The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 2 - Mamdani is Wrong About Everything

Date: October 16, 2025
Host: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

In this spirited and wide-ranging second hour, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton unpack the day’s hottest headlines with their signature blend of humor, skepticism, and sharp cultural critique. They focus heavily on reactions to controversial statements about Israel, Gaza, and the hostages by Christiane Amanpour, discuss the problematic rhetoric and economic proposals of New York assemblyman Zohran Kwame Mamdani, and poke fun at accent politics, all while keeping the conversation engaging and relatable.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Accents in Media (02:05–06:50)

• Topic: The undue credibility and success afforded to television personalities with British accents in the U.S.
• Discussion: Clay and Buck jokingly estimate that Christiane Amanpour and John Oliver owe up to 75% of their careers to their British accents, suggesting that Americans irrationally associate such accents with intelligence and sophistication.
  • Clay Travis (02:27): “What percentage of her professional success is related to her accent? … Would she be 75% less successful in her career?”
  • Buck Sexton (02:41): “There was a time when, if you had a British accent of any kind, people just assumed you were smart and they should listen to you in America…”
• Memorable Moment: Playful banter about code-switching and the embrace (or not) of Southern accents and the contraction “y’all,” with Buck lobbying for a national adoption of the term and joking about his "honorary Southern privileges" (05:29–06:29).

2. Christiane Amanpour’s Controversial Hostage Comment & Walk-back (06:50–11:58)

• Topic: Amanpour’s suggestion on CNN that Israeli hostages were “probably being treated better than the average Gazan,” and her subsequent apology.
• Discussion: Clay and Buck criticize Amanpour for parroting Hamas talking points and failing to understand (or deliberately misrepresenting) the reality of hostage conditions.
  • Amanpour’s Original Comment Played: (07:04, 09:03)
  • Clay Travis (07:33): “She said… the hostages… probably being treated better than the average person in Gaza.”
  • Buck Sexton (08:19): “She sounds like a Hamas negotiator…”
• Amanpour’s Apology: Played and gently mocked as insincere, with Buck asserting that her first statement reflected her true beliefs and the apology was “by CNN corporate leadership” (09:41–10:11).
• Further Commentary:
  • Clay and Buck note the manipulation of civilian casualty statistics by Hamas and point out that Israel’s operations are among the most targeted in modern warfare (10:52–11:58).
    • Clay Travis (10:58): “…this was probably the most targeted attack on bad guys that we have ever seen in the history of modern warfare…”

3. Israel, Gaza, and Hamas: Onus for Civilian Casualties (11:58–12:47)

• Topic: The responsibility for civilian casualties in Gaza.
• Discussion: Buck stresses that Hamas could have avoided all civilian casualties by not attacking Israel (Oct 7) and surrendering hostages immediately. Instead, Hamas’s choices perpetuate conflict and suffering.
  • Buck Sexton (12:15): “If you start a fight and then you choose to fight, you don’t get to cry when you lose the fight…”

4. Breaking News – Trump’s Call with Putin (12:47–14:25)

• Topic: President Trump’s just-completed call with Vladimir Putin, discussing Middle East peace and hopes for ending the Ukraine war.
• Details: Clay reads Trump’s post about the call, covering topics such as trade, future high-level talks, and the possibility of a summit in Budapest, Hungary.

5. Listener Feedback: Regional Accents, Baby Back Ribs & Shark Fears (20:21–23:56)

• Topic: Listener engagement, Southern accents, and a humorous anecdote.

• Memorable Listener Moments:

  • A caller from the Twin Cities analyzes Clay’s subtle Southern accent (21:08–21:35).
  • Another listener shares a story about nearly choking on ribs and joking about Clay’s “great white shark” theory for death (22:31–22:57).
    • Listener (22:57): “What I should have asked him was, are you okay? Instead, I said, please don’t prove Clay right. At least let’s get the great white shark in here if you’re going to die. We had a great laugh together…”

• Shark Phobia: The hosts riff on fear of sharks and the psychological impact of risky ocean swims at night (23:34–23:54).

6. John Fetterman & Government Shutdown Votes (25:08–26:45)

• Topic: Clarifying Senator Fetterman’s voting record amid the government shutdown and the inevitable continuation of deficit spending.

7. Mamdani’s Fox News Interview – Evasion on Hamas & Progressive Economics (28:05–39:14)

• Topic: Zoran Mamdani’s evasive interview with Martha MacCallum on Hamas, Israel, and his left-wing economic solutions.
• Key Moments:
  • Martha MacCallum’s direct questioning (32:23–33:09):
    • MacCallum: “Do you believe Hamas should lay down their weapons and leave leadership in Gaza?”
    • Mamdani (32:44): [Evasive] “I believe that any future here in New York City is one that we have to make sure that's affordable for all... As it pertains to Israel and Palestine, we have to ensure that there is peace...”
  • The hosts mock his refusal to give a straight answer, drawing a parallel to Abigail Spanberger dodging on trans issues.
• Analysis of Mamdani’s Rhetoric:
  • Clay describes Mamdani as “wrong about everything” but acknowledges his effectiveness as a communicator and his appeal to young, economically ignorant voters (34:09–36:20).
    • Clay Travis (36:13): “He’s wrong about everything. But talks a good game...you can deliver absolute missiles if you smile while you do it.”
  • Buck dissects the fallacies of Mamdani’s progressive housing proposals, pointing to regulation and government intervention as root causes of unaffordable housing (36:20–38:27).
• Broader Point: Government is inherently inefficient; giving them more power over markets leads to higher costs and fewer results, as evidenced by disastrous government projects in places like California (38:27–39:14).

8. Brief Teasers for Coming Segments (46:01):

• Obama’s involvement in the Virginia governor’s race.
• AOC’s comments on masculinity.
• The rise of AI-generated articles on the Internet.

9. Fun Moment – Buck’s Baby Joins the Show (45:12–46:49)

• Memorable Visual: Buck introduces his six-month-old son, James, on video for the YouTube audience.
  • Buck Sexton (46:49): “He just speed says to everybody that he loves America and he loves all of you who listen to the show because you have great taste in radio and also maga. These are the things he’s saying right now.”
• Lighthearted encouragement to visit the show’s YouTube for the cute baby cameo.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "She sounds like a Hamas negotiator... She sounds like she could be doing the Hamas back and forth with Trump, et cetera, herself."
  — Buck Sexton on Amanpour's comments (08:19)

• "He’s wrong about everything. But talks a good game. And there are a lot of people out there, that if you smile... you can deliver absolute missiles if you smile while you do it."
  — Clay Travis (36:13)

• "If you start a fight and then you choose to fight, you don't get to cry when you lose the fight, which is exactly what has been going on here the whole time."
  — Buck Sexton (12:47)

• "He is way better at saying nothing than Abigail Spanberger is. And he smiles and he knows how to play the television game... a handsome, good looking, telegenic disciple of all the wrong messaging, but he does it so well that a lot of people just don't even recognize what he's arguing."
  — Clay Travis on Mamdani (34:09)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• The accent discussion and media (Amanpour/Oliver): 02:05–06:50
• Amanpour’s Gaza/hostage comments & apology: 06:50–11:58
• Onus for Gaza casualties: 11:58–12:47
• Trump’s call with Putin: 12:47–14:25
• Listener accent feedback & baby back rib story: 20:21–23:06
• Government shutdown/Fetterman discussion: 25:08–26:45
• Mamdani’s Fox News interview & progressive housing critique: 28:05–39:14
• Buck’s baby joins the show: 45:12–46:49

Episode Tone & Style

The hour delivers a dynamic mix of pointed political critique, cultural lampooning, and personal anecdotes—with plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor and plainspoken candor. Clay and Buck challenge their audience to push past surface narratives and always question politicians and media elites—even (or especially!) when those elites wield British accents.

For further details and more lively banter—including Obama’s entrance in Virginia politics, AOC’s masculinity commentary, and rise of AI journalism—catch the next hour or find extended content on their YouTube channel!