Hour 2 - Individualism vs. Collectivism

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Hour 2 - Individualism vs. Collectivism

Date: January 2, 2026
Guest Host: Brian Mudd (in for Clay & Buck)
Guest: John Decker (iHeartRadio White House Correspondent)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Brian Mudd fills in for Clay Travis and Buck Sexton to discuss the ideological tension between individualism and collectivism in the context of current U.S. politics, policy achievements, and upcoming challenges. Through analysis, listener calls, and a featured interview with John Decker, the episode dissects recent government actions, the legacy of the Trump administration's second term, challenges in Congress, foreign policy dynamics, and the implications of recent legal decisions.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Individualism Makes America Great

(02:58 - 07:00)

• The episode opens with Brian Mudd echoing the late Rush Limbaugh's sentiment that "it is the people that make this country great, not government and not government policies."
• Mudd emphasizes that the American system is based on personal freedom and the pursuit of dreams, rather than collective government action.
• Notable quote:

  "It is the freedom that we all acknowledge we have that allows us to pursue whatever our dreams and ambitions are, as unfettered as any people in the history of civilization have ever been."
  – Brian Mudd (03:32)

2. Reflection on Republican Achievements & Policy Success

(07:00 - 15:40)

• Mudd reviews the legislative successes attributed to Trump’s second term and addresses the perception that Republicans are poised to lose ground.
• The new "one big beautiful bill" (wide-reaching Trump agenda) is highlighted for accomplishing lower taxes, regulatory reduction, and peace deals.
• Real-world financial benefits are laid out for listeners, such as significant savings in federal taxes for tipped employees, overtime workers, and Social Security recipients.
• Important insights:
  • Many of the benefits of recent tax cuts and deregulation have yet to be fully realized because individuals haven't updated their tax withholdings.
  • Trump’s administration secured $9.6 trillion in foreign investments in just one year, compared to $2.2 trillion over the previous decade (15:00).
• Notable quote:

  "It was the Trump agenda. And so, yeah, you can find things to quibble about. Yeah, there are plenty of rhinos out there. ... You're never going to agree with anybody 100%, even if you're the politician."
  – Brian Mudd (05:48)

3. Crime Rates and Regulatory Changes

(13:40 - 15:00)

• Mudd points to dramatic reductions in crime statistics: homicide (down 17%), robberies (down 25%), thefts (down 25%), violent crimes (down 11%), and property crimes (down 12%).
• The elimination of 640 regulations has made life $600 a year cheaper per household, illustrating another direct benefit of less government intervention.

4. Foreign Policy: Peace Deals and Strength

(15:00 - 18:00, 39:10 - 39:40)

• Trump’s diplomatic achievements are detailed, including peace negotiations in regions like Armenia-Azerbaijan, Israel-Iran, and more.
• Trump continues to apply pressure internationally, influencing adversaries like Venezuela’s Maduro to seek dialogue and cooperation.
• Mudd also credits U.S. military action for a 30% reduction in illicit drug trade from Venezuela.

5. Democratic Tactics and Long-Game Strategy

(08:40 - 10:20)

• Mudd criticizes the left for playing a long game focused on means to an end, echoing the "rules for radicals" strategy he attributes to both Obama and current Democratic leadership.

6. Challenge for Republicans in 2026 and Voter Turnout

(15:00 - 16:00, 29:25 - 30:36)

• The host warns against Republican complacency and repeating the mistakes of the 2018 midterms (low turnout, internal division).
• Stresses the necessity of voter participation, even when Trump’s name isn’t directly on the ballot.
• Notable quote:

  "The question comes down to whether we are going to seize the opportunity we have or are we going to have a repeat of 2018. Are we going to get frustrated? Are we going to stay home when it's time to vote because Trump's name is not on the ballot? That is really what this gets down to."
  – Brian Mudd (15:55)

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Featured Interview: John Decker, iHeartRadio White House Correspondent

Thematic Segments and Timestamps

A. President Trump’s Leadership and Stamina

(24:04 - 25:10)

• Brian Mudd introduces John Decker, highlighting his extensive experience covering multiple administrations.
• Decker praises Trump’s energy and willingness to engage with the press:

  "I am always impressed by his stamina that he's had, not only in his first term, but in the second term as well."
  – John Decker (24:33)

B. U.S. Foreign Policy: Iran, Venezuela, and Adversarial Response

(25:10 - 29:25)

• Decker and Mudd discuss the escalating protests in Iran and Trump’s public support for Iranian demonstrators.
• Decker notes Trump’s unpredictability and credibility on the world stage, referencing his record of following through on threats.
• Mudd details Trump’s strategic efforts to isolate adversarial alliances (China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, etc.), reducing their ability to coordinate responses.

  “Presidents, no matter who is in the Oval Office, need to realize that their words are paid attention to by not only our allies but also our adversaries.”
  – John Decker (28:00)

C. Domestic Policy and the Government Shutdown Threat

(29:25 - 31:32)

• The segment pivots to the risk of a partial government shutdown at the end of January and the limited number of congressional working days.
• Decker notes the lack of readiness in Congress for negotiations but stresses that a shutdown is undesirable for both parties in a midterm year.

D. Health Care and ACA Subsidies

(31:32 - 33:54)

• The expiration of COVID-era Obamacare (ACA) subsidies is leading to increased healthcare costs for millions, which Democrats intend to make a midterm issue.
• Decker reports little Republican appetite for renewing or extending these subsidies, given the lack of Senate support.

E. Legal Landscape: Key Supreme Court Cases

(33:54 - 36:09)

• Decker previews important Supreme Court cases for 2026, including decisions about presidential power (removal of Federal Reserve/FTC members) and a pivotal tariffs case.
• Trump is reportedly most invested in the resolution of the tariffs case due to its substantial impact on his domestic and foreign economic policy.

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Listener Call and Tariff Discussion

(40:33 - 41:16)

• Caller Robert challenges the panel to review Supreme Court precedent on "natural born citizen."
• Offers a practical point about tariffs—most are applied at the port, not retail, meaning costs are often absorbed by importers.
• Mudd agrees, noting that this method has contributed to inflation staying below expert predictions, while creating $200 billion in government revenue.

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Memorable Quotes

• "Less government equals more money in your pocket every time. And we are going to see the benefit of it now."
  – Brian Mudd (14:28)

• "If you make a threat and you don't follow through with that threat ... our adversaries pay attention to that and they test us and they test presidents."
  – John Decker (28:00)

• "You ain't imagining it. The world has gone insane. Reclaim your sanity with Clay and Buck."
  – Brian Mudd (36:22)

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Important Timestamps

• 02:58 – Mudd channels Rush Limbaugh, spotlighting individualism over collectivism.
• 07:00 – Analysis of Republican successes and criticism of internal disputes.
• 12:00 – Overview of Trump-era legislative/tax accomplishments.
• 15:00 – Discussion on foreign investment numbers and realization of benefits.
• 24:04 – John Decker joins, reflects on Trump’s energy and leadership.
• 25:39 – Decker on Trump’s foreign policy resolve and unpredictability.
• 29:25 – The challenge of government shutdown, the reality of congressional gridlock.
• 31:32 – Health care as a wedge issue in upcoming midterms.
• 33:54 – Supreme Court legal battles likely to affect Trump’s agenda.
• 39:10 – The impact of U.S. military action on Venezuela and the drug trade.
• 40:33 – Listener call on tariffs and Supreme Court precedent.

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Overall Tone and Takeaways

The hour blends optimism about conservative policy outcomes with warnings against voter complacency and internal division on the right. Mudd’s style is frank, energetic, and often invokes historical and economic data to argue for a continued focus on individualism, “peace through strength,” and long-term strategic thinking.
John Decker’s reportage lends authority and an insider’s perspective on both executive stamina and legal battles looming in Washington.

This episode is valuable for politically engaged listeners interested in how conservative pundits evaluate the impact of current Republican leadership, especially in the shadow of looming midterm elections and consequential court cases.

Transcript

[Karen and Georgia]

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[Brian Mudd]

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[Brian Mudd]

All we want's the greatest country we can handle. We know how we got here, we know how we gonna stay here and how we're gonna grow. And it isn't running around talking about collectivism and having the public get veto rights over pay. I'll tell you what made the country great. It's the people who make this country work. I don't care that are rich, middle class, third or fourth quintile. It's the people that make this country great, not government and not government policies and not government regulations. It is the freedom that we all acknowledge we have that allows us to pursue whatever our dreams and ambitions are, as unfettered as any people in the history of civilization have ever been. Amen. Amen. Timeless wisdom from the late, great Maha Rushi that happened to be from May 31st of 2007. And producer Ali. She was going through suffering through in New York City, the Kami Mamdani speech. After being sworn in, she said, you know what reminded me of Rush saying that it's true. It is the people that make this country great. The reason why the 80s were great, because you were allowed to keep more of what you earn. You are allowed to be successful. The reason why things ended up being really great during Trump's first term, right before the nonsense of the pandemic, was because we had great policy being put in place. Again, great policy being we had peace, we had lower taxes, we had next to no inflation, things were great. The problem that we tend to get ourselves in is that we take so much of this for granted, and then we don't do the most basic things that we can do to make a difference, to permanently make our lives better. Hey, there it is. Brian Mudd in for Clay and Buck. The guys will be back on Monday ready to rip and be looking forward to them as much as you. And as we're taking a look at this New Year, I was thinking about all these successes, so many of them that I, I broke down in, in detail on New Year's Eve for you. And I was thinking about what went into that and what we are set up for going forward. But then you take a look at the political analysis that's out there and everybody, Republicans are set to get waxed and we had a color last hours like Republicans are going to get waxed. It's going to happen if you, if you let it. It'll happen if you let it. But it doesn't necessarily have to be that way. And there's a really instructive point with something that he said, well, what have Republicans in Congress done? Exactly what Donald Trump wanted them to do. It is so easy to take things for granted. You know, if they ended up passing. Let's just say as a matter of exercise, you had 30 different bills that the one big beautiful bill did not exist. It was just 30 different bills to pass all of the Trump agenda. What do you feel like a lot more was accomplished because they passed 30 individual pieces of legislation to get there. That's why it was such a big deal. That's why there was so much that went into that. It was the Trump agenda. And so, yeah, you can find things to quibble about. Yeah, there are plenty of rhinos out there. And the other thing I'll always remind people is, look, you're never going to agree with anybody 100%, even if you're the politician. Something I've always said, I today will probably not be the exact same person I am in about five years. I, five years now would probably not agree with me today on everything. It's all part of being a learning, thinking, growing person. Right. Life's irony. The more you know, the more you realize how little you actually know and you go out there and you learn more. And so this is what the left has always had over us on the right. It's that they are not worried about altruism. It's the means justifying the end. It's the rules for radicals approach. You know, it's the, the Weather Underground, it's the heirs, it's the Obama that's learning under them and playing the long game. Getting all of his people in place, then getting his puppet Biden in place and getting Team Auto Pen and then getting the socialist Obama agenda in place over the prior four years. That's the kind of game that the left always plays. Republicans go, yeah, but, yeah, but Pam Bondi and Epstein or something, okay, and so now you're going to let Marxism take control of the country going forward. Not a good idea. Not bright. So what I am doing, going through so many of these successes from year one, in many cases that have barely been felt and won't be felt until this year, in some cases, won't fully be felt until next year, just like was the case during Trump's first term, as a means of conditioning not to make the same mistakes that we did in 2018, not to let Democrats end up waxing Republicans in the midterms and having Trump's final two years spent with impeachments and just trying to destroy this country doesn't need to be that way. We are set up for unprecedented success if we appreciate it, if we do our part. Now, one of the things that was accomplished with that one big beautiful bill act, the tax cuts, right? So just kind of going through the high points and things that are better and have yet to be felt for just about anybody. You know, the average employee who earns tips going to be saving about $2,000 annually in federal taxes. Kind of a big deal. The average employee who works overtime at any point during a given year, going to be saving about 1400 bucks in federal income taxes. 90% of Social Security recipients going to have no federal income tax liability for Social Security. That'll save them an average of about 1500 bucks per year. I mean, this is huge money, but again, hasn't even been felt by these people for the most part because next to nobody took a look at the new law having been passed and made adjustments to their withholding. And so that's why you're going to see the record refunds once people file their taxes. It's all part of what is going to be felt down the road. All part of why we are set for unprecedented success. That much more money in people's hands. All the peace that is out there and talk about the, the negotiated peace that even a lot of Trump supporters, they were not familiar with, you know, here are the eight different wars and like Azerbaijan in Armenia, not a lot of people up on the conflict there, but Trump brought peace. And Cambodia and Thailand, Israel and Iran, massive one. The Gazans in Israel and Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, India and Pakistan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Serbia, Kosovo, and all of that ends up bringing a benefit along with it. And it also brings credibility as President. Trump is looking to put an end to the Russian, Ukraine war. Lots of constructive meetings over the past week as he was working through the, the holidays on all of that, as he continued to apply pressure on Venezuela that is resulting in Maduro saying, you know what, I think it's probably time to go ahead and, and negotiate. We're ready to, to talk to, to the United States. We, we would like to, we'd like to come to some kind of agreement. Yeah. Trump continuing to put policies in place daily. It will continue to pay a benefit down the road. Crime. Crime was a huge benefit over the past year. Homicide, 17% lower than a year ago today. Robberies 25% lower. Thefts 25% lower overall. Violent crimes, 11% lower. Property crimes 12% lower. Now that kind of stuff doesn't just happen, but do we necessarily appreciate it, do we take it for granted? Are we going to put politicians back into place that support the higher crime? The support of the Biden administration that went along with all the nonsense that are going to run things like they are set to run New York City? Is that the way to go? Because we're mad that Republican didn't do what I wanted to in Congress on this particular thing. Is that better? You want to have more crime? One of the other untold things that most people have not realized the benefit of and it's all part of why, for example, inflation is coming in lower than the experts, the so called economic experts thought the regulations. Trump getting rid of over 640 regulations over the past year means that Life is about $600 cheaper this year than it was this time last year. Heading into this year, just due to not having a bunch of regulations that you didn't even really know existed, life's going to be about $600 cheaper per household this year. Not bad. All part of how every single household is in a better position today, if for no other reason. So many of these things, you know, by the time you take a look at how many households can benefit from the tax policies, how many households can benefit from reduced consumer expense, that's everybody, by the way. How many households can benefit from a lower rate of inflation, which is everybody. One of the big reasons why these so called economic experts have been dead wrong about economic growth and about inflation coming down over the past year has been because of the immigration policy that wasn't fully accounted for and how inflationary that was. But then also all of the impacts that are associated with better energy policy and all the impacts that are associated with fewer regulations and all these things, you know, less government equals more money in your pocket every time. And we are going to See the benefit of it now. And one of the big things, the biggest of all actually, and it was just a remarkable deal. The total round trip investment that President Trump secured last year for the United States was $9.6 trillion. And at some point, it's just numbers, you know, it's like a trillion dollars. What is that to put that in perspective for you? Total foreign investment into the United States over the entire prior 10 year period. If you take a look 2015 to 2024, how much new investment came in from outside the United States into it, it was 2.2 trillion. Okay, so let me put this in perspective. What Trump was able to secure in 11 plus months was the equivalent of what in today's dollars we would have secured in about 44 years of policy previously. He did in 11 months what we were pacing 44 years to achieve. And again, so much of this is just going to start to be realized. And so the short list, the abbreviated list of incredible accomplishments is I think, taken for granted. But it does equal unprecedented success in our lives going forward with a lot of the impacts that are going to be felt. Like a time release thing, you know, it's like taking that time release pill, not going to feel it two minutes after you take it. It's going to take some time. But we already have the roadmap. We're not telling you something that you haven't already lived because this is exactly what happened during Trump's first term, only it's that on steroids because he's been able to accomplish so much more and by the way, had a Congress, even with slim majorities, that was far more cooperative than it was during Trump's first term as well, when Republicans were not ready to govern because the boobs that were leading the party at that point in Congress, oh, didn't think that Trump was going to win either. And so then they kind of bumbled their way into it. That was not the case this year. So we are set up for a really good level of success here. So the question comes down to whether we are going to seize the opportunity we have or are we going to have a repeat of 2018. Are we going to get frustrated? Are we going to stay home when it's time to vote because Trump's name is not on the ballot? That is really what this gets down to. I'm Brian Mudd, in for Clayne, Buck, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton telling it like it is. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Karen and Georgia]

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[John Decker]

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[Brian Mudd]

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[John Decker]

That when working people stand together, when.

[Brian Mudd]

We don't let them divide us up.

[John Decker]

There is nothing we cannot accomplish.

[Brian Mudd]

Hey, the working people. You know, it's always been one of the things I've tried to figure out. The working people, I've tried to wonder and figure out how it is that you become a non working person. Like if you work more than eight hours in a day or whatever the union guidelines are, does that make you no longer a working person? Or what level of income is it like you work your butt off your entire life and then you have some success and you start making above average income. At what point of that level of work does it no longer become work? Is it 100,000? 150 is a 200. Just whatever point that you go from being a working person to, to somebody who is no longer part of the working class. Just good times in New York. The burn as part of his speech along with AOC and Mandani after he was sworn in, talking about the opportunity we have for unprecedented success this year. Perhaps this out of New York City or maybe California, the way that things are going and there's some other select blue places along the way. By the way, we have had breaking news within the past hour or so. You've had the Department of Justice, the FBI that said they thwarted a potential New Year's Eve terror attack just outside of Charlotte in a smaller town where you had an 18 year old who was pledging allegiance to ISIS and ended up conversing with somebody he thought was a terrorist and ended up being a member of the FBI and they were able to, to take him down before carrying out an attack at a, a grocery store, as we've been told. So great work there by the folks in law enforcement. Good times still that you have people that are associating with, with ISIS and with Islamic terror. You know, that was all part of what has to be cleaned up from Biden. Remember that? We didn't have those issues by the time that Trump was done after his first term. We went from ISIS and the caliphate to Trump bombing the blank out of him in the early months of his first term. And then that was the last you heard about all that until, well, you got Biden in there and then suddenly the weakness around the world allowed the proliferation of ISIS and terror once again. And yeah, they ended up radicalizing stateside yet again. But all part of what, what is being worked on being cleaned up right now. Okay, so talking about everything that has been accomplished in the first year and the success that we are set up for heading into this year and whether we're going to allow this to be a repeat of 2018 or whether we are going to do what we need to do to see to it that we follow through and take advantage of the opportunity in front of us. I've got the roadmap for that we're going to talk about in just a bit. On the other side, we are going to be joined by iHeartRadio's White House correspondent John Decker, who has spent his fair share of time with the president throughout even the the holiday season. And it's going to have the very latest out of Washington. And also what we're going to be looking at from a legal perspective as well. He's an attorney and also the only member of the press corps is an attorney, but he can also argue before the Supreme Court. So he has a lot of good perspective for us on the legal side of things as well. So all that is coming up next. I'm Brian Mudd in for Clay and Buck. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. On the front lines of truth.

[Karen and Georgia]

Social media is filled with videos of protests across Iran with chants that have moved past anger about the economy and a collapsed currency, focused as well on the regime's leadership and a demand for the return of the shah, the king. The US Based human rights activist news agency has documented seven deaths so far. Now President Trump's writing on Truth Social that if Iran kills protesters, the US Will come to their rescue, that we are locked and loaded and ready to go.

[Brian Mudd]

Some of the big news today that we are locked and loaded. The president locked and loaded straight through the holiday season. These spot the white Wall Street Journal report saying, you know what, we saw him somewhere and he had his there's a meeting and he closed his eyes. You know, that means, you know, the guy's old. I mean I again, I put anybody at the WSJ against Trump for a day and see how long you can hang. The guy really doesn't sleep. It'd probably be helpful if he did a little bit more. But we have a lot that has been going on straight through the holiday season, including as you hear the support in Iran, Venezuela looking now to come to the negotiating table perhaps after the president's pressure campaign offshore and the boats that go boom with the narco drug runners that have been taken out in recent months. Joining us to talk about this and much more as we take a look at what's on the agenda for 2026. IHeartRadio's White House correspondent and the host of the White House Briefing Room, John Decker. John, happy New Year.

[John Decker]

Happy new year to YouTube. Brian, thanks for having me on today. A lot to look forward to in 2026. Happy New Year to you. By the way, Brian, good to be with you.

[Brian Mudd]

Absolutely. And, yeah, I know from your perspective, you've covered every president since Clinton, and you have frequently said that Trump keeps you on your toes and certainly is as busy and willing to deal with the press corps as any president you've ever dealt with.

[John Decker]

Well, that's true, you know, and I think that that's instructive for anybody that, you know, is questioning in any way Donald Trump's ability to sustain himself for 24 hours. I think that I agree with you. He is a person who has a tremendous amount of energy. I'm actually always amazed. I travel with him, as you know, Brian travel with him both domestically and also when he does the foreign trips. And I have to say, I am always impressed by his stamina that he's had, not only in his first term, but in the second term as well.

[Brian Mudd]

Yeah, I mean, just doing events with the president, I'll often wear down and get tired while he's still going. So you take a look. Let's take that piece with Iran here for a moment. This is a situation where the president is articulating to the people of Iran, look, stand up and keep doing what you're doing. And if you need support, we're here. What do you make of that? What are the possibilities here at this point as you have the economy collapsing over there and the protests continuing to grow?

[John Decker]

Well, anything's possible, you know, with President Trump, as, you know, the first year of his second term, he did take decisive military action against Iran. And, you know, that shows that, I think, to the leadership of Iran, that the president isn't afraid about repercussions, afraid of pulling the trigger, so to speak. So I think that, you know, they should take his social media posts at face value, you know, even though this is a president who not only in his first term, but also in his second term campaigned on the idea of ending those forever wars. I don't think President Trump necessarily likes to get involved militarily involving the military in foreign affairs. But, you know, when the president feels it's necessary, we see this in Venezuela, as you mentioned, Brian, he's not afraid of actually doing what's necessary to do what he believes is in America's national interest.

[Brian Mudd]

And on that note, One of the things that he's very strategically done through his first 11 plus months in office, and he started right away in the Middle east, seemingly isolating each of the new Axis powers, if you will, or the new alliance that way. You know, I always say that China isn't just China. China is Russia, China is North Korea with a little rocket man. And it's also Iran, it's Venezuela, it's Nicaragua, it's Cuba. It's all of these countries that are aligned with one another. President Trump has seemingly done a really good job in isolating them to a certain extent from each other to the extent they can. One of the things always look at when you have a situation with Iran and the mops that were dropped, the nuclear program that was devastated, you didn't see a response from Russia, you didn't see a response from China. You take a look at what we've been doing with the narco boats from Venezuela, you haven't seen a response from those countries. And now here we are again with Iran setting the stage the way he has, including getting the support of other Middle Eastern countries to the extent he has. Does that not lend more credibility to these statements than perhaps would otherwise be there in Iran realizing, hey, maybe we are on our own here?

[John Decker]

Well, I think that's right. You know, and presidents, no matter who is in the Oval Office, need to realize that their words are paid attention to by not only our allies, but also our adversaries. And if you make a threat and you don't follow through with that threat, that threat, Brian, our adversaries pay attention to that and they test us and they test presidents. And so the president very much aware of that. You know, that's the reason why he has followed through on many of the threats that he's made during the course of, as you point out, his first 11 plus months in office, in his second term. And, you know, I think that, you know, gives notice to those adversaries around the world that the US when necessary, will defend its national interest. I think all that being said, 2026 is a very interesting year because the President very much wants to hold to control of both the House and the Senate. And you know what I hear? Maybe you hear the same thing, Brian, from the President's strongest supporters, people that back everything the President does. They really want the President to focus this year, this midterm election year on domestic issues. And presidents like to do that and want to do that. But sometimes things happen that forces presidents to focus on foreign affairs. And we'll See what happens in 2026.

[Brian Mudd]

You know so much and you bring up such a good point. It's been a big theme of my show today is what had been accomplished in the first year. In many cases, that's not necessarily going to be felt on the domestic side until later on in this year and maybe even in the third year. Kind of similar to some of what we saw in his first term in office, including tax cuts, for example, that a lot of people aren't going to realize the benefits of until they file taxes, because then change withholding and items along those lines. Some of the affordability matters when it comes to fewer regulations, lower interest rates going forward, things of that order. So perhaps if there is a good job communicating and people are seeing the benefit of it progressively, things could be a little bit different that way. But I think you raise a really instructive point talking about the domestic agenda. Of course, we not so long ago went through the longest partial government shutdown in history and we have another deadline coming up at the end of this month. What are you hearing at this point about what's going to happen? I think what Congress has only like eight days in session together during the course of January?

[John Decker]

Yeah, that's right. So they've kicked the can down the road until the end of this month, keeping the government funded through that period of time. But then they have to fund the government, you know, going forward. The fiscal year begins on October 1st every year, and that means you have to have a funded government all the way through September 30th. And right now, as things stand, I don't see any indication that when Congress comes back to begin the new year, they're ready to negotiate to avoid a government shutdown. That being said, Brian, it's in no one's interest, not in the interest of Republicans or Democrats, to have another government shut down, particularly in a midterm election year. And maybe that different dynamic changes things for 2026 because the dynamic is so different politically compared with 2025.

[Brian Mudd]

One of the hot buttons that has been front center in all this, the ACA subsidies, the COVID era ACA subsidies that have now la on New Year's Day. And so that is something. Aware there's a little dissension within Republican ranks as well. You have Senator Rick Scott, who's proposed a plan that you are seeing a lot of Republicans that are kind of rallying around any any idea of the lay of the land on that issue in particular.

[John Decker]

Can you repeat that question one more time, Brian? I'm sorry I missed what you said.

[Brian Mudd]

Sure. So you have the COVID era ACA subsidies that have now expired. That was front and center there. There is some dissension within Republican ranks on, on that issue whether it should be extended temporarily or go for something bigger which should be a theoretical, permanent fix. Senator Rick Scott has offered up a proposal. They have some Republicans rallying around. What. What are you hearing on the health care side specifically?

[John Decker]

Well, what I'm hearing politically is that Democrats intend to make this a political issue for the midter fact that, you know, there are 20 million plus Americans that effective January the first are paying more for their health care insurance premiums because those Obamacare subsidies went away. And you know, obviously it's unfortunate for those individuals that, you know now have this added cost. But those additional subsidies, as you know, Brian, were not supposed to last forever. They were applied during the pandemic. The pandemic is no longer around and they were due to set to expire. They have expired. I don't see anything indicating on the Republican side that the votes are there to do something about extending those subsidies and putting them back in place. We saw there were not the votes in the Senate. That's where the problem was. In the Senate in particular, you need to get 60 votes procedurally to move legislation forward on this front. And they don't have anywhere near near 60 at this point. And I don't see any Republicans changing their minds from the way they voted on this issue in 2025, even though it is an election year in 2026.

[Brian Mudd]

And I want to make sure I get some legal perspective from you as well. Brian Mudwood, John Decker, White House Correspondent he also is an attorney and also happens to be able to argue cases before the United States Supreme Court Court. You've been there for a lot of the big cases, including the tariffs case, the hearing and so a couple of the big ones. You have the Birthright citizenship executive order. You've got tariffs. Your thoughts about the legal landscape?

[John Decker]

Well, it's going to be a very interesting year. I'm going to be in the Supreme Court in I believe just a few weeks. I believe the date is January 21st. That's an important case for the administration that involves the president attempting to remove Lisa Cook as a member of the Federal Reserve Board. And at the end of 2025, you had that case before the Supreme Court involving Rebecca Slaughter, a member of the FTC who was removed from her position on the ftc. So that those two particular cases involve an expansion of presidential power. And you mentioned that tariffs case, I would have thought that by the end of 2025, we would have had the Supreme Court weighing in on that particular case. I was in the Supreme Court for those oral arguments as well. But I would imagine that a decision by the Supreme Court on that particular issue, which is so critical to President Trump and his agenda, will be delivered by the Supreme Court within the next few weeks for sure.

[Brian Mudd]

Okay, so a lot's going to happen here very quickly. And your view?

[John Decker]

Oh, absolutely. I think that the tariffs case, a decision by the Supreme Court, I do expect relatively quickly. I do not expect the Supreme Court's going to wait until the end of their term, which is the end of June, to weigh in on that. So much depends on the way the Supreme Court rules on that issue as it relates to Donald Trump's agenda, his agenda for domestic policy, his agenda for foreign policy as well. That that's the case. I asked the President this question so often, Brian. That's the case that he is paying the most attention to. And obviously he's hoping that the super conservative majority sides with him on this particular issue.

[Brian Mudd]

Check out his podcast, the White House Briefing Room with John Decker, iHeartRadio's White House correspondent John Decker. Thank you so much for joining us. Happy New Year.

[John Decker]

Happy New Year. Thanks so much, Brian. Talk to you real soon. Bye bye.

[Brian Mudd]

Prime Mud in for Clay and Buck. You ain't imagining it. The world has gone insane. Reclaim your sanity with Clay and Buck. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Brian Mudd]

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[Karen and Georgia]

To talks with Washington following months of American military. In an interview on state tv, Maduro said, quote, wherever they want and whenever they want. In a reference to a dialogue with the US on drug trafficking, oil and immigration. To date, Maduro has not confirmed a US Land attack on a docking facility in his country. US Forces have also carried out numerous strikes on suspected narco boats since September, killing more than 100 people.

[Brian Mudd]

Oh, by the way, and one of the things that the boats that go boom, taking those out, we've disrupted the drug flow, the illicit drug trade into the United states by approximately 30%. Kind of a big deal. One of the many things that at this point is underappreciated. You get rid of about 30% of the illicit drug trade and now you have Maduro who you can trust as far as you can throw him buddies. We're ready to talk. We're, we're ready to do something differently here. So we'll see where that goes again. President Trump's pressure campaign has been effective, same as it was in Iran, same as it's been so many times. The ultimate peace through strength that continues to be on display. We were just talking with White House correspondent John Deckers talking about tariffs. Roberts on the line and is interested in the topic as well. Happy New Year, Robert.

[John Decker]

Happy New Year to you too. A few points, even one for your guest. You need to read and this is a challenge to you, pull up the Supreme Court ruling minor versus half or set. It will tell you in excruciating detail what a natural born citizen is. And it has nothing to do with just happenstance. Be born in the United States has.

[Brian Mudd]

Nothing to do with that.

[John Decker]

As for tariffs, many people don't understand that tariffs are not on the retail price of the product. I think it's on less than the wholesale price, which is why these companies are more than willing to absorb that cost because they're already charging at 200% what they pay for.

[Brian Mudd]

Yeah, Robert, it's a, it's a great point. We've got to leave it there because we're, we're coming up on the the top of the hour here. But no, you're exactly right. It ultimately is paid at the ports and you have had almost all of the tariff expense that has been absorbed. You've had the actual impact in the markets as you've taken a look at the rate of inflation come down year over year be far less than any of the economists were saying and what over $200 billion that's come in in the meantime, got the roadmap for this year. Next Brian Mudd in for Clay and Buck. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton on the front lines of truth.

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[Brian Mudd]

Shipt since I signed up for target circle360 no price markups when I order same day delivery from tons of local stores. Only a handful of alcohol retailers and items don't count. I won't lie, I've had too much fun being like Markups on groceries not in my fridge. Markups on pet food not for my dog. Markups on tools, electronics, home goods, meds. Not in my house. Anyway, it's awesome. Order [e-mail] 360trees apply.

[Karen and Georgia]

Hi, it's Karen and Georgia from My favorite Murder. We're careful about what we eat, drink and clean with. We should take as much care with what we put on our faces. Crunchy makes high performance non toxic skincare and makeup. So Crunchy just sent me some products and I am losing my mind. I put some of their beautifully flawless foundation on one of my hands and so now one of my hands looks 10 years younger than my other hand. So visit crunchy.com to shop clean beauty that performs and take 20% off your order with code MFM. That's code M F M C-R-U-N-C-H-I.com the real clean Beauty Goodbye. This is an I Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.