Hour 2 - America 250 Was Awesome

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 2 – America 250 Was Awesome
Date: July 6, 2026
Hosts: Clay Travis & Buck Sexton
Show: iHeartPodcasts

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Overview

In this lively post–July 4th episode, Clay and Buck revel in the energy and pride of America's 250th anniversary (America 250), reflect on the nation's legacy, and spotlight key current events that intertwine patriotism, politics, soccer, and culture. Their discourse spans from personal celebrations and the meaning of American greatness, to biting contrasts between political perspectives about the nation's identity and future. The episode features memorable rants, memorable caller insights, and a playful but pointed discussion on the intersection of sports, politics, and national pride, especially amid the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted in the U.S.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Joy and Meaning of America 250

Timestamps: 02:06–10:00

• Clay and Buck reflect on their personal July 4th celebrations: Clay with his son at Mount Rushmore, Buck watching the D.C. celebrations and the President’s speech.
  • “I thought the America 250 celebrations were just awesome.” – Clay Travis (02:35)
• They express gratitude for American freedoms and progress even while acknowledging imperfections.
• Sharp criticism of what they describe as a negative, “loser mentality” among some who focus on America’s flaws.
  • “There’s something so deep seated that it’s America’s birthday and you can’t just, you can’t celebrate that. This is clearly the best country that has ever existed.” – Clay Travis (04:27)

2. Political Divides: Optimism vs. Negativity

Timestamps: 06:34–11:55

• Buck and Clay argue that Democrats, as a party, tend to dwell on America’s faults and failings at celebratory moments, making joyless, critical addresses.
• The comparison between approaches to America’s history: Looking at flaws vs. pride in the country’s achievements.
  • “Democrats have allowed themselves to be taken over by focusing on the worst aspects of American life, obsessively picking at scabs. Where is the gratitude?” – Buck Sexton (07:23)
• Specific reference to U.S. Congressman Mamdani’s 4th of July speech which they characterize as emblematic of the Democratic “doom and gloom” narrative.

3. Mamdani’s Speech and the Democratic Narrative

Timestamps: 12:34–14:26

• Critical playback and analysis of Mamdani’s speech at George Washington’s desk, cited as an example of left-wing criticism of America:
  • “We see the wealthiest country in the history of the world, one where children go to sleep hungry while the world’s first trillionaire hungers for more…” – Mamdani (12:45; full quote at 12:45–13:26)
• Clay and Buck assert this message is about “taking from the makers” and redistributing, which they call a “hard pitch to sell” for regular Americans.
  • “He wants to take from the makers, that is the people who are creating value… and give it to people by and large who are not really working. That’s the essence of the battle.” – Buck Sexton (13:26)

4. Celebrating American Exceptionalism & Historical Perspective

Timestamps: 10:05–12:34, 19:24–22:05

• Discussion about American exceptionalism in everything from economics to world affairs—credit to the U.S. for Europe’s modern freedom, advances in technology, and quality of life.
• Sporting analogies cement the joy of national pride, particularly with the FIFA World Cup on home soil and the U.S. Men’s National Team’s best showing in decades.
  • “Rooting for American exceptionalism is fun. Used to be the standard basis for why the Olympics exist at all…” – Buck Sexton (21:27)
• Reference to the U.S. historical role in protecting Europe and standing against global threats.

5. Soccer, The Red Card Controversy, and Presidential Influence

Timestamps: 19:24–36:33

• The major sports-political story: A U.S. soccer star, Balogun, had a red card overturned, with credit given to President Trump for intervening successfully.
  • “President Trump helped to get that red card suspended and/or rescinded… Everybody is fired up on this and we got a bunch of talkbacks.” – Buck Sexton (23:05)
• Callers, including a longtime referee, discuss the rarity and context of red cards, and compare the incident to international situations (notably Ronaldo’s suspension being waived by FIFA in previous tournaments).
  • “Number of red cards, I can count them on one hand and I do still have all my fingers after 4th July.” – Brian in Corona, CA (23:54)
• The hosts speculate that a Democratic president like Kamala Harris would neither attempt the intervention nor enjoy national support for such actions, reflecting broader differences in leadership style and public expectations.
  • “If Kamala Harris were the president now… it’s less likely that she could get the red card overturned just because she’s Kamala Harris… Kamala supporters, Democrats wouldn’t want her to get it overturned.” – Clay Travis (32:31)
• The significance of relationships in international sports and politics, referencing Trump’s ties to FIFA president Gianni Infantino as a factor.

6. Class and Politics of Soccer in America

Timestamps: 29:58–30:56

• Observation that soccer in the U.S. has been traditionally a “wealthy and liberal” sport, unlike elsewhere where it’s the “sport of the common man.”
• The hosts note evolving demographics and increased energy for soccer nationwide, even in traditionally left-leaning cities.

7. Notable and Memorable Moments

Timestamps: Throughout

• Clay and Buck joke about Balogun doing a “Trump dance” if he scores against Belgium, predicting an uproarious international reaction.
  • “If he scored a goal and did the Trump dance… Europe would lose its mind. I love every bit of that idea. That’s a great idea.” – Buck Sexton (41:38)
• Discussion of “deciders” in law, politics, and sports—who gets to fix errors and how that applies everywhere from soccer to the Supreme Court.
• Light-hearted banter about soccer stars' personalities, FIFA video games influencing youth fandom, and memorable sports history moments.

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Notable Quotes & Speaker Attribution

• “I thought the America 250 celebrations were just awesome. I stayed up late… watched the celebration from D.C. I traveled to Mount Rushmore with my oldest son.”
  — Clay Travis, 02:06
• “There’s never been another nation in the history of the world that had the ability, if it wanted to, to militarily level any society that we want to… and the world sleeps soundly at night knowing that we could end the world tomorrow. And we’re not going to… America is overwhelmingly a force for good.”
  — Clay Travis, 04:27
• “If somebody got up and they spent most of the time at that eulogy talking about the negative things you had done, I just think Democrats have allowed themselves to be taken over by focusing on the worst aspects of American life, obsessively picking at scabs.”
  — Buck Sexton, 07:23
• “Europe is only what it is now because of us, meaning it’s only been able to be as free and prosperous as it is because of America. We saved them from Nazism. We saved them from the Soviet Union as well.”
  — Buck Sexton, 11:55
• “He wants to take from the makers… and give it to people who are not really working. That’s the essence of the battle.”
  — Buck Sexton, 13:26
• “I do think this is a story also about relationships… Trump has a really good relationship with Gianni Infantino. And I think that mattered here in terms of the way this result happened.”
  — Buck Sexton, 36:33

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Noteworthy Segments & Timestamps

• Personal July 4th Reflections: 02:06–04:27
• Democrats’ Critical Tone on America: 06:34–07:23
• Mamdani’s July 4th Speech & Democratic Messaging: 12:45–13:26
• American Global Leadership: 11:02–12:34
• Balogun Red Card Controversy/Trump's Involvement: 23:05–32:31
• Soccer’s Place in American Culture: 29:58–30:56
• Trump Dance Goal Celebration Call-in: 41:10–41:54

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Conclusion

This episode is a robust blend of patriotic celebration and cultural commentary, punctuated by sports drama and political analysis. Clay and Buck’s energetic banter and sharp critiques run through every topic—from the meaning of July 4th to the pivotal role of leadership in politics and sports. The World Cup’s intersection with presidential influence and American exceptionalism serves as a central thread, making this episode both timely and emblematic of the show’s character: unapologetically patriotic, decidedly political, and irreverently fun.

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For listeners who missed this hour: The mix of news, sport, and cultural pride makes for a dynamic snapshot of America's mood and divides at its 250th birthday, delivered with signature Clay & Buck flair.

Transcript

[Clay Travis]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

[BBC Narrator]

The United States is about to mark its 250th anniversary.

And so on the Global Story podcast from the BBC, we're telling surprising tales of American influence on the world stage and in ordinary people's lives all across the globe.

We have this ability to export our story and a lot of people have bought it.

I feel like the American dream is alive, but not well.

From the BBC, it's the United States at 250.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or Find us on YouTube.

[Fox Sports Announcer]

America is the stage for the biggest World cup ever. And Fox is your home for it all.

None bigger than this one.

48 countries, 16 cities, one golden dream.

Magical Messi.

The biggest stars.

Ronaldo to the rescue.

The biggest games, the biggest moments. The 2026 FIFA World cup tun 11th on Fox FS1 and streaming live on Fox One.

[ESPN Announcer]

The first ever X Games league championship is going down live. And New Orleans has the call. Three days of elite action sports. A season's worth of competition coming down to one final weekend. Watch July 24 through 26 on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. Or stream on the ESPN app, X Games, YouTube, Kick Roku sports channel and Amazon. The championship starts July 24. Don't miss the moment. It becomes history.

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[Buck Sexton]

Welcome in our number two, Clay and Buck. We are rolling in the first Monday after America 250. Lead stories on CNN and Fox News. The red card controversy as the US prepares to play Belgium. A lot of you weighing in. We'll get to a bunch of those talkbacks. The hearing that is taking place in Utah over the Charlie Kirk assassin. The charged assassin Tyler Robinson. Senator Kelly in a Mexico jersey. Buck, I just have to tell you as we jump into our number two. I thought the America 250 celebrations were just awesome. I stayed up late like many of you on July 4th and watch the celebration from D.C. i'm sure that many of you listening were actually there as this audience over indexes to a massive degree for Patriots. I traveled to Mount Rushmore with my Oldest son. I had never been there before and got the opportunity to go visit Mount Rushmore and see the President speak on July 3rd, as well as the fireworks there. I thought a lot about the history of the country, as many of you did as a part of America 2:50. But also, and I know we have discussed this before, can you imagine, Buck, if we had been in a situation where Kamala Harris was the President for America 250? I know there are a billion things that Trump has been involved in that have, in our opinion, made the country better, but just something simple like Kamala Harris versus Trump on America 250. She would have given us a long hand wringing mamdani like recitation of America awfulness. She would have certainly probably begun all of the events with land acknowledgments. And I feel that the entirety of the country, by and large, for people whose brains are not broken, came together and just everybody said, thank the Lord that we have the good fortune to be Americans. And I thought it was an awesome weekend.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, I think so too. And you can't, you can't change the fact that there are always going to be people who are just losers, man. They have a loser mentality. Even if they've been very blessed, even if they're very wealthy or influential, they view America through the lens of it's never enough, we're never enough. Have to tear it down. And you just need to ignore, you need to ignore the haters at some level. And I think that a lot of people, obviously, if you had a great weekend, I know all of you did, that's what you do. You just have to go, go forth and not pay attention to these individuals. But I just feel like it's, it's become so pathological with them. There's something so deep seated that it's America's birthday and you can't just, you can't celebrate that. This is clearly the best country that has ever existed. There are so many ways you could talk about this too. There's never been another nation in the history of the world that had the ability, if it wanted to, to militarily level any society that we want to. I mean, you could say that Russia and China could, you know, hit us with mutually assured destruction of nukes. But a lot of smaller countries, we could just be like, we're going to destroy everything and take you over unless you do everything that we want, or unless you do the following. And the world sleeps soundly at night knowing that we could end the world tomorrow. And we're not going to. And that actually America is overwhelmingly a force for good and benevolence globally, and it's also a heck of a great place to live and to be. Now, I understand that our show, because we talk about politics in the day to day, we're looking at the problems and we want to fix problems, too.

[Grand Canyon University Advertiser]

We're not.

[Clay Travis]

That's the other thing, Clay. I feel like there's such a, there's such a, a haughtiness to these people that are like, well, I'm going to be the one that criticizes. We're very aware of the fact that America is imperfect. The same way as I, as I said while you, while you were on vacation, I said, you know, when you say you love a family member and are proud of them, you're not saying they're perfect. Yeah, but imagine if you said, you know, Clay, you've got three boys. Imagine if every time you were going to tell one of your boys, you know, son, I'm.

[Caller]

I.

[Clay Travis]

Or, you know, if I said to my son, although he's, you know, still kind of in the goo goo gaga phase, but if I said, you know, you're amazing and I'm really proud of you, but I wish you hadn't done the following few things, or, you know, I wish you had done this differently, and then I'd really be proud of you some, you know, you would need therapy. Like, something would be wrong with you when it's time to sit down and talk to a priest and find Jesus. Like, why would you say that about a family member? Democrats feel that way about America, about this country.

[Caller]

They can't.

[Clay Travis]

It's not that. It's not that we're not aware of flaws. They can't talk about the good things without.

[Grand Canyon University Advertiser]

Would you.

[BBC Narrator]

Would anyone.

[Clay Travis]

Would any of you want to be around a friend who every time they saw you, they're like, hey, you look great. I mean, you could do a little more work with, you know, around the eyes. You could lose about 10 more pounds.

[Caller]

But.

[Clay Travis]

But that's what they do with America. They can't just say, you look great.

[Buck Sexton]

It's the ceiling and the floor. And again, I just come back to think about the celebration of a life, which a long life should be for a funeral. Everybody sat at a funeral when any life ends. But if you live to be 80, 85, 90 years old, it's a celebration of your life. And if somebody got up and they spent most of the time at that eulogy talking about the negative things you had done, I Just think Democrats have allowed themselves to be taken over by focusing on the worst aspects of American life, obsessively picking at scabs. And look Mamdani, where is the gratitude? I think is a fair question to ask. Mamdani was born in Uganda. His family, because they came to the United States is far more successful than they could have ever been in Uganda. They came to the United States. He only became a citizen eight years ago. Buck, I don't know if you would co sign on this. If Mamdani were eligible to be President of the United States, he would be the Democrat nominee in 2028. I think he would. He has captured the zeitgeist. If you look at the three outcomes in the New York primaries, if you look at what just happened in Colorado, one where socialists, AKA really communist have won the elections there, Mamdani would be the nominee I think in 2028, he said at George Washington's desk. Eight years only he has been a United States citizen and he lectured all of us about what America meant. And if you compared that with Trump at Mount Rushmore or Trump on the National Mall on July 3 and July 4, Trump told the uplifting story of America. And I think those, those stories, it's hard to win an election if you are the person who is picking at the scabs of the country. And I think that's what Democrats are going to run into because again, the midterms may tell one story. We'll see what happens. But as we move into the new cycle and get ready for who the next president is going to be, I think Democrats are severely curtailed by the awfulness that they're party base expects for the story of America to be. And I just think it's hard to pull in normal people to want to sign on for an America is awful and its history is unsupported by any measure of excellence. I think that's a hard pitch to sell.

[Clay Travis]

It just feels like the Democrat Party is lacking joy as a political entity. As a, as a general matter, there's a really clear negativity. And look, negativity sells in politics. It sells in media too. You know, Clay, I think we've talked here about how yes, there are challenges right now in the and sort of on the slow side or rather on the, you know, the short side like the month to month, day to day of the American economy. But if you look at America over the last hundred years, I mean this is the greatest wealth creation machine that has ever existed in human history. And with that I Mean real wealth, technological advancement that makes your life better and easier and more comfortable and longer and lets you enjoy, you know, 6,070s, 80s now are entirely different for Americans than they were in our great grandparents generation. It's a different thing.

[Caller]

Okay?

[Clay Travis]

You're. You're able to function in ways. You know, we could sit here and just take phone calls from guys in their 70s that want to challenge us to push up contests. Maybe it says more about us Clay, than them, but you get what I'm saying. That's a real thing now. And people need to keep that in mind, too. And I think the celebration of America's 250th and why it is so profound, you know, you could sit here and just go through the incredible things that this country has done, has led in, has been a of part. Part of, you know, and also, I know Europeans right now are whining about the red card. Europe is only what it is now because of us, meaning it's only been able to be as free and prosperous as it is because of America. We saved them from Nazism. We saved them from the Soviet Union as well. Without us, none of that actually goes the way that humanity would want it to. And, you know, we are also the thing that is protecting the rest of the world from Chinese communist domination over time. So, you know, they really should just say thank you. And that's, I think, a part of being able to understand what it really is to be American is, yes, there's a responsibility, but there's also a gratitude. And that's why we're so frustrated by some of the new arrivals like Mamdani and a lot of these illegals, too, who. It just feels like they think this is a soup kitchen and like a jobs program or an economic zone or a welfare ward or whatever you want to call it. It's more than that.

[Buck Sexton]

Here is an example of what Mamdani said while sitting at George Washington's desk on his July 4th address. Cut 24.

[Mamdani]

Listen, as we mark 250 years, what do we see? We see a city of contradictions within a nation of contradictions. We see the wealthiest country in the history of the world, one where children go to sleep hungry while the world's first trillionaire hungers for more. We see monopolies that dominate every industry and oligarchs who buy elections. We see masked agents terrorizing our streets, eating food cooked by our undocumented neighbors before spiriting them away in unmarked vance. We see a nation whose immense wealth has been built by those with Calloused, dirt streaked hands, those who toil on factory floors and chisel into stone. And we see a nation that has allowed so much of that wealth to be held instead in the soft hands of a precious few.

[Buck Sexton]

Again, the Democrat pitch. You just heard it. I think that distills what Mamdani believes very significantly and succinctly. He wants to take from the makers, that is the people who are creating value and building things, and he wants to give it to people by and large who are not really working. And I think that this kind of goes to remember when Graham Platner, who's running for Senate in Maine, said that he wanted Elon Musk to be the world's last trillionaire. I really think that that is such an awful thing to say. The world's first billionaire was Rockefeller back in like 1926, I believe was the first year we ever had a billionaire. Now we have, I think, a thousand billionaires in the United States. If we had a thousand trillionaires in the United States, the quality of life of everyone would be much better. And Democrats don't believe that. And I think that's the essence of the battle.

[Clay Travis]

I've been on this for a long time, Clay, because with Elon in particular, even before he made his political switch, you know, really his political reckoning, which occurred, as we know, because of the transing of his son, among other things, he's been very vocal about that. But for the climate change people, Elon Musk was arguably doing more. And people say, oh, because of just the electric cars? No, because of battery technology actually as well. Doing more to fight climate change, if you're worried about that, than almost any other human being on earth. And then they decided that they didn't like him anymore because he supported Trump. So it was existential that climate change be addressed. And the man who's doing more to fight climate change all of a sudden is thrown under the bus because he doesn't share their view about like, transgenderism and some other things. She goes to show you these people are entirely. They're monomaniacal, they are unserious and they're miserable. And the misery index, whatever you or I know that's a real thing, but like, we should create a new misery index for Democrats because so much of their politics is driven by being, being resentful, pissed off and angry all the time about everything, including America. On its 250th birthday, it was remarkable to see every person who was a wap womp over the 4th of July weekend on the 2 50th. Every single one of them was some prominent left wing Democrat Loon.

[Buck Sexton]

Everyone 100% correct. We'll take some of your calls. Loaded lines. We also will jump into some additional coverage as there is live coverage from inside of the Utah courtroom of the Charlie Kirk assassin facing as his trial moves closer and closer, a significant hearing as the evidence is being presented that this guy killed Charlie Kirk in Utah. As we've been celebrating our nation's 250th birthday milestone, a reminder of the impact our nation has had on people around the globe as well countries like Israel founded just 78 years ago, President John F. Kennedy once said, Israel was not created in order to disappear. Israel will endure and flourish. Those words capture the spirit of a young democracy determined to survive. Two nations thousands of miles apart, united by shared values of democracy, faith, freedom and resilience. As America celebrates 250 years of independence, the international fellowship of Christians and Jews turns to God in prayer, asking that his wisdom will guide elected officials and lead America and Israel to moral clarity and national unity. The IFCJ created a US Israel flag pen for this moment. It's yours free when you go online to flagpenifcj.org that's flag pen P I N I F C J.org if you truly care, pass along this common sense to family and friends Clay and Buck

[Grand Canyon University Advertiser]

Owning the Airwaves Our podcast version of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show is proud to be supported by Grand Canyon University, an affordable, private, nonprofit Christian university based in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. At gcu, programs are built to move at the speed of relevance with practical skills, career readiness and opportunity for every

[Buck Sexton]

learner grounded in Christian truth. GCU works to empower the next generation to lead with integrity, serve with purpose, and help transform their communities, building a future that matters. Find your purpose at GCU Private Christian Affordable Nonprofit. Visit gcu.edu to learn more.

[BBC Narrator]

The United States is about to mark its 250th anniversary.

And so on the Global Story Podcast from the BBC, we're telling surprising tales of American influence on the world stage and in ordinary people's lives all across the globe.

We have this ability to export our story and a lot of people have bought it.

I feel like the American Dream is alive, but not well.

From the BBC, it's the United States at 250.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or Find us on YouTube.

[Fox Sports Announcer]

America is the stage for the biggest World cup ever and Fox is your home for it all. None bigger than this one 48 countries, 16 cities. One golden dream.

Magical, messy.

The biggest stars.

Ronaldo to the rescue.

The biggest games, the biggest moments. The 2026 FIFA World Cup Tier 11 on Fox FS1 and streaming live on Fox One.

[ESPN Announcer]

The best skaters, BMX riders and moto athletes in the world don't compete in leagues until now. The X Games League championship is live From New Orleans, July 24 through 26. Three days of elite action sports. Plus performances from Metro Boomin, Jid Subtronics and Bunt Watch on ABC, ESPN and ESPN 2. Stream on the ESPN app Roku Kick, Amazon and X Games YouTube. The inaugural champion gets crowned this July.

[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in here to Clay and Buck. So yeah, so much of the commentary today is, is about this because remember it's, it's not just an America story because it has Trump. I mean clay, when you add all these layers on. Oh yeah, it's a once every four years sporting event. It's happening here in America. We just had America's 250th birthday. We have the most consequential president of our lifetime taking a direct hand in this and talking about it today. We got the game tonight. I mean there's a lot of pieces all coming together here. So it is a really big story whether you care about this stuff or not.

[Buck Sexton]

And if we win some of these, by the way, if we win, it'll be the most successful American World cup in 24 years, quarter century. So I mean that's the stakes here as it plays out.

[Clay Travis]

And if we win one more after that, wouldn't it be the best us showing ever?

[Buck Sexton]

Going all the way back to 1930, which was like the first year of the world. Yeah.

[Clay Travis]

Yes, those are, they were like pulling guys off the assembly line to play on the World cup team. Them like nobody really knew what the hell was going on.

[Buck Sexton]

It was a very different. If we, if we go to the round of eight, it will be the best, it will equal the best modern Performance, Performance the U.S. men's soccer team has ever had. If we were to win that round of eight game, it would be the greatest performance of American soccer. And by the way, this is really a huge part of this Buck is I want America to be the best at everything. The rest of the world is suddenly looking around and saying, wait a minute, what if the Americans are suddenly good at soccer too? They already dominate everything in the, in the world of the Olympics. It's American exceptionalism writ large across everything.

[Clay Travis]

And I will tell you, for those who just did watch, was a beautiful thing, watching England defeat Mexico on their home turf. Just like King Charles would have said, it was amazing. They, they stood strong like a fortress, like the fortress itself of Buckingham palace against the Mexican onslaught. Look, not the first time a bunch of European guys have showed up in Mexico and kicked a lot of ass. I'm just saying. So it was good

[Buck Sexton]

Mexico, that environment last night, it was awesome. It was so great. If you weren't watching. And look, if you're listening to us right now, we're going to get some of your calls and you haven't watched a game, trust me. You mentioned the US Hockey. So many people watched US Hockey that are not otherwise hockey fans. Because rooting for American exceptionalism is fun. Used to be the standard basis for why the Olympics exist at all. Until people decided they don't like the United States. Now I'm talking about United States residents. This is to me just a must watch event tonight.

[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

We are rolling through the Monday edition of the program. Biggest story in the world. Whether or not a US Soccer player was going to play. Tonight, Baligan, the best goal scorer for the United States soccer team, given a red card. President Trump helped to get that red card suspended and or rescinded, depending on which verb you want to use. And so many people out there are weighing in across the entirety of the nation. Everybody is fired up on this and we got a bunch of talkbacks. Buck, you were asking if I ever got a red card. And we have Brian In Corona, California, a very experienced soccer referee from high school. He agreed with us. Red cards are not that common cut.

[Caller]

C. Hey, guys, very experienced high school soccer referee here and other club etc. But to back up a Clay said. So I have refereed high school for over 10 years and I have done plenty of my boys varsity and girl varsity games. I have a lot of other thoughts, but I will share that I've given. I can count the number of red cards I've given on one hand and that's in over 10 years of refereeing high school. So number of red cards, I can count them on one hand and I do still have all my fingers after 4th July.

[Clay Travis]

I got to tell you, man, I think it's like the basic standard for red card. Having played a fair amount of soccer in my life, it should be a clear willful violate. Like, for example, I actually agree with this. We haven't talked about this. The thing where. So guys, I didn't know about this until. I think they just changed the rule pretty recently. You can cover your mouth to say something and you get a red card, which is an enormous penalty immediately. And it's because so many of these soccer players would cover their mouths, I guess, knowing they're on TV and stuff. And they would say, by the way, this is in Europe. This is not in America. This would happen. This is a Europe thing. They would say racial slurs, but cover their mouths. So they could basically say like the ugliest kind of things you could say to some members of the. Of the other team and try to get away with it. So now you get an immediate red card. I'm going to say this clay, I actually agree with that rule because covering your mouth so you can talk smack but like not be held to account for what you're saying is a little punk move. It's a punk. It's a punk. I fake being heard in soccer kind of a move, which is another thing that you can get a yellow card for for diving. So I'm with that. But it's red card should be for trying to hurt someone, basically, which we all know what that looks like in a sport. Throwing an elbow, taking somebody out from from behind, going for their knees.

[Buck Sexton]

Back in the day, some people remember this. Zinedine Zidane, who is one of the greatest players of all time, headbutted someone in a game and got red card,

[Clay Travis]

which was a super weird move, by the way.

[Buck Sexton]

It was.

[Clay Travis]

You don't headbutt in the chest. That's a very French thing. You headbutt someone in the face. Like the Scottish know that it was

[Buck Sexton]

a weird move, but it was the equivalent kind of of throwing a punch.

[Clay Travis]

And didn't Eric Cantona try to fly kick a guy in the stands? Remember that? He was a very famous player in the 90s. And he tried to kick with his cleats on a fan talking smack and like, like jump kick him in the face. There's video of it.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, like so there are some examples of. But I agree in general that it should be pretty, pretty extreme. We got a bunch of Rob in North Carolina has got a take and I'm gonna let him give this take. But also it is Joe in Huntington Beach, California out in the the OC Joe had this to say cut D and then I'll let Rob in North Carolina build on it.

[Caller]

So this whole suspension reversal as though it's unprecedented. It's not Ronaldo. Portugal actually had his suspension suspended. He had received a three match suspension for an elbow in a pre qualifier. He served one in another pre qualifier match and then the other two were pushed back a full year by FIFA.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, it's true. So Ronaldo is about to play in a game against Spain here in the next half hour or so, I believe Buck. And because he is such a huge global Superstar, he's around 40 years old, this is his last World cup, they decided to waive the two game suspension that he was supposed to serve in the actual tournament.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, and it's funny too. Ronaldo really, really comes across like the kind of the bad guy in the Ronaldo vs Messi greatest of all time. The goat conversation. Messi. Not just because I'm here in South South Florida where he's kind of a God. Messi is this incredible player, arguably the greatest of all time, I think a lot of people would argue and is very, very humble and very like his teammates all love him. He's very sort of under, you know, understated and everything else. And Ronaldo will actually say like I'm the greatest player that's ever played. It's just interesting these different athletes taking this different approach to it. But yeah, Ronaldo's kind of. He comes across a little bit like a jerk. Very good athlete though, right?

[Buck Sexton]

My son is a monster Ronaldo fan and he is downstairs. My 15 year old, he is downstairs right now. Cannot wait. But this is partly connected to the FIFA video game you talked about. Buck. Kids today have huge favorites in international soccer that they wouldn't have otherwise had because of that video game. Really. I mean it took Soccer to a different level.

[Clay Travis]

We gotta have also Alexi Lawless, our friend on from Fox Sports. Clay, you're good buddy. Cause I need him to explain to me how well he really does get along with Thierry Henry and, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic because there's a lot of chatter online that there's particularly with slot. I think Terry is very much a gentleman, but, but Zlatan can be a little surly and there's some Alexis Latan heat that people hear about. I don't know if that's just all for the cameras, but I think it's

[Buck Sexton]

mostly cameras and I'll say it because I was on the Fox lot Tuesday of last week hanging out and with, with the entire Fox world.

[Clay Travis]

They're a great commentary team by the way. That's helped Lex Alexi with those two guys. They're a great commentary squad. It actually has really added to this World cup for the English speaker 0

[Buck Sexton]

well and, and by the way, I know we got a lot of people who listen to us in Seattle behind enemy lines, so to speak. They're all up there and we'll be doing a pregame show from Seattle. It's going to be electric. It will be like the best big noon college game day, college football environment that you have ever seen. Seattle Patriots are out in force. Maybe one of the most remarkable things about this U.S. men's World cup run so far, Buck. They got people in San Francisco and Seattle decked head to toe in red, white and blue chanting usa, usa.

[Clay Travis]

I think soccer as a sport in this country skews, skews Democrat pretty considerably. So it's true.

[Buck Sexton]

And actually I think that's starting to fade a little bit. But there's a tension in the United States because the rest of the world, the soccer fan is sort of the, you know, lower socioeconomic class. It is the sport of the common man here in general, soccer has been the sport of sort of the wealthy and the liberal.

[Clay Travis]

It's a lot of, a lot of upper middle class suburban kids. Actually, you look at where our top American soccer players come from. A lot of them played in, you know, like the suburbs of LA or like Long Island, New York area. And you know, this is places though. Those are the places where you have, it's different than, for example, basketball, which has a very, very urban,

[Caller]

you know,

[Clay Travis]

background and a lot of, you know, courts in the, in the inner cities, et cetera.

[Buck Sexton]

So I mentioned this before, by the way, Rob in North Carolina wanted to weigh in. What you got for us?

[Caller]

Hey guys, thanks for taking my call. Appreciate it. It's a privilege to be on the line with 2822882 number Godspeed, Rush and the Huntington beach fella with the Ronaldo take. Yeah, that's exactly my take. I mean, it's an apples to apples comparison to what FIFA did with Ronaldo versus how they handled the Baligan situation. With the exception of the fact that Baligan was issued a red card was a mistake based on FIFA's protocols anyway. Their protocol requires reviews to be reviews of that nature to use slow motion replay only if there's point of contact possession of the ball and somebody makes a dangerous play to dislodge the ball, like a dangerous slide tackle, kick him at that aspect. A situation like the other night with Bosnia, two players, nobody has clear possession and they're just fighting for the ball. The referee can make a decision in real time to give a red card, but he didn't do that. The video assist ref called him over to make a call based on slow motion and that's against the protocol. So in, you know, my book, FIFA is just doing what FIFA should have done. They, they looked at the situation and realized there was an error and they're going to let him play. That's.

[Clay Travis]

Can I, can I share something with you? Thank you for our caller. By the way, Rob, we totally agree with you. I just was. Clay and I were talking with this. I think this is a really interesting way to put this, Clay. If Kamala Harris were the president now, all other things, you know, being equal, I think you and I would both agree that it's less likely that she could get the red card overturned just because she's Kamala Harris and, you know, she just wouldn't have the force of personality that Trump does. But I also think that Kamala supporters, Democrats in this country wouldn't want her to get it overturned, that they would view that as unfair to the rest of the world and an undue influence by the Americans. What say you?

[Buck Sexton]

I think it's 100% right. I don't think Kamala would have even attempted to get this overturned in any way. And I like what and I do think, I mean, you might say, hey, that is a relatively inconsequential example of the difference in leadership. But I do think it goes to the crucible issue here. And let me hit you with this. I think ultimately a lot of what you learn in law school is how to determine who should be the decider. A huge part of what we argue about in all political related Supreme Court cases is who is entitled to make a decision? You know, I'll give you an example. Is it a agency that was created by Congress, or is it the President of the United States? Right. Who is the decider is the ultimate question that a lot of Supreme Court cases come down to. Here is a big picture question. Strip it away from soccer, that I think many of you out there can just think about. In the context of soccer, if a wrong decision is made, wrong decision is made, and there is an opportunity to rectify the wrong decision, but it requires a modification potentially of existing rules. Should you do it or not? Wrong decision is made. How do you rectify the wrong decision? Do you wear it? Hey, there's errors made, or do you try to rectify it? Really, this is the whole debate of instant replay in sports in general, right? Because for a long time, people just said, well, decisions even out. And when some of you will say, well, the hand of God decision never evened out, that that was a goal scored with a hand and it was completely wrong. Should we or should we not fix things that are wrongly decided? To me, we should. The goal of justice, as it were, should be to get things right. Here FIFA got something wrong. President looked at it, A lot of strong officials in the president's orbit looked at it, and they got it fixed. And the goal should be to rectify wrongs. To me, when decision makers make poor choices. So this doesn't. I mean, leave aside the soccer element of it, I think it really is kind of a question of do you just wear the wrong decision and grapple and deal with the consequences of a poor choice, or do you try to fix it? To me, you try to fix it,

[Clay Travis]

obviously, but we're winners here. You know what I'm saying? We like things to go the way they're supposed to go, and we're not always rooting against America, which so many, including here in America, even in something that would seem as trivial as a sporting contest, like to do. It's pretty astonishing to see people in this country that are supposed to be representing the viewpoint of millions, whether they're in politics or they're in commentary, and they're like, yeah, no, I think that it'd be better for Belgium to be like, what is that? What kind of a bizarre mentality. But it's very widespread. You know, they. They really. They really like to see us torn down. I guess they're just so unhappy with themselves that they just reflect that onto everything else.

[Buck Sexton]

I will also say, buck, I do think this is a story also about relationships. Ultimately, there are relatively few people who decide everything, right? Ultimately, I was talking about deciders. There is a person, the CEO, whoever it is, Trump has a really good relationship with Gianni Infantino. And I think that mattered here in terms of the way this result happened. Um, there was no relationship with Biden. For instance, would Infantino have taken a call from Biden or Kamala? I'm not even sure that he would have. Uh, look, I had an awesome July 4th at Mount Rushmore. Our nation's history. Something to celebrate. Uh, for many of us, that history is recorded in home movies or in so many different other elements of our life. Whether it's old photos, VHS tapes, so many different places out there. Legacy Box can make a tremendous difference for so many of us. And I encourage you to check it out today. Legacy Box, a company that can do it for you. They digitize your old tapes, film reels, photos, slides, audio recordings I've seen for myself at their studio in Chattanooga. What a difference they can make. And you can get hooked up right now. If you go to legacybox.com use my name Clay. They have an amazing America sale that is going on right now. More than 2 million families have trusted Legacy Box to preserve their family's past. They will digitize your family's information and preserve it forever. Allow you to share it. Well, get hooked up on their America sale right now in honor of July 4th and America 250, go to legacybox.com Clay that's legacybox.com Clay do it today. Miss the show While you're on the go, wind down your day with the Daily Review podcast. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Grand Canyon University Advertiser]

Our podcast version of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show is proud to be supported by Grand Canyon University, an affordable, private, nonprofit Christian university based in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. At gcu, programs are built to move at the speed of relevance, with practical skills, career readiness, and opportunity for every

[Buck Sexton]

learner grounded in Christian truth, GCU works to empower the next generation to lead with integrity, serve with purpose, and help transform their communities, building a future that matters. Find your purpose at gcu, Private Christian, affordable nonprofit. Visit gcu. Edu to learn more.

[BBC Narrator]

The United States is about to mark its 250th anniversary.

And so on. The Global Story podcast from the BBC were telling surprising tales of American influence on the world stage and in ordinary people's lives all across the globe.

We have this ability to export our story and a lot of people have bought It.

I feel like the American dream is alive, but not well.

From the BBC, it's the United States at 250.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or find us on YouTube, America is the

[Fox Sports Announcer]

stage for the biggest World cup ever. And Fox is your home for it all.

None bigger than this one.

48 countries, 16 cities, one golden dream. The biggest stars.

Ronaldo to the rescue.

The biggest games, the biggest moments. The 2026 FIFA World Cup 211 on Fox FS1 and streaming live on Fox One.

[ESPN Announcer]

The first ever X Games League championship is going down live. And New Orleans has the call. Three days of elite action sp A season's worth of competition coming down to one final weekend. Watch July 24 through 26 on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. Or stream on the ESPN app, X Games, YouTube, Kick Roku sports channel and Amazon. The championship starts July 24. Don't miss the moment it becomes history.

[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in here to Klay and voq. We'll get to some more of your calls and topics here momentarily. We are both basking in the glow of an incredibly successful and glorious celebration of America's 250th birthday this past weekend. We hope you all had a great time, enjoyed some delicious food, great time with friends and family, some fireworks, and just reflected on America. This place is incredible. It really is. And we are very blessed to be a part of it. And we always should remember that. Quick podcast listener talk back here from Joe. This is G. From Galveston, Texas. Hit it.

[Okta Advertiser]

Hey, Clan Buck.

[Clay Travis]

Now that Flo Baligan's been cleared to play, what he should be doing right now is practicing his Trump dance. So when he does score tonight against

[Okta Advertiser]

Belgium, he can rip that one off on the field.

[Clay Travis]

That would be great, I'm gonna say. I totally agree. That'd be amazing to pull out a Trump dance after a goal.

[Buck Sexton]

If he did the Trump dance. If he scored a goal and did the Trump dance, I.

[ESPN Announcer]

Who just.

[Buck Sexton]

Who, who just gave us that idea? We need to share that tweet that.

[Clay Travis]

Joe from Galveston, Texas.

[Buck Sexton]

Joe from Galveston, Texas. I love this idea. If he did the Trump dance, Europe would lose its mind. I. I just, I love every bit of that idea. That's a great idea.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, I think it's, man, it's a. It's going to be quite an idea. How many people you think are going to be watching tonight, Clay? Do we have some sense of that, this game?

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, I texted with a. One of my buddies who is one of the top guys at Fox Sports in the. In the data department. And he said certainly over 30 million and it could be could approach using Telemundo 2 nearly 30, 40 plus million as many people to put that in context, Buck as watched Nancy Kerrigan, Tanya Harding back in the day after the knee, 1992 I think Liller Olympics. That's how much it's gripping now, the cultural conversation.

[Clay Travis]

It's a big deal, guys. We'll talk about more about America and the scene here and play might even have a little political update for us about something going on up in Maine or at least some rumblings of something that people are, some people are saying they're talking about things with that Senate race. We've got some other stories coming in. We're going to be bringing you up to all the latest, so stick around. Hour three coming up.

[Grand Canyon University Advertiser]

Our podcast version of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton show is proud to be supported by Grand Canyon University, an affordable private, non profit Christian university based in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. At gcu, programs are built to move at the speed of relevance with practical skills, career readiness and opportunity for every learner.

[Buck Sexton]

Grounded in Christian truth, GCU works to empower the next generation to lead with integrity, serve with purpose and help transform their communities, building a future that matters. Find your purpose at gcu, private Christian affordable nonprofit. Visit gcu Edu to learn more.

[BBC Narrator]

The United States is about to mark its 250th anniversary.

And so on the Global Story podcast from the BBC, we're telling surprising tales of American influence on the world stage and in ordinary people's lives all across the globe.

We have this ability to export our story and a lot of people have bought it.

I feel like the American dream is alive, but not well.

From the BBC, it's the United States at 250.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts or Find us on YouTube.

[Fox Sports Announcer]

America is the stage for the biggest World cup ever. And Fox is your home for it all.

None bigger than this one.

48 countries, 16 cities, one golden dream. The biggest stars.

Ronaldo to the rescue.

The biggest games, the biggest moments. The 2026 FIFA World Cup 211 on Fox FS1 and streaming live on Fox One.

[ESPN Announcer]

The first ever X Games League championship is going down live and New Orleans has the call. Three days of elite action sports. A season's worth of competition coming down to one final weekend. Watch 7-24-26 on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 or stream on the ESPN app, X Games, YouTube, Kick, Roku sports channel and Amazon. The championship starts July 24. Don't miss the moment. It becomes history.