← The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
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Child
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human
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America 250 Announcer
this July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration at america250.org,
- [00:35]
Child
mom, can I have Lingokids? Zach Lingokids, please?
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Co-host Clay
When did we become the Lingokids house?
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Child
No idea. Last week it was dinosaurs. This week it's Lingokids.
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Co-host Clay
Why Lingokids?
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Child
Because it's the best thing ever. We can play games with astronauts, wild animals and superheroes.
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America 250 Announcer
With more than 4,000 interactive games, songs and shows, LingoKids is the number one
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Co-host Clay
entertainment platform for young kids.
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Child
So no dinosaurs and dinosaurs.
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Co-host Clay
Lingo kids, everything kids love. Download it for free.
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professional wrestling fans. The action continues every week.
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Co-host Clay
This is total non stop action.
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TNA Thursday night impact every week on AMC. For showtimes and more information, visit tnarestling.com
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Okta AI Security Announcer
these days it seems like AI agents are just about everywhere you turn, every field and every function. But without identity, you can't trust they'll serve your business instead of jeopardizing it. Fortunately, Okta helps you get identity right by securing your AI agents identities, giving you a single layer of control, a single standard of trust. So whether an AI agent supports a single user or your entire enterprise, with Okta, you'll turn risk into opportunity. Secure every agent. Secure any agent. Okta secures AI.
- [02:22]
Host Clay Travis
Welcome back in hour number two, Clay and Buck. Buck scheduled to be back with me tomorrow. He's out with his family. Today I am in Washington D.C. where I bet Senator Josh Hawley is as well. Though maybe he's traveling all over the place. He joins us now. We got a lot to dive into. I'll actually start with I want to get all into this major League baseball story because you wrote a letter that I thought was fantastic. We talked a lot about it yesterday. But let's start with Iran. I know that you have not been in favor of Foreign entanglements in general. You may well have talked to the president recently. But if the president was asking you, as we sit here in mid June with the midterm on the horizon, not too far away, Senator Hawley, what's the best way to resolve this situation? You would tell him what?
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Senator Josh Hawley
Well, Clay, it's great to be with you. Thanks for having me. You know, I mean, I think that the president is on the right track here. I reject the notion that we need a bunch of stuff from Iran. I hear members of my party, to be honest, in the United States Senate saying, oh, we, you know, my gosh, we need this, that and the other thing. We need this huge, big comprehensive deal. They're all worried about what the president's doing. Listen, from my point of view, if the strait's going to reopen, that means oil prices are going to come down, energy prices are going to come down. And let's not forget, Iran's nuclear program is buried under like 2000ft of rubble thanks to what President Trump did a year ago. This time Iran doesn't have a nuclear program. It's been blasted to smithereens. So I don't want to be involved in a quagmire over there. Nobody should want to be involved. I know the president doesn't want to. So their nuclear program is gone. He's getting the strait reopened. That's all good stuff. I mean, I listen to the Democrats, Clay, and now they're saying, oh, it's horrible that the strait is reopening. Really? Five days ago they were saying how terrible was it was closed. I mean, you can't please these people. At the end of the day.
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Host Clay Travis
Okay, let's. Speaking of not being able to please these people, you and I are around the same age. I feel like the pride all of June has just taken over. I'll give you an example. Your kids are younger than mine, but one of my kids said recently that whenever they see a rainbow that they think immediately about gay related issues. And for me, when I see a rainbow, I think about the wizard of Oz. I think about the fact that rainbows are incredibly beautiful. I don't even still associate it personally with the gay rights agenda or the trans agenda or anything else. But I do think younger people in this country, they have managed to completely take that symbol and turn it into one that is directly connected with them. With that in mind, during June, many different teams decide that they are going to change their uniforms and wear so called pride related uniforms. And there has been from the San Francisco Giants Players a decision to write Bible verses on those uniforms. Let's start first with my general proposition here. I'm curious if you would agree with it. I think the whole era of changing uniforms to show pride in gay related issues, I think it should just end. I'm not in favor by and large of changing uniforms to advocate for political causes or social views in general. I think sports itself largely should be above and beyond that. And the best way to unite people is, is to have a team that everybody roots for regardless of what their background is in general. Do you think the number of pride related uniforms is far too common in sports?
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Senator Josh Hawley
Well, yeah. I don't know why sports can't just be about sports for one thing, Clay, as you just said. Yeah, why can't we just not play baseball? You know, I mean, why can't we just not play football? Number one. But number two, it's a little rich coming from Major League baseball that has turned their uniforms, their stadiums, their fields into political billboards for the last six years on every possible issue, on trans issues, on Black Lives Matter, on every possible political thing made their players wear these uniforms, turn the players uniforms into billboards. And then when the players say, well, maybe I'd like to write a Bible verse on some piece of my clothing, oh my gosh, it's like, oh, this is the end of the world, we can't have that. That introduces controversy, I think.
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Co-host Clay
Excuse me.
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Senator Josh Hawley
I mean, it's just the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of.
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Host Clay Travis
So what do you think should happen? These Major League Baseball players are being threatened that if they write Bible verses on their uniforms again, there are going to be significant consequences for them in some way. Presumably fines for violating the uniform. Even though as you mentioned before, Major League baseball has back during BLM allowed everybody to write whatever they wanted on their uniforms and engaged in very progressive so called. Although I think most of us recognize BLM is not actually that progressive, when you look at what they stand for, it's actually very regressive. But what do you think should happen now? What should be the solution?
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Senator Josh Hawley
Number one, the players need to be allowed to write what they want on their uniforms. If they're going to be writing a Bible verse on a uniform should not be a controversial thing. Can I just say, I mean, since what is that a political statement? I mean, God and country, this is the United States of America, you know, I mean, my gosh, writing a Bible verse that now is a fireable offense. I mean, that now is a cause to get the whole HR Bureaucracy motivated, number one. Number two, I think the players shouldn't be forced to wear political messages and social messages, whatever they are, that they don't agree with. This gets back to why can't we just play baseball? And I'll just point out that baseball gets a sweetheart deal from the federal government. Baseball gets a special exemption from our antitrust laws that is worth billions of dollars to those teams and to the league and, and frankly to the owners. I mean, we're talking about the owners here. The players don't see it. So the owners are profiting big time from this special deal that no other sport gets, no other business gets. And I'll tell you what's going to happen right now. If the commissioner penalizes these players or prohibits them from doing this going forward, he's going to get an invitation to appear before my Judiciary Committee and he can explain himself to the nation. And he can also explain why in the world baseball should be able to enjoy these special sweetheart deals that nobody else is getting.
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Host Clay Travis
What do you think? Major League. I love that, by the way. Okay, so a couple of things that I want to unpack from that. You're 100% right that major League Baseball has gotten an antitrust exemption that is more expansive than any other professional sports league in the country. If you do invite the Major League Baseball commissioner, if you invite Rob Manfred to come testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, would you directly condition in your mind a potential removal of the antitrust exemption in if Major League Baseball insists on punishing players for writing Bible verses on their uniforms?
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Senator Josh Hawley
Well, I just, I'd like to know if they're going to get all this special stuff and be treated differently than everybody else. Why is it that they are forcing their players to engage in political messages? And you mentioned a second ago allowing players in 2020, 2021 to write things about BLM. They didn't just allow them to. They forced them to clay. They forced them to write stuff on their cleats, on their bats. They forced them to wear political and social messages on their uniforms. They're forcing them to do it left, right and center. Here's the real thing. When the league likes it, then they're all for forcing people. When the players say, I'd like to write a Bible verse, the league just, you know, faints away and says, oh my gosh, what an outrage. I think that's absurd and I just don't know why, when it comes to antitrust, if this huge, massive billion dollar industry is going to get all these special Giveaways. Why are they behaving like this? I mean, really, we probably ought to look at that antitrust exemption no matter what. But the fact that they're using it to push a WOKE agenda on players, you can't. By the way, you can't tell me that this is in keeping with the players labor contracts. But putting that to one side, if they're going to force this WOKE agenda on players, I think they ought to explain to the country why they're getting the sweetheart deal.
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Host Clay Travis
I'm sure you saw Florida Attorney General James Uthmeyer, others as well as state attorney generals. You have a strong background in state law as it pertains to the Constitution and federal law. He says that that prohibition on Bible verses would violate the state of Florida's constitution. And given the fact that obviously you have Tampa Bay, the Devil Rays there. Tampa Bay Rays, I guess they're called now. You got the Marlins there, you got multiple franchises. You live in a state obviously where the Cardinals are very popular. Do you think that this prohibition from Major League Baseball could infringe upon many different state laws as it pertains to religious freedom?
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Senator Josh Hawley
Yeah, I absolutely do. And I see that the Missouri attorney general has taken a similar position. I'll just tell you, as a former prosecutor and as a constitutional lawyer, I think we got major First Amendment, federal First Amendment issues here, both when it comes to protection of freedom of religion, which is directly related to the Bible verses, and just free speech in general. This goes back to, you're forcing these players to wear all kinds of social and political messages that they don't agree with. I'm curious under what authority the league can do that and then turn around and say, but actually if you want to write a Bible verse, you're way out of line. That's a major, I think, constitutional issue, Clay. I suspect it's probably an issue with their contracts. And yes, under state law, there's probably all kinds of problems. Bottom line is, what does the league think they're doing? I mean, why is this the priority? Why are they saying to all of the fans in America, if you differ from our political views, we want to punish you? Which is essentially the message that they're sending. I think it's insane.
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Host Clay Travis
What would you do? Senator Josh Hawley, I know you're a big football fan, Kansas City Chiefs fan, and I know you're or loved playing high school football back in the day. Let's pretend that you were a super talented Major League baseball player. And instead of becoming a United States senator by the way this might be a trade that you would really like to make, but let's pretend that you are a major league baseball player. You're making millions of dollars to play a kids game, America's pastime, and you are in the locker room and they bring in a pride uniform and they say, hey, as a condition of your employment, we're wearing these uniforms today. You have this that you have. What would you do? What would you encourage other major league baseball players to do who might feel similarly to you?
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Senator Josh Hawley
Well, you know, as a person of faith, I got to encourage people out there who share that faith to follow it. And this is why I admire what these individuals did on the Giants. You know, I mean, they were trying to follow, I think, what they were told to do. You know, they're trying to be good team players. You're really putting them in a terrible position, right, because you're trying to their own team against them. So here they want to be good team players. They're trying to do that. And yet they say, okay, well, I'm just going to. I'm going to write something that I believe in. And so I'm able to express my religious faith and I'm going to be good to the team, what they're asking me to do, but I'm also going to be true to my faith. The league ought to be saluting them for that. They ought to say, you know what? Good for you guys, good for you. But instead they're treating them like villains. They're treating them like criminals. And I just think that that's wrong, Clay. I think it's. I think we ought to say to these guys, good for you for trying to be team players. Good for you for expressing your. We ought to encourage people to do that. That's a good thing. Again, God and country, this is the United States of America, for heaven's sake. And we ought to say to baseball, knock it off. I mean, knock it off with all the political messaging and quit treating people of faith like they're pariahs. That's like most of your audience, you know, for heaven's sake, what is wrong with these people?
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Host Clay Travis
Oh, I would think the vast majority of Major League baseball players of all backgrounds are Christians. And I certainly think the vast majority of Major League baseball fans are. Where does it go from here? So you have written a letter. There has been a suggestion there might be fines. Where do you think we go from here? You have said if the commissioner punishes the players, they're going to get in it. He's going to get Rob Manfred an invitation to come testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, by the way. Not an invitation I think he would like to receive. They certainly have got the antitrust exemption that is worth billions of dollars. And it's worth mentioning Major League Baseball is in a tumultuous spot right now as it pertains to its own bargaining agreement with players in that it expires at the end of the year and there's the potential of a lockout going on. So this is a tough spot, particularly given all of those parameters.
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Senator Josh Hawley
Yeah, it's a tough spot entirely of their own making because they've been stupid and they've been discriminatory and they have tried to cozy up to the woke corporations and the woke left while they alienate their own fan base, their own players and probably violate their contracts. I have demanded from the commissioner answers, and this is not optional. I want answers to everything that they've done. I want to know what the rules are that they've cited. I want to know what their policies were when it came to BLM and all of the other political messaging they forced the players to wear. I want to know what the relevant labor contracts are. And he needs to reply to all of that to me ASAP. I've given him until June 19th to give me a response. If there's any further action against these players, he's going to get an invitation to come and testify. And frankly, I think the nation deserves to hear how their tax money, because the exemption is worth a gob of money. So how the money that the federal government's essentially giving them, how that is being spent in order to try and squelch political views and social views that the league has decided it doesn't agree with. So there's a lot that needs to be answered here. And the bottom line is MLB needs to quit being stupid. This is stupid. It's not dumb. It's discriminatory. And they need to knock it off.
- [15:59]
Host Clay Travis
Will you promise to give us an Update? You said June 19th. That's Friday. So two days from now, 48 hours, effectively. Will you reach out, let us know when and if you get a response from Major League Baseball may want to have you back on the program. But just keep us updated 100%.
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Senator Josh Hawley
You bet I will. I would love to.
- [16:17]
Host Clay Travis
That is Senator Josh Hawley. Senator, we appreciate the time and thanks for coming on.
- [16:22]
Senator Josh Hawley
Thank you for having me.
- [16:24]
Host Clay Travis
Senator. Josh, Alec is pretty newsworthy. I think what he just told all of us. We'll unpack a bit of that when we return. Also, by the way, Andrew Giuliani going to join us. We also have a controversy surrounding Iran's soccer team that he's going to talk about. And Senator Marsha Blackburn top of the next hour. She was one of the individuals that was going to be targeted for assassination that attended the UFC250 fight, which is crazy. We'll get the latest on that from her. That story kind of sliding under the radar even though it's more potential left wing violence. Look, July 4th, not far away. When it gets here, are you going to take a few minutes to remember what Independence Day is all about? American history nerds like me know all about the sacrifices and bravery put forth by tens of thousands of American men who formed an army to battle British and Hessian armies and obtain our freedom. Also, Declaration of Independence, Kind of a big deal. Authored by Thomas Jefferson with the input of dozens of other founding fathers. One of the cornerstones of our independence, defining the reasons and thinking that was there for the 13 colonies back in 1776. This July 4th, join our friends at Americans for Prosperity on the Declaration Project. This is your chance to reread the document. Reflect on the clarity and clear vision that motivated so many American men and women living in 1776 to make the sacrifices they made. As America prepares to celebrate 250 years of freedom, this is one small step every citizen can take. It's an opportunity to renew your commitment to the principles that built this country. Take the pledge now@afp clay.com that's afp clay.com paid for by Americans for Prospect. If you truly care, pass along this common sense to family and friends. Clay and Buck owning The airwaves this
- [18:17]
America 250 Announcer
July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party. Hosted by America 250, America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration@america250.org
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Child
with my mom and dad living in Orange county, when we bring my five and seven year old to visit, we are sometimes in for a two hour drive that could feel like ten.
- [18:54]
Co-host Clay
Oh, as an avid camper, I know all about this.
- [18:57]
Host Clay Travis
We'll pack up the RV and know
- [18:58]
Co-host Clay
this is either going to be the
- [18:59]
Host Clay Travis
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- [19:02]
Child
Which is why we load up the iPads with Lingokids before we even pull out of the driveway.
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Co-host Clay
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Co-host Clay
Or really any ride, plane, train, hovercraft, whatever.
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Firestone Tires Announcer
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Co-host Clay
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- [21:10]
Host Clay Travis
Okta secures AI welcome back in Clay and Buck. Big news there from Senator Josh Hawley saying if the Commissioner punishes the players for writing Bible verses on their pride uniforms that he will call Commissioner Rob Manfred in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have him testify under oath about that decision, and also begin to examine the antitrust exemption Major League Baseball has that is worth billions of dollars to the league.
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Okta AI Security Announcer
Boom.
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Host Clay Travis
That is going to be considered to be quite newsworthy, I think. And a shot across the ball, shot across the bow to the Major League Baseball community. So we will unpack that. By the way, Andrew Giuliani going to join us. I think he's also going to make some newsworthy comments because I don't know how many of you have seen this, but the Iranian national team pitched a fit last night because they were required to leave the country after their game against New Zealand in the World Cup. Andrew Giuliani says, no, no, no, no. This was a complete condition of Iran playing, that they were going to be based in Mexico and that they were going to spend every night outside of the country. Even though they would be allowed to come in here and play for security reasons, we did not want the Iranian national team to remain in the United States. That seems very reasonable. And Iran agreed to that. And then they had a bunch of sports media out there saying, oh my goodness, we can't recover. We had to take a 20 minute bus ride to LAX from SoFi. For those of you who don't know Sofi, the stadium is right by lax. It's in Inglewood, basically straight inland where LAX is. And they were flying to Tijuana. It's one of the shortest airplane flights you could possibly, probably didn't even hit altitude. They went up and they started back down before they even got anything. So it's among the shortest trips you could possibly have. A bunch of football players are reacting to this. I've got some funny takes for you and we will talk with Andrew Giuliani next. But I want to tell you, you spend a lot of time outside during the summer. Get some rapid radios, especially if you're going to any remote areas, because they'll keep you connected at a time when you can't rely necessarily on a lot of other cell phone devices. That's what gives them unlimited range. They have a nationwide LTE network. Push a button and you can talk instantly over thousands of miles. Crystal clear audio, 100% private, 256 bit encryption. No one can listen in, no contract, zero monthly fees. Nationwide, they work. You and your family can stay connected, get hooked up. Right now you can buy two radios and get one completely free. Heck, if you have a big family, you can buy four, get two free. Go to rapidradios.com bundle. That's rapidradios.com bundle. Welcome back in Clay and Buck, joined now by Andrew Giuliani. I'm just going to call him the czar of the World cup from the governmental perspective. Let's start here before we dive into the latest controversy. This has been awesome. I know you've been super crazy busy, Andrew, but have you found yourself watching some of these viral videos of foreigners just being blown away by how awesome and stupendous America is and has been? I can't stop watching these videos.
- [24:47]
Co-host Clay
You know what, Clay, it is awesome. It's actually. And as I spoke to President Trump about this the very first time we spoke about the job. And Clay, as you and I have talked about with Alexi Lawless throughout the last over a year about what this could mean for America starting our next 250 years, that idea of the golden age of the United States, the idea too that so much of the international world has been told lies about the United States, about the greatness of the United States, that when you see some of these soccer fans visiting and exploring, experiencing the United States maybe for the very first time, they realize they get to see just how incredible this country is. I mean, seeing Freddie travel around and experiencing Waffle House for the first time and seeing the Scottish fans drinking Boston out, I didn't think it was possible to drink Boston out of beer. And the Scots somehow figured out how to do it on day five of the World Cup. It's really amazing when you actually see it. But this really is that conversation that we continue to focus on here on the White House task for so much of the focus has been safety and security, which I know we're going to get into. It has been the visa side of this, how we've reduced these visa wait times while making sure they don't go around our national security procedures. It's getting people around the country because they travel so differently than Americans do going to sporting events. But that legacy side, you're seeing that develop in motion right now. And that is so exciting when you think about not just the next decade of sports here in America, but I think if we do this right and we continue to finish off these last 33 days the way we started the first six, this golden age, maybe this sports century, if I could steal a term from another major sports network.
- [26:37]
Host Clay Travis
You mentioned Scottish fans, by the way, that reports are that Boston is being drank dry, which is saying something because we got a lot of people in the Boston area who listen and they aren't known exactly for being reticent when it comes to drinking. The reports I saw, Andrew, said that they had three times as much beer being consumed as St. Patrick's Day in Boston right now with all of the Scottish fans there. How many games have you been able to attend, by the way? I got to go. I took my 11 year old who is a die hard soccer fan. We got to go watch the US Dominate against Paraguay. How many games or how many stadiums have you been in? 4 games, because you probably haven't gotten to watch the whole time that you've been there.
- [27:21]
Co-host Clay
Yeah, I've actually been to two games in two stadiums. Was going to go to another one, but got called in for, I'm sure one of the, one of the topics we're going to discuss over here, but really so much of it has been, okay, well, hey, look, we're, we're T minus two hours. What, what's the scenario? We're T minus an hour. Certainly with that opening US match, trying to put out whatever fires were going on behind the scenes there, which of which there were a few, thankfully, they stayed behind the scenes. The one moment that I really got to enjoy, I mean, there were a lot of moments to be able to kind of tune back in at that US Game, but was the national anthem being played and hearing an entire country singing that. But really in Los Angeles, you think about in la, it's funny, I'm standing right behind Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass, of all people. To see all of those Americans in that city with everything that's gone on over the past many years, get out there and sing full throated for our country's national anthem. The home of the brave. You know, it gives you, it gives you hope in this country and it just renews your faith.
- [28:31]
Host Clay Travis
We're talking to Andrew Giuliani. Okay, let's dive into the controversy here. And I'm curious when you became aware of it existing. Iran played and tied New Zealand in Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles. They then were required to embark upon a modern day Trail of Tears. They had to get on a bus and ride at most probably 20 minutes to LAX because SoFi Stadium is right next to LAX. Then they had probably a 25 or a 30 minute flight to Tijuana. They said, oh my goodness, we were not able to recover and we expected to be able to stay in Los Angeles. And we're being, I think the word was the coach used oppressed. Your reaction to this is what?
- [29:18]
Co-host Clay
Well, Clay, I would hate to even say that you're being too generous to the Iranians, but with that timeline, you're actually being too generous with the motorcade. It's nine minutes from what we know is SoFi Stadium to LAX and it's a 27 minute flight, wheels up to wheels down, from LAX to Tijuana. I mean, when you think about it and you highlighted it so well. I mean, you cover these stories so well, but especially on this one, when you think about the fact that an NFL team, after they've played three hours, after they've hit each other for 120 plays over the course of three hours. I mean, what's the equivalent of a 15 mile car crash, a 50 mile per hour car crash on every single play they go and take a cross country flight. And really, from a timeline perspective, I think this is really important to iron this out. This is nothing that was sprung on the team. This has been discussed. Discussed. It's been discussed for months and it's been agreed to for weeks. So it's been there. I even actually publicly said it on CBS News Sunday before the team even left Tijuana. So these are the terms that were agreed to. And actually, I think it gives you a little bit of a perspective, maybe in some other walks of conversations that may be going on with other Iranian delegations on issues that are far more important than a soccer tournament. From our, from our perspective, look, we wanted to do everything we can to make sure that they have a fair shake on the field. Every single player has gotten a visa, every single coach has gotten a visa. There have been a few officials that haven't. And I can tell you it's for very good reason. I stand by cbp, I stand by Consular affairs, and I stand by Secretary Mullen and Secretary Rubio on those decisions. But we've done everything we can to make sure that they have as fair a shake as possible.
- [31:05]
Host Clay Travis
I thought you would like this. Danny Cannell, who I'm sure you're familiar with, played at Florida State, had a pro career too. He responded to this. Lol. At times. The plane ride home from a football game was like a trauma unit. Guys hooked up to IVs on crutches, wrapped in ice packs. But soccer players need a night to recover. And I do think that sums this up very well, by the way, also. So United States is playing in Seattle and will immediately hop on a plane and fly back to where their base is, is my understanding. And they're playing two games in la and they immediately travel back as well.
- [31:43]
Co-host Clay
You.
- [31:44]
Host Clay Travis
I saw this video go viral. I thought it was awesome. You were on the phone with President Trump when he called the US national team right before the, the team was set to begin play in the World Cup. Parts of that conversation were shared. What was that experience like?
- [32:02]
Co-host Clay
It was amazing. You know, I'll tell you, the funny thing was, is we were working on this for a few days and as you may imagine, and you know, well, as, as you've been with him on many occasions now, he's a little busy. Right. There are a few things going on. So we had worked to land this a couple of days and, you know, well, you know, every once in a while I'll go direct to the President on some things. I know he's got a lot going on and I don't necessarily want to bother him on every little thing. So I kind of worked it through, you know, senior staff or so, and just kind of didn't think it was going to land, unfortunately. Maybe it would land on game day, but that gets a lot more complicated. So I got a call. I was in Los Angeles at 455 on Friday afternoon. Now, you could just imagine what LA traffic is like. Then you add the World cup, then you put it on a Friday afternoon and it was, you got to get your, you got to get your, yourself down to Orange county because the President's calling in at 7:05pm Pacific Time. I'm looking at this thing. It's going to take 2 hours and 20 minutes to get down. Somehow we made up time. I got in about seven minutes before the call ended up happening. The really cool thing about it was just seeing how poised the team looked. This team looked calm, it looked collected, it looked focused. And one of the other things was Coach Ponchettino told the team, like, hey, look, the pressure's office. We've made a World Cup. This is, this is our opportunity to go play the game that we've loved since we're kids. And then the President gets on and everybody saw what the President said to them. But one of the other things he said was, hey, guys, go out there and have fun. Like, don't worry about the result. You guys are going to do great. I think you guys are going to go on a great run, but go have fun. There's no pressure on you. So great to see this, you know, fantastic motivator. And Coach Ponchettino, who seems to really have a great pulse for the team and for the guys, say something. And then you see, obviously, you know, President Trump come in and say something very, very similar for the team. And you know, Clay, I know you guys have covered this on the show. I know you guys have been covering this on fox, but could you imagine if this team, if this team could go on a deep run this summer over our 250th birthday? It's one game at a. I know they got to focus on Australia on Friday, but, you know, it's, it's, it's something I Get a little ahead of yourself as a fan.
- [34:31]
Host Clay Travis
I can't wait for Friday. We're actually we're on the show here. It's Juneteenth. It's a holiday for some. We're doing the show, but then we're having a bunch of people over to our house to watch the game. There's a great deal of enthusiasm. I don't know if you've contextualized yet in your head because you got so much going on. Let me give you a data point that's pretty extraordinary. U.S. game against Paraguay, Andrew, was the most watched sporting event already in the United States this year other than the national title game for football, the AFC and NFC championship games and the Super Bowl. I believe I am correct in that. Basically NFL playoffs and only the college football national title game has been more watched in 2026. That was just the opener. I think this audience on Friday afternoon is going to be through the roof. And to your point, if we start winning and get into that knockout stage, I think it's going to be up there with 40, 50 million people watching, which only the super bowl and the championship games in the NFL are even on that level for sports.
- [35:33]
Co-host Clay
No, you're absolutely right. And that's just the domestic side, what Fox is doing on this, which is amazing. But here's what FIFA told me last night, which is almost unthinkable. They said that 1.3 billion people worldwide were tuning into that game. For perspective, about 160 to 170 million worldwide. Turn it. Tune in for the super bowl. You're talking about 8, 9x the size of a Super bowl to tune in. And that's kind of what the discussion with President Trump has been like for over a year now. It's, hey, this is an unbelievable opportunity to show from a legacy perspective really what freedom means to people around the world, what the American experience means to people around the world. What better time to do it? And there's no larger platform than this World cup to be able to do it.
- [36:26]
Host Clay Travis
No doubt. I'm actually glad that Iran is playing. Notwithstanding the issues that they have tried to raise with their travel related conditions. Can you imagine assuming that people were able to watch, can you imagine what people in Iran thought when they saw the Sofi Stadium in LA filled with a lot of people who are of Iranian descent, right, that now live in Los Angeles, which is the biggest population of Iranian foreign nationals that exist anywhere in the United States cheering for Iran freely? This is a country, Andrew, that until a few years ago didn't let women go watch their teams play. I mean, that is kind of an extraordinary reality that not a lot of people talk about, they had to be looking at that experience in LA and thinking, my goodness, how amazing is America?
- [37:15]
Co-host Clay
No.
- [37:16]
Senator Josh Hawley
And Clay.
- [37:16]
Co-host Clay
And you could see this with the players, right? These players, I would say they're beyond conflicted. You could only imagine what the final conversation is like when they leave Tehran or when they end up leaving wherever they're leaving from in Iran and end up coming here and just understanding kind of the pressure that these players must be under. I thought it was really impressive and I can't remember exactly what he said, but the captain afterwards said something to the effect of it was really good to play in front of these fans. And I, even when I heard that, I thought, man, he went as far, maybe further than I thought he could go on this. When you consider you're watching the Iranian team and right there as you're watching it, you see United States of America. And for him to actually say that, I think he went probably further than probably some in leadership in Iran like. But I thought it showed some real guts. And more than anything, what we talked about in terms of what this World cup can mean for the rest of the freedom loving world, when the President talks about America first, and if he's talked about this for over a decade now, really going back decades and decades, you go back to the 80s talking about the trade wars and everything that was going on with Japan and how he felt like the US was being ripped off. This is what he talks about when he says America first does not mean America only. If you prioritize your country the way that he prioritizes the United States of America, then freedom around the globe is only gonna grow. And it's not only going to make the United States stronger, our allies stronger, but it's going to make your country, your people stronger, more prosperous. And that really is sports diplomacy actually growing out of this World Cup. I hadn't really. Of all the things I focused on here from, you know, from the counter UAS progress on this to hardening the stadiums, the fan festivals, looking through the base camps, working with over 400 different law enforcement organizations, the one area that I kind of pushed aside was the sports diplomacy side. I really kind of thought it had been. It's a term that gets overused, frankly. I've seen it the last six days and it really has been amazing to actually see what you're talking about there with those fans coming in, seeing the United States, understanding how welcoming the United States is, understanding how great a place this actually is going viral on social media, public pubs in Boston and waffle houses outside of Atlanta to that Iranian captain saying what he said about how it was good to play in front of these fans. It was amazing. When you think about what some of those fans were doing and how they were protesting the regime over there, that sports diplomacy right in front of our eyes.
- [40:21]
Host Clay Travis
Andrew, keep killing it. We appreciate the time. I'm sure we'll talk to you again and encourage everybody to be out there watching. Thanks my man.
- [40:28]
Co-host Clay
Thanks Clay. Appreciate you brother.
- [40:30]
Host Clay Travis
That's Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director, White House Task Force of the FIFA World Cup Super Sure Get Hooked up right now. Listen to me. If you have more than 25 employees, whether you're the owner, CFO, HR manager, too complicated sometimes to buy policies for insurance online, you want to talk to an actual person and ask actual questions. Super sure is the super agency built for business owners licensed in every state for your business, insurance and employee benefits, all with year round Support. @super supersure.com Clay you can access tools like Fine Print facts that translate your current policy into plain English. Get hooked up today. Super Sure.com Clay One super agency everything all in one place. One powerful platform. Super Sure.com Clay Paid for by Super Sure Insurance Agency, LLC, a licensed insurance agency.
- [41:24]
Co-host Clay
Laugh, Learn.
- [41:25]
Host Clay Travis
Hang with the guys right there when you need them most, Clay and buy just preset them on the iHeart app.
- [41:32]
America 250 Announcer
This July 4th, come celebrate at America's Block Party. Hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration@america250.org
- [42:02]
Child
mom, can I have Lingokids? Dad? Lingokids please.
- [42:05]
Co-host Clay
When did we become the Lingokids House?
- [42:08]
Child
No idea. Last week it was Dinosaurs. This week it's Lingokids.
- [42:11]
Co-host Clay
Why Lingokids?
- [42:12]
Child
Because it's the best thing ever. We can play games with astronauts, wild animals and superheroes.
- [42:17]
America 250 Announcer
With more than 4,000 interactive games, songs and shows, LingoKids is the number one
- [42:23]
Co-host Clay
entertainment platform for young kids.
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Child
So no dinosaurs and dinosaurs.
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Co-host Clay
Lingokids Everything kids love. Download it for free.
- [42:34]
Firestone Tires Announcer
Real value shows up in reliability. You don't have to second guess. Like a set of Firestone All Season tires. They're designed to deliver confidence, inspiring wet weather, traction and a quieter ride no matter the road. Season after season. Firestone All Season tires for Durability you can count on, just like people count on you. Firestone Always dependable since 1900
- [43:03]
TNA Wrestling Announcer
professional wrestling fans, the action continues every week. Watch TNA Thursday Night Impact every week on AMC.
- [43:12]
Co-host Clay
Every it is like electricity blowing through your veins.
- [43:15]
TNA Wrestling Announcer
Don't miss the adrenaline, the drama and the total non stop action.
- [43:20]
Co-host Clay
No one can ever be as good as this right here.
- [43:23]
TNA Wrestling Announcer
Don't miss the action of TNA Thursday Night Impact every week on AMC. For showtimes and more information, visit tna
- [43:31]
Okta AI Security Announcer
wrestling.com these days it seems like AI agents are just about everywhere you turn, every field and every function. But without identity, you can't trust they'll serve your business instead of jeopardizing it. Fortunately, Okta helps you get identity right by securing your AI agents identities, giving you a single layer of control, a single standard of trust. So whether an AI agent supports a single user or your entire enterprise, with Okta, you'll turn risk into opportunity. Secure every agent. Secure any agent. Okta secures AI this July 4th, come
- [44:06]
America 250 Announcer
celebrate at America's Block Party hosted by America 250. America's Block Party is a can't miss 4th of July concert happening at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Experience music, performances from major artists, patriotic tributes and the kickoff to giving 4th, helping to make July 4th the largest day of giving in American history. It's more than just fireworks. Learn more about this landmark celebration@america250.org
- [44:34]
Child
mom, can I have Lingokids? Dad? Lingokids, please.
- [44:37]
Co-host Clay
When did we become the Lingokids house?
- [44:40]
Child
No idea. Last week it was Dinosaurs. This week it's Lingokids.
- [44:43]
Co-host Clay
Why Lingokids?
- [44:44]
Child
Because it's the best thing ever. You can play games with astronauts, wild animals and superheroes.
- [44:49]
America 250 Announcer
With more than 4,000 interactive games, songs and shows, LingoKids is the number one
- [44:55]
Co-host Clay
entertainment platform for young kids.
- [44:57]
Child
So no dinosaurs and dinosaurs.
- [44:59]
Co-host Clay
Lingo kids, everything kids love. Download it for free.
- [45:05]
Firestone Tires Announcer
Your vehicle doesn't just get you from here to there. It's a bridge to the people and places that matter most. It's how you show up for your family, your community and everyone else that depends on you. That's why for 125 years, Firestone has been building tires with one thing in to deliver products that are as reliable as you are. Firestone always dependable since 1900
- [45:35]
TNA Wrestling Announcer
professional wrestling fans, the action continues every week. Watch CNA Thursday Night Impact every week on amc.
- [45:44]
Co-host Clay
It is like electricity blowing through your veins.
- [45:47]
TNA Wrestling Announcer
Don't miss the adrenaline, the drama and the total non stop action.
- [45:52]
Co-host Clay
No one can ever be as good as this, right here.
- [45:55]
TNA Wrestling Announcer
Don't miss the action of TNA Thursday Night Impact every week on AMC. For showtimes and more information, visit tnarestling.com
- [46:04]
Okta AI Security Announcer
these days, it seems like AI agents are just about everywhere you turn every field and every function. But without identity, you can't trust they'll serve your business instead of jeopardizing it. Fortunately, Okta helps you get identity right by securing your AI agents identities, giving you a single layer of control, a single standard of trust. So whether an AI agent supports a single user or your entire enterprise, with Okta you'll turn risk into opportunity. Secure every agent. Secure any agent. Okta secures AI.