Hour 2 - Charlie Kirk Awakening

Summary

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The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Hour 2: "Charlie Kirk Awakening"

Date: September 29, 2025
Host: Clay Travis
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts

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Overview

This hour zeroes in on seismic shifts in America’s cultural and political landscape, as seen through the lens of prominent figures reconsidering their public roles. The central focus is on Paul Finebaum, famed SEC sports analyst, who is seriously exploring a run for Senate in Alabama. The catalyst: recent turmoil on college campuses, particularly the assassination of Charlie Kirk and its ripple effects on those who typically "stay on the sidelines." The episode examines Finebaum's motivations, interactions within Alabama's political scene, and the broader awakening among conservative voices hesitant to speak out—tying sports, culture, and politics together.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Major Headlines and Political Shifts (02:36)

• Clay Travis outlines pressing news: Middle East peace talks with Netanyahu at the White House, the aftermath of the Michigan church attack, NYC Mayor Eric Adams dropping out, and charges against James Comey.
• Sets the table for a pivot to personal and political tremors among typically apolitical figures.

2. Finebaum’s Possible Senate Run: Background and Context (03:35)

• Clay previews his in-depth interview with Paul Finebaum, describing a weekend in Athens for the Georgia-Alabama game and several high-profile conversations—including with Senate candidate Derek Dooley and coach Bruce Pearl.
• Finebaum as an iconic SEC sports analyst; long relationship between Clay & Paul, rooted in sports talk radio.
• Significant note: Tommy Tuberville is vacating his Senate seat to run for Governor, creating a rare open seat in Alabama.

3. Why Paul Finebaum Might Run for Senate (07:17)

• Paul Finebaum's own words:

  "To say I'm considering it—of course, yes. I can't say I've dreamed about it ... I'm not a career politician who had it all mapped out. This is something that just came to me and it's also very late and I don't know quite how to deal with it. But as far as your question ... would I give up what I'm doing? I would, I would. I would have to."
  (07:17)

• Clay expands:

  • Finebaum is motivated by cultural and societal shifts, especially after witnessing the events surrounding Charlie Kirk's assassination.
  • Draws a parallel with his own career pivot from sports to political talk radio, inspired by the impact of Covid and encouragement from his boss Julie Talbot.
  • Key Insight: More respected, non-political voices feel compelled to step up and make a difference.

4. The Charlie Kirk Moment: Cultural Awakening (08:00–11:00)

• Clay:
  • The Charlie Kirk incident galvanized those on the cultural sidelines ("a crucible moment").
  • Finebaum, constantly interacting with young people on college campuses, was deeply affected.
  • Clay draws a contrast with the left, whose cultural dominance fosters open expression, while conservatives have long been silent out of fear.
  • Directly addresses listeners who feel similarly moved to re-examine their engagement in society.

5. Disney, ESPN, and Political Bias (12:51)

• Clay recounts Finebaum’s grievance:
  • Disney (owner of ESPN) refused to let Finebaum interview President Trump in 2019, despite ESPN’s frequent interviews with Barack Obama.
  • Clay:

    "Disney would not let me interview President Trump." (paraphrased from Paul Finebaum conversation, 12:51)

  • Highlights internal bias, noting Finebaum's revelation is explosive within Disney/ESPN and part of a broader discomfort for conservative voices in sports media.

6. Finebaum Reveals His Politics (15:30)

• Clay:
  • Admits surprise at learning Finebaum is a Trump voter and registered Republican.
  • Emphasizes the rarity—possibly historic—of an ESPN on-air personality publicly identifying as a Trump supporter.
  • Frames this as "brave," predicting "major shockwaves" and that it reflects a broader social awakening.

7. Listener Calls: Finebaum’s Candidacy and Name Recognition (25:40)

• David from Birmingham:

  "...he's very big hearted ... can be hard headed and obstinate. But I think we need a lot more of that in Washington, in the Senate.” (25:40)

  "He would probably be in the top five or ten in name recognition in the state." (26:33)

• Callers debate Finebaum’s persona, clout, and potential impact in politics, touching on the emotional stakes of football rivalries versus Washington partisanship.

8. Full Finebaum Clip: His Motivations and Recruitment (31:32)

• Paul Finebaum elaborates:

  "Someone in Washington had reached out ... something I had never thought about before. ...as this weekend unfolded with Charlie and got a little bit more interested..." (31:32)

  • Hesitated out of deference to Bruce Pearl's own political ambitions before ultimately being compelled by direct recruitment and recent events.

• Clay probes:

  • On Finebaum’s timeline and his communication skills.
  • On whether he’s ready to give up a comfortable, successful career to serve.

• Paul:

  "It is very intriguing. I am thinking about it constantly, and that's difficult to do ... as you're waiting for your turn [on ESPN], you're thinking, I wonder if I should move forward on this..." (34:29)

9. Broader Societal Impact & The “Awakening” (20:29, 38:51)

• Clay:
  • Notes this isn't just about sports—it's about everyday Americans deciding not to stay quiet about their values.
  • Compares the “heat” of political controversy to Alabama football rivalries, suggesting Finebaum can handle the intensity.

10. Notable Cultural Sidebar — J.K. Rowling (39:27)

• Clay briefly celebrates J.K. Rowling’s public stance on free speech and gender identity debates, admiring her fearlessness.

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• Paul Finebaum:

  "To say I'm considering it—of course, yes. I can't say I've dreamed about it...I'm not a career politician....This is something that just came to me and it's also very late and I don't know quite how to deal with it." (07:17)

  "It is very intriguing. I am thinking about it constantly ..." (34:29)

• Clay Travis:

  "It has struck so many of us in a profound way that's had many people questioning a lot of their choices...I think there is an awakening that is going on across the cultural landscape." (15:30)

  "Paul Feinbaum is the first person employed at ESPN to ever say publicly he voted for Trump. Think about how wild that is." (20:29)

  "I gotta tell you, it's way more contentious than what you think about the tax rates. The heat of the political universe...is nothing compared to the heat of the college football universe in the state of Alabama." (28:02)

• David from Birmingham (Caller):

  "He can listen to an issue and look at both sides ... and what would be best for the state and the nation, you know ... I respect the hell out of him." (27:37)

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Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:36 — Clay recaps news and previews Finebaum interview
• 07:17 — Finebaum discusses motivation to consider a Senate run
• 12:51 — Disney prevented Finebaum from interviewing Trump; media/corporate bias
• 15:30 — Cultural impact of Charlie Kirk’s death; Finebaum’s politics revealed
• 25:40 — Listener David shares perspective on Finebaum’s reputation and fitness for office
• 31:32 — Full, uninterrupted Finebaum clip on Senate race; how he was approached
• 34:29 — Finebaum on the personal struggle and attraction to the Senate role
• 38:51 — Clay segues to culture, referencing J.K. Rowling’s courage

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Tone and Style

• The conversation is spontaneous, candid, and filled with both humor and gravity.
• Clay Travis uses relatable analogies (sports rivalry vs. politics), conversational language, and direct engagement with listeners.
• Callers add regional color and ground-level perspectives on Alabama politics and Finebaum’s persona.

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Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode is a must-hear for anyone interested in the growing intersection of sports, culture, and politics in America. It details Paul Finebaum’s unlikely trajectory from sports broadcasting to a possible Senate bid, triggered by recent campus unrest and a collective soul-searching among traditionally silent conservatives. Clay Travis contextualizes Finebaum’s journey within the broader awakening among Americans dissatisfied with cultural silencing, using memorable quotes and personal anecdotes. The episode is animated by live listener calls, real-time reactions, and a sense that the cultural-political axis is shifting—particularly in highly visible arenas like sports media.

Transcript

[Clay Travis]

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[Clay Travis]

Welcome in our number two Clay Travis Buck Sexton show. We are monitoring when there will be a press availability in the White House with Benjamin Netanyahu there discussing Middle east peace. We have been following the Michigan church attack and Erica Adams dropping out of the New York City's mayoral race as well as the James Comey charges fallout. A lot of news out there. And I made some news that is starting to ricochet around the political universe as well just in the last few hours. So let me kind of take you into an interview that I did over the weekend. So I went down for the Georgia Alabama game in Athens, had an amazing time hanging out and, and meeting many of you all over the place. Congratulations to Alabama. Turns out still pretty good at football. They beat Georgia Electric environment, Sanford Stadium. It was, it was fantastic. I did a couple of interviews longer form. We may share some clips from them with Paul Finebaum. And that's what I'm talking about today. I also talked with Senate candidate in Georgia, Derek Dooley, who is a friend of mine, former football coach running to try to beat Jon Ossoff in the competitive Georgia Senate race down there. So we may have a couple of cuts for that for you later in the week as well. But we did two what I would say, long form interviews. I talked with Paul Feinbaum for an hour. Now some of you are going to immediately know who Paul Feinbaum is. He is a SEC Network ESPN analyst, longtime radio guy, hosts a multi hour daily SEC network show. If you watch ESPN at all, he's regularly on First Take with Stephen A. Smith. I've known Paul for 20 years, so I got started in radio through writing in local. Some of you been listening to me since I did local sports talk radio in my hometown of Nashville. And I was employed back in the day on 1045 of the zone in Nashville doing a daily sports talk show. And Paul was employed in Birmingham, Alabama doing a daily sports talk show as well. And we were both employed by a company called Cumulus. They dominated sports talk in Birmingham and dominated sports talk in Nashville. And so I've known Paul for 20 years. Some of you listening to me right now all over the state of Alabama, you've heard me go on fine bomb show back in the day quite a lot. So we had a one hour long sit down. And as part of that conversation, many of you know because Tommy Tuberville, who's been on this show a great number of times, is giving up his Senate seat to run for governor of Alabama. There is an open Senate seat in Alabama. And I, truth be told, let me just, I'll just tell you everything. I have had a lot of conversations with a lot of people in Alabama about what's going to happen with that Senate seat. I talked to Bruce Pearl about it a great deal. Auburn men's basketball coach Bruce Pearl, he's been on this program. He's a great friend of mine. He really seriously thought about running. He has stepped down as a college basketball coach at Auburn. He's basically going to be now the mayor of Auburn. He's not running. Paul told me that he had had similar Paul Feinbaum conversations with Bruce Pearl. We're all friends and he wasn't going to run if Bruce Pearl was going to run. But Bruce Pearl said, you know what, I'm not going to do it. And Paul and I had conversations and he said, hey, Clay, I'm thinking about doing this. And I said, okay, well, let's kind of walk through it. And he said, what would, what's the best way that I could let people know that I'm serious about this? And I said, well, how about you sit down with me and we have a long form discussion and we'll get into it. And that full long form discussion is going to go up tomorrow. And but Paul, we are going to release a couple of clips. You'll see me talking about it on Fox News with Will Kane. This just came out. I think Paul's going to run. This is my opinion based on my conversations with him. He could certainly change his mind. But I would encourage you guys to go listen to the full conversation. But here is the specific part about why now. Why is Paul Finebaum thinking about giving up sports and going and running for the Senate in Alabama? Here was his answer.

[Paul Feinbaum]

You're sitting there talking to Stephen A. Smith and you're, and as you're waiting to for your turn, you're thinking, I wonder if I should move forward on this. So it's a, it's a been a, it's been going on for a couple of days or if not weeks, and it's just hard to chisel it down to make an educated decision. But to say I'm considering it, of course, yes, there's, it's something that I can't say I've dreamed about. I can't say I've thought about it. I'm not a career politician who had it all mapped out. This is something that just came to me and it's also very late and I don't know quite how to deal with it. But as far as your question, you know, would I give up what I'm doing? I would, I would. I would have to.

[Clay Travis]

Okay, so the question in there was what is part of the motivating factor? And maybe we can get a little bit more of that clip. He said, charlie Kirk and I do think, and you may have experienced this in your own life, because I know how many of you were impacted. I think a lot of people, no matter what they do for a living, you could be a sports talk radio show host at espn. You could be a garbage truck driver in Spokane, Washington. Listening to us right now, you could be a truck driver in. In Northern Virginia. It really seriously made a lot of people contemplate what's going on in the country and how all of us could do more to try and make things better. And I think that is one of the most motivating factors for Paul Feinbaum right now. And I'll give you a little bit of a preview of our conversation. Paul goes around to college campuses for the SEC Network every weekend, and he meets a lot of college kids because the kids show up for the crowd at the events that he does. And in talking with him, what he saw happen to Charlie made it very hard for him to think, I want to continue to just do sports for the rest of my career. And I think the reason he wanted to sit down with me is I made that decision several years ago. Covid was my motivating factor. You guys know I still love sports. I still talk a lot about sports. I think it's important to go to where people are culturally and connect with them. That's why I still do a lot of sports, because I think you can really connect with people in speaking their common language where they are, as opposed to trying to drag everybody into politics all the time. And I made that decision. I feel fortunate to have the boss, Julie Talbot, that we do, because she really got me by saying, you could do sports talk radio for the rest of your life and not have the impact that you would have in six months of doing this show that we do now. And so if you really, and I do care desperately about the direction of the country and you care about the world that your kids are coming into, then you have to say yes to this opportunity. I didn't seek it out. And I think that's what Paul now is finding and working through in his head in the wake of what happened to Charlie Kirk. And I really do believe that he's going to run, and I think he's going to win. And I asked him in the interview, because there's always the skepticism, okay, are you just doing this to get more money? Are you just doing this for the attention that it's going to create? And I've known Paul for 20 years. I don't think he is. I think he legitimately feels like there are serious things in life, that picking the winner of college football games, while it's fun, is the toy chest of life. And he's concerned about the trajectory of the country. And I think he loves the people of Alabama. And so, again, as we kind of work through this, this thing is going to land like a neutron bomb. I'm just going to be honest with you, because a little bit later today, we're going to release a clip where Paul says, hey, Disney would not let me interview President Trump. He was all set up to interview President Trump in 2019 when President Trump went to the LSU Alabama game. Joe Burrow against Tua, for those of you who are sports fans. And it was all set up. He was going to go to the White House. He was going to sit down with President Trump. And Disney said no. And I asked him in the interview. I said, well, you know, that's kind of interesting, because they interviewed Barack Obama all the time. And Paul said, yeah, they sent in Andy Katz, for those of you who remember. And Barack Obama did a men's and women's basketball bracket every year from the White House, and ESPN treated it as a major news story. And so Paul was all set up to sit down with President Trump to talk to him about going to the big game between LSU and Alabama. It is for most journalists, interviewing the President of the United States is the apex of your career. One of the moments that is why you do this. I've got to be honest with you. If I had an interview set up with the President of the United States of any party, and somebody said to me, no, you do it, I would lose it. And I think in the way. So Paul talks about that, and I think that's going to land like a neutron bomb inside of Disney, because they're just dealing with the Jimmy Kimmel fallout. Trump, Paul Feinbaum. I didn't know his politics. To be fair, we did not talk about politics. I have tons of friends that. That I just don't talk about politics at all with. In fact, one of my high school buddies came out for a drink with us after this interview, hung out with us. He's a Kamala voter. He thinks I'm a moron for my politics, but he's one of my best friends. And so I have tons of people in my life that I just don't sit around. It's probably not a surprise. Probably a lot of you do, too. I don't sit around Minutely analyzing politics with I'll have a beer with anybody. And I think Paul's the same way. And so I didn't even know his politics. I'm gonna be honest with you. So a lot of the people I do know because they reach out to me and they say, hey, thanks for saying. I'm talking about people on air. Hey, thanks for saying this, man. You're speaking for a lot of us. I didn't know Paul was a Trump voter. I didn't know he was a registered Republican. And I think he's just fed up. I think he's just fed up with the direction the culture is going to and the Charlie Kirk was a crucible moment for him of as someone who goes to college campuses every weekend and speak, sees and speaks to so many of these young men and young women. What happened to Charlie was, I think, devastating to Paul as it was devastating to many of you. And it has him questioning some of his life choices and contemplating what he wants the next chapter of his life to be like. And I know many of you probably have had those same thoughts in your mind. Like I said, whether you're a FedEx truck delivery guy, a truck driver of ESPN television analyst, or just a mom and a dad out there trying to raise kids to the best of your ability. I feel like it has struck so many of us and in a profound way that's had many people questioning a lot of their choices. I mean, heck, some of you probably went to church who haven't been to church in a long time, just because you felt compelled to go in the wake of seeing that video, just to try to do something even it's a small thing to try to make the country a little bit better. And I think there is an awakening that is going on across the cultural landscape. And I think it's brave, frankly, of Paul to come out as being a Trump voter. Sounds crazy. I think he's the first on air person at ESPN who's currently employed by Disney to ever come out and say, hey, I'm a Trump voter. And this is going to have major shockwaves. So I wanted to share it with you. There are more of these cuts coming, by the way. A lot of you out there. 800 282, 282, you can react. But I wanted to make sure that we, that we played all that for you. And so we will play a little bit more of that interview for you potentially going forward. But I also think this is the continuing fallout, the legacy of what happened to Charlie Kirk. Which you could see on the campus at Penn State where 5,000 young people were wearing those Freedom T shirts in the crowd. And I think it's bringing a lot of people off the sideline who might otherwise have been staying silent every day. Americans should be able to speak openly about family, politics values without retribution. We might always not see things the same way, but we respect the right to everyone's opinion. That's the principle that our sponsor PureTalk proudly supports. If you want to support brands that defend freedom and pro American values, I encourage you to switch your wireless service to PureTalk. You're going to get great 5G coverage on an extremely reliable and secure network. And the price of PureTalk service only reinforces why you should change the from AT&T T Mobile or Verizon. Monthly plans start from just 25 bucks a month. You'll save a ton of money. Stand with companies who share your values. Dial pound 2.50- say Clay and Buck to switch to our wireless company PureTalk. Right now. You'll save an additional 50% off your first month. That's pound 250, say Clay and Buck to switch to Pure Talk. Pound 250 stay Clay and Buck to switch to Pure Talk. Save up to $1,000 and support a company that supports your values and the best values of America. At £250, say pure talk. 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[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in Clay. Travis Buck Sexton show. A lot of reaction gonna roll in. We'll continue. Take your reactions to that Paul Feinbaum idea. But where I would say it's significant. Let's say you're out there and you say, hey, I don't care at all, Clay. I don't care about sports. I haven't watched a sporting event in 20 years. Probably some of you out there in this, this world, you say, okay, why should I care about this? I think what it's emblematic of is a lot of people are coming off the sidelines and I hoped that we would see this where they had that amazing turning point rally and event and memorial service eight days ago. And I think that you are starting to see an awakening out there from people who thought, hey, you know what? I'll just stay quiet. Hey, you know what? I'll just stay silent. I've got my private beliefs, but I don't want to rock the boat. See, left wingers never had to worry about this. If you're left wing, you're out there with your opinions, your pirouetting, cartwheeling because the culture at large supports you. There are almost no consequences for being left wing. It's almost been impossible for you to be too far left wing. The culture just embraces you. It encourages you, it promotes you. And so as a result, and a lot of you are in this camp who are listening to me right now, a lot of you just stayed quiet. You didn't click publish on that Facebook post. You didn't go out there and make your support necessarily publicly known for Trump. And by the way, a lot of you did. But there are certain jobs. Media is one. Sports media is certainly one. I mean, think about this. Paul Feinbaum is the first person employed at ESPN to ever say publicly he voted for Trump. Think about how wild that is. That's what the culture in place creates is fear that if you speak out, you are going to suffer consequences. You might lose your job. Your career is not going to be the same. I think Paul speaking out is actually symptomatic of what we're seeing nationwide in many different parts of American life. I think Charlie Kirk's assassination has brought a lot of people off the sidelines who just are saying no more. I'm not going to be quiet any longer. I think it's a great thing. We'll keep talking about this and more. You want to have the right tools at home to help protect yourself and your family. Guess what? We've got them all. Saber. We have got every single Saber home safety tool in the house. You can go big with the pepper spray projectile launcher shaped like a pistol or a rifle, depending on the model, they pack a serious punch. Great deterrent for home intruders. But you can also start with the innovative 2 in 1 pepper light, both a flashlight and pepper spray. You got daughters, you got sons, they're away at college. Maybe you got people who are working late at night. You have this combo to help make you safer. Saber number one pepper spray brand trusted by law enforcement. Check them out today. Saberradio.com 15 off S-A-B-R-E-Radio.com that's saberradio.com welcome back in Clay. Travis BUCK SEXTON Show. Press are assembled in the state dining room. No word on exact timing, but we could get major announcements on the Middle east peace negotiations surrounding Gaza. Some of the people attending, Vice President Vance, Secretary Rubio Hegseth, Susie Wiles, Chief of Staff Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner who have been involved in the negotiations again, Trump and Netanyahu to potentially hold a joint news conference. We will join that if it starts before that program gets underway. Tony and Raleigh, Durham, North Carolina, listening to us on 106.1 FM talk radio. EE reacts. Hey, Clay, glad to hear about Fine Bomb as a Michigan and Jim Harbaugh fan hasn't been a favorite personality of mine, but maybe I'll give him a second look from now on since he's going to possibly run for office as a Republican. David in Birmingham, Alabama. By the way, this story now is everywhere. New York Times, Washington Post, fine Bomb considering running. Here is David in Birmingham. You've been listening known him for 30 years as he says. I mean he's lived in Alabama for much of his life. Recently moved back from Charlotte, North Carolina where the SEC network is located. What's your reaction as someone who has listened to him for a long time?

[Caller David from Birmingham]

David I think it's great, you know, absolutely. I said I've known Paul years ago. I was a regular caller on his show. You know, Paul can be very polarizing at times, especially depending on whether Alabama wins or Auburn wins or how it goes, especially with him being a Tennessee fan, Tennessee graduate. Also roll Tide over this weekend. Thank you for that. But I had to get that in. But no, I mean Paul, I mean he's, he's very, he's very big hearted about a lot of stuff. He can be hard headed and obstinate. But I think we need a lot more of that in, in Washington, in the Senate and you know, at the same time, you know, I mean he's got the name recognition, I mean it just, you know, that's first I've heard of it, you know.

[Clay Travis]

And I'm really for people, David, for, for people who are not aware how popular and well known would you say Paul Finebaum is in the state of Alabama?

[Caller David from Birmingham]

He would probably be in the top five or top five or ten in name recognition in the state.

[Caller Big Brother of Bobby and Donnie Allison]

No doubt.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah.

[Caller David from Birmingham]

And I truly mean having been in politics and involved with. I understand but he's well known. But like I said, it really, he can be very polarizing at times. But you know, because you get these insane people, you know, you know, yay Auburn. Yay Alabama. And they've never been to a football game in their life unless it's a free a day game, you know. But you know, but top Paul, I mean if you really know the guy and if he gets the word out right, I mean he can put the right message out.

[Clay Travis]

And he did a great job.

[Caller David from Birmingham]

Coach Turbofield did a great job, I think and I hate to lose him in the Senate, you know. But if he replaced, you know, Meemaw, Governor Meemaw, that'd be great too. You know, it just go ahead.

[Clay Travis]

No, I was just going to say, I mean I Think it's going to turn into a. A huge story. Already has all over the state of Alabama. It's going to also be sort of crescendoing around the country as well. What else would you say? People should know. And then I'm going to go to a couple of other callers that are waiting.

[Caller David from Birmingham]

I think they just need to know that, you know, Paul is a lot smarter than just SEC football. I mean, you know, he can listen to an issue and look at both sides of an issue, I think, and tell you what he thinks and I think, and what would be best for the. For the state and the nation, you know, I mean, and I truly believe that, you know, and it. Sometimes I had to bite my tongue over things that, you know, want to say something to him, but I respect the hell out of him for that.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, thank you for the call. I will say this. When I started doing politics, people said, boy, you know, this is going to be really controversial. And I just said, do you realize what it's like to pick a winner between Alabama and Auburn or Michigan or Ohio State, which I've been doing for the last 15 years. You pick on a side that that other side doesn't like. I gotta tell you, it's way more contentious than what you think about the tax rates. I. I'm just gonna tell, like the heat of the political universe. I think Tommy Tuberville would probably say this is nothing compared to the heat of the college football universe in the state of Alabama. Eddie and Alabama, what you got for us?

[Caller Big Brother of Bobby and Donnie Allison]

Hey, guys, do you recognize the name?

[Clay Travis]

I. I. Have you been a long time Fine bomb caller?

[Caller Big Brother of Bobby and Donnie Allison]

Oh, well, not really caller, but I am the big brother of Bobby and Donnie Allison and Davey Allison. Oh, cool.

[Clay Travis]

I didn't know your last name.

[Caller Big Brother of Bobby and Donnie Allison]

Yeah, okay. Yeah, Paul is a good friend of mine, and when I heard you guys talking about it, I wanted to call you a bunch of times. I got a swing out in the backyard and my radio over my head. I happen to be 89 years old and Buck, I grew up right where you're at, man. I lived the first 27 years of my life in Miami, Florida, and, well.

[Clay Travis]

We appreciate you listening every single day. Would you vote. You're in Alabama now. Would you vote for Paul Fine bomb?

[Caller Big Brother of Bobby and Donnie Allison]

Oh, definitely. He and I are very close. Matter of fact, when Nil first broke, I called him and I said, paul, there's nobody in the whole organization that knows how to do this and has enough brains to be able to do it. And in the process, now we have Lost the best coach of college football. And it's ridiculous.

[Clay Travis]

I mean that's Nick Saban for sure.

[Caller Big Brother of Bobby and Donnie Allison]

By misfortune of my nephew getting killed, I end up in the locker room at Alabama at practice every day for 10 years. Oh wow. And I listen to them kids and matter of fact, I talked to Dabo Dabos when he's very good friend of mine and I talked to him before the season chart. I said, dabo, this thing is ruined. And he said, well, maybe the new rules will help it, but they haven't. You know, it's just sad that we have destroyed college football, you know, but, but, and same well, like I got before me, we get, we got the two best senators in the whole United States in the state of Alabama. And I hate to lose Tommy, but if Paul wants to run, I'll let him go up there and see what he can do.

[Clay Travis]

So thank you for the call and thank you for. Listen, enjoy that swing set out there and we hope we keep you entertained a little bit. It's our 89 year old caller, one of them down in Alabama. Let me play. I had the team. I want you to hear the full answer. This is what's out there right now on Paul Fine bomb in the Senate that is coming out of the interview that we did over the weekend in Athens. Let me play this entire clip for y'.

[Caller Big Brother of Bobby and Donnie Allison]

All.

[Clay Travis]

Here it is in its totality. This is what we've released directly relating to the Senate.

[Paul Feinbaum]

I had received a text from someone who I knew that I'd seen at an event and it led to another conversation and ultimately one or two people in Washington had reached out to me about whether I would be interested in politics. Something I had never thought about before, something I didn't really think possible. I lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. Yeah, I wasn't there. There wasn't a lane there to get, to get involved. But, and I gave some thought to it as this weekend unfolded with Charlie and got a little bit more interested and.

[Clay Travis]

You know, there's, there's, there's an open. Sorry to cut you off but there. Tommy Tuberville was running for governor, a former Auburn coach who beat Alabama six times in a row. And I think it's fair to say he's going to win pretty comfortably. Seems to be the assessment there's an open Senate seat. Bruce Pearl, also at Auburn had talked about it. He says now he's not going to run. Is that with the conversation? Are you somewhat interested and intrigued at the opportunity of looking into that Senate race? I'm assuming that's what they reached out to you to talk to you about.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Yes. And I was. I was hesitant at first because I was very aware of Bruce's interests and huge fan of Bruce, and I thought he would, you know, he would. He would have a tremendous voice. So I was very cautious. I didn't take it too seriously. And then ultimately I ended up talking to someone who made it clear that there was a desire for me to be involved. And this person, obviously, that show, her main name was. Was compelling and compassionate in the approach to me. And I started thinking about it.

[Clay Travis]

This a person highly up in the Alabama political universe. Is that fair to say that you're having the conversations with. Okay, so you're thinking about it now how, when thinking about it, the next step, the steps. I mean, obviously, I'm assuming that what people would say is, Paul Feinbaum has basically 100% name recognition in the state of Alabama. Right. I don't think that's crazy. You have the ability to obviously speak on television. You're a good communicator. You've talked to the people of Alabama for decades now. What's that timeframe look like for you? So there are people who want you to run. You've been struck, I mean, I think maybe it's fair to say, by the seriousness of things going on in the world. You've had a lot of success in sports. Some people would say, are you willing to give up? I mentioned Lee Corso. You could ride this thing out for another 20 years and you could be in your 90s, saying goodbye to, you know, an SEC football stadium. I don't think that's a crazy, you know, trajectory that's out there. But this other pathway is potentially beckoning or intriguing to you.

[Paul Feinbaum]

It is very intriguing. I am thinking about it constantly, and that's difficult to do, Clay, as you're talking about college football. Yeah, 20 hours a week, debating Stephen A. Smith, as you well know. I mean, you're sitting there talking to Stephen A. Smith, and as you're waiting for your turn, you're thinking, I wonder if I should move forward on this. So it's been a. It's been going on for a couple of days or if not weeks, and it's just hard to chisel it down to make an educated decision. But. But to say I'm considering it, of course.

[Clay Travis]

So. Of course he is. All right, we'll go to break here. We'll continue to take your reaction again, also, pending a live press conference, potentially announcing significant news as it pertains to the Middle east peace process as we come up on the two year anniversary of the awful terror attacks by Hamas on October 7th of 2023. This coming Sunday, you're going to see a movement of support for the people of Israel called the Flags of Fellowship. Millions of Americans across our nation will plant an Israeli flag in honor and solidarity with the victims of the Hamas terror attack two years ago in Israel. It's organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. It's going to be a powerful symbol of unity and support for our ally Israel. You can be a part of this movement. Go to IFCJ.org now more than ever, it's important to send a message to the world that Western values and our partnership with Israel remain strong and steadfast. Join the Flags of Fellowship movement and visit the fellowship [e-mail] that's ifcj.org Two guys walk up to a mic. Anything goes. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Cynthia Littleton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Clay Travis]

The only constant in Hollywood is change.

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[Clay Travis]

The News Agents.

[Emily Maitlis]

We're not just here to tell you what's happening, but why? From me, Emily Maitlis and me, John Sopel with Global's award winning podcast the News agents dropping daily covering everything you need to know about politics and current affairs.

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[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck Sexton show. Appreciate all of you hanging out with us as we are rolling through the program. We continue to wait Producer Ali, you can come up any further information about when this Israel, Netanyahu and Trump press conference, the joint media availability happen. Still standing by. So we will go live. You told me, Ali, off the air that there's all sorts of conflicting news stories out there about exactly when he's going to come to the lectern. Do we know any more now?

[Cynthia Littleton]

We're just getting another word.

[Clay Travis]

2:00Pm top of the hour, 2:00pm so in 10 minutes, basically we're going to have that presser. Okay. So we may well go live to that presser here in the next hour again with a lot of different news stories that are continuing to break out there. This of course having to do with Middle Eastern peace. But I did want to share this because we may be going live to Trump and we may not get the opportunity to share it. This is pretty incredible. J.K. rowling, who I love J.K. rowling, the Harry Potter author has skyrocketed on my list of people that I would like to go to dinner or have a drink with or just be able to hang out with. She may now be in my top five. And if I could interview anybody, she's moving up the list in a hurry too because I love how fearless she has been. And we may not get into a lot of this because we may have the live press conference to go to. Uh, but she had a statement that she put out surrounding, I wanna make sure I get her name right this time. Emma Watson, who, who played Hermione Granger and she posted this on Twitter. Um, and I just thought several of these lines are incredible. Um, this is what she said. I'm not owned. Eternal agreement from any actor who once played a character I created. The idea is as ludicrous as Me checking with the boss I had when I was 21 for what opinions I should hold. These days, Emma Watson and her co stars have every right to embrace gender identity ideology. Such beliefs are legally protected and I wouldn t want to see any of them threatened with loss of work or violence or death because of them. However, Emma and Dan in particular have both made it clear over the last few years they think our former professional association gives them a particular right, nay, obligation to critique me and my views in public. Years after they finished acting in Potter, they continue to assume the role of de facto spokespeople for the world I created. I'm going to keep reading from this in the third hour, but I read it this morning and I told you I didn't even need my Crockett coffee because it was absolutely devastating and so perfectly well said. We'll talk about it a little bit in the third hour, but as we get ready for that press conference, a lot of you wanting to to weigh in. Michael in New Hampshire, what do you think about Fine bomb running for Senate?

[Caller David from Birmingham]

All right, Travis, blue 23. I love your show. Love Buck with that name, Buck. He should be playing those tackles for the Chiefs. I think Paul should throw his hat into the arena. We need more people who are vocal, who will come up and talk the biggest issues. Because like with sports, I always said to the guys who were starting to lean away from sources, no, no, we're going to pass sports, football, baseball, down to the next generation of kids and show them how the game is played properly. But now we have a bigger thing at stake. Here is our country. But when it comes to politics, people have to know the issues. Like, look at New York City. I lived in New York City 20 years ago. Now I'm up in New Hampshire. This guy, man, Dami, whatever his name is, damn New York. He's a product of the 65 immigration act that's kicking in. The third worlders have taken over New York City. They want all their handouts. They don't care if he's going to get rid of the police department as long as he doesn't get rid of the welfare and the affirmative action. And to me, I always thought a billionaire like we didn't saw last year with Musk. Why can't a billionaire come in and say, oh, Mantani wants to get. Wants to legalize heroin, wants to legalize prostitution, wants to get rid of the police department. Why aren't they doing that? Why isn't there a 20,000? This is an off year election. Really, 20,000 good Republicans could have came in the city and be a ground game and we don't have any of that. I think the fix is in in New York City because the establishment wants to buy the real estate at 10 cents on the dollar. They did it in the 70s, they.

[Clay Travis]

Bought up Brooklyn and they okay, we're coming up there. Thank you for the call. A wide variety of opinions there. Look, I think Mom, Donnie, what do we say, 36 days until the election. Unless Curtis Lewa drops out and everybody goes and supports Andrew Cuomo. I think Mamdani is going to win and I don't think it's going to be particularly close. And I don't really understand what Curtis Sliwa's position is right now. If he wants Mamdani elected, he should do exactly what he's doing now. If he wants Mamdani to lose, he should drop out of the race. More from the White House Next stop.

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[Cynthia Littleton]

There's a lot going on in Hollywood. How are you supposed to stay on top of it all? Variety has the solution. Take 20 minutes out of your day and listen to the new daily Variety podcast for breaking entertainment news and expert perspectives.

[Paul Feinbaum]

Where do you see the business actually headed?

[Cynthia Littleton]

Featuring the iconic journalists of Variety and hosted by co editor in chief Cynthia Littleton.

[Clay Travis]

The only constant in Hollywood is change.

[Cynthia Littleton]

Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Daily Variety and listen now.

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Over 300 channels, zero bills. That's TiVo plus curated movies, new series and sports highlights. No credit card, no logins, just TV that gets straight to the good stuff. Grab the remote, press play and start watching TiVo plus free binge worthy always on. Check us [e-mail] a new NFL season.

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Dive into the stories making the news headlines across the world.

[Emily Maitlis]

The News Agents we're not just here to tell you what's happening, but why? From me, Emily Maitlis and me, John Sopel with the global's award winning podcast, the News Agents Dropping daily, covering everything you need to know about politics and current affairs.

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And The News Agents USA listening to.

[Emily Maitlis]

The News Agents on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search the News agents to start listening.

[Clay Travis]

This is an iHeart podcast.