is pending.

  • Clay describes the shutdown as having negligible real-world effect:
    "Nothing changed at all. So let's go and have some fun." (05:16)

• Political Backlash for Schumer:

  • Significant Democratic discontent with Schumer’s handling of the shutdown.
  • David Axelrod and commentators on CNN predict that Schumer's leadership is imperiled.
    • "David Axelrod said as much. He's likely cooked as the Democrat leader." (06:55)
  • Clay:
    "Chuck Schumer is in many ways essentially done as the minority leader in the Senate." (06:45)
  • Buck is skeptical about Schumer’s demise, comparing party dynamics to Republican infighting over Mitch McConnell:
    "How many times... have we all sat around on the right as Republicans, been like, Mitch McConnell's a rhino...? And yet Mitch McConnell's got the checkbook..." (07:31)
  • The hosts observe how quickly media narratives have shifted from “Republican civil war” to Democratic Party infighting.

3. Anger and Division in American Politics

• The "Smoke Monster" Analogy:
  Clay uses pop culture references (Lost’s “smoke monster”, Ghostbusters’ “goo”, Lord of the Rings’ “Eye of Sauron”) to describe free-floating public anger:
  "It feels like there's just a shifting cloud of anger... I feel like that characterizes America today." (08:53)
  Buck builds on this, noting how political leaders try to channel anger at political opponents to drive turnout and control:
  "A lot of this is the game of making people who are very upset upset at the right people." (09:59)

4. Schumer vs. AOC - The Future of Democratic Leadership

• Schumer’s Popularity Wanes:
  Multiple poll citations show Schumer as the least popular Democratic Senate leader since the 1980s. - "He's underwater with Democrats, his own party already..." (12:10, News Analyst)

• AOC’s Rising Star:

  • Discussion of whether Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) will run for Senate or president.
    • "If she decided to challenge Chuck Schumer come 2028, she's got a real leg up on the competition. I dare say at this point she would be the favorite to beat him..." (13:26, News Analyst)
  • Buck and Clay agree AOC is likely to aim higher, for president.
  • The hosts discuss the enthusiasm for generational change in Democratic leadership, with the possibility of left-wing challengers disrupting the establishment.

5. Analysis of Economic and Foreign Policy Decisions

• Argentina Aid "Bailout" Debate:
  Treasury Secretary Scott Besant (guest interview) explains why U.S. support to Argentina is a currency swap, not a bailout, and why it's beneficial for the U.S.
  - "We used our financial balance sheet to stabilize the government... the government's going to make money. And I would rather use peace through economic strength..." (24:23, David Rutherford as Treasury Secretary)

• Media Questioning Lacks Depth:
  Buck critiques media framing and lack of economic understanding:
  "It is just evidence of how often these guys have no real ability to have depth to their questions." (25:05)

6. Renewal of Military Morale and Enlistment

• Positive Trends under Trump:

  • Clay attributes a resurgence in military enlistment to policy shifts focusing on military strength, discipline, and pride.
    • "We want them to be badasses, and we want them to be a lethal fighting force. It turns out that's actually a much better pitch..." (28:37)

• Military’s Purpose & Morale:
  Buck and Clay discuss the need for genuine esprit de corps and how a focus on “social justice experiments” undermines the fighting spirit.
  - "Morale is to the physical as 3 to 1, meaning the morale of your force is essential." (33:16, Buck quoting Napoleon)

7. Veteran Sacrifice & Historical Context

• Personal Sacrifice:
  The hosts reflect on how historical soldiers endured privation, disease, and hardship beyond direct combat. - Buck points out:
  "Two out of three deaths in Civil War from disease..." (35:42)
  • Clay:
    "Just living in those camps during the winter would have been brutal on a level that most of us can't even comprehend this day." (37:56)

8. Listener Calls

• Memorable Call:
  Tom from North Carolina shares a moving personal connection:
  His high school teacher was George W. Taylor, the man who drove Patton’s jeep during the Battle of the Bulge, and served as a historical adviser to the movie "Patton".
  "I heard him raise his voice one time... he had to go visit with the crew, a director and all of the movie Patton because he was George W. George Washington Taylor who drove Patton's jeep during the Battle of the Bulge." (46:44)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Clay Travis on Shutdown Fallout:
  "We had the longest shutdown in our nation's history, 40 days. And the actual impact, Buck, was negligible. Nothing changed at all." (05:16)
• On Schumer's Future:
  "David Axelrod said as much. He's likely cooked as the Democrat leader." (06:55, Clay Travis)
• Buck Sexton on Party Leadership:
  "How many times have we all sat around on the right as Republicans, been like, Mitch McConnell's a rhino... And yet Mitch McConnell's got the checkbook, he's got the donor network, he's got the power, and everybody falls in line." (07:31)
• Pop Culture Analogy:
  "It reminds me... Lost... you know how the smoke monster just shows up and you want to try to avoid being the target... It feels like there's just a shifting cloud of anger." (08:53, Clay Travis)
• CNN Poll Analyst:
  "Least popular Dem Senate leader ever... He's underwater with Democrats, his own party already he's underwater. He's at minus four points." (12:10, News Analyst)
• Trump at Arlington National Cemetery:
  "Everything our country has achieved has been purchased by the muscle, spine and steel of the United States military.... we are restoring the pride and the winning spirit of the United States military." (26:57, 27:42, Donald Trump)
• On Military Morale (Napoleon Quote):
  "In war, morale is to the physical as 3 to 1, meaning the morale of your force is essential." (33:16, Buck Sexton)
• Veterans’ Everyday Humility:
  "I'm astounded by how humble they all are... you wouldn't know that these guys are the badasses of Badass Dumb just by walking into a bar." (31:47, Clay Travis)

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment / Topic | |-------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 03:20 | Veterans Day Opening; previewing veteran guests | | 05:16 | Longest shutdown ends; negligible impact | | 06:55 | Democratic infighting; Schumer's leadership questioned | | 08:53 | "Smoke Monster" analogy; social anger in America | | 12:10 | CNN polling, Schumer's unpopularity with Democrats | | 13:26 | AOC’s polling vs. Schumer among NY Democrats | | 24:23 | Treasury Secretary Besant explains Argentina aid | | 26:57 | Trump’s Veterans Day speech at Arlington | | 28:37 | Enlistment numbers rising; military morale discussion | | 33:16 | Napoleon quote on military morale; importance explained | | 35:42 | Historical soldier hardship (Civil War, disease) | | 46:44 | Call from Tom—Patton’s jeep driver story |

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Conclusion

This Veterans Day episode weaves together the latest political drama, particularly the Democratic Party’s internal struggle post-shutdown, with broader reflections on veterans, military culture, and American history. Clay and Buck’s mixture of cultural references, policy critique, and personal anecdotes makes this episode both timely and timeless—a salute to veterans and a scathing, insightful look at current D.C. dynamics.

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Transcript

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Clay Travis]

Welcome in happy and thankful Veterans Day to so many people out there as we begin the Tuesday edition of the program. President Trump live at Arlington National Cemetery right now, speaking in honor of so many of the veterans out there. We have a couple of veterans that are going to be on the program with us today. David Rutherford, who is a part of the podcast network and Dakota Meyer should be really great stories from those guys.

[Buck Sexton]

Dave Rutherford, a former Navy SEAL with combat tours, and Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor recipient.

[Clay Travis]

So yeah, Veterans Day, yeah, kind of, kind of badasses. So we will talk about that quite a lot. We'll take some of your calls, some of your stories as well. The shutdown is officially over, Buck, to the extent that, well, I say officially over, We've got to have the House also ratify the fact that the shutdown is over, but officially the Senate yesterday, 60 senators said this is ludicrous, including eight different Democrats. And the meltdown is pretty fun to watch. We will dive into that meltdown with all of you as Chuck Schumer is now taking fire in basically every direction because so many people are asking what was actually achieved here and what was the decision that was made. The House is going to vote to lift the shutdown as well. Buck. We had last night, I was one of the guests at a big fundraiser for Senator Hagerty who's going to be reelected to the Senate next year from Tennessee. And he wasn't able to attend his own fundraiser because he was back in Washington, D.C. getting the government back open on the side of the Senate. So thanks to the governor of Tennessee for hosting that fundraising event that that we had yesterday. But kind of giving you a sense of what's going on, basically every senator had to be all hands on deck to get to 60 so that they could officially end the shutdown, including eight Democrats. The House, my understanding, is going to vote tomorrow to lift the shutdown and hopefully at that point in time, some of the chaos that we're seeing with air traffic control, with tsa, with many different aspects of the federal government will go to the. Be tossed to the side. But again, there is no actual resolution here that made any sense at all. We had the longest shutdown in our nation's history, 40 days. And the actual impact, Buck, was negligible. Nothing changed at all. So let's go and have some fun. Actually, on this Veterans Day, I was scrolling through and our team did a good job of getting some of the reactions that are pouring in on the Democrats side as they are absolutely furious over Chuck Schumer and the Democrats bending the knee. And I grabbed several of these. First of all, David Axelrod, what is the most lasting impact going to be from the shutdown? Buck, I think it's very likely going to be that Chuck Schumer is in many ways essentially done as the minority leader in the Senate. And David Axelrod said as much. He's likely cooked as the Democrat leader. This is cut five.

[Buck Sexton]

You know, do you think Schumer could be in trouble here with the left flank of the party?

[David Rutherford]

I think he's been in trouble. I think he, he is in bigger trouble now. I honestly, I think Senator Schumer has been there since 1982. My guess is that he won't be leader of the party in 2027 after this election unless something really surprising happens.

[Clay Travis]

You don't buy it, Buck? You think he's going to be back or you just don't think they have anybody else that wants to step into the fray and actually take the slings and arrows?

[Buck Sexton]

This is the game. Come on. How many times. I'll, I'll put it to you this way. One of the ways that I think you can often objectively assess the other side is looking at a similar dynamic on your own side. How many years have we all sat around on the right as Republicans, been like, Mitch McConnell's a rhino. Mitch McConnell is, you know, he doesn't represent. And yet Mitch McConnell's got the checkbook, he's got the donor network, he's got the power, and everybody falls in line. Now, that is changing, but it's changing because Mitch is basically not, you know, he's non functional at this point, right. It's just pure age. He's aging out of that role. There's no similar situation in my mind with Schumer. Now. If Schumer were up in the next year, maybe he would have. Clay by the time he's up in 28, everyone's going to be focused on something Else, namely the presidential election, the future of the party, all this other stuff. And Schumer's going to play the. I'm the steady hand. I know this game. You know, the president gets to be the next generation of Democrat leadership. He needs somebody like Chuck Schumer. So I'm just telling you, I don't buy this at all. But Axelrod is smart insofar as this is what the left wing of the Democrat base wants to hear right now. They want to hear that Chuck is going to be pushed out and blah, blah, blah. They're a bunch of.

[Clay Travis]

David. Funny how quickly we went from. The Republicans are going to have to deal with an immense civil war inside of their own party. Oh, I don't know. Last week to this week being their major issues now on the. In the Democrat side, I think one of the things I want to play, a couple of cuts here from Chuck Schumer, just how unpopular he is. But I think one of the biggest things we're dealing with, Buck, is there's a profound anger that is out there in America right now. And I don't know if you buy into this. I think it's a lingering aftershock of COVID I think there's just. And I think social media exacerbates it. I think there's just a lot of angry people. And the question is, it reminds me, I know you were a lost viewer back in the day. You know how the smoke monster just shows up and you want to try to avoid being the target of the smoke monster on any given day. It feels like there's just a shifting cloud of anger. Or we could go Ghostbusters to the goo when everybody was getting the goo and was just angry. I feel like that characterizes America today.

[Buck Sexton]

I like the Eye of Sauron. You know, you put that ring on and wherever Sora, you know, then you have the. The eye. It. All of a sudden, it's actually not called the Eye of Sauron. One of you Lord of the Rings nerds is going to yell at me for it. But it's, you know, it's based. That's basically what it is. The, the, you know, the big, scary fire eye that looks at people. Yes, I think there's. I think there's truth to that, Clay. And remember, a lot of this is the game of making people who are very upset upset at the right. At the right people. Right? This is where this. So what you want is you want an energized left wing base going into this midterm. Chuck Schumer and the old system, man, they're going to have to stand aside. It's going to be the radicals and the revolutionaries, the Democrat Party who are going to change all these things for you and you get them to vote and then Chuck Schumer's still in charge. This is the whole game, right? This is the way they're going to play this. I think that's also why I've got to say Gavin Newsom, he, he sees this too. We've talked about how he's the likely. Well, we, we think we're predicting he's a likely Democrat nominee. He'll play this game. He'll be, he'll be Mr. You know, I ran the biggest state in the country, fifth largest economy in the world, and I'm so damn handsome. But if he has to have AOC as his vice president, he'll do that, right? If he has to bring in the left to make them feel like they have a seat at the table. And this is the whole situation. This is the way it's going to go. So I don't, I don't buy this at all about how Schumer is, is Don. He's cooked is the term that everyone likes to use for these things. Now, Schumer is a wiley, he's a wily character.

[Clay Travis]

Man, that guy's been clay.

[Buck Sexton]

He's been in the game as long as I've been alive. He's been a senator. It's true.

[Clay Travis]

Look, Harry into I will say on CNN says that Chuck Schumer is the least popular Democrat Senate leader ever. And then we'll have some fun with him compared to AOC. But cut 13. Listen to this on CNN.

[News Analyst]

What about democrats nationwide feeling about Chuck Schumer?

[Clay Travis]

I think the word of the day.

[News Analyst]

Is terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible. To quote another Charles, Charles Barkley when it comes to Chuck Schumer. Look at this. Least popular Dem Senate leader ever. I looked at all of the polls going all the way back since 1985. The one who has the lowest rating among Democrats is in fact Chuck Schumer.

[Clay Travis]

Look at this.

[News Analyst]

He's underwater with Democrats, his own party already he's underwater. He's at minus four points. That makes him the least popular guy for a Dem Senate leader going all the way back since the mid-1980s at least.

[Clay Travis]

Here's the other part on this Buck, I do think, I know we talked about this yesterday and I got the year wrong because it's been talked about so much. I thought that Schumer was up in 26 actually 28. His best benefit, I think, is that AOC may not want to be the senator. I think she may well run for president and it's hard to run for both. But listen to how much more popular AOC is in net favorability among New York Democrats. I think if she announced, Buck, that she was going to run, I think Schumer would announce he wasn't going to run because I don't think there's any way he could win a Democrat primary against her. I think it would be somewhat similar to what we saw happen with Cuomo going up against Momdani, except AOC would start way more popular than. Than Cuomo did and certainly, sorry, way more popular than Mom. Donnie here is cut 14. Giving you a sense of just how underwater Schumer is in New York.

[News Analyst]

How do New York state Democrats feel about Chuck Schumer? And take a look here, the net favorable among New York Democrats. Chuck Schumer is above water with the Democrats in his home state, but just by 16 points. Look at Alexandria Ocasio Cortez running way ahead. If she decides to challenge Chuck Schumer come 2028, she's got a real leg up on the competition. I dare say at this point she would be the favorite to beat him, which would be something that would just blow my mind even just a few years ago, given that Chuck Schumer, of course, is a New York born brave type of guy.

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Yeah, that.

[Clay Travis]

Those are incredible.

[News Analyst]

Look at that, 30 points ahead. My goodness gracious.

[Clay Travis]

So the question, Buck, I think is does AOC want to be in the Senate or not? Because I think it's going to be hard for Schumer to win a Democrat primary against someone of the left like aoc.

[Buck Sexton]

We'll see. It would be hard at the election. We're now Clay. This is an eternity we're talking about here. 2028 cycle. Remember, it's going to be a presidential election year. We don't even know you're talking about AOC running against Schumer. She's going to run for president. So I don't. And I think we see that the same way she's going to run for President. So he's not going to have a Democrat, you know, a Democrat.

[Clay Travis]

Challenger like her. Now, one thing to keep in mind, we'll get an early preview of this. There is a report that Hakeem Jeffries is going to get challenged by a leftist in the House next year. Hanging Hakeem Jeffries, obviously the House Minority leader. We have two New York City guys that are basically running the Democrat party in the Congress right now. And so that will give you an idea about the energy there and whether there's any opportunity to topple leadership like we already saw Mamdani do. This is one of Mamdani's top assistants, a crazy left wing guy.

[Buck Sexton]

The funny thing about AOC though, would be, and again, I think she's running for president. And if I were advising her another way, I like to play the game, if I were trying to help the other side, how would I.

[Clay Travis]

You have to think like that.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah. And I would say AOC absolutely should run for. Should run for president for her own brand. Again, I'm not saying. I think you all know what I'm saying. That would be a smart brand move for her. But she would also, if she did run against Schumer Clay and won, she would have to go down as the ultimate metaphorical giant killer here in politics. I mean, she would have to be the. She would have taken out the number three out of nowhere in congressional Democrat leadership. That guy had served like, I don't 20, 30 years.

[Clay Travis]

He had been there for the semi truck that took him out. Coming. I do think there's a story about that one. Because if he had really seen AOC coming, he could have nipped her entire political tenure in the bud, so to speak. But since then, she's only gained in popularity.

[Buck Sexton]

My, my big takeaway. If there can be one other than nihilism. And there's no reason to think anything will work for you in Game of Thrones. You know, Game of Thrones is just kind of like a nihilistic mess in a lot of ways. But the thing that I did take from it is that hubris, Hubris, if you think about all the main character arcs, is the fatal flaw. And that guy, I can't remember his name now.

[News Analyst]

Who.

[Buck Sexton]

Aoc. That tells you something. Who AOC ran against. Hubris was his. Was his. He didn't even think he had a campaign.

[Clay Travis]

That's right.

[Buck Sexton]

That creates, that creates a vulnerability, doesn't.

[Clay Travis]

It, when you don't even think you.

[Buck Sexton]

Have to show up. Schumer will know that he's got a campaign if he gets that challenge from his left. But I, I don't believe that. I don't believe that Schumer is going to be.

[Clay Travis]

It's.

[Buck Sexton]

What will he be Senate leadership again if they have a majority? You know, maybe, maybe. But I think Schumer would win reelection if he really wants to.

[Clay Travis]

The fact that the shutdown has already blown up to such an extent that the main talking point today is not any impact that the shutdown had. But will the chief Senate Democrat be able to keep his job is illustrative of what a disaster this has ended up being for the Democrat Party. And we told everyone this. They had no real goals. There was no logic behind this shutdown. It was a temper tantrum and sooner or later everybody was going to stop simultaneously throwing the same temper tantrum.

[Buck Sexton]

Yes, all true. All very true.

[Clay Travis]

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[Clay Travis]

We're living through an exciting moment when it comes to keeping our brains healthy. American innovators are cracking the code on Alzheimer's. Real breakthroughs helping people, their memories, their independence, their lives. But here's the truth. Previous administrations policies could slow progress down. Our president is working to cut through the bureaucracy. That's where the Market Institute comes in. Their team is leading the fight to cut red tape, empower patients and unleash innovation. America's got the best doctors, researchers and entrepreneurs in the world ready to defeat Alzheimer's. They're just asking for the government to work for the people. Join the [e-mail] that's marketinstitute.org because when we free the market, we make America healthier. Now you can stream Fox News live on the Fox One app. Stay on top of breaking news and the biggest stories. Live as they happen. All from the FOX voices you trust, bringing you the coverage you you won't find anywhere else.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

How does a $20 billion bailout of Argentina help Americans? You're the president's point person on that. Can you explain to those here who are feeling the pinch, including America's farmers.

[Buck Sexton]

Why the United States is helping out Argentina?

[David Rutherford]

Well, can you. Do you know what a swap line is?

[Clay Travis]

It's currency swap.

[David Rutherford]

Yes, yes, but what is that?

[Clay Travis]

That's.

[Buck Sexton]

You're the treasury secretary.

[David Rutherford]

Yes, but why would you call it a bailout? That is how in most bailouts, you don't make money. The US Government made money. We used our financial balance sheet to, to stabilize the government. One of our great allies in Latin America during an election, the president there won in a landslide. The government's going to make money. And I would rather use peace through economic strength than have to be shooting at narco boats coming offshore. If the government collapsed, saying you're telling.

[Buck Sexton]

It it's a bailout, we actually made money. The US Government made money. And it everyone's winning here. So what's the problem?

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, and I think is just evidence of how often these guys have no real ability to have depth to their questions. Some producer gave him that question and it is a very valid question to ask. Well, a bailout would suggest we never get our money back. If we're making money, is it really fair to call it a bailout? I don't think so.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck Sexton show. Appreciate all of you hanging out with us and we particularly appreciate all the veterans out there. We've got Dakota Meyer and David Rutherford both gonna be on with us later in the program. We mentioned earlier, President Trump at Arlington National Cemetery on Veterans Day. And we have a couple of cuts from what he there and if we could play those now, that would be fantastic.

[Donald Trump]

Everything we have, everything our country has achieved has been purchased by the muscle, spine and steel of the United States military. We owe it all to the fierce and noble men and women of the army, the Navy, the air Force, Space force, Coast guard and the United States military. Marines is a guy our service members, our own words are the greatest possible tribute to their immortal valor.

[Clay Travis]

Trump also Buck talked about the decision to switch back to the Department of War and here is what he had to say about the necessity for that.

[Donald Trump]

From now on, we're going to be celebrating victory day for World War I, for World War II, and frankly for everything else under the Trump administration. We are restoring the pride and the winning spirit of the United States military. That's why we have officially renamed the Department of Defense back to the original name, Department of War. And remember, we won World War I, we won World War War II. We won everything in between. We won everything that came before. And then we brilliantly decided to change the name of this great, this great thing that we all created together and we became politically correct. We don't like being politically correct, so we're not going to be politically correct anymore. From now on, when we fight a war. We only fight for one reason. To win. We fight to win.

[Clay Travis]

Okay, so that's President Trump, Arlington National Cemetery. I will say, and I don't think this has gotten enough attention, and certainly it should, because it's a very positive story here as we celebrate Veterans Day. Buck. The overall enlistment numbers for our military has skyrocketed since Pete Hegseth has gotten in there, since President Trump has taken over, and since they've gone back to the idea of warriors. And we want the people in the military to be in shape, and we want them to be badasses, and we want them to be a lethal fighting force. It turns out that that's actually a much better pitch to young men and young women than, hey, we want to be diverse and inclusive, and we want to make sure that you can have your trans surgeries while you're also in military. Young people want to be better, sharper, tougher versions of themselves. And that's certainly coming through, I think, in the renewed vigor of our enlistment numbers.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, esprit de corps is a critical aspect of having an effective military of military cohesion. You. You have to have belief in what it is that you are doing, because otherwise, it almost seems like an inherently irrational thing to sign up for a job where you're saying, I might die doing this job. You have to. You have to believe and you have to love something to be willing to do that. And as we're talking about, of course, Veterans Day, that is what all of our veterans are willing to do. That is why they sign up. And yet, on the bureaucrat, political side of things, they have started to chip away at that. They have started to make it seem like there are. There's a social justice experiment that is the primary goal of our military, or the military is a jobs program, but not really for fighting or for combat. It's for some other purpose. Right. I'll never forget. This isn't about the military, but the idiot former CIA Director Brennan, who's in all kinds of trouble with Trump and the DOJ and everything else. He said something like, CIA doesn't steal secrets. Do you remember this? He actually said that he was a CIA director. He's like, a. CIA doesn't steal secrets. And for a lot of us who sat there and said no, that is. That is the fundamental.

[Clay Travis]

That's like saying the fire department of the entire. Of the entire agency.

[Buck Sexton]

That is like saying the fire department does not put out fires. Like, this is the most straightforward thing that you can possibly have. And So I think what they're doing with the military, what they're doing and how they're trying to get a. A vision of the future going here makes a lot of sense. And everybody that I know who has been in a combat role or in direct support to a combat role that I've talked to about this, and that's. I know this is personal, it's anecdotal. They like the direction of this Pentagon. They like what's going on.

[Clay Travis]

I'll also point this out. And we've got Rutherford and Dakota Meyer on, too. And I'd encourage you to go subscribe to the podcast and make sure that you're not missing any of the Clay and Buck podcast network, including Badass David Rutherford. One of the things since I've started doing the show, I've gotten to meet Buck. A lot more seals, a lot more Special Forces guys. I'm astounded by how humble they all are and meaning they don't carry themselves as if at any point in time they could kill you. They clearly could. But you wouldn't know that these guys are the badasses of Badass Dumb just by walking into a bar. They're not the guys that are getting the most attention for looking like tough guys at the bar, and they clearly are. It reminds me, Buck, I remember seeing a guy back when I was younger, when the Nashville Predators were in town, one of the hockey guys are not that big, you know, but they fight for a living. And I remember one time seeing a predator, Nashville Predator player, NHL player, bump into a guy at the bar. And the guy at the bar didn't realize that he was like bumping into an enforcer because he's like 5, 8, 5, 9. And it didn't go well for the guy at the bar. You know, of all the people that you could bump into a guy who fights on ice skates for a living, you definitely don't know who you're bumping into at the bar. A lot of times you bump into a seal, you're in trouble, and you don't even see it coming.

[Buck Sexton]

You know, there's the quote also on the Department of War issue attributed to Napoleon, that in war, morale is to the physical as 3 to 1, meaning the morale of your force is essential. Morale is not just. Again, because this goes to your willingness to put yourself in jeopardy of possibly dying.

[Clay Travis]

Yes.

[Buck Sexton]

Which is the essence, unfortunately, it's a human reality. The essence of warfare is, is you are willing to put yourself in situations where you can die. And morale and belief And a sense of greater purpose has to be there for that.

[Clay Travis]

And also your willingness to withstand misery, even when death isn't necessarily at its forefront. I mean, you go back and you read American History, which I love to do. I'll be honest. We kind of jokingly talked about how you and I don't want to camp outside. You go read I. Which I've been doing recently. The great book that's out, I think, from Rick Atkinson is the author. He's working through a trilogy of the Revolutionary War. I was reading recently about the Valley Forge experience. You go back and you read about what Civil War soldiers did in camp, what they put up with. You go back and read about what happened during the. During the Battle of the Bulge and all of the chaos surrounding the winter that happened In World War II, what people went through, even when they weren't necessarily directly facing death. And many of the times they were. But I'm talking about just being constantly cold, being constantly miserable. I don't think the average American even comprehends it. And don't even get me started on the decision that people made back in the day when they were in Ireland and they were in England and they were all over Europe, and they said, hey, you know what? I'm gonna get on this boat for the next six weeks, which might or might not ever make it to land again. And you're.

[Buck Sexton]

The.

[Clay Travis]

The disease and the. And the. What people put themselves through in this country. I don't think we sit and think about it enough. And I think, to your point, the morale associated with what that requires, the spirit, the belief in something greater is transformative. When you study American history in that way.

[Buck Sexton]

Yes. But the. The ability of our military to have been as successful as. As it has been is tied directly to the belief that the people who have taken up arms, overwhelmingly men who have taken up arms for this country feel in the American experiment and this country. Right. So that, I think, is something that the left undermines. I think the Democrats in many of their policies lost focus on, and that is being restored now. But to your point, I remember one thing that I still say this to people and they don't believe. Isn't it two out of three casualties in the Civil War from disease? Right. Yeah. Two out of three deaths in Civil War from disease. So another part of this is we often think of the sacrifice. Because you mentioned the willingness to go through. Nonsense. We think of the sacrifices of people who are charging the machine gun nest. Yes. Or running across no man's land in the first World War or, you know, storming the hill at Gettysburg. Right. Whatever it may be. But then there's also the contracting typhus in camp because you're not with your family and you're part of a military. Military effort. And that's a very real. You know, there are sacrifices, including the sacrifice of one life that come along, that can come along with military service that aren't in that clash of combat that we think of.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, no doubt. And to your point, especially because so many people who were Civil War soldiers had never been living necessarily in close proximity. This was actually one of the benefits that some northern troops had was they were in city environments, and so they had had viruses and. And all of that run through their. Their families already. But a lot of people were living in rural places at the time, so you were rarely, other than church, maybe some rudimentary schooling, you were rarely surrounded by people. And so, yeah, in the winter camp, you can imagine how the viruses just ran roughshod through the entire camps and how many people died completely as a result. And some people froze to death. I mean, again, I just think the.

[Buck Sexton]

The.

[Clay Travis]

What veterans went through, we don't spend enough time contemplating throughout all of human history and the sacrifices that they've all made, even if they weren't necessarily under fire every day in the midst of the Battle of Gettysburg. Just living in those camps during the winter would have been brutal on a level that most of us can't even comprehend this day. Go read about Valley Forge. I mean, just read about it from the comfort of your warmly, warmly comfortable living conditions and just think about how brutal it would have been.

[Buck Sexton]

What's the best. Do you have a favorite historical. Com. You know, historical war novel.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah.

[Buck Sexton]

Not history.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah. Killer Angels by Michael Sherra, I think is really good. You know, he goes into. I'm sure some of you have read it, but it's about the battle of Gettysburg and he goes into the. The minds of each of the characters. And then his son Jeff later wrote books that built around that. But that's probably my favorite historical work of fiction. What about you? Back in the day, Anything that you loved?

[Buck Sexton]

Oh, yeah. Gates of Fire, Steven Pressfield, about Thermopylae, Spartans and the. And the.

[Clay Travis]

I don't know anything. I'm writing that down because I've never even heard of that book.

[Buck Sexton]

Oh, my gosh, it is so good. I. It is one of my favorite just novel fun reads of all time. Gates of Fire, Steven Pressfield. If you like the movie 300, you will love this book.

[Clay Travis]

I I'm going to go in and order it during the break because I'm sold. I recognized when I got to go to Italy a couple of years ago that I had a absence of knowledge about Greek and Roman history that I wish I didn't. And I've been trying to read more about that era and familiarize myself with it better. And, and so that's one of my, in addition to American history, which I think I have a pretty good grasp of, that's one of the areas of history that I think I can get better at. So I have been focused on it. And I want to tell you, speaking of legacy, speaking of history, speaking of your ability to preserve the experience that you and your family have had over the years. And I gotta tell you, Legacy Box is absolutely incredible. You are going to love this company. They are phenomenal. I went down and visited their offices in Chattanooga. It doesn't matter what type of old media you have. It can be 8 millimeter film reels. It can be old photographs, it can be VHS tapes, which were not designed to last very long. But I don't even know how many of you still have VCRs. You need to ensure that all of your family history is preserved. How often is it the case we just moved. How often is it the case that somebody is the repository of your family history? It's in their garage, it's in their attic. What happens if something, God forbid, fire or you have a flood and all of your family history is wiped out? Why take that risk? Why not make an incredibly smart decision to preserve your family's history by going to legacybox.com use my name Clay and right now they have a $9 per VHS tape deal. Just $9. It won't last for long. We're only six weeks. I believe from today is Christmas. And they get so popular around Christmas time because it is the ultimate holiday gift. Go to legacybox.com clay for early access to the best deal of the year and that $9 VHS tape, that's legacy box.com clay one more time legacybox.com clay patriots radio hosts a couple of regular guys, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Clay Travis]

We're living through an exciting moment when it comes to keeping our brains healthy. American innovators are cracking the code on Alzheimer's real breakthroughs helping people keep their memories, their independence, their lives. But here's the truth. Previous administration's policies could slow progress down. Our president is working to cut through the bureaucracy. That's where the Market Institute comes in. Their team is leading the fight to cut red tape, empower patients and unleash innovation. America's got the best doctors, researchers and entrepreneurs in the world ready to defeat Alzheimer's. They're just asking for the government to work for the people. Join the [e-mail] that's marketinstitute.org because when we free the market, we make America healthier. Now you can stream Fox News live on the Fox One app. Stay on top of breaking news and the biggest stories. Live as they happen, all from the Fox voices you trust, bringing you the coverage you won't find anywhere else.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

In addition to federal grants and aid, GCU's online students received nearly $161 million in institutional scholarships in 20. Find your purpose at Grand Canyon University Private Christian Affordable Visit gcu Edu myoffer to see the scholarships you may qualify for that's gcu. Edu myoffer. Buy Gold and get free silver. You heard that right. For every $5,000 you invest in a gold purchase from Birch Gold Group this month they will send you a free patriotic silver round that commemorates the Gadsden and American flags. The offer is valid up to Veterans Day. Gold is up over 50% this year. Birch Gold can help you own it by converting an existing IRA or 401k into a tax sheltered IRA in physical gold. Plus they'll send you free silver honoring our veterans on qualifying purchases. And if you're current or former military, Birchgold has a special offer. They'll waive custodial fees for the first year on investments of any amount with an A rating. With a Better Business Bureau and tens of thousands of happy customers, I encourage you to diversify your savings into gold from Birch Gold. Text my name Buck to the number 989898 for a free info kit and to claim your eligibility for free silver with qualifying purchase through Veterans Day. Again, text my name Buck to 989-898. Welcome back in everybody celebrating Veterans Day here on Play and Buck, we've got Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer joining us. I've also got our friend Dave Rutherford, former Navy SEAL talking to us about just how we're feeling these days with the way we're treating our veterans, respecting our veterans, all that and we'll talk to them in a little bit. Take some of your calls here. Tom in North Carolina wants to travel us. What's going on Tom?

[David Rutherford]

Hey, yeah, I was listening to Clay talk about the Battle of the Bulge and I've got a story about patents. I believe it was the winter of 69. I was in high school and the colored school in our county had integrated just the freshman class. Anyway, our teacher came from the colored school, was about 5 foot 7, soft spoken. I heard him raise his voice one time. Kind of a meek gentleman, but a nice teacher. One day he he wasn't in school and they told us later that he had to go visit with the crew, a director and all of the movie Patton because he was George W. George Washington Taylor who drove Patton's jeep during the Battle of the Bulge.

[Clay Travis]

That's pretty awesome. Wow. That is, that is that movie Buck. Thank you for the call.

[Buck Sexton]

Tom.

[Clay Travis]

That movie is one of the great war movies ever made.

[Buck Sexton]

The Pat well the opening speech is one of the most iconic movie speeches of all time.

[Clay Travis]

If you haven't seen it and I imagine most people have seen it, but if you haven't. If you're younger, I think there are younger people out there that wouldn't know about that movie. It's about as good as it gets. We got a bunch of cool calls coming in on Veterans Day. If you're with us waiting online for those calls, we'll go through. You can also give us talkbacks relating to Veterans Day. Obviously a very special day here and we appreciate everybody who has served out in this audience as there are many of you. When we come back, we will talk with a guy who did a little bit of serving.

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[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

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