The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – Hour 2: Gov. Ron DeSantis

Date: November 20, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Host: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

In this hour, Buck Sexton (with Clay Travis largely absent from the mic) tackles heated current issues in American politics, focusing especially on a controversial PSA by Democrat lawmakers about military orders, alleged “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” and an extended, insightful interview with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. The discussion combines forthright criticism, humor, and in-depth policy talk—especially around property taxes and Florida governance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Controversy Over Democrats’ Military PSA

• Background: Several Democrat lawmakers, including Mark Kelly, Jason Crow, and Elissa Slotkin, released a public service announcement (PSA) reminding U.S. military and intelligence officials about their duty to refuse illegal orders.
• Buck's Reaction: Buck finds the PSA vague, unnecessary, and subversive. He points out there’s no clear example of any “illegal order” at issue.
  • “Yeah, we know. What's the point of this?” (07:18)
• Implied Motive: Buck argues this PSA is part of a persistent Democrat narrative painting Trump as a would-be tyrant/fascist, therefore, the military needs a reminder.
  • “A big component of the Democrat resistance is this fantasy that Donald Trump is a king, a tyrant, a Nazi, a fascist, all this stuff.” (08:28)
• Critique of Specific Lawmakers: He expresses skepticism about Elissa Slotkin's credentials in this context, suggesting the message is more about political posturing than real concern (05:00–06:30).
• Subversion Alleged: Both the hosts and guest Stephen Miller call the PSA potentially “insurrectionary,” stating it’s a veiled call for mutiny.
  • Stephen Miller: “It is insurrection, plainly, directly, without question.” (20:58)

2. Listener & Veteran Pushback

• Listeners Respond: Buck reads VIP email responses from veterans who found the Democrats’ PSA “insulting,” “subversive,” and unnecessary.
  • “As a military veteran of 23 years, I am disgusted by the recent PSA from the Democratic Congress...” – Dave (45:00)
  • “No military member is going to listen to these clowns and refuse to follow an order. Not going to happen...” – Reed (46:20)
• Tone: Deeply frustrated, sense of insult to the armed forces’ professionalism.

3. Democrat Leadership & Trump Derangement

• Marsha Blackburn’s Commentary: The Senator sharply labels Democrats as suffering from “stage four Trump Derangement Syndrome” for issuing the PSA.
  • “It is inconceivable that you would have elected officials that are saying to uniform members of the military... that they would defy the orders that they have been given ... I find it inconceivable.” (12:38)
• Pelosi Soundbite: Pelosi is quoted calling Trump “the worst thing on the face of the earth,” with Buck denouncing her leadership style and generalizes it as childish, extreme rhetoric.
  • “And she's an imbecile, honestly. Very rich, very powerful, but an idiot... The worst thing on the face of the—, I mean, how can you...?” (22:48)

Interview Segment: Governor Ron DeSantis

Begins: 26:14

Main Topic:

Florida’s Proposal to Eliminate Homesteaded Property Tax

Key Points from DeSantis:

• Impact of Property Taxes

  • “If you look at what's pinching people, property taxes is one of the biggest thing that's pinching people, particularly young families...” (27:08)
  • Differentiates between long-term residents and recent homebuyers who pay much higher taxes due to property value increases.

• Homestead Protection Limits Are Not Enough

  • Even with 3% annual limits, compounding effects mean taxes can become burdensome for long-time residents or retirees.
  • Local governments, not the state, get the property tax revenue—local budgets have ballooned (from $32B in 2019 to $56B in 2025).

• State Financial Health Argument

  • Florida, unlike many states, does not rely on property taxes for its budget and possesses a strong surplus and a maxed-out rainy day fund.
  • “I have a surplus, I have a maxed out rainy day fund. I don't get property tax revenue, I don't need it.” (28:08)

• Plan Details & Guardrails

  • Ballot measure planned for November 2026.
  • Structured to avoid “tax tourism” (people moving just for a tax break)—must be a longstanding resident to benefit.
  • Major beneficiaries: young families saddled with high assessments and elderly on fixed incomes.

• Rebuttal to Critics

  • Praises tax reduction as “letting people keep what they’ve earned.”
  • “If I reduce your taxes, I'm not giving you anything. That's your property, you own it, it's not the government's.” (33:02)
  • Criticizes arguments against it as “a leftist argument.”

Notable Quotes:

• “Is that really home ownership? I think Florida... we're in a situation... where so much of our tax base is comprised of people that aren't even full-time residents.” (30:45)
• “If you're doing a homestead exemption, the young family, they gain way more… than the elderly homeowner who's been grandfathered in on the homestead limitation.” (34:20)

Florida vs. New York Governance

• Efficiency Comparison:

  • Florida has more people than New York, with half the budget; NYC’s budget alone exceeds Florida’s.
  • “New York City's budget is bigger than the entire state of Florida's budget. And we have close to 23.5 million people.” (36:11)
  • Cites waste and patronage in NY’s budget as the chief difference, with Florida spending on tangible infrastructure, school choice, and environmental conservation.

• Predictions for New York:

  • Warns that if New York’s leadership continues its high-spending and anti-police trajectory, it will further lose residents to Florida.
  • “The number one thing that's going to drive people out of that city is that he hates the police. He wanted to abolish the NYPD.” (37:43)

• Closing:

  • Buck thanks DeSantis for “phenomenal work.” DeSantis promises further updates as the property tax measure develops.
  • “Please keep up the phenomenal work and come back and talk to us again soon about what you're up to.” (39:15)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the military PSA:

  • “It's like putting out a PSA: like, ‘don't murder people.’ Murdering people is bad. I just want you all to be clear. Do not murder people. We got it.” — Buck Sexton (09:13)

• On Pelosi:

  • “She was running the Democrat caucus with an iron fist... And she's an imbecile, honestly. Very rich, very powerful, but an idiot. And she says things like this. The worst thing on the face of the earth...” — Buck Sexton (22:48)

• On Property Taxes:

  • “If I reduce your taxes, I'm not giving you anything... that's your property, you own it, it's not the government's.” — Gov. Ron DeSantis (33:02)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–03:11 – Ad Reads, Show Introduction
• 03:11–16:19 – Discussion on Democratic military PSA, including Buck’s criticism and guest analysis
• 12:38–13:14 – Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s “Trump Derangement Syndrome” remark
• 20:14–22:34 – Stephen Miller's reaction; Pelosi soundbite and Buck’s commentary
• 26:14–39:19 – Extended Interview with Gov. Ron DeSantis covering Florida’s property tax plan, comparison to NY, and governance philosophy
• 44:39–46:20 – Listener emails from veterans responding to the military PSA

Tone & Style

The episode is direct, sharp, and unfiltered, mixing policy wonkery with blunt political criticism. Buck’s commentary is often sardonic, especially when discussing Democrats, while DeSantis’ tone is practical and numbers-driven, focusing on policy implementation and defending his positions with specific data and philosophical reasoning.

Conclusion

This hour offers a mix of national political critique—especially regarding Democratic messaging and so-called “Trump Derangement Syndrome”—and state-level policy insight, centered on Florida’s potential to abolish homesteaded property taxes. Governor DeSantis gives a detailed defense of his plan, targeting both economic rationale and local empowerment, while the show maintains a confrontational, lively tone as it skewers Democratic leadership and promotes conservative reforms.

For listeners seeking a deep dive into current political controversy, critiques of Democratic narratives, and a substantive policy discussion with a Republican governor poised for bigger things, this episode delivers sharp insight and memorable soundbites.