wavePod

Get Wave AI

Hour 2 - Miranda Devine on the Biden Brand Decline - The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show | Wave AI Podcast Notes

Back to The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Hour 2 - Miranda Devine on the Biden Brand Decline

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Wed Mar 19 2025

Summary

Summary of "The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show" – Hour 2: Miranda Devine on the Biden Brand Decline

Release Date: March 19, 2025
Host: Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
Guest: Miranda Devine
Podcast Information: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show tackles the biggest stories in news, politics, and current events with intelligence and humor. Hosts Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with engaging conversations and opinions.

1. Introduction of Miranda Devine

Timestamp [00:31]: Buck Sexton welcomes Miranda Devine, highlighting her credentials, including her books Laptop From Hell and The Big Guy, her column in the New York Post, and her investigative work on the Secret Service's involvement with the Biden family.

2. IRS Whistleblowers Investigating Hunter Biden

Timestamp [01:14]: Buck introduces the topic of IRS whistleblowers Gary Shapley and Joe Ziegler, who have been investigating Hunter Biden's tax affairs.
Timestamp [01:30]: Miranda Devine explains that these whistleblowers faced ostracization but received promotions under the Trump administration. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant promoted them to senior advisory roles to reform the IRS, with plans to place them in senior leadership positions within the agency after a year.

"This is absolutely fantastic news and really, I think the first vindication that we've seen in the Trump administration of these valiant whistleblowers." – Miranda Devine [01:20]

3. Hunter Biden's Security Detail and Activities

Timestamp [02:41] - [04:50]: Clay and Buck express astonishment at the extensive Secret Service protection afforded to Hunter Biden despite his questionable activities, including his luxurious vacations and lack of substantial employment.
Timestamp [04:56] - [05:34]: Miranda details Hunter Biden's travels, particularly his 90-day stay in Cape Town, South Africa, and criticizes his lack of legitimate employment, labeling his endeavors as leveraging his father's name for personal gain.

"He's just grifted off his father's name." – Miranda Devine [04:59]

4. Decline of the Biden Brand

Timestamp [05:34] - [07:41]: The discussion shifts to the declining reputation of the Biden family, focusing on Hunter Biden's failed ventures, such as his oil paintings and books, which have not met commercial success. Miranda attributes this decline to a loss of protection following the Trump administration's crackdowns.

"He can't sell his paintings, no one's buying his awful book." – Miranda Devine [05:52]

5. Impact of Miranda Devine's Journalism

Timestamp [07:41] - [09:06]: Clay praises Miranda's investigative journalism, particularly her reporting on Hunter Biden's Secret Service detail, which led to direct action from the Trump administration to reduce unnecessary protection for the Biden family members.

"Donald Trump said… he then pulled not only the 18 agents that were with Hunter Biden in Cape Town, but also 13 agents he said were assigned to Ashley Biden." – Miranda Devine [09:06]

6. Personal Anecdotes and Upcoming Events

Timestamp [11:46] - [15:16]: The conversation becomes more casual, with Clay mentioning his upcoming trip to the NCAA wrestling tournaments on Air Force One with President Trump. Miranda shares her plans to attend the tournament with whistleblower Tony Bobulinski, expressing excitement about the event and their collaboration.

7. Discussion on Student Loan Forgiveness and Supreme Court

Timestamp [17:18] - [22:05]: Listener Tom from Florida raises concerns about President Biden defying the Supreme Court on student loan forgiveness. Clay and Buck discuss Biden's strategy of attempting to redefine permissible actions regarding student loans, even when anticipating Supreme Court opposition.

"What Biden kept doing was trying to redefine what was and was not permissible with student loans." – Clay Travis [17:37]

8. Critique of Democratic Party's Masculinity and Voter Base

Timestamp [22:05] - [33:08]: The hosts delve into a critique of the Democratic Party's struggle with masculinity and its impact on voter dynamics. They analyze how figures like Tim Walls fail to resonate with the intended voter base, particularly white men in red states, and discuss the demographic shifts that have influenced recent elections.

"If your Trump derangement is so significant that it overrides your commitment to the idea of climate change as an existential threat, it tells us that your foundational belief system is not actually predicated in any way on climate change." – Clay Travis [21:58]

9. Concluding Remarks and Final Thoughts

Timestamp [33:08] - [35:42]: The conversation wraps up with Buck highlighting the Democratic Party's lack of clear leadership and message, emphasizing their reliance on a narrow voter base. Clay offers final thoughts on the importance of understanding voter dynamics and the implications for future political landscapes.

Notable Quotes

Miranda Devine on Whistleblowers' Vindication

"This is absolutely fantastic news and really, I think the first vindication that we've seen in the Trump administration of these valiant whistleblowers."
— Miranda Devine [01:20]
Miranda Devine on Hunter Biden's Lack of Employment

"He's just grifted off his father's name."
— Miranda Devine [04:59]
Clay Travis on Biden's Student Loan Strategy

"What Biden kept doing was trying to redefine what was and was not permissible with student loans."
— Clay Travis [17:37]
Clay Travis on the Democratic Party's Masculinity Deficit

"If your Trump derangement is so significant that it overrides your commitment to the idea of climate change as an existential threat, it tells us that your foundational belief system is not actually predicated in any way on climate change."
— Clay Travis [21:58]

Conclusion

In this episode, Miranda Devine provides a critical analysis of the ongoing investigations into Hunter Biden, highlighting the Trump administration's support for whistleblowers who challenged the Biden family's activities. The discussion extends to the extravagant security measures surrounding Hunter Biden, questioning the legitimacy and necessity of such protection. Furthermore, the conversation critiques the Democratic Party's struggle with defining masculinity and maintaining a cohesive voter base, especially among white men in red states. The hosts emphasize the broader implications of these dynamics on future political outcomes and the integrity of political institutions.

Note: This summary excludes promotional content, advertisements, and non-substantive segments to focus solely on the core discussions and insights presented during the episode.

Loading summary...

Transcript

Clay Travis (0:00)

Famous Smoke's been offering the best selection of premium cigars at the best prices for 85 years and somehow they're still the best kept secret, family owned and stocked with millions of cigars, all delivered fast and fresh to your door. Go online to famous smoke.com and use code CLAY. For 20 bucks off your order of 99 or more, get your favorite brands like Fuente, Romeo, Monte Cristo and Cohiba or try something new. Get the best cigars at better prices than your local shop. Famous smoke.com promo code clay.

Buck Sexton (0:31)

Second hour clay and Buck kicks off now. We are joined by our friend Miranda Devine. She has books like Laptop From Hell and the Big Guy. Got a great piece at the New York Post as well, where she's a columnist on the Secret Service situation with the Bidens, the the IRS whistleblowers. So much more to talk about. Miranda, thanks for being here. Let's start with this. The IRS whistleblowers who are the ones investigating Hunter Biden. And you were all over that story, as we know, and this audience will remember you from that. They were initially ostracized. They have gotten quite a promotion under Trump. Tell us what's going on here.

Miranda Devine (1:14)

Yeah, hi, Claire and Buck, this is absolutely fantastic news and really, I think the first vindication that we've seen in the Trump administration of these valiant whistleblowers. There were a number of them who stuck their head up above the parapet to warn the American people about various malfeasances under Joe Biden. And these two guys are IRS investigators, Gary Shapley and Joe Ziegler. They were the ones who kiboshed the Hunter Biden sweetheart deal on his tax crimes. And that was two years since they've been ostracized and retaliated against by their superiors in the irs. And so Scott Besant, the treasury secretary, has just jumped in, promoted both of them to important positions, first of all, as senior advisers in his office helping guide the reform of the irs. That's going to be pretty radical. And then after one year, they will go back into the agency in very senior leadership positions. And in fact, just today, Scott Bessant has said that Gary Shapley, who was the senior supervisory agent on the Hunter Biden case, he will be the deputy head of criminal investigations at the irs.

Clay Travis (2:41)

There's a lot going on, Miranda. It's like every day I get you got to keep your head on a swivel. But even when it comes to crazy levels of insane corruption, were you blown away by how many people were protecting Hunter Biden. Because Buck and I, when we had this conversation on the show, I mean, I was in disbelief. To say nothing of the fact that he's going on luxurious vacations to South Africa while he's claiming poverty here in the United States. What? And I'm glad, by the way, that the Trump administration has pulled the protection of Hunter Biden. But even with the understanding of how much craziness and wasted funds there are in the federal government, did it astound you how big the security detail was for Hunter Biden?

Miranda Devine (9:06)

Well, I just have to put in one caveat, that it wasn't really my investigative prowess that got this story. It was actually Garrett Ziegler, Marco Polo, with their private investigator who gave the photographs to Laura Looma, very kindly said that I could use them. So, you know, I didn't really do a hell of a lot myself other than I talked to or tried to get the White House to respond, and also the Department of Homeland Security and also the Secret Service. And I have to say, they all went to ground. They were not at all helpful. They sort of tried to gaslight me in the beginning. Finally, way past my deadline, the Secret Service spokesman gave me a quote that said, well, we can't go into methods and blah, blah, but we can confirm that Hunter Biden is a protectee. So I published that quote, published the story. There's outrage. Our reporters in Washington tried to get a question in at the White House press conference, but were not called upon. And then later that day, in a gaggle, I think at Air Force One, it was, I think a Washington Times reporter actually asked the President about the Hunter Biden 18 strong security secret Service detail in Cape Town. And Donald Trump said, I haven't heard that before, Which, I mean, maybe that's the case. He's very busy. And he said, Well, I mean, 18, that sounds excessive. And I'm going to look at that this afternoon. And sure enough, he then pulled not only the 18 agents that were with Hunter Biden in Cape town, but also 13 agents he said were assigned to Ashley Biden, who's Joe Biden's daughter, the only daughter he has with only child, with Jill Biden, Hunter Biden's half sister. And, you know, neither Ashley Biden nor Hunter Biden were eligible to have Secret Service protection after Joe Biden's term ended. It's only the children of former presidents up to the age of 16. So there was some, and apparently What I was told off the record was that Joe Biden made an executive memo before he left office to extend Secret Service protection for his adult children indefinitely. And nobody in the Trump administration had stepped in to stop that until Donald Trump did, until we amplified the work of Laura Loomer and Marco Polo.

Buck Sexton (18:24)

We gotta just, we gotta discuss this. Those are fighting words. All of you. Tim Walsh Waltz thinks he can take you. We'll talk about it. There's a Compelling video online for you to see a conversation that contemplates a major disruption in the future of our economy. Look, I'm not wishing for this, but I want you to be prepared. And this is a prediction you need to see. And that prediction comes from my dad. This is his area of expertise, financial markets and how they affect everyday Americans. And I think you'll find it really beneficial. Growing up and until present day, my dad, Mason Sexton has made his living researching and predicting the stock market. When he's right with his predictions, he often is. It's beneficial to so many investors. To his credit, my dad created a name for himself on Wall street by his forecasts. Most notable one calling the crash of 87. Then again in 2009. You can see his prediction, his forecast for the future at this website. Disruption2025.com that's disruption2025.com video. Free to watch. Go check out his next big prediction for the market. Is it going to crash? You got to see for yourself. Disruption2025.com let's check in on the Democrats here for a moment. Things are still not going so well for them. Sad. Very sad. Exclamation point. Sad for Democrats. They have no leadership to speak of. They are floundering and they don't have any message. But they do have Tim Walls. They've got Tim Walsh for whatever that's worth. First off, let's start with this one. Clay. We discussed how there are all these Democrats now who are celebrating a downturn in the Tesla stock. Now, I understand you could say, well, that's just a private company. Why, why should that be any different? Well, because Tesla's doing more for the electric car market than any other company. And not just electric cars. Battery technology, self driving, it is a game changer of a company and it's just one of Elon's companies. If you pretend to care about climate change, the environment, etc. You should love Tesla. But no, not because Elon is too nice to Trump. Cut five here. Here's Tim Waltz being, being. Well, who he is. Play it.

Clay Travis (26:13)

I would box Tim Walls. I would do it. Here's the problem. I've got Buck. What if I lost? I think I would have to retire from media. Like, the risk reward of me boxing Tim walls is I'm 45. If I beat him, people would be like, yeah, you beat him because you're 15 years younger and you actually have functional testosterone and you don't actually do jazz hands or leg kicks for fun. What if he caught me with a punch and I lost? I think I would have to retire from media. Like, I, I don't think, I don't think I could ever continue to work in media. So the risk reward here is high. But I would still box him, I think, because if I, if I lost, I would just pull a Hunter Biden and go on, you know, six month vacations for the rest of the world. You wouldn't be able to find me anywhere. And. But I do think your point on this one, I think what they're trying to do is they recognize that there are virtually no masculine men in the Democrat party. And you know what usually happens when somebody's not actually masculine? You're, you're good at pointing this out. And I've noticed it too. Like, most Navy SEALs don't walk around like, trying to pick fights with people. Like, they know that they are badasses. Like, they don't feel need to walk into a bar and bump into somebody to prove that they can kick their ass. They know it because they're trained in it. Right? The guy who is actually the least masculine is always trying to overplay his masculinity. Does that make sense? And I think that's what's going on here with Tim Walls is, I think you're right. The insecurity is actually now coming through on an aggressive level. I mean, if you're, if you're, this is my opinion, if you are fighting someone and it's not for your profession, you know, like, you're a, in the military, you're ufc, you're a boxer or whatever, and you are over the age of like 25. You need to look in the mirror and seriously. And your own life is not in danger. Your family's life is not like if you get an actual fist fight over the age of 25, as my opinion, you need to look in the mirror and be like, what. What is going on in my life that I'm getting in fist fights at an advanced age? Right. 25 plus, you probably got something going on, right? Like the guy who picks fights at the bar is not a healthy dude. And I feel like Tim Walls in saying, oh, I could kick people from Trump voters asses. First of all, you can't. But secondly, it just feels desperate to me. And this is the math. This was the guy who was supposed to deliver men for the Democrat party.

Clay Travis (33:08)

That's right. Which created and again, it should be a bigger story than it is the most racially Diverse win in 60 years in an American presidential election. That is the least racially divisive win in the history of the last 60 years since the civil rights movement was Trump November 5th. Tensions are high again in Israel with the ceasefire broken, missile attacks aimed in Israel's direction. You know, Israel surrounded by enemies on all sides. Peace has been fragile in that region of the world, which is why the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has supported and will continue to support the people of Israel with life saving security essentials. Your gift today will help save lives by providing bomb shelters, armored security vehicles, ambulances, firefighting equipment, black jackets, bulletproof vests, so much more. Your generous donation, in fact, will help ensure the people of Israel are safe and secure in the days to come. Give a gift to bless Israel and her people by visiting supportifcj.org that's one word. Supportifcj.org you can also call 888-488ifcj. That's 888-488ifcj. Want to be in the know when you're on The Go the Team 47 podcast Trump highlights from the week, Sundays at noon Eastern in the Clay and Buck podcast feed. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back in Clay. Travis Buck Sexton Show Go buy your Crockett Coffee. We're talking about supporting companies that you love and Crockett Coffee is one of them. Go to crockettcoffee.com use code book. You'll get an autograph copy of my book. My assistant Katie has been feverishly sending out signed copies of the book. I've got to make some new signatures here when we finish the shows today. And we appreciate all of you supporting crockettcoffee.com you know, I was mentioning Buck had it stricken from the record. So if you don't see it in the transcript, it's because he realized the better for this, but that Costco is actually super woke. They're staying committed to DEI and things like that.