The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Hour 1 – Who Do You Trust?
Date: October 2, 2025
Host: Clay Travis (solo, Buck Sexton in Taiwan)
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Overview

This episode centers on the ongoing collapse of public trust in legacy media, reflected by a Gallup poll showing trust at an all-time low. Clay Travis tackles this crisis of confidence, what it means for American politics, and challenges listeners to consider: “Who do you trust?” He also analyzes the government shutdown—framing it as a power struggle rooted in Democratic Party divisions—and explores Democratic rhetoric around healthcare for illegal immigrants, connecting recent spending fights to COVID-era policies. Throughout, Clay invites listeners’ feedback and talkbacks, making the discussion interactive and dynamic.

Key Discussion Points

1. Media Trust Crisis and Clay’s Challenge

[00:44 – 09:00]

• Gallup’s Shocking Poll:

  • Only 28% of Americans have "a great deal" or "fair amount" of trust in media—a huge drop from 72-73% in 1980.
  • Clay: “We have gone from substantial majorities trusting the media to almost no one trusting the media.” ([04:10])

• COVID & Media Lies:

  • Clay emphasizes that the sharpest decline followed public realization that “much of what you were told about COVID was untrue.”

• Trump & Russia Collusion Hoax:

  • Media's repeated falsehoods further eroded trust, with even Democrats beginning to doubt.

• Who Do You Trust?

  • Clay distinguishes between agreeing with someone’s conclusions and trusting their factual analysis:

    “You might agree with my conclusion, but you should trust me less because you know that the information I’m citing … is incorrect.” ([06:50])

  • Uses Patrick Mahomes sports analogy: Factual errors undermine legitimate opinions, even if you like the outcome.

• Invitation to Listeners:

  • Clay asks the audience for names of media figures they actually trust—promising to revisit their feedback later.

2. The Government Shutdown: Real Story or Political Theater?

[09:00 – 17:00]

• Schumer’s Shutdown:

  • Clay brands the ongoing government shutdown as “the Schumer shutdown,” arguing that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is acting out of fear of being outflanked by AOC and progressives in his party.
  • Clay asserts:

    “Chuck Schumer is terrified of the left wing of his party. … This is about him trying to cut off some of the political support for AOC, who may well challenge him in the Democrat primary.” ([06:20])

• AOC’s Political Future:

  • Predicts AOC will run for President in 2028, and if that fails, she’ll pivot to challenge Schumer for Senate.
  • Discusses Buck’s prediction of a Gavin Newsom-AOC Democratic ticket in 2028.

• Shutdown Responsibility:

  • Clay insists Democrats are “100% responsible” for the shutdown and that it will politically backfire on them.

• Poll-Skepticism:

  • Plays a clip of Schumer dismissing a New York Times poll (“it’s biased!”) that says voters will blame Democrats for the shutdown.

    “It’s so bad that Chuck Schumer is having to say the New York Times is biased against Democrats.” ([21:00])

3. Illegal Immigrants, Healthcare Funding & COVID-Era Spending

[24:00 – 33:00]

• Are Democrats Pushing for Illegal Immigrant Healthcare?

  • Clay explains how federal funds, funneled through states, end up supporting healthcare for illegal immigrants—even if it’s not explicit in federal legislation.
  • He answers a listener’s email about the technicalities:

    “The money goes to the states … and all these blue states take your taxpayer money and they are using it to fund illegal immigrant healthcare.” ([22:55])

  • He frames Democrats’ denials as “disingenuous legalese.”

• COVID’s Budget Legacy:

  • Argues much of today’s budget debate is over “emergency spending” embedded during COVID.
  • Cites Ron Johnson’s proposal: “Go back to all the pre-COVID spending and just increase it on a rate of inflation…we’d all have a balanced budget right now.” ([25:35])

• Democratic Rhetoric Deflection:

  • Democrats frame any attempt to reduce COVID emergency spending as “mean cuts” to essential services, even when programs didn’t exist before 2020.

• Flashback: 2019 Debate on Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants:

  • Clay plays a clip of every Democratic presidential hopeful (Biden, Harris, Warren, etc.) raising their hand to extend coverage to illegal immigrants:

    “Every single hand went up. All of these Democrats support this, and it’s impossible to argue otherwise.” ([29:30])

4. Editorial vs. Factual Reporting & Decline of Journalism

[17:07 – 24:00; 33:00 – 36:29]

• Blurring Fact and Opinion:

  • Clay criticizes legacy media for blending factual reporting with editorializing, erasing traditional boundaries.
  • On factual accuracy:

    “You can’t have a strong argument without factual basis to support it. … If your facts are not correct, then the entire opinion can collapse.” ([17:36])

• COVID Lab Leak Censorship:

  • Recalls media branding the lab-leak theory “racist” and later being proven wrong.

• Quote:

  “What I notice is there is an intent in the legacy media now to constantly intermix fact and opinion…that’s one reason you’ve seen the legacy media collapse.” ([18:55])

5. Listener Talkbacks: Who Do You Trust?

[36:29 – 40:14]

• Listener Feedback:

  • Listeners weigh in on who they trust in media.
    • Biloxi, MS: “You guys and Ben Shapiro. Facts over feelings!”
    • Greensboro, NC: “Bill O’Reilly. Probably over everybody.”
    • Southern California: “Walter Cronkite and Paul Harvey. Nobody else.”

• Clay’s Reflection:

  • Nostalgic for an era when journalists like Cronkite and Harvey commanded widespread, bipartisan trust.
  • Recalls his father’s memory of hearing Cronkite report JFK’s assassination:

    “Cronkite was crying, delivering that news to the nation.” ([39:53])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Clay Travis on Trust vs. Agreement:

  “Trust to me is different than, hey, I agree with this person on a lot of their opinions. Trust to me is, hey, I trust this guy or this gal to be honest with me about what the numbers actually show or what the facts are.” ([05:15])

• Clay on Declining Trust:

  “As recently as 1980, [trust in media] was around 72 or 73%. So in the space of two generations, … we have gone from substantial majorities trusting the media to almost no one trusting the media.” ([04:10])

• On the Schumer Shutdown:

  “Chuck Schumer is terrified of the left wing of his party. … This is about him trying to cut off some of the political support for AOC, who may well challenge him in the Democrat primary.” ([06:20])

• On Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants:

  “All these blue states take your taxpayer money and they are using it to fund illegal immigrant healthcare.” ([22:55])

• Listener from Biloxi:

  “You guys and Ben Shapiro. … Facts over feelings!” ([38:29])

• Clay on Media Blending Fact and Opinion:

  “There is an intent in the legacy media now to constantly intermix fact and opinion. … When you go back and say, wait a minute, this is opinion, they say, no, no, no, this is just facts.” ([18:55])

Timestamps of Important Segments

• [00:44 – 09:10]: Clay introduces the Gallup poll collapse in media trust, analogizes sports reasoning, invites listener participation: “Who do you trust?”
• [09:10 – 13:00]: Breakdown of the shutdown as a Schumer maneuver to protect himself from the left; early 2028 campaign predictions (AOC, Newsom).
• [17:07 – 18:40]: Distinguishing between facts and opinions; importance of factual bedrock for trust.
• [21:50 – 23:25]: Clay answers listener about how federal funds support illegal immigrants' healthcare through state budgets.
• [29:08 – 29:30]: Democrats on 2019 debate stage unanimously supporting government healthcare for undocumented immigrants.
• [36:29 – 40:14]: Listener talkbacks—various trusted voices in media, nostalgia for past journalism credibility.

Tone and Style

Clay Travis keeps the episode fast-moving, peppering humor and pop culture (sports analogies, football, family stories), while maintaining a combative, populist tone toward Democrats and legacy media. The audience is actively engaged throughout, making the discussion feel participatory and community-driven.

Summary

This episode spotlights a foundational crisis in American political culture: the total collapse of trust in legacy media. Clay Travis analyzes why this breach occurred, connects it to a broader pattern of factual manipulation and political self-interest, and asks listeners to do some soul-searching—who can you actually believe? Pivoting to the government shutdown, he argues it’s an intra-Democratic power struggle, with American taxpayers caught in the crossfire—especially regarding the controversial issue of healthcare for illegal immigrants. Throughout, Clay grounds his hot takes in calls, emails, and listener voices, creating a vibrant and varied conversation about distrust, power, and the future of news and politics.