Hour 2 - Crime is a Choice

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 2 – Crime is a Choice
Date: October 6, 2025
Podcast by: iHeartPodcasts
Summary Prepared By: Podcast Summarizer AI

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Episode Overview

In this hour, Buck Sexton (solo hosting, no Clay Travis in this segment) focuses on escalating crime rates in American cities, especially Chicago, and discusses how leadership decisions contribute to lawlessness. He compares U.S. cities with safer international cities like Taipei, examines Democratic responses to federal intervention, and covers the intertwined issues of illegal immigration and healthcare. The episode also touches on the ongoing government shutdown, debate over aid to illegal immigrants, and the consequences of current policy, with notable soundbites from political figures and callers. The tone is direct, critical of Democratic city leadership, and often laced with humor and frustration.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Chicago Crime Crisis and Accountability

[00:00 – 03:26]

• Buck opens by revisiting crime and lawlessness in major cities, particularly Chicago.
  • Critiques Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, labeling him “incompetent” and accuses him of worsening city crime.
  • Argues federal intervention (under Donald Trump) would primarily help minority communities by reducing violence.
• Quote – Buck Sexton [00:51]:
  "It's a very small percentage of people who are doing a very large percentage of the violent crime. And of those crimes, the victims are largely disproportionately Black."

Response from Chicago Mayor & Federal Intervention

[02:43 – 03:26]

• Plays a clip of a left-leaning commentator (possibly quoting Mayor Johnson) pushing back on federal involvement and using troops for community safety.
  • Accusations of “authoritarianism” and “reprehensible” ideas.
• Quote – Left-Leaning Commentator [02:43]:
  "He is unstable in every way possible... describing the American people as enemies from within is clearly not just a sign of authoritarianism. He has totally imbibed the full spirit of tyranny..."

International Comparison: Chicago vs. Taipei

[03:26 – 11:50]

• Buck uses Taipei, Taiwan as a counterexample to argue high-crime rates are not inevitable in large, dense cities.
  • Shares statistics: Chicago (pop. 2M) had about 600 murders last year; Taipei (in a nation of 23M) had about 200 murders.
  • Describes feeling safe in Taipei, where people leave valuables unattended, and families relax in parks at night.
  • Stresses that high trust and low crime are possible in big cities, saying U.S. cities “choose” crime through policy.
• Quote – Buck Sexton [10:30]:
  "Crime is a choice. Society makes a choice about how much crime it will tolerate."
• On cultural differences:
  "No one thinks it’s odd to leave their phone unattended. High trust society. A place where people do not have to be worried..." [07:10]

Political Explanations & Accusations

[11:50 – 12:30]

• Plays another challenger clip (left-leaning), accusing Trump of declaring “war on poor people” and acting out of profit motives instead of safety.
• Quote – Left-Leaning Commentator [11:50]:
  "The President of the United States of America has declared war on poor people... If there was ever a time for working people to stand up across this world, the time is now."
• Buck rebuts angrily, stressing Trump’s aim is to save lives and that Democratic leadership is perpetuating harm to poor/minority communities due to inaction and “race hustling.”

Health Care, Emergency Rooms & Immigration

[14:56 – 18:44]

• Recounts White House press briefing highlights (Caroline Levitt), summarizing positions on health care reform, the shutdown, and Venezuela.
• Buck ties back to healthcare accessibility, highlighting the strain on emergency rooms due to illegal immigrants, arguing it worsens care for citizens and increases public costs.
• Critiques Democrats for disavowing health care for illegals while “secretly” supporting it.
• Quote – Buck Sexton [20:15]:
  "Obamacare is a disaster. Every, everybody who was a huge critic of it saying it's going to cost so much more. Your coverage is going to get lasted. It was all true."

Government Shutdown & Congressional Politics

[22:01 – 22:36]

• Plays/quotes Senator Ted Cruz blaming Democrats and Chuck Schumer for the shutdown crisis (concerns about being primaried from the left by AOC).
• Quote – Ted Cruz [22:01]:
  "This is a temper tantrum. This is Chuck Schumer and the Democrats saying, we hate Donald Trump so much we are going to shut the government down."
• Buck humorously speculates about AOC primarying Schumer and the NYC mayoral disaster.

Medicaid Budget Games & Healthcare Coverage for Illegals

[31:26 – 34:08]

• Plays clip challenging Senator Elizabeth Warren regarding taxpayer dollars for illegal immigrants' care.
• Buck explains the budget “shell game” between federal and state health dollars, arguing Democrats misrepresent support for illegal immigrants’ healthcare.
• Quote – Buck Sexton [31:39]:
  "It is a flat out lie... There is nothing in Medicare that permits one undocumented immigrant to get $1 of assistance. But they get it..."
• Rhetoric on the burdens placed on U.S. citizens by expanded care for migrants and ER crowding.

Listener Call: Real-World ER Crisis

[39:43 – 40:22]

• “Lisa from San Antonio” shares her father’s ER delay, attributing overcrowding to the influx of illegal immigrants.
• Quote – Caller Lisa [39:56]:
  "My father... wasn’t seen for four to five hours after getting to the emergency room because it was so full and overcrowded... because of the illegals."
• Buck supports her account as typical and part of the wider problem.

Political Messaging and Red-State/Blue-State Dynamics

[36:22 – 39:43]

• Buck mentions emails suggesting Republicans should step back from cities run by Democrats and run ads highlighting the difference in law-and-order priorities.
• Observes that some voters haven’t “suffered enough” to change leadership.
• Compares various disastrous mayors (Chicago, New York, Portland), jokes about ongoing competition for “worst mayor in America.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Buck Sexton, on international safety [07:10]:
  "I had never seen this before... They’d get up to go to the bathroom and they would leave their phone at... their seat... They do that with their smartphone in public places... No big deal. High trust society."
• Buck Sexton, on American leadership [13:29]:
  "The war on poor people is from incompetent Democrats like the mayor of Chicago. The war on poor people is from left-wing race hustling Democrats who don't want to take the necessary steps..."
• Ted Cruz, on the shutdown [22:01]:
  "This is Chuck Schumer and the Democrats saying, we hate Donald Trump... so we are going to shut the government down. The government will reopen when Schumer's temper tantrum ends..."
• Buck Sexton, on city decline [25:15]:
  "You vote for them, you get more of it. It’s that straightforward. It’s that simple. Trump’s trying to save people."
• Buck Sexton, on ER crowding [40:22]:
  "So you’re paying for it with your tax dollars, you’re paying for it with your time, you’re paying for it with your suffering when you’re sitting there waiting to actually get seen..."

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment Topic | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------|-------------| | Chicago crime & mayoral critique | 00:00–03:26 | | Mayor Johnson/left-wing response | 02:43–03:26 | | Stats: Chicago vs. Taipei | 03:26–11:50 | | More on city choices & trust | 07:00–12:30 | | Accusations: "war on poor people" | 11:50–12:30 | | Buck rebuts, crime as a choice | 12:30–14:56 | | Healthcare & shutdown (guest) | 17:09–18:44 | | Ted Cruz clip on the shutdown | 22:01–22:36 | | ERs, Medicaid, migrants | 31:26–34:08 | | Listener call: San Antonio ER | 39:43–40:22 |

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Concluding Remarks

Buck concludes that city safety is a political and societal choice, not a foregone conclusion. He condemns Democratic leaders for maintaining high-tolerance policies towards crime and ties worsening public services to what he labels as failed, “socialist” approaches on healthcare and immigration. The urgency, frustration, and sarcasm underscore Buck’s calls for a change in leadership and policy, urging listeners to recognize the direct impact of political choices on community safety and quality of life.

Next Up: Speaker of the House Johnson joins to discuss updates on the government shutdown and ongoing negotiations.

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End of Summary

Transcript

[Buck Sexton]

This is an iHeart podcast. Welcome in, everybody. Second hour of play and buck kicks off right now. So we talked a lot about Portland in the first hour of the program and these dueling issues of immigration and Customs Enforcement particularly and lawlessness in Portland. And then similar situation in Chicago. ICE facilities under siege. Democrats wanting illegals to just be able to continue to break our laws with impunity. That's not how the law works, Libs. But then there's also just the crime issue and homicides, murders, assaults, robberies, all of that. And the situation in Chicago where you have still a very high overall murder rate. It's America's third largest city. It's a beautiful city. I love Chicago as a place and it's got a lot of great people, it's got wonderful food, architecture, and there's, you know, a lot of things going for Chicago here. It's a little cold in the winter, but a lot of things going for Chicago. Sorry, I'm from Miami now, so I get to say these things. Little, little chilly in January in Chicago, but I hear it's a lovely place overall. And I had, I've only been there once and I had a great experience, I must say. But there's too much crime. And the mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, is, is an incompetent and is only making things worse there. And he sees this as his chance to square off against Donald Trump. So he's going after the president. Remember, the president wants to make safe the city of Chicago for all residents in doing so, using federal law enforcement resources and federal support to make there fewer murders and to make it safer on the streets of Chicago. It would disproportionately help minorities because there are more black residents of Chicago who are shot and killed than anyone else. And so it is actually a great service to the predominantly black areas of the city of Chicago to bring the crime rate down. It's very small percentage of people who are doing a very large percentage of the violent crime. And of those crimes, the targets, the victims are largely disproportionately black. We all know these numbers. We've all talked about this. Meanwhile, Mayor Johnson, this is cut 23, is attacking Trump for these efforts.

[Left-leaning commentator or guest]

Play it a double minded man. He is unstable in every way possible, unhinged and unhappy, unhealthy. The idea of describing the American people as enemies from within is clearly not just a sign of authoritarianism. He has totally imbibed the full spirit of tyranny. And our cities are not training ground for the military. In fact, even the notion to suggest that the brave women and men who sign up to serve this country, to fight terrorism around the globe to protect our way of existence, turning neighbors on their own neighbors is not only unconstitutional, it is reprehensible.

[Buck Sexton]

It is reprehensible. Huh. The mayor of Chicago is shameless. We all understand what President Trump is trying to do here. He's trying to make Chicago safer. Let's look at some of the. Let's turn to the numbers, shall we? Last year, 2024, the last year for which we have full numbers, Chicago had 573 murders. Now that's the first time since 2019 that the number was under 600. Chicago in 2021. Let me just see the 2021 had. Pulling it up as I talk to you. Wow. In 94 there were 930 murders. That's a lot. 778 murders in 2020. 778 murders in just the city of Chicago in 2020. Now, I just got back, as you know, from Taiwan. I was on a fact finding expedition there on a whole range of things, mostly on the national security and economic front because Taiwan is critical for, well, the world actually on those issues. And I'll be explaining more of that. But how many murders do you think Taiwan's a country of 23 million people. How many murders do you think Taiwan had last year? Let me see, about 200. In the whole country of 23 million people. There are 2 million people in Chicago and Chicago had 778 murders in 2020 last year. I know, let's say it's so let's say they're running at about 600 murders a year on average for the last few years because it's usually above 600, we'll be generous, we'll say about 600 murders. So Chicago, a city of 2 million, has three times the total murder rate of the entire nation of Taiwan with 23 million people. With multiple cities that have over 2 million people, I think we can see what's going on here, Right? You might be thinking, well, what is it like to be. And I hadn't had this experience in quite some time. What's it like to be in a place that feels really safe? Well, when I was walking through a park at about 10 o' clock at night, a public park in the downtown of Taipei, the main city, there were families in the park at night, just enjoying, you know, because it's nice and warm there. It's very similar climate actually to South Florida. It's nice and Warm there. And they. All they had were some, some lamps providing an ambient light from the city. It's quite a city, Taipei. But you had families sitting on the park benches in the playgrounds just like as if it was broad daylight. There's no concern about, I can't be in a park at night because bad things will happen. And there are little kids running around playing, parents sitting on the benches watching from afar. And I had people writing to me, oh, buck. But it's like that in my town in South Dakota, or it's like that in, you know, in my town of 500 people in, you know, South Carolina or something. And I'm like, okay, yeah, that's nice. But this is a city of millions of people, Millions of people consolidated together in one place. And they. And it's as safe as a town of a few thousand in a very red rural part of America. It is as safe as that. So you say, well, it must be possible. One of the other anecdotes I have for this, which I thought was so interesting, was that people would do this thing where you would be in a cafe and they would put their phone down and I would say to myself, wait a second. They'd get up to go to the bathroom and they would leave their phone at the, you know, their thousand dollar iPhone or whatever at their seat. I had never seen this before, right? I would. When I lived in midtown Manhattan, I was worried that somebody was going to reach into my pocket when I was sitting there drinking my coffee and try to take my phone. They leave their phone there to mark their seat, to save their seat while they go to the bathroom. And no one, this is what you have to understand. I asked some of the locals about this. No one thinks this is odd. They're like, yeah, of course. They want everyone to know. It's like if you're at a buffet at a hotel and, you know, you leave your napkin on the table so everybody knows that you're sitting there. They do that with their smartphone in public places where people are coming and going on the street. No big deal. High trust society. A place where people do not have to be worried, do not have to be concerned about crime because it is not a realistic concern for them. Now, I'm not saying we're going to be able to turn Chicago into Taipei in terms of safety and security. It would be nice, but that's not going to happen. I do point it out though, because we should know what is possible. We should know that there are cities with millions of people living Together, where there is basically no concern whatsoever about crime. And then use that as a comparison to say Chicago, where there is far too much crime for far too long. It doesn't have to be this way. Crime is a choice. Society makes a choice about how much crime it will tolerate. But crime is a choice. We don't have to deal with things the way that they are. And unfortunately, what you see from the mayor of Chicago and from Governor Pritzker is they don't want it to get better. They want this status quo. The same way that the Taiwanese people. And I say I love Taiwan and I love the Taiwanese people. They're, they really endeared themselves to me. Top, the bottom, everybody I dealt with there. Everyone is so polite and considerate and friendly and it's just a great place. It's a great place. The, the same way that they are proud and they should be because I talk to them. They, they kind of giggle. They, they laugh when I'm saying, well, you got, it's so safe here. How is this, you know, little old ladies walking around midnight by themselves on the streets. Not a care in the world, kids. What I, I didn't see, I didn't take the, the subway there. I took their high speed trains to get around the countryside because I had some places I had to go. But they do, they do have, people will get on these trains. I thought I was sitting in the quiet car. If you've ever taken the, from D.C. or Boston down to D.C. with a new York stop, I thought I was in the quiet car. No, that's just. People are just quiet and respectful. They're not all, you know, playing their, their iPhones on speakerphone. They're not all shouting, they're not all loud talking. I thought I was in a quiet car. I was just in a Taiwanese rail car. People just all being respectful and there's no trash, no trash anywhere. I mean, whether in the high speed train or on the streets, there's no litter. Isn't that amazing? It turns out you don't have to have people just dropping their, you know, their Big Mac rappers wherever they're walking. It doesn't have to be that way. And we could all be in a place that is much safer in this country, in the big cities if we were willing to make the necessary decisions as a society. You get the crime, you tolerate. It is not a given. It is not, oh, there's no way out of this status quo. But when you have people like Mayor Johnson who don't want it to get better, it won't get better. You are locked into this here. This is cut 24. Here he is saying that really this is about a war on poor people that Trump is waging. Play it.

[Left-leaning commentator or guest]

This is not about deportation. This is not about community safety. This is, quite frankly, this is about for profit. You know, we know that there is an investigation right now that's underway with Tom holman, who took $50,000. $50,000 from two FBI agents because Tom Holman made a promise to direct contracts to the very people who are running these detention centers who actually gave over almost $3 million to President Trump's campaign. The President of the United States of America has declared war on poor people. And if there was ever a time for working people to stand up across this world, the time is now.

[Buck Sexton]

What a just rabble rousing, lying jerk this guy is. War on poor people. Trump's trying to keep. Keep poor people from getting shot, walking to the grocery store. He's trying to keep children from catching a bullet from some gang banger who can't aim and doesn't care, shooting it out with some other gang banger over who gets to sell fentanyl, murdering people in the streets. Trump wants to stop that. And the mayor of Chicago thinks that he's the good guy here. He thinks that Trump's waging a war on poor people. No, the war on poor people is from incompetent Democrats like the mayor of Chicago. The war on poor people is from less left wing race, hustling Democrats who don't want to take the necessary steps, who don't want to do what they can do to save lives and make those city streets safer. It could be a heck of a lot better than it is. And Trump's trying to make it so. And you know, I'll be honest with you, so much about this country I am so proud of. I do think we're the greatest country in the world. I know we have our problems. I love America, though. I truly do. When you come home from being abroad, it reminds you how much you love this place. But it is embarrassing how much crime there is in our Democrat cities, like New York, where I used to live, although Chicago is way worse than New York. It's embarrassing because it doesn't have to be this way. And the leadership that says that it is, whether it's Pritzker or Johnson or any of these Democrats, you vote for them, you get more of it. It's that straightforward. It's that simple. Trump's trying to save people. All right, look, do you have a plan to stay connected with your family or coworkers in the event of a natural disaster. We suggest Rapid Radios. Rapid Radios are modern day walkie talkies that are a literal lifeline of power. Goes out for several days or cell service becomes unstable. Rapid Radios work on a nationwide LTE network so you can communicate across the country or down the street with the single push of a button. They're ready to go out of the box and have a five day battery charge with no monthly fees and pre programmed simplicity. Rapid Radios keep you connected when everything else goes dark. Visit rapid radios.com today you'll save 60% when you visit that website. Use promo code radio get an extra 5% off trusted tested legit visit rapid radios.com that's rapid radios.com stories of freedom.

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[Buck Sexton]

All right. Welcome back in. Let's go live here. We got Caroline Levitt on the shutdown from the White House podium in the West Wing. Let's hear what she's saying. She's taking questions right now.

[Caroline Levitt (White House Press Secretary)]

Look, the president is definitely committed to fixing and improving our health care system. You saw it again last week when he had one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world coming into the Oval Office and promising to lower drug prices by 200, 300, 100% in many cases for various types of drugs for American patients. That is a huge fix to a broken system that has been ripping off the American people for far too long. So the president is very committed to this, but right now we need to reopen the federal government, and the president is remaining very firm in that position. Katherine, if the vote failed in the Senate today to reopen the government, would that trigger layoffs? Ms. Look, again, we hope that the vote will not fail because this administration wants to reopen the government. We don't want to see people laid off, but unfortunately, if this shutdown continues, layoffs are going to be an unfortunate consequence of that. Is there a timing for when that would happen? Well, look, we'll see how the vote goes tonight. And can you confirm, is the White House floating a proposal to cap Obamacare subsidies by denying them to new enrollees?

[Buck Sexton]

Ms.

[Caroline Levitt (White House Press Secretary)]

I have not seen a proposal like that, Emily.

[Buck Sexton]

Thanks, Caroline. The president said yesterday he was considering a phase two approach to Venezuela. Is the president considering his US Boots on the ground or any kind of support of overthrowing Maduro?

[Caroline Levitt (White House Press Secretary)]

I won't get into any specific proposals that are being considered by the president and his national security team.

[Buck Sexton]

So talking about Venezuela, I wanted to bring you mostly the shutdown update. Look, we got the speaker of the House joining us in the third hour here on the program who will get into some of those details. But one of the latest from the White House there, our friend Caroline Levitt doing a fantastic job as per usual. But yes, it is definitely the case that Democrats, I think, are being exposed here on what their real agenda is and what they're willing to stand up and fight for, and that is money for illegals health care. It's so funny to see they say, oh, we would never do that. We don't want health care for illegals. Remember what happened on the debate stage in the election cycle in 2020 when all of those Democrats, all of them in that, in that debate, on that debate stage said they wanted to give health care, Obamacare to illegals. And now they act like they would never do that. They're lying to you. And also Obamacare, we don't spend enough time on this on the right and I wish we would do more on it. Obamacare is a disaster. Every, everybody who was a huge critic of it saying it's going to cost so much more. Your coverage is going to get lasted. It was all true. They just slow rolled it. They, they put the sweets out first. Oh, you can stay on your parents plan. And then the pain came later. But we've seen the pain. We'll talk more about that. Let me tell you about something really exciting. In the last few weeks, thousands of everyday Americans have been joining me and my research partners in an exciting new venture. We created a tap into the wealth of a robust Trump stock market. It's a one of a kind opportunity designed to help ordinary people capitalize on the huge wealth explosion being created by what I'm calling Manhattan 2. I've combined the information I gleaned from my Washington, D.C. connections with a team of Wall street pros who know how to turn policy shifts into profits. This isn't just for fancy hedge funds or billionaires, my friends. This is about leveling the playing field so everyday folks like you can get a fair shot in their investing in the stock market. I don't want you or anyone to miss out. All the details can be [e-mail] right now. Join our movement today and get 82% off. You'll be so glad you did. That's insider2025.com insider2025.com paid for by Paradigm Press. All right, welcome back in to play and Buck. We have the White House addressing the shutdown and other questions right now. But on, on the shutdown issue, here's, here's where things stand. Democrats, I think that they are finding this is not breaking the way for them that they have wanted it to. They in general think that shutdowns are something that favors Democrats, probably because they have the media in their back pocket. But here, let's get into some of this. Ted Cruz, for example. Senator Cruz, this is cut four. It's pretty straightforward that Republicans have Said they'll fund the government. It's Democrats that want their special goodies in addition to the, the continuing resolution funding. So it's Democrats who are throwing their little tantrum and Senator Cruz is saying maybe they should stop, stop throwing tantrums.

[Ted Cruz or conservative political commentator]

Play for the real reason we're having the shutdown is Chuck Schumer is in a political crisis. A couple of months ago, he agreed to allow the government to stay open and his left wing base got furious with him. He is looking over his left shoulder, terrified that AOC is going to primary him. And so this is a temper tantrum. This is Chuck Schumer and the Democrats saying, we hate Donald Trump and we hate Donald Trump so much we are going to shut the government down. The government will reopen when Schumer's temper tantrum ends. But this is pure political theater trying to guard his left base.

[Buck Sexton]

So that's one part of it. Democrats trying to figure out how to play this when it comes to their constituencies and what this looks like. And I like that Senator Cruz goes after the possibility of an AOC primary. Oh, man, wouldn't that be great? It would be such a fun thing to do to just pop the popcorn and watch AOC try to take, try to take Schumer down. And he's got to be thinking about that. Schumer, he's a guy who, say what you will about him, he knows how to keep that funding flowing for his campaigns and he wants to keep that Senate seat. But AOC would have a big advantage with, well, a whole bunch of things, but certainly with her media profile and using digital media. This mom Donnie guy, by the way, New York, I'm worried, I'm worried about what's going to happen to you, you guys. I really am. Including my own family that's there. This Mumbani guy is a disaster. Really, truly. He, he's even wor. I thought he was really bad, but the more I'm seeing from him, I think he's worse than I thought, which I'm not even sure I knew that was possible, but it is because he is. It's not good. It's not good. I, I, I think I'm gonna get some fellow Floridians out of this bargain. Some people who are sane, but I know a lot of people are. It's not as easy as just picking up and leaving. I was lucky. I was not yet married, had a mobile job, didn't have a kid yet in school, so it was easy enough for me to move. I know it's hard for people to just pick up and move. And they shouldn't have to. Right. You shouldn't have to flee some communist maniac in a state like New York, which is a great place and has so much going for it, or the city of New York, I should say, which has so much going for it. But here we are there. Here's Trump. Let's just let Trump weigh in. This is cut one on the shutdown and the possibility there could be some Democrat job cuts from this. Go for it. It's all because of the Democrats. The Democrats are causing the loss of a lot of jobs with their. It's a shutdown. It's their shutdown, not our shutdown. It's their shutdown. It is their shutdown. The Schumer shutdown, if you will. They have decided that it is so important for them to try to get these Obamacare ACA supplemental payments out there. Let's just, let's just make this really easy. Obamacare, which is the signature achievement, if you can call it that. But the main thing that Barack Obama in eight years got done was Obamacare, as we know. I know, ruining the country and igniting race riots and all that. Yeah, that too. But the main thing from a legislative standpoint is Obamacare. And they promised that this was going to cover everybody and it was going to bring costs down. That was really. It was going to cover everybody and bring costs down and also not explode deficit spending. And what you've seen is that it was a, it has failed on all fronts, essentially. It has covered more people, but overwhelmingly through Medicaid. Medicaid is busting budgets in states all over the country. And there's the complicated machinery of how these states are funding these programs and how they're like what they do in a state like California. They spend in order to get, they spend more. They can get more federal matching dollars. They're running all kinds of scams, essentially, to just create this massive slush fund. And Medicaid, there's so much of it, too, that has nothing to do with actual care. And it's, it's a disaster. But, okay, before we get into all or without even getting into the state funding of these things, have your premiums gone up? All of you are saying, yes, have your premiums gone up a lot? As in, are you in whatever health care plan you have, which you weren't allowed to keep? That was the big promise of Obamacare. If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. No, you can't. And on your new plan do you have better coverage? No, you don't. Are you paying a lot more for it? Yes, you are. Was the whole Obamacare game, other than being a huge giveaway to really the insurance industry, but was the whole game that you were subsidizing? It's just a complex scheme for you to subsidize other people's health care. That's what Medicaid is, but that's also what a lot of these Obamacare exchanges are really all about. It is healthcare socialism is exactly what people who were criticizing it, like me at the time, said it would be. But then you add to that illegals, you add to that the millions and millions of people who have come into this country who are illegal aliens, who are also getting health care now in something like emergency room care. You've seen New York City with its surge of migrants. In 2024, 30% of emergency room visits were illegals because they just used it as, okay, you know, I have a toothache, I go to the er, I need prescription glasses, I go to the er and they don't pay anything. And no one thinks they're going to pay anything. So that's one part of this. Right. But the way it works is even more complicated and more nefarious, I would say, than just you having to shoulder the burden of people coming into this country and making the. Because the money comes from somewhere, right? Someone is paying for all these illegals. Oh, and you also pay for it with your time if you try to go to. And this is true of cities across the, across the country if you try to go to the emergency room for an emergency. I know they say they do triage, but they're overwhelmed. They got doctors and, you know, yeah, maybe you get seen before the illegals if you've got like a, you know, a steak knife in your shoulder when you come in. But if you go in there and you know you're having a problem and you want to get seen quickly and it's not like immediate life or death, you got a whole bunch of illegals who are in there who are also being seen, who are being seen ahead of you and they're using it, like I said, for non emergency care. But then you look at what happens in say, California, New York, where they do give, they do give health care to illegals as part of their state programs. Well, then what California does is find every creative way possible to make the federal government pay more health care funds into the state of California, which are then fungible, which then California uses to cover illegals this is the game. And they say, oh, but, but none of these Obamacare dollars go to illegals. Okay? But California, the state of California has a budget. It has money that it spends. And if California is spending money covering illegals and also taking federal dollars to shore up whatever wild spending sprees it's going on with health care generally, guess what? You know, this is like when they used to say, remember one of the big lies about Planned Parenthood with its decades of, of murdering babies in the womb? Planned Parenthood was, oh well, none of the dollars will go, remember the Hyde Amendment? None of the dollars will go toward abortion, only go toward women's health care. If I tell you, hey, you're, you're running be, you need money for, for your household budget, I'm going to give you $1,000 a month, but only for food. You can't use it for gas. Well, if I'm giving you $1000, what difference does it make? I'm giving you $1000, right? What, whatever. The money that you were going to be spending on food can now be used for gas. This is how they play the game of giving illegals health care coverage. And this is why Democrats are fighting so hard on this issue and why people like Elizabeth Warren so upset. She's just shaking her fist. Here she is when CBS asks her if Democrats want to provide health care to non citizens. This is cut too. Listen to what Senator Warren, when she goes on the war path, she's scary. Listen what she has to say.

[Ted Cruz or conservative political commentator]

Republicans say what you're really fighting for is taxpayer dollars for, as they put it, illegal aliens. I know that's not strictly true, but there is a provision, excuse me, not strictly, it's not true directly, but out lie.

[Buck Sexton]

It is a flat out lie. The way that they frame it in Medicaid. There is nothing in Medicare that permits one undocumented immigrant to get $1 of assistance. But they get it. And now they've already admitted that it does happen. They just say it doesn't happen. It's the classic Democrat sliding scale. It's not happening. You're lying. Okay, it's happening, but it's not happening that much you know where they'll eventually be as people see more of the numbers. Okay, it's happening and it's a good thing. Shut your face. Why are you such a racist? That's where we're headed, you know, But Elizabeth Warren fired up there. Someone better hand her a peace pipe. Very upset, very unhappy with this. But people are sick of, remember our healthcare has gotten more expensive and worse. And illegals are getting health care in a whole bunch of ways and you are paying for it. And your children and your grandchildren will be paying for it. And that's wrong. We should not be the soup kitchen and emergency room for the entire world's poor. And that's what we are right now. And it's not fair. It's not right. We have Americans who need help. We have Americans who are struggling. We have Americans who can't pay their bills and are behind and have unaffordable bills from doctors and emergency rooms. Oh, but they're expected to pay them, unlike the illegals. So Trump is on this fight and should be, and it's the right way to go. All right, look, here's good news for you. If you're a gold owner, gold is up around 47% this year. That's not speculation, that's reality. And if a portion of your savings isn't diversified into gold, you're missing out on a very good buying opportunity. When there's instability in the markets or there's conflict in the world, investors turn to gold. That might be two reasons why gold has seen such a price increase and will continue to grow in value. And central banks are flocking to gold, which is part of why these prices are at record highs. You can still get in the door now on this opportunity. Birch Gold will help you convert an existing IRA or 401k into a tax sheltered IRA and gold. You don't pay a dime out of pocket. Just text my name Buck to 989898 and claim your free info kit. There's no obligation, just useful information. The best indicator of the future is the past. Gold has historically been a safe haven for decades. Tax My name Buck to 989898 Birchgold will send you your free info kit. Text B U C K to 9,898 98.

[Podcast Promo Voice]

Today, 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 podcast.

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[Buck Sexton]

All right, welcome back in to Clay and Buck. We should be joined here in just a few moments. A few minutes I should say, by speaker of the House Johnson. So that will give us the most up to date possible from the inside of the Capitol and of this negotiation process on the Schumer shutdown. And I'm going to ask him some specific questions about exactly what we were just talking about. What's really at the heart of this and why are Democrats so dead set on. Well, they set this thing off. Remember Republicans said here's your C, here's the cr. Let's just keep funding the government. No big deal. Democrats said no, I want more stuff beyond just funding the government. Well no, you are not in the majority. You do not have the White House. You do not have the House. You do not have the Senate. What? All right, government shutdown. Here we are. Time for Democrats to see the light and be reasonable. Well, that means we could be waiting a very long time. VIP email from Mike I agree with President Trump using the National Guard but here's a different approach. Don't go into these Democrat run cities that are saying they don't need them. Then flood the TV and radio stations with ads stating you're already, you are ready to send them in to help. But your Democrat leaders say there's no crime problem. If you agree, keep voting Democrat. If you want law and order, vote Republican. Mike, I like the idea, but I think Trump just wants to save people and prove the process. Unfortunately, some of these cities, Democrat voters, they just haven't suffered enough. They will not change their minds. They refuse to see reality. Think about it. Lori Lightfoot was a horrible mayor for Chicago. Absolutely. An incompetent, just a disaster. And their crime rate was through the roof. And the riots and the George Floyd stuff and everything. And then Chicago decided to elect Brandon Johnson, who might be worse as a mayor. Hard to imagine. People keep saying Mamdani is going to be the worst mayor in America. Worse than Brandon Johnson. Really? I mean, that's possible. Mom, Donnie could. Mom, Donnie could go for the crown here. He could be the champ. But it's tough. Brandon Johnson's really bad. Is Ted Wheeler still the mayor of Portland? I remember he was these guys. Who's the mayor of Portland right now? I don't know the mayors of every city. I know a lot of stuff, but I don't know the mayors of every city offhand. It was Wheeler, which was hilarious because I remember he went down during the George Floyd riots and he went down to downtown Portland to tell Antifa. He's like, I'm with you guys. And they were like, shut up. You, you, you know, capitalist, capitalist swine. I mean, they absolutely hated his guts. That's the best when you're a cringing, bowing, kneeling, scraping lib politician. Keith Wilson is the current mayor of Portland, Oregon. I'm sure he's just, I'm sure he is Ted Wheeler 2.0. He's got to be. He's got to be because they're not allowing, not allowing law enforcement to help their federal counterparts, local law enforcement. So that's all you have to know about someone as a leader, as a mayor. Let's take Lisa calling in from San Antonio, Texas, wants to chat. What's up, Lisa?

[Caller Lisa from San Antonio]

Well, I'm glad you're back. And I just wanted to give people some example of what's really happening in the emergency rooms in the medical centers. My father fell. He's 93 and split up in the back of his head. Wasn't seen for four to five hours after getting to the emergency room because it was so full and overcrowded. Then he wasn't released until after midnight that night. That's from 11am on a Sunday to after midnight on a Sunday when he finally was able to be released with staples in his head because of the overcoat crowding of the emergency rooms. Because of the illegals.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, thanks for calling in. Sorry your dad had to go through that. But this is happening all the time, all across the country. So you're paying for it with your tax dollars, you're paying for it with your time, you're paying for it with your suffering when you're sitting there waiting to actually get seen in an emergency room. And Democrats want to tell you there's no problem, be quiet. Sounds kind of, sounds kind of xenophobic or racist to even care about all the illegals and these emergency rooms. That's what they want to tell you. All right, we'll talk to Speaker Johnson here in just a few moments about this shutdown. Also, my interview with the president of Taiwan. Is China getting ready to invade? And why should Americans care about it? And what should President Trump know about it? That's all coming up next hour. This is an iHeart podcast.