The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 2 – From Memes to Military Readiness
Date: December 26, 2025
Guest Host: David Rutherford (Rut)

Overview

In this engaging hour, guest host David Rutherford (“Rut”) steps in for Clay Travis and Buck Sexton to explore the power and role of memes in modern political discourse, the impact of political and military leaders’ engagement with service members, the growing significance of social media in elections, and pressing national security issues including terrorism and election integrity. Mixing humor, military experience, and serious commentary, Rut delivers a dynamic monologue peppered with stories from his patriotic service, observations on American resilience, and practical advice for personal preparedness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Memes as Modern Political Weaponry

Timestamps: 03:19–13:50, 17:10–24:50

• Stress Relief & Humor: Rut highlights the importance of memes as a tool to "off-gas" stress caused by political and social turbulence, especially post-holidays.
  • “One of the things that I believe is probably the best part of this Trump administration is really the memes that have come out of it… our way of… off-gassing some of the stress that we feel from all of the other craziness.” (03:32)
• Memes = Electoral Influence: He predicts memes will be pivotal for the 2028 election, dubbing it the “national meme election.”
  • “It’s coming down to which party can meme the best… If your meme game sucks, you’re done, you’re out.” (12:25)
• Effectiveness of Right vs. Left: Rut jokes that the political left is far weaker at meme culture:
  • “Thank God the left sucks at memeing. You just can't do it. You need to quit.” (12:54)
  • “Either they can't self-deprecate or they can't make fun, or they're too politically correct or social justice or whatever the hell it is… you all suck at memeing.” (13:06)

Notable Quote

"This is going to be called the national meme election. If you don’t up your meme game, you’re going to be decimated. I promise you that."
— David Rutherford, (12:35)

2. Leaders Doing the Work: J.D. Vance and Military Engagement

Timestamps: 05:50–12:00

• Highlight of the Week: JD Vance (Vice President and 2028 Presidential front-runner) participated in Navy SEAL training (Log PT, surf passage, runs) alongside service members.
• Significance: Rut stresses the value of leaders participating physically and emotionally with troops, rather than just “dog and pony shows”:
  • “If all I got when I was in was a bunch of dog and pony stuff… this is a big deal…because for the first time in a long time, it seems like we have top officials that are getting in the mix.” (07:18)
• Cultural Impact: Rut admires leaders like Tulsi Gabbard and Pete Hegseth, noting veterans in leadership inspire current service members.
• On Vance’s Meme: Vance photoshopped a humorous meme of himself during SEAL training, which Rut found hilarious and emblematic of modern political culture.

Notable Quote

"The party or the delegates… when you're going to run for president, if your meme game sucks, you're done… you will not survive."
— David Rutherford, (12:29)

3. Trump, Social Media, and Indelible Online Presence

Timestamps: 17:10–24:10

• Dark Humor and Authenticity: Rut admires Trump’s use of social media humor and directness, calling attention to Trump’s “banger” posts and their role in sustaining morale among supporters.
• Christmas Message Analysis: Rut reads aloud a recent Trump social post wishing a Merry Christmas to “radical left scum...but are failing badly,” noting its brashness but defending it as a reasonable reaction to relentless personal attacks.
  • “When your legal bill was 20 to 30 million bucks a year for eight plus years...being nice kind of falls by the wayside.” (20:24)
• Craving for Honesty: Rut argues the nation is hungry for gut-level truth and less polished, more relatable communication.

Notable Quote

"We need more truth in this world. We need more people speaking from the gut, more intuitive speech."
— David Rutherford, (21:20)

4. Terrorism, National Security, and Personal Responsibility

Timestamps: 24:50–38:43

• Christian Persecution in Nigeria: Starts by crediting President Trump for ordering action against ISIS-affiliated terrorists who attacked Christians in Nigeria; stresses the global scope of anti-Christian persecution and recent terror attacks (in New Orleans, Bondi Beach, Europe, Asia).
• Preparation Advice: Rut urges listeners to take personal responsibility for security:
  • Purchase and train with firearms
  • Teach situational awareness to children and family
  • "Go purchase a pistol, purchase a firearm and learn how to shoot it... The Second Amendment is...to support the first amendment right, the right to free speech can only be backed up by our ability to carry guns and defend ourselves." (29:25)
• Civic Defense and Vigilance: He stresses that with the threat of terrorism (citing up to 14,000 terrorists possibly in the U.S.), self-reliance and readiness are crucial.
  • Cites experts like Joe Kent (Green Beret/CIA) and Sarah Adams (former CIA targeter) for perspectives.
• Positive Call to Action: Encourages responsible, enjoyable firearms training, highlighting prominent instructors and the camaraderie in the shooting community for “patriotic Americans.”

Notable Quotes

"If you're a young man and you haven't gone and gotten a gun and gone through training and carry that gun with you... what is wrong with you? Why are you not doing this?"
— David Rutherford, (33:40)

5. Election Security and Alleged Vulnerabilities

Timestamps: 38:43–41:40

• Book Highlight: "Stolen Elections": Rut references a book (by Gary Bernstein and Ralph Pizzulo) that alleges Venezuela manipulated electronic voting systems globally (including Smartmatic/Dominion) since 2003.
• Conspiracy Allegations: The claim is made that U.S. elections—including the 2008 Democratic Primary between Obama and Clinton—were vulnerable to such manipulation.
• Ongoing Concern: Rut frames electoral integrity as an ongoing threat to American democracy, paralleling discussions of terrorism and security.

Notable Quote

"The real terrorism that I think still exists is in our election systems and the way it works."
— David Rutherford, (40:24)

Memorable Moments & Humor

• Military Camaraderie: Rut’s recurring “hoo ya,” references to veteran peers, and playful ribbing of other services adds genuine humor and warmth.
• Listener Challenges: Rut teases upcoming call-ins about “pirate uniforms” for fighting cartels and asks for stories of holiday kindness, injecting levity and audience participation.

Important Segment Timestamps

• Comedy/Christmas & Meme Importance: 03:19–06:30
• JD Vance & Leader Engagement in Military: 06:30–11:40
• Memes as Political Tools: 12:00–13:50
• On Trump’s Social Media & Christmas Post: 17:10–21:55
• Advice for Preparedness/Terror Threats: 24:50–38:43
• Alleged Election Manipulation: 38:43–41:40

Notable Quotes by Timestamp

• On Election Memes:
  “This is the election … this is the national meme election.” — (12:25)
• On President Trump’s Social Media:
  “When your legal bill was 20 to 30 million bucks a year… being nice kind of falls by the wayside.” — (20:24)
• On Young Men and Security:
  “If you’re a young man and you haven’t gone and gotten a gun...what is wrong with you?” — (33:41)
• On Democracy’s New Threat:
  “The real terrorism that I think still exists is in our election systems.” — (40:24)

Concluding Tone and Flow

Blending candid military storytelling, “tough love” advice, pointed political analysis, and frequent injections of humor, David Rutherford delivers an episode that’s both entertaining and provocative, keeping listeners engaged with practical insights, challenges to personal responsibility, and a recurring theme that in today’s America, resilience is as much about memes and attitude as it is about readiness and patriotism.