Hour 2 - Nick Sorter Calls In

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – Hour 2: Nick Sorter Calls In

Date: October 3, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)
Featured Guests: Nick Sorter (journalist), Eric Nesbitt (Michigan State Senator), Caroline Levitt (White House Spokesperson, via press clip)

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Episode Overview

Main Theme:
This episode centers on the arrest of independent journalist Nick Sorter in Portland, Oregon, amid ongoing Antifa-led unrest outside the ICE facility. The hosts examine the clash between journalists, protesters, and law enforcement; allegations of police inaction; the broader state of chaos in Portland; and governmental responses at the local and federal level. The second half features Michigan State Senator Eric Nesbitt on political and cultural issues facing Michigan and the nation.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Nick Sorter's Arrest and the Situation in Portland

(00:04–14:20)

Nick Sorter’s Firsthand Account

• Arrest Background: Nick Sorter describes being arrested while covering protests outside the Portland ICE facility, emphasizing that he acted as a journalist and was assaulted before being taken in.

  “If this city is so messed up that if I were to defend myself, I would be arrested while my assailant would get away. And that's exactly what happened here.”
  — Nick Sorter [00:54]

• Journalistic Rights: He stresses the legal right to record in public and claims he was targeted for defending himself.

• Antifa Violence: Sorter details repeated attacks by Antifa, including physical violence and being maced, and asserts law enforcement protects protesters more than victims.

  “The amount of times I had mace thrown in my face this week has been crazy. Like, I'm surprised I still have vision...”
  — Nick Sorter [01:29]

• Flag Incident: Sorter recounts stopping an American flag from being burned, drawing further hostility from the group.

  “I’m not going to apologize for that. And I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
  — Nick Sorter [03:17]

• Police Inaction and Charges: The police took time to determine charges (“disorderly conduct”), which Sorter suggests is selectively applied against him rather than regular protestors.

  “Disorderly conduct can mean…either blocking a road, blocking a sidewalk or fighting ... None of them are ever charged with this crime, just me. Is that a coincidence or was I targeted?”
  — Nick Sorter [04:47]

• Federal Response: Sorter reveals a call from Attorney General Pam Bondi and the launch of a DOJ civil rights investigation into the Portland police.

  “That was pretty incredible ... she was immediately ordering [Assistant Attorney General] Harmeet Dhillon to launch a full investigation into the Portland Police Bureau.”
  — Nick Sorter [05:48]

State of Portland and Antifa

• Decline of the City: Clay and Nick discuss how Portland, once safe and vibrant, devolved into chaos after the George Floyd protests, with ongoing violence and inaction from leaders.
• Antifa as an Organization: Sorter argues against the idea that Antifa is “just an idea,” insisting it is a coordinated group (“Rose City Antifa” cited).

  “Come down here and talk to any of them on the street. It's an organized group. They have subgroups too ... It's just blatantly false to say that it's just an idea and not an organization.”
  — Nick Sorter [07:45]

Police Culture and Leadership

• Police Under Pressure: Sorter claims the Portland police have become ineffective, poorly led, and under political pressure to “stand down.”

  “They're not arresting anybody ... these officers just standing there watching, doing nothing. Because ... following orders.”
  — Nick Sorter [09:28]

What Next for Portland?

• Federal Intervention: Sorter and Clay discuss the necessity of federal or National Guard intervention, citing local popular support (even if not publicly voiced).

  “If you talk to residents here, this is what they want to see. They actually support the idea of the federal government coming in and taking more control here.”
  — Nick Sorter [11:32]

• Support for Independent Journalism: Sorter claims supporting independent, on-the-ground journalists is vital since mainstream outlets and local law enforcement fail to tell the full story.

  “Support independent journalists ... we're the ones actually embedded, boots on the ground, risking our own safety and even freedom doing this stuff.”
  — Nick Sorter [13:44]

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2. National and White House Response

(17:15–18:32)

• White House Statement (Caroline Levitt):
  Levitt, speaking from the White House, condemns the arrest and describes it as part of a troubling trend in Portland:

  “Instead of arresting these violent mob members night after night ... the police arrested a journalist who was there trying to document the chaos ... It is not their city. It is the American people's city and President Trump is going to restore that.”
  — Caroline Levitt [17:36]

• Federal Action:
  The DOJ is launching a civil rights investigation and President Trump is reviewing federal aid to Portland, with the possibility of cutting funding to states that “allow anarchy.”

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3. Listener and Local Reactions to Portland

(34:23–36:56)

• Oregon’s Internal Divide:
  Dan from Oregon (caller) voices support for federal intervention, blaming Portland’s political leadership for the decline.

  “It's the morons over on the coast in Portland ... Trump, bring it on. Bring the National Guard in here and clean this place up. It's been a long time needed.”
  — Dan from Oregon [34:23]

• Broader Impact:
  Clay suggests Portland’s unrest is having economic and reputational consequences, including potentially losing a chance at hosting a Major League Baseball franchise.

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4. Interview: Eric Nesbitt, Michigan State Senator and Gubernatorial Candidate

(20:49–29:58)

Michigan Politics and the Whitmer Legacy

• Michigan’s Shift:
  Nesbitt highlights growing Republican enthusiasm, increasing difficulties for businesses and families under Governor Whitmer, and the need to “turn the chapter” toward a more Trump-aligned state leadership.

• Education and Cultural Battle:
  Nesbitt emphasizes the importance of Hillsdale College, attacks leftwing “indoctrination,” highlights support for traditional rights, and recounts personal hardship during COVID restrictions.

  “Our largest export used to be cars. And now it's our young people. That needs to stop.”
  — Eric Nesbitt [24:41]

• Personal Story:
  Nesbitt shares a moving story of being separated from his wife during her miscarriage due to COVID policies:

  “I'll never forgive Gretchen Whitmer for that. She did that to our family. We cannot let that happen ever again.”
  — Eric Nesbitt [24:04]

• Transgender Issues in Schools:
  Nesbitt opposes men competing in women’s sports and non-traditional pronoun instruction:

  “We need to get back to the 26 letters of the alphabet ... This is not the America you and I grew up in.”
  — Eric Nesbitt [27:27]

• Looking Forward:
  Nesbitt urges listeners to get involved, highlighting campaign information at “A Nesbitt for governor.com.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nick Sorter on His Motivation to Keep Reporting:

  "It's not going to intimidate me ... If anything, I'm going to be more aggressive with it because now we've got the DOJ involved. ... The six hours in jail was really worth it for what I think is going to come out of Portland."
  — Nick Sorter [01:48]

• Clay Travis on City Decline:

  "Portland, once ... a thriving place ... it all kind of went to hell starting with the George Floyd protest and it has continued for ... a long, long time."
  — Clay Travis [06:42]

• Caroline Levitt from the White House:

  “This incident is part of a troubling trend in Portland where left wing mobs believe they get to decide who can visit and live in their city. It is not their city. It is the American people's city.”
  — Caroline Levitt [17:58]

• Eric Nesbitt on COVID-era Restrictions:

  “I’ll never forget the text message she sent when we had a miscarriage as I sat in the parking lot ... Democrats said I could not be there and comfort her as her husband … I’ll never forgive Gretchen Whitmer for that.”
  — Eric Nesbitt [24:04]

• Clay Travis on Impact of Violence:

  “I think that there is a legitimate argument that the last five years of constant riots in Portland that has diminished and demeaned the safety and livelihood of people ... has directly cost them a major league baseball franchise.”
  — Clay Travis [36:24]

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:04 | Nick Sorter’s arrest account begins | | 03:04 | Sorter’s defense of the American flag and confrontation | | 05:48 | DOJ/Attorney General Pam Bondi contacts Nick Sorter | | 07:36 | Debate about Antifa’s structure and leftwing denial | | 09:28 | Critique of Portland police inaction and culture | | 11:27 | Discussion on federal intervention in Portland | | 13:44 | Sorter urges support for independent journalists | | 17:36 | Caroline Levitt White House statement (audio clip) | | 20:49 | Eric Nesbitt Michigan segment starts | | 24:04 | Nesbitt’s personal COVID loss story | | 27:27 | Debate over transgender issues in Michigan schools | | 34:23 | Dan from Oregon calls in supporting National Guard intervention| | 36:24 | Clay’s commentary on Portland’s economic/cultural loss |

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Conclusion & Call to Action

The episode paints a stark picture of Portland's ongoing struggles, focusing on the conflict between protest movements, law enforcement inertia, and the chilling consequences for journalists. Federal scrutiny is mounting. The show also highlights how similar battles are playing out in other states like Michigan. Both guests stress the importance of direct action—whether by supporting independent journalists or engaging in political change at the state level.

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How to Support the Guests

• Nick Sorter: Follow and support him on X (formerly Twitter), and support independent, on-the-ground journalists.
• Eric Nesbitt: More info at A Nesbitt for governor.com.

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This summary omits ad reads and non-content sections, focusing on the substance of the featured interviews and commentary.

Transcript

[Nick Sorter]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in Clay. TRAVIS BUCK SEXTON SHOW we are rolling through the Friday edition of the program. We'll take a bunch of your calls and continue to react to everything going on in the world at large. But right now we head up to the Pacific Northwest to Portland, Oregon. And we are joined by Nick Sorter, who was arrested last night in the midst of all the chaos outside the ICE facility in Portland, where President Trump has said we need to send in reinforcements and where the leaders of the state of Oregon have claimed there is no need whatsoever for that to occur. So, Nick, I just want to give you the floor here. I want you to tell everyone what happened to you. Just walk me through and walk us through your experiences last night.

[Nick Sorter]

I appreciate you guys having me here. And it's still surreal thinking about this, about how this all went down last night. You know, I said a couple of days ago on X that if this city is so messed up that if I were to defend myself, I would be arrested while my assailant would get away. And that's exactly what happened here. I have every right. These people don't understand this. I have every right as a journalist to be on the sidewalk and record what's going on in public. No matter how much they whine, scream and cry about it. I have every right to do so. And these Antifa thugs, they've been able to get away with physical violence for so long now that they feel empowered to harass you, to hit you, to break your equipment, and sometimes even Mace you. The amount of times I had mace thrown in my face this week has been crazy. Like, I'm surprised. I still have vision and nothing is ever done about any of that, ever. It's when I try to defend myself after 10 people gang up on me and throw me in a flower pit, that that's when the police decide, okay, we're going to actually do something for once. So all, all these theories that we've had about how Antifa has pretty much infiltrated the Portland Police Department or that Antifa has them by the balls. It just, it was confirmed true last night. I mean, this goes to show that the conspiracy theories, quote, unquote, were true. And, you know, it's not going to intimidate me. It's not going to stop me. If anything, I'm going to be more aggressive with it because now we've got the DOJ involved. Now we've got, you know, national headlines about, about this. The six hours in jail was really worth it for what I think is going to come out of Portland, Oregon now.

[Clay Travis]

Okay, let me. Let me dive in a couple of things that happened last night. You witnessed them trying to burn a American flag last night, and you stepped in to save the flag, and that certainly antagonized them as well, correct?

[Nick Sorter]

Absolutely. Yeah. That's when they started following me around. I was talking to somebody on the other side of the sidewalk. I saw them set the flag on fire. So I walked over there and I grabbed it. I yanked it out of the ceiling and put the fire out. And I actually took the flag. I still have the fluid. And I immediately went. And I guess about 10. I handled it for about 10 minutes, and I brought it to my car and put it in my car. And, you know, I don't feel bad about that. I'm sorry if somebody got their feelings hurt that I put the flames out of the American flag. I'm not going to apologize for that. And I would do it again in a heartbeat. So I knew that I was. I was risking, you know, getting my butt whooped by these people by doing that. But at the time, I just. I didn't care because it's what needed to be done. I'm so sick of watching these people just desecrate our flag and crap on our country, especially when these same people are, you know, they're waving foreign flags while burning the American flag. I'm fed up with it, as are most Americans.

[Clay Travis]

What were you charged with? Have you officially been charged with anything? I know you were arrested and you were held for several hours. What. What charges are you facing?

[Nick Sorter]

So it took them an hour to figure out what to charge me with. They had me in the back of the patrol car, sitting on the side of the road while they had. Because they basically were like, okay, yeah, we want to take him into custody, but we don't know what for yet. So we're. We'll figure it out as we go. So they arrest me, put me in the back of the car. They started driving around. They pulled over randomly and. And got out of the car so they could talk to their lieutenant without me hearing it. And that's when they decided they were going to charge me with disorderly conduct. And naturally, I was like, okay, disorderly conduct. Like, okay, what did I do? Tell me what I did. And they're like, oh, well, we don't know that information. We just know that you're being charged with disorderly conduct. So it took until after I was out of jail to see what the official narrative was, because disorderly conduct can mean disorderly conduct. Two in Oregon can mean either blocking a road, blocking a sidewalk or fighting. And I'm like, okay, well the Antifa terrorists are doing the first two, you know, constantly on a rolling basis. They're always blocking it, always blocking the sidewalks and every other minute they're fighting each other. None of them are ever charged with this crime, just me. Is that a coincidence or was I targeted?

[Clay Travis]

You were called already, I believe by the Attorney General of the United States, Pam Bondi. What did she tell you? What was that conversation like?

[Nick Sorter]

That was, that was pretty incredible phone call to get this morning from Attorney General Bondi on her cell phone calling me and telling me that she was immediately ordering Parmeet Dylan, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights to launch a full investigation into the Portland Police Bureau to. Because like this is, this isn't a one off situation. This happens frequently to. It's just the difference is this time I have a platform. Right. How many other victims of this police department are there? I would argue that half of Portland are victims of this police department from their lack of action, from their support for Antifa. And so that was really good. If you know anything about Harmeet Dhillon, I'm telling you that part excited me the most. Putting Harmeet Dhillon on this. Portland isn't ready for what's coming. I'm just saying.

[Clay Travis]

Why do you think this has been allowed to occur for so long? Because, because Portland is a great city. I don't, I don't know where your home base is, but it is a jewel of America if you just consider natural beauty. It had been and long had been a thriving place, but it was safe. Right. Like it might be left leaning, but it wasn't a violent place. There were not very many murders. The city was safe. Now the downtown is a mess and I know we've got a ton of people listening to us right now on 1190 KEX in the Portland area. This all kind of went to hell starting with the George Floyd protest and it has continued for, for a long time. Left, left wing politicians will say antifa is not a thing. What would you say to those people? What would you say to anyone out there who's saying, oh, antifa, that's not really anything to be concerned about.

[Nick Sorter]

Yeah, well that's a Joe Biden era talking point. Right. Because you know, they don't want to. At the end of the day, these far left Democrats are really, I mean hell, the leaders of the Democrat party at this point, Johan Omar and Jasmine Crockett and aoc, they're never going to condemn these people. Right. They actually support the message that they're getting. So the saying that Antifa is just an idea, I mean, come down here and talk to any of them on the street. It's an organized group. They have subgroups too. Like the one here is Rose City Antifa. It's an organized group, an organized effort. So I mean, it's just blatantly false to say that it's just an idea and not an organization. I don't even know, but I mean, that's pretty much the modern day Democrat party at this point to just blatantly lie to your face.

[Clay Travis]

Let me ask you this, that you.

[Nick Sorter]

Don'T think anything else of it?

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, no, I think that's totally true. We're talking to Nick Sorter, who has done incredible sort of on the ground journalism surrounding these protests in Portland. What do you think of the police force in Portland? Because I'm going to be honest with you, I meet officers all over the country and they say, hey, you're, you know, we listen to the show, we agree with you on everything. When you got arrested, did anybody say, hey man, I agree with you. I got to stay undercover a little bit. Do you think the Portland police as a group have been basically taken over by left wing activism and that's why they're not arresting? Or do you think the police force recognizes how much a BS this is, but they're being led from above and not allowed to actually make the community safe? What's going on in your mind with the culture of the Portland police as it pertains to these protests?

[Nick Sorter]

I'm going to be totally honest with you and I'm not going to have any disrespect for the officers that arrested me yesterday, but they had a very tough time figuring out how to write a police report. It's like they just never do it anymore. And that's probably true. They are. I was, when I was there for that six hours, three people came into the jail, the jail houses, it's the only one in Portland, in all of Portland. And three people came in, in a major American city overnight. They're not arresting anybody. They're not arresting anybody. And there was an officer that from a neighboring jurisdiction that was there with me yesterday. He had left right before this entire thing went down that he was providing security for me. And he went up to some of the officers there in Portland and said, you guys have no shame. You should resign in disgrace. You should not be following these BS orders. Orders that you know are BS because they're told to stand down constantly. You have these quote unquote liaison officers that stand there. Bill Melujian posted a video of me being assaulted by these antifa thugs the other day. And you can see in the background these officers just standing there watching, doing nothing. Because what do you think? Oh, following orders.

[Clay Travis]

What do you think would happen, Nick?

[Nick Sorter]

Way too much of a patriot to just follow orders like that and watch, you know, people get beaten. The street, like, I'm sorry, I'm not going to follow that order.

[Clay Travis]

If you have President Trump, the White House you mentioned, you talked with Pam Bondi. What should they do to take control of Portland streets? Because it sounds like the governor's not going to allow it. It sounds like the mayor's not going to allow it. But I know there's a lot of people out there that are listening to us right now in Portland that are just saying, much like with what happened with Seattle, hey, we got to have some sanity come in. What should the White House do? What should the National Guard do? Nobody's getting arrested. What should happen?

[Nick Sorter]

Caroline Levitt is talking about it right now, actually. She is going off on Portland about how they're being ravaged. She's speaking about the arrest and such. Honestly, I think that the we. If you talk to residents here, this is what they want to see. They actually support the idea of the federal government coming in and taking more control here. They're not going to say it publicly because they'll be, you know, harassed and assaulted for it. But. Okay, all right, well, sorry, I'm a little bit described by Caroline.

[Clay Travis]

Kind of a big. Kind of a big deal to have the White House talking about your arrest while you're being interviewed on the biggest radio show in the country. So we certainly understand that.

[Nick Sorter]

I don't mean to pause there, but, but, but, yeah, but I Live in Washington, D.C. right, where they act like all these people are not wanting or not liking the federal intervention that's happened there. And that's just not true. Everyday residents love it. They're excited by it. They feel safe. They can walk around again. The people of Portland want the same thing. They just can't say it publicly or else they'll be beaten the street, too.

[Clay Travis]

Nick, while we're talking to you, Mary Margaret Olahan, I'm sure you're talking about this, but for the. Or seeing this for yourself, because I can hear Caroline in the background. Mary Margaret Olahan at the Daily Wire says Caroline Levitt says, Nick Sorters arrest should be very. Should is unacceptable. And everyone should be concerned that you were arrested rather than the violent rioters in Portland. And so we will let you continue to watch that. Just. We'll be in touch. Are you going to be out in the streets again in Portland? What's your plan now and do you feel like you're going to be safe?

[Nick Sorter]

Oh, yeah. I've got, I've got a lot of patriots coming today, so it'll be, it'll be good. It'll be safe. There are a lot of people flying in just to support me today, so.

[Clay Travis]

Well, we appreciate everything you're doing. We know it's a crazy time. We appreciate you making the time to come on with us. Stay safe. And thank you to everybody out there that can be and will be patriots. If people are listening in Portland and they want to support you, what should they do? What could you tell them to do?

[Nick Sorter]

Honestly, just, just support me on X. That's, that's, that's what I, that's, that's what we need the most, is just support independent journalists. Not even just me, just people that are. There are a lot of people like Katie Daviscourt with the, the Post Millennial that just got assaulted with a freaking hype on the streets of Portland the other day. And of course, nothing was done about it. The police didn't do anything about it. Like support independent journalists. That's what needs to happen because we're the ones that are actually embedded boots on the ground, you know, risking our own safety and even freedom doing this stuff. So. And you know, the outpouring of support has been incredible from so many people.

[Eric Nesbitt]

From around the world.

[Nick Sorter]

And I appreciate you giving me the platform today.

[Clay Travis]

Thank you for coming on with us and stay safe. That is Nick Sorter. Encourage you guys, you can go follow him. We'll share some of his videos and some of the stor. But again, he was arrested last night at the Antifa attack event. Basically the protest that Antifa is putting on surrounding ICE and being talked about right now in the White House as President Trump prepares, I think, to marshal a great deal of resources. So we will talk more about this and continue to break it down for you. In the meantime, if you own Gold, you're feeling pretty good this year. Your investment, no matter the size, up around 40% year to date. That's solid appreciation, a sign of our times. When there's unrest in the world, when there's uncertainty in the market, savvy investors turn to gold. And they have for centuries. Gold has held value. And if you want gold to be a part of your portfolio, you can help find out how it makes sense for you by going to Birch Gold. They'll help convert an existing IRA or a 401k into a tax sheltered IRA. In gold, you don't pay a dime out of your pocket. Just text my name Clay to 989898 and claim your free info kit. No obligation, just useful information. Best indicator of the future is the past and for centuries, legitimately over a thousand years, people have been using gold as a safe haven as a marker of reliable Investment. Text CLAY to 989898 right now to claim your free info kit on gold. That's clay to 989898 protect your future today with Birch Gold.

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[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck Sexton Show. Appreciate all of you. While we were just talking with Nick Sorter about his arrest, the White House was talking about Nick Sorter's arrest. Here's our friend Caroline Levitt at the White House podium discussing that just moments ago. Cut 31 just last night we saw.

[Caroline Levitt]

An extremely troubling incident where conservative journalist Nick Sorter was captured on video being taken into custody by the Portland police after he was ambushed by Antifa and was defending himself from these assaults. But instead of arresting these violent mob members night after night after night who are ravaging this community, the police arrested a journalist who was there trying to document the chaos and everyone in this Room should be extremely concerned about that. The Department of Justice spoke with that journalist this morning and they will be launching a full investigation into his arrest. This incident is part of a troubling trend in Portland where left wing mobs believe they get to decide who can visit and live in their city. It is not their city. It is the American people's city and President Trump is going to restore that. I just spoke with the President about this and he has directed his team here at the White House to begin reviewing aid that can potentially be cut in Portland. We will not fund states that allow anarchy.

[Clay Travis]

Well, so Portland is in the FO stage of FAFO and we will see what ends up happening. We want Nick to stay safe. And so I know many of you in the Portland area and beyond, but certainly in Portland appreciate the reporting that he's doing. But we gotta arrest all these, all these kooks, all these crazy people. They've been doing this in Portland for five years now. Five years. Unbelievable. Sabers Co. We trust to provide our families with the best non lethal self protection tools out there. We've got them in my home. Buck and Carrie have them in their home. If you haven't done so yet, set yourself up with Saber self protection tools. Sabre is spelled Sabre website, sabre radio.com. we have got them all throughout the Travis household. Maybe partly because we got knucklehead teenagers in this house. Do you have knucklehead teenagers? Do you have knucklehead grandsons, granddaughters coming in at all hours of the night? You don't know when they're going to come in, when the alarm is going to go off. But maybe you want to make sure you're safe, but you don't want to use lethal protection. That's what Saber's all about. They've got a projectile pepper gel launcher. It's shaped like a pistol or rifle, but it's non lethal. They've also got pepper sprays if your kids have got late night hours going off to school at jobs. 844-824 safe. That's 844-824 safe saberradio.com 15% off when you go there. Welcome back in Clay Travis, Buck Sexton show, joined now by Eric Nesbitt. He is a state senator in Michigan running for the governor's office up there. We talked about how Michigan is probably the most important state. I honestly mean this. If you look at 2026 and 2028 and the amount of serious offices that are up for grabs, as there will be no incumbent governors, the Awful. Gretchen Whitmer will hop on her broomstick and ride off into the night sky. Eric Nesbitt with us now. What do you see on the ground? We talked about this yesterday as well. What do you see on the ground in Michigan? And are you optimistic that Michigan can become much more of a red state in the years ahead?

[Eric Nesbitt]

Hey, Clay, thanks for having me on. And I'll tell you one thing, Michigan Republicans are excited after last year, President Trump winning the state again and drawing out a record setting number of people as we continue to grow the party here in Michigan, because we've seen what it means under Governor Whitmer and the Democrats here in Michigan that it's tougher to make it in Michigan, it's tougher to do business in Michigan. Three out of four fourth graders can't read at grade level. So it's tougher for our kids to learn in Michigan and our job creators, it's tough for them. With the highest energy cost, highest insurance costs in the Midwest, it's just tougher to expand, invest. And with Governor Whitmer term limited out with Gary Peters leaving and fleeing the US Senate with three competitive congressional seats with the state House, with President Trump's leadership last year, we won back the state House in Michigan and we ended a Democrat trifecta. I feel positive on the ground and motivated as we continue to grow our campaign and activate folks on the ground to turn out. I was in Menominee last Saturday, which is a small community, I think about 20,000 people actually. Tudor Dixon was up there as one of the speakers. Her and I were the keynote speakers there and there was a sold out crowd, over 130 people in a small county and they already had 60 tickets for the Lincoln Day sold for next year's. It's a lot of energy that's around there and we're continuing to see that around the state.

[Clay Travis]

Talking to Eric Nesbitt, I'm curious when you went to Hillsdale and we love Hillsdale College here, Dr. Larry Arn has built a powerhouse. What was that experience like for you? And I know you have young kids, as do I, you've got three. As you start to look forward in the larger educational environment, how impactful do you think Hillsdale is becoming? Not only in the state of Michigan where you are and obviously as your alma mater has a lot of connection to it, but it's a cultural force across the nation now.

[Eric Nesbitt]

Yeah, Dr. Oren's been a great mentor of me over the, over the years. He continues to show leadership and light and Darkness, you know, where there's a lot of darkness in higher education. And you saw that with Charlie Kirk going into college campuses. He was at Michigan State University this spring. I have plenty of staff that used to work for Turning Point or volunteered on campuses, but you see how the left wing tries to shut down debate and dissent and try to indoctrinate our kids in public universities and private colleges. And God bless Charlie for taking it on. And they tried to cancel him and silence him. And unfortunately, a few weeks ago, an assassin's bullet took him out. But unlike a lot of these schools, Hillsdale was one that Charlie Kirk actually believed in. And he knew that they taught the basics, foundations of American government, of why our rights actually come from a creator, our God, not from government, where Democrats and the left wing progressives believe our rights come from government. And we saw that during the COVID lockdowns. It was disgusting and wrong the way Governor Whitmer shut down our schools, shut down our businesses. And this is part of the reason why I'm running. My wife and I, we went to the OB's office. We were expecting our second kid. And for me, it began with COVID My wife was pregnant in 2020, and I wasn't even allowed to attend an OB's appointment with her. And I'll never forget the text message she sent when we had. When we found out we had a miscarriage as I sat in the parking lot when she informed me that she had a miscarriage. She was experiencing the worst thing a parent can go through, losing a child. And the Democrats said I could not be there and comfort her as her husband, as the father. And I'll never forgive Gretchen Whitmer for that. She did that to our family. We cannot let that happen ever again. Never again. And that's why I'm fighting. And that's why we need to understand it's not just about COVID People can't make it in Michigan anymore. And our businesses, it's tougher for them. They cannot make it in Michigan. Our farmers cannot make it in Michigan. Our families cannot make it in Michigan. And the next generation, unfortunately, are you our. Our largest export used to be cars. And now it's our young people that needs to stop.

[Clay Travis]

We're talking to Eric Nesbit, running for governor in Michigan. That's an awful story about your wife and what she had to discover about the baby while she was by herself. Unfortunately, there's tons of people out there who weren't able. Who had similar emotionally heartrending experiences, weren't able to say goodbye to mom or dad or grandma or grandpa or people of their families and friends because they were restricted from being able to enter under these broken COVID policies. Gretchen Whitmer actually thinks she did a good job with COVID and she may well run for President of the United States based partly on what she considers to be her great leadership of Michigan. What happens next with her and how does Michigan as the front lines of a 5050 country help to determine not only the future of Gretchen Whitmer, but the nation as well?

[Eric Nesbitt]

Well, you got to have strong leadership. Just the way Florida was a 5050 state 10 years ago before President Trump came on the scene. He's effectively worked it to make it a lot more Republican. And you're seeing that in Michigan. I think we're becoming more and more Republican because of President Trump's leadership in working to bring out working class voters. We're the party of small business owners, farmers, workers, seniors, folks that actually trust parents. And I believe this is our last chance to save the state of Michigan. That's why I'm running for governor, is because I want everyone to be able to make it in Michigan. And if we want people to be able to make it in Michigan, we got to turn the chapter from the Biden Whitmer administration to the Trump Nesbitt administration. We have to make Michigan work for working families, for our seniors, for our small business owners and our farmers. And this is what we're building up. And we're getting some great responses across the state.

[Clay Travis]

Would you have ever believed you have two daughters, Would you have ever believed that it would become Democrat party orthodoxy, including in the state of Michigan where there have been many controversies relating to this about men competing in women's sports being something that needs to be protected by the state of Michigan.

[Eric Nesbitt]

And I have two younger daughters, a six year old and a six month old that's just blessed on both of them. And I couldn't imagine 10 years ago that anybody would be defending having a man shower in a gym with my daughter or having them play on girls sports or having them learn all the different pronouns instead of 26 pronouns being taught in schools. We need to get Back to the 26 letters of the Alphabet I had. I was out in Wayne County a few weeks ago at a fundraiser, mine and a parent came up to me and said that they have a 12 year old son going to a public.

[Nick Sorter]

School.

[Eric Nesbitt]

Sixth grade and he didn't use the they them pronoun for another boy. He was sent to the principal's office. This is not the America you and.

[Nick Sorter]

I grew up in.

[Eric Nesbitt]

And God bless that 12 year old kid that when he went down to the principal's office, he says, well, with President Trump's orders, I thought we could actually tell what people are by the sex that they were born as.

[Clay Travis]

I, I mean, Wayne county is Detroit for people who don't know. And yeah, congrats to that 12 year old boy for actually recognizing biological reality, something that virtually every Democrat elected official nationwide refuses to do. So, Eric Nesbit, how can people find your website? Where should they go if they want to know more about the campaign?

[Eric Nesbitt]

Yeah, it's A Nesbitt for governor.com is the campaign address. I'm on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, all that other. But it's Eric with an A. Middle of five kids all started with A's and by the time mom got to me, it was either going to be Eric or Erica with an A. And boy, I'm glad she went to Erica. I would have grown up a little tougher if it was Erica, but Eric Nesbitt and just farm boy. And that needs to, we need to shake up the status quo in Lansing, turn the chapter from Gretchen Whitmer and away from Biden. And we need to bring an ally of President Trump into that, that governor's office in Lead Michigan. As President Trump's working to make things in the usa, we need to make sure that it's easier to make things here in Michigan.

[Clay Travis]

Awesome. I appreciate the time and have a great weekend and good luck with that six month old. I hope she's sleeping. Tell your wife that, that we've got her back here as a community. That's a tough story you had to go through in 2020, but I'm glad you have a new baby girl.

[Eric Nesbitt]

Hey, Clay, thank you so much and God bless you. Thanks for covering the issues that matter and bringing it to the people. And fortunately she started sleeping right after Mother's Day and actually Mother's Day was the first full night through the night.

[Nick Sorter]

That was a big gift.

[Clay Travis]

No doubt. It's one of the best days out there. We appreciate you. That's Eric Nesbitt. When we come back, we'll take some of your calls. Talk back Friday. No more guest schedule for the rest of the show. You can react to everything as we roll you into the weekend. I want to say it's fall and if you're walking around outside, no matter where you are, you may start to feel a little bit of a brisk coolness in the morning. I felt like that. This morning I was walking my fifth grader to school and I thought to myself, ah, it does feel a little bit like fall now that we're into October and even a few tree leaves where I am starting to show a little bit of an impact of the looming fall depending on where you are. If you're Eric Nesbitt up in Michigan, I know there's a lot of leaves that are beginning to change right now. You can get a free inspection Free estimate. Save up to 30% off your entire purchase at leaffilter's website leaffilter.com Clay you can protect your home from flooding, roof damage, rotting foundation issues as well. And it's not a lot of fun. Let's be honest, getting on that ladder, climbing up on that roof, walking around, dragging all those leaves out of the gutters. Wouldn't it be better to never have to do that again? That's what Leaffilter is all about. Don't spend the fall worrying about your gutters. Schedule your free inspection. Get up to 30% off your entire purchase at leaffilter.com clay that's L E A F filter.com clay free estimate free inspection 30% off at leaffilter.com Clay see representative for warranty details.

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[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in Clay. Travis Buck Sexton Show A couple of breaking news stories we have just at least it's just been released that we did it. Trump posted a video on Truth Social just a little bit ago showing us blowing up another drug boat off the coast of Venezuela. Four different smugglers on it. This has that. This is at least the fourth different boat that has been blown up that is carrying drugs. President Trump posting that. Let's see. I wanna make sure that I get it right, that this boat was loaded with enough Drugs to kill 25 to 50,000 people stopped early this morning off the coast of Venezuela from entering American territory. So if you wondered, hey, when Trump said, I'm going after the cartels, did he mean that he was really going to go after the cartels? I would imagine that every one of these videos is ricocheting around in the text message threads of anyone that is engaged in drug smuggling on boats because instead of knowing that you might risk being arrested and prosecuted now, you know, every time you hop on a boat and potentially try to make that drug run, that at any moment you may get blown up, which I would imagine is something that changes the calculus a bit. Go some of your talkbacks. Podcast listener Dan from eastern Oregon. Ee he's got thoughts on what we talked about earlier in the hour, the situation going on in Portland.

[Dan from Oregon]

This is Dan from Oregon. I'm, I'm from the central eastern part of Oregon. We're Trump lovers out here. And it's the morons over on the, on the coast in Portland. And that area is all the liberal idiots and Kotex a moron. The governor and I say Trump, bring it on. Bring the National Guard in here and clean this place up. It's been a long time needed. Thank you.

[Clay Travis]

No doubt. I think there are a lot of people in Oregon, rational, reasonable people that look at what's going on and say they've effectively destroyed Portland. You wonder, by the way, this is not a huge thing, but I think Portland would have gotten a Major League Baseball franchise, for instance, because I don't know how many of you are paying attention to this, but in the next few years, Major League Baseball is going to expand and there is talk that they're going to put one in the west and one in the East. Now maybe that ends up changing. I think my hometown of Nashville is going to get a Major League Baseball franchise, be super cool again. That several years into the future, Portland may well have been the choice. I was talking to some people from Major League Baseball and they said the way the city downtown has fallen apart has taken Portland out of significant running to get a Major League Baseball franchise. Now you may say, well, okay, well, who cares that much about a major league baseball franchise? To me, it's emblematic of any organization that decides, hey, where should we put our new plant? Where should we put our new corporate headquarters? Blue states are losing out over their inability to constrain violence. And it's become a major, major issue. And as a result, I think a city like Salt Lake may end up getting a baseball team. I'm not saying Salt Lake City's perfect, but there aren't people rioting every night downtown such that you feel unsafe walking around in the city of Salt Lake. Now, Vegas got a team. Vegas is not perfect. But they don't stand for constant riots in the streets. I think that there is a legitimate argument that the last five years of constant riots in Portland that has diminished and demeaned the safety and livelihood of people who live in the downtown Portland area has directly cost them a major league baseball franchise. I don't know that anybody else is going to tell you that. Uh, let's have some fun. Sandra. New Jersey. And then we got some cuts potentially from Caroline Levitt. Sandra, what you got for us?

[Sandra from New Jersey]

Hi, Clay. Thank you for taking my call. I had two thoughts. One with Mamdani, with the flower for the bachelor thing. To me, he's not original at all. To me, he copied Donald Trump. Donald Trump went to McDonald's. Donald Trump went on that big truck. So to me, that was a copycat. I feel. What do you think of that? That he's a copy?

[Clay Travis]

Well, look, I don't know that it's a copy kite, a copycat, but I think what you hit on is important. When Trump went to McDonald's, when Trump put on the garbage outfit and drove around in the garbage truck in the final days of the campaign, Trump gets how to cut through the noise and take advantage of larger cultural issues that connect with people that aren't necessarily. Hey, how should we analyze the Bill of Rights in the modern era? That stuff matters, but punching through the noise matters more. Sorry. So I think that's unfortunately where Mom, Donnie is really good. His policies are awful, but he's going to people where they are.

[Sandra from New Jersey]

Okay. And the other thought I had was, you know, people. Okay. I wanted to give you an analogy. For instance. Like, you have a state and they're troubled and they need help, and the leaders don't want to admit it because they look like they're not doing right by the state. But sometimes you need help, and it's not a bad thing. Just like a person who has a hoarding problem in an apartment, no matter how hard they try, they can't get rid of the stuff. They need help. And sometimes it doesn't mean the person is bad, it means they need help. And the same thing with a state that has a problem. So what if you need help? To me, it doesn't mean anything bad, it just means you need help.

[Clay Travis]

Thank you. I don't disagree. And this goes to my point. Think about how broken Democrat ideas are. They're arguing that crime isn't that bad and so far so therefore it doesn't need to be lower. They're arguing against Trump putting violent criminals in prison. They're arguing against Trump going to Memphis, Washington, D.C. portland, cities like Chicago, Baltimore that need all the help they can get. Seems to me like he's making the right call.

[Nick Sorter]

This is an iHeart podcast.