Hour 2 - PA Sen. Dave McCormick

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – Hour 2 with PA Sen. Dave McCormick

Podcast Information:

• Title: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
• Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts
• Description: Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics, and current events with intelligence and humor. From the border crisis to the madness of cancel culture and far-left missteps, Clay and Buck guide listeners through the latest headlines and hot topics with fun and entertaining conversations and opinions.
• Episode: Hour 2 - PA Sen. Dave McCormick
• Release Date: July 18, 2025

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1. Introduction

The episode begins with Clay Travis and Buck Sexton welcoming listeners to their Friday edition of the show. They introduce their guest, Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, highlighting his extensive business background and current role in the Senate. The primary focus of the discussion centers around the significant influx of AI investments in Pennsylvania, as showcased at the recent Energy and Innovation Summit.

2. AI as the Next Industrial Revolution

Buck Sexton opens the conversation by drawing a parallel between AI's potential impact and the transformative effects of the Internet in the 1990s. He prompts Senator McCormick to share his perspective on whether AI will be similarly transformative.

Notable Quote:

Senator Dave McCormick [01:13]: "I think this is the next great industrial revolution, I think, and the stakes are so high because it has huge implications for our economic situation."

Senator McCormick underscores AI as a pivotal force that could reshape the economic and cultural landscape, emphasizing its urgency and the competitive race against China for AI leadership.

3. Impact of AI on Blue and White Collar Jobs

The discussion shifts to the ramifications of AI on various job sectors. Senator McCormick highlights an often-overlooked impact—AI's potential to generate substantial demand for blue-collar jobs.

Notable Quote:

Senator Dave McCormick [04:00]: "What's happening is that there's going to be this huge demand for welders and steam fitters and pipe fitters and electricians to build out this enormous infrastructure."

He emphasizes that while AI may streamline certain white-collar roles, leading to automation of tasks like article writing, it simultaneously creates opportunities in sectors requiring skilled manual labor. This dual impact presents both challenges and opportunities for the workforce.

4. Energy Infrastructure and AI's Growing Demands

Clay Travis brings attention to the substantial energy requirements of AI advancements. He inquires about the necessary expansions to the power grid and the Trump administration's strategies to accommodate this surge.

Notable Quote:

Senator Dave McCormick [09:39]: "There was a huge $15 billion announcement of investing in energy infrastructure. Because you've got to have the data centers. You've got to have the infrastructure and you got to have the energy project."

Senator McCormick details the significant investments announced at the summit, totaling $92 billion, which includes $36 billion for data centers and $35 billion for energy infrastructure. He underscores Pennsylvania's strategic advantage with its abundant energy resources, including natural gas, nuclear power, and fossil fuels, positioning it as a critical hub for AI development.

5. National Security and AI Leadership Battle with China

A significant portion of the conversation delves into the national security implications of AI. Senator McCormick warns that losing the AI leadership race to China could jeopardize various aspects of American infrastructure, data security, and overall way of life.

Notable Quote:

Senator Dave McCormick [01:13]: "We are in a fight, we are in a battle with China for leadership in artificial intelligence. And if we don't win that leadership battle, we're going to have everything at risk."

He stresses the necessity for immediate and sustained efforts to maintain AI supremacy, highlighting the short-term nature of this critical period—spanning the next six to thirty-six months.

6. Investment in Pennsylvania's AI and Energy Sectors

Senator McCormick elaborates on the robust investments pledged during the AI summit, emphasizing Pennsylvania's role as a powerhouse in energy production and technological innovation.

Notable Quote:

Senator Dave McCormick [09:39]: "Pennsylvania is kind of unique because we've got, we're the second largest energy producer in the country, fourth largest natural gas reserves in the world, huge nuclear installed base."

He cites specific commitments, such as Blackstone's $25 billion investment in data centers and Westinghouse's $6 billion initiative to build new nuclear reactors. These investments are poised to not only meet the burgeoning energy demands of AI but also to foster job creation and economic growth within the state.

7. Memorializing Butler, PA as a National Monument Against Political Violence

In a poignant segment, Buck Sexton introduces the idea of transforming Butler, Pennsylvania, into a national monument dedicated to combating political violence. This proposal aims to preserve the memory of a significant local event as a testament against political extremism.

Notable Quote:

Buck Sexton [12:20]: "I thought Butler, Pennsylvania, that location should become a national monument of sorts, used as not only historical location, but also as a testament to combating political violence."

Senator McCormick enthusiastically supports the idea, drawing parallels to historic moments like the JFK assassination site. He views the memorial as a crucial symbol of resilience and a collective stand against political extremism.

Notable Quote:

Senator Dave McCormick [14:27]: "It's like being next to the limousine when Kennedy was shot, the convertible in Dallas. Like, this is an iconic moment of American history."

8. Conclusion

The hosts and Senator McCormick wrap up the discussion by reiterating the importance of leadership and proactive engagement in both the AI and energy sectors. They express optimism about Pennsylvania's role in driving forward technological innovation while also addressing societal challenges such as political violence through meaningful memorials.

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Additional Highlights:

• AI's Dual Impact on Employment: The conversation effectively balances the optimistic view of AI creating new job opportunities in infrastructure with the cautionary stance on potential job displacement in white-collar sectors.

• Economic Stakes and National Security: Senator McCormick frames the AI leadership race as not just an economic endeavor but a matter of national security, emphasizing the high stakes involved.

• Pennsylvania's Strategic Advantages: The state's rich energy resources and established technological institutions like Carnegie Mellon are highlighted as key factors positioning Pennsylvania as a leader in the AI revolution.

• Cultural and Historical Preservation: The proposal to memorialize Butler, PA reflects a commitment to addressing and preventing political violence, tying local events to broader national narratives.

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Conclusion: This episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show offers an insightful exploration of AI's transformative potential, the critical role of energy infrastructure in supporting technological advancements, and the importance of historical preservation in combating political extremism. Senator Dave McCormick provides a comprehensive analysis of the current AI landscape, emphasizing Pennsylvania's pivotal role in this evolving narrative. Listeners gain a nuanced understanding of both the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, underscored by the imperative of strategic leadership and investment.

Transcript

[Clay Travis]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Buck Sexton]

Welcome in our number two Clay Travis Buck Sexton show. Appreciate all of you hanging out with us. We are rolling through the Friday edition of the program and we are joined now by Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania. They just had a major AI event, Energy and Innovation Summit. Lots of AI money pouring into the state of Pennsylvania. And Senator, appreciate you joining us. And I know that you have a good, huge, successful business background, and Buck and I were talking about AI writ large. So before we have you dive into the Senate and everything else that you're doing there, I'm just curious, as you look at this through the lens of a business guy, is it in your mind, AI and its impact going to be transformational on a level like the Internet was in the 90s to the culture in the world, world, do you think more, less, where are we? What do you think from a business perspective, people should know about AI.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Hey, good morning, guys. How are you? I guess good afternoon. Thanks for having me.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

I think this is the next great industrial revolution, I think, and the stakes are so high because it has huge implications for our economic situation. Our economic opportunity has huge implications for national security. We are in a fight, we are in a battle with China for leadership in artificial intelligence. And if we don't win that leadership battle, we're going to have everything at risk. Our infrastructure, our data, our very way of life. It's that significant. And the case that we made on Tuesday with the President in Pittsburgh was that the intersection of energy, innovation and AI innovation is where the future lies and that America has to win at both. And if, if we're going to win, we have to win in places like Pennsylvania because you have to have abundant energy. You have to have natural gas, nuclear power, fossil fuels, all forms of energy. You have to have incredible energy resources. You have to have incredible skilled workers to be able to build that infrastructure. And you have to have the most exceptional technology leadership like we have at Carnegie Mellon. And I guess the last point I'd make, guys, because this is not a, you know, we got to win this over the next decade kind of thing. This, this battle is playing out over the next six months, 12 months, 24, 36. This is something that if we don't continue to have leadership, we're going to look back and say we missed a moment.

[Clay Travis]

Senator, appreciate you being with us. I've mentioned before that one of my forays into AI was just taking a standard blood test that I had gotten back with all the different numbers and the rest of it and Loading it in and saying, tell me everything I need to know about all my different markers. And it was fascinating. Not only did it give me incredibly detailed analysis, more so than even what I'd gotten from a pretty long sit down with my doctor about it, but I could do follow up questions, get incredible deep dive information in real time about anything. So to me that's just one little test case of how AI this was all through an AI system. How AI is going to change things for people out there right now, whether you're, you know, you're working for a mid sized company, whether you own a car dealership, whether you work at a hardware store or you're a truck driver. Like what, what are the ways that at a summit like this you can see the world is going to change and the ways that it will affect people in their day to day. Let's start with any of the positives before we worry about Skynet, you know, leading us in a nuclear war. What are the things that you see really getting better, more efficient, more helpful and more wealth creation going for people?

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Well, you know, the funny thing about this is that it's the marriage of this incredible new thinking about algorithms and data and really taking this unique ability to collate all this intelligence in artificial intelligence, but it's the marriage of that with infrastructure, data centers and new energy capabilities. So at the summit, I guess the one thing that would probably surprise people the most is the fact that this boom is going to have huge implications for blue collar jobs. Mike Rowe was there and, and he was saying this is unbelievable because what's happening is that there's going to be this huge demand for welders and steam fitters and pipe fitters and electricians to build out this enormous infrastructure. Because AI requires enormous energy. And so energy demand is going to triple over the next 15 years. And that's going to create this enormous opportunity for skilled workers. So I think that's one of the maybe surprising dimensions of it. At the same time, it's also going to put enormous pressure on certain types of white collar jobs. You know, I just did a couple AI searches this morning on my positions just to see what they would say. I said, what's Dave McCormick's position on Ukraine? And it laid out in excruciating detail my positions on Ukraine and what we should be doing there.

[Buck Sexton]

By the way, accurately in your mind when you.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

This was very extremely accurate. It drew on all sorts of different. You could have written the article. My point is you could have basically said if you're A reporter, you could ask that question and that would have been 90% of the article. And so it's going to put pressure on all sorts of white collar opportunities, which are. And the software industry. I was with Satya Nadella not long ago, the CEO of Microsoft, and I asked him the impact, he said, you know, geez, 90%, 80% of the development work that our software developers used to do can now be done by AI, which is really good in his mind because that allows our developers to focus on the, you know, the, the or the 10% that's the highest value. But this is going to put enormous pressure on certain types of jobs. And listen, this is a new reality. So my view is that America and Pennsylvania needs to embrace this change and be at the forefront, be leaders in it, because unfortunately it's inevitable and the stakes of not being the leader are so high.

[Buck Sexton]

I think what you just said is so interesting there about the search that you did on your policy on Ukraine. I have been hammering this for a lot of writers out there and I'm sure you've seen this a lot, Dave, from the, the background of a business guy. So much of life is figuring out what added value can you provide, right? I mean, in whatever job you do, what can you do that's better than the average guy or gal that might be doing your job? One thing that I think this is going to require of everybody is mediocrity is going to be replaced quickly by AI. So whether you're selling cars or whether you're writing articles or whatever you are doing in the larger universe, I would suggest familiarize yourself with AI because it can take you to a different level of excellence. But if you're not pursuing excellence in what you do, you're going to be very replaceable. Would that be a good contextualization, you think, business wise?

[Senator Dave McCormick]

I really agree with you 100%. And I also think, listen, this changes and it's hard. I mean, there's a lot of anxiety out there and I understand that. And there are genuine and legitimate concerns about the national security implications of AI, the privacy implications. So there is, as Buck said, there's pros and there's cons. However it is coming, this is an enormous transformation and I think we need to lean into it and recognize that leadership and controlling our destiny is. We can't put our heads in the sand and think this isn't happening. Controlling our destiny as a nation, as a commonwealth in Pennsylvania and as individuals is the only way through it. And I agree with you, it's in many ways, AI is going to ensure and enforce even more of a meritocracy in the sense that those who can contribute unique value, I think are going to be the beneficiaries of it. As I said, it's not white. It's ironic. The irony is, I think those with, you know, unique skills in the, in the, in the building trades and the blue collar world may have a really unique moment.

[Clay Travis]

You know, Senator, I saw that the, that Google is working through. What is it Brookfield to. And this came up at the AI Summit to get access to hydroelectric power plants. Right. So the, the energy needs of this AI revolution are going to be a challenge all on. All on its own and all on their own. And so I'm just wondering, do we have some sense as to one, how much of an expansion of the, of the grid we're going to need? And then how is the Trump administration trying to align with the. Not just the, the idea of drill, baby, drill, but everything. We're talking nuclear, all, all of the above to try to meet what's going to be power needs. A surge beyond anything we've seen before.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

I mean, I'm. Guys, this, this thing was awesome. I mean, I was so proud, proud to be part of it. And it was, you know, we had, we had 60 major CEOs, 20 companies that made announcements. And, you know, this was something I had asked the president if he'd. If he'd be willing to do. Right. Right after I won the election, I said, would you come to Pennsylvania? Campaigned or in 2017, he had made the famous line that I'm more worried about serving the people of Pittsburgh than the people of Paris as related to the Paris Accords. So he comes, we invite these CEOs. We have a big chunk of the cabinet there. Secretary Bessen, Secretary Lutnick, Secretary Bergam, Secretary Wright, Lee Zeldin, David Sachs, just this unbelievable collection. And the CEOs there announced $92 billion of investment. This is in. Some of these things have been working on for years. Some of these things are brand new. Out of the blue, $25 billion investment by Blackstone in two major data center campuses in Northeastern Pennsylvania. And if you look at the investments, they split up, which is instructive to your question, about $36 billion of data centers. There was another $35 billion of energy infrastructure. This is transmission to meet the needs. Distribution oper. He made a huge $15 billion announcement of investing in energy infrastructure. Because you've got to have the data centers. You've got to have the infrastructure and you got to have the energy project. So there was a huge announcement around conversions of coal to natural gas plants. Westinghouse, directly related to the president's executive order on nuclear power, announced a commitment to building two or 10 new nuclear reactors, $6 billion. So to your question, to make this work, you need an investment in data, you need investment in infrastructure, you need investment in production. And Pennsylvania is kind of unique because we've got, we're the second largest energy producer in the country, fourth largest natural gas reserves in the world, huge nuclear installed base. You know, Microsoft just did a big deal with Constellation on Three Mile Island. Who would have thought? So, you know, there's no way to meet this energy demand, which is going to triple in the next 15 years without embracing all forms of energy. That doesn't mean subsidizing them. What they've got to be economic, all forms of energy. And, and then having the infrastructure to make sure that we keep prices low for consumers and that we meet this big surge and create these great jobs for Pennsylvania.

[Buck Sexton]

Last question for you and you can tell me if you think I'm crazy. I know you were at Butler, Pennsylvania. We've talked with you as the one year anniversary comes near. We've talked with you about what that experience was like. You've heard gunfire before. You immediately recog. I said on the show this week as we talked about the one year anniversary and the implications and significance that I thought Butler, Pennsylvania, that location should become a national monument of sorts, used as a not only historical location, but also as a testament to combating political violence. Is this a crazy idea or do you think.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

I love it. I love it.

[Clay Travis]

Clay and I, I loved it too, Senator. So Clay's getting a lot of traction here. A lot of the audience.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, can. Can you? And you've got a lot more influence on this. But this is your state. I don't want that place. And look, I live on the battlefield of Franklin, Tennessee. You know, I'm a history nerd. Sometimes history gets paved over and we forget. Decades Hundred years later, you're like, man, I wish I could really see this battlefield. Or I wish I could experience the significance of this place as it might have looked then and understand why it's culturally resonant to me. Butler can be that not only today, but I think as the passions of the day fade for kids and grandkids out there who want to study the Trump era and understand how close we came to disaster there. I like the idea of creating a monument that's opposed to political violence. Thankfully, it wasn't a site of political violence. We don't have to be an rfk, MLK or JFK like site, but. So it's not Dealey Plaza, thankfully. But why not create something that is significant there?

[Senator Dave McCormick]

And long last, I think it's a great idea. I hadn't thought of it, but it's a great idea. And I do think memorializing what happened there. And frankly, you know, you've been a strong voice in this. This is across political parties. You know, not as long ago, we had a arson attack on our governor here in Pennsylvania, who's a Democrat. So we need to speak out clearly and decisively against political violence. And I think memorializing. I say that to people. You know, as you know, I was right there on the stage.

[Buck Sexton]

Yes.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

It's like being next to the limousine when Kennedy was shot, the convertible in Dallas. Like, this is an iconic moment of American history. And thank God that we missed the sniper, missed the president, the assassin missed the president by an inch. And I love the idea of memorializing that. So that's something maybe we can talk about offline. But I like that idea, Clay. And listen, you're a. You're a font of good ideas. Is he always like.

[Clay Travis]

He certainly has the confidence for it. I will say.

[Buck Sexton]

I will. So I'm not saying everything is brilliant, but I do have to me, this is one that does make sense. Poor Buck has to listen to ideas like this all day. But, Senator, you can help make this happen. I just like to see the site preserved. And I do think it's a. It's a worthy idea for generations to come.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

It's a great idea. Let me run with it. Thank you, Clay.

[Buck Sexton]

All right. Thank you. That Senator Dave McCormick. Thankful that he won Great state of Pennsylvania. We'll come back, we'll talk more about this and more. 800-282-2882. But I want to tell you, I was in Atlanta. Thanks to our affiliate down in Atlanta for hosting me for the All Star Game and the Home Run Derby. And I hung out with a lot of the executives with prize picks. I love these guys. They have built a really great business that just makes sports more fun. Whether you like Major League Baseball, whether you like golf, the British Open, the Open Championship, for those of you who are real sticklers, is underway right now. Going to be a lot of fun. Difficult course and conditions over there, but whatever you like, golf, tennis, football, basketball, baseball, whatever your sport is, you can have more fun with it at Price Picks. And they'll give you $50 to test it out when you play. Just $5 all over the country. Prizepix.com Code Clay that is prizepix.com Code clay get hooked up today. Check it out. I promise you're gonna love it. We're gonna have picks for you during football season and hopefully we can get some more winners. Prizepix.com Code Clay stories of freedom. Stories of America. Inspirational stories that unite us all each day. Spend time with Clay and buck. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Clay Travis]

Dive into some of these here. BB Brian listening on WTAG radio in Worcester. Play it. Okay guys, body The Vapors.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

I feel like I'm listening to an.

[Buck Sexton]

Episode of the Golden Girls.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

What's going on?

[Clay Travis]

Sir, I do declare.

[Buck Sexton]

I think it's, I think it's Golden Girls, like 1890. Not even Golden Girls, 1980.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, I would agree with that. CC Rudy from Tampa.

[Commercial Speaker]

Hey, I just started listening to you.

[Buck Sexton]

Guys a little while ago, but when.

[Commercial Speaker]

I first heard you were going to.

[Buck Sexton]

Take over the show, I thought Clay.

[Clay Travis]

Said that his broadcast partner was going.

[Commercial Speaker]

To be buxom and sexy, but it turns out he was just saying Buck Sexton.

[Clay Travis]

I just didn't hear it right. Bless your heart. Well, Rudy, I'm sorry. Sorry to disappoint you. Maybe I'm sexy, but hopefully I'm not buxom. I've been trying to work out a bit. DD Pam from Anchorage. Hey, Clay.

[Buck Sexton]

The fainting couch was a real thing.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Back in the Victorian era where women.

[Buck Sexton]

Wore corsets and they were drawn so tight they would get light headed and.

[Clay Travis]

And quite literally faint.

[Buck Sexton]

So that's the story of the fainting couch.

[Clay Travis]

That's what happens to me when Clay uses salty language or talks about it.

[Buck Sexton]

Is true, Buck. Regularly he gets the vapors and he, and he grabs his pearls and he collapses.

[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

Welcome back in Clay Travis, Buck Sexton show. Appreciate all of you hanging out with us. We are rolling through the Friday edition of the program and I mentioned this off the top, but I do. And let me just also mention we had a quick turn there, but I think the Butler, Pennsylvania Memorial site National Monument. I we're gonna make this happen and it's gonna make some people angry cuz they're gonna be like you can imagine what they would say. They're the kind of people who in modern day, even without corsets on, would have such low testosterone that they might need to fall onto fainting couches. Men, because Trump gives them the vapors to tie that in. They definitely are offended by my body language about buxom women. Um, but in general, I think this is a no brainer. I also think the amount of winning sometimes gets lost because there is this expectation, I think, in life to focus oftentimes on what you're not getting as opposed to what you are getting. And we're getting a pretty awesome 6 months so far from Trump. And it's not only inside of the Trump world, it's also the larger cultural surroundings. And I think that's significant because, yes, you all out there listening to us right now, you know what's going on in the world politically. You know what's going on with foreign affairs. You are plugged in. Thank you for hanging out with us every day. Most people aren't, y'. All. Most people are super busy. They don't really know what's going on politically, but they are impacted by the larger cultural universe. Those people are maybe even more impacted by left wing political thought without recognizing that they're being impacted by left wing political thought. And I bring that up because something that I think is significant happened yesterday in the cultural landscape. And it's connected NPR and PBS. Taxpayer funding. After basically 40 years of attempting to do it two generations, Trump did it. The money that you and I give to the federal government that then is routed to NPR and pbs, taxpayer money is over simultaneously. Stephen Colbert was fired. They're basically ending his show. And I dove into some of the. The economics on this show. I know a little bit right with the economics of this radio show. I've obviously done a lot of Fox News. I produce and help run and have run digital shows for some time through Outkick. So I'm aware of what shows cost. The Colbert show budget blew my mind. Let me hit you with a few stats here. Stephen Colbert had 200 employees working on his show. They had 200 brains trying to make you laugh. And they failed because he went full on politics. They couldn't remotely be funny. The show had a budget of $130 million. Putting that into sports context, team, look this up. I believe the Florida Marlins, or the Miami Marlins, as they are known now, the whole baseball team gets paid $67 million. Stephen Colbert's TV show had twice the budget of the entire Miami Marlins Professional baseball player, team budget. And Stephen Colbert made $15 million on this show. And he's now gone. And the show is going to be canceled in May. And I believe we have some fun audio of this. The final, this is too perfect. The final guest. When the, the first guest after Colbert.

[Clay Travis]

Announced his show, exactly who you'd want to have on. If you're trying to entertain people at night before they go to sleep and, you know, give them, you want Adam Schiff on. If you want somebody who's really funny, look, Stephen Colbert had a platform handed to him that he didn't build, that he didn't honor by doing the thing that he first and foremost should have done. The mission of that role, like we always say here, hey, this is the house that Rush built. Our mission is to serve you, the audience, as best we can every single day and carry on Rush's legacy. Stephen Colbert's mission should have been, obviously it's a different platform, different role. His mission should have been to make the American people laugh and relax to the greatest of his ability, all people, just to make people laugh at night. And instead he decided that he was going to join the ranks of the Trump deranged and pander to the political proclivities of a bunch of crybabies who can't handle that they can't live in reality. So this was a richly deserved cancellation. Stephen Colbert destroyed the audience that he was given, and the fact that he was getting paid as much as he did is an absurdity. And it's just a corporate, really a corporate legacy thing that he was able to seize for himself to get that kind of a price tag. And now I think we don't have to really hear much or deal with him. He's not a great standup. He's not going to go on to do great things. He'll probably launch some crappy podcast that will get a boost for about two months clay, and then he'll realize, wait, no one actually really cares what I have to say.

[Buck Sexton]

So let me ask you this. Were you, I know we've talked about this a little bit before. Were you a late night TV show viewer back in the day? Maybe.

[Clay Travis]

When I was really young, I was a Len. I was a Leno guy. Even though I grew up in New York, I was a Leno guy.

[Buck Sexton]

Okay? So I love the Letterman and I love the Letterman. Even when he was on after, for the Late, late, late, what was it called? Late Night, which came out of definitely.

[Clay Travis]

Two different people on this show thinking about very things they Thinking about things in a very different way. I always thought Letterman was a total, just a total product of the machine. Not funny at all. And a smarmy jerk. Jerk. Oh wow.

[Buck Sexton]

I really liked Letterman. But what I will say is first of all, most of the time when you're a kid, you're not able to stay up. I loved staying up. I felt like in the summers, this is a whole different topic. But in the summers, basically I was just home all day by myself. My kids now have a billion different summer camps that they go to for sports and they go to all these different events. I was at home, I would read and I would watch the Chicago Cubs and Harry Carey on wgn. And then I would watch like baseball because the Cubs used to play only during the day and I would stay up late and I would watch David Letterman most nights. And he came on, I think at 11:30 Central Time in Nashville and he was after Johnny Carson back in the day if I remember correctly. And then after Jay Leno eventually, if I remember correctly. And then obviously he left and he went to the Late show. And this is the show that's now being canceled, that Colbert has followed him on Colbert's Legacy.

[Clay Travis]

I didn't go ahead. I always like, I like Craig Ferguson. Scottish. Yeah, I thought he was, I thought he was funny. I thought he was. And very self effacing. I didn't watch him religiously, but I remember whenever I would stumble onto him, I really, I'd say I watched late night from like seventh grade maybe through high school. So about four or five years would have been like, you know, the late 90s, early 2000s. And I thought Craig Ferguson was maybe that was even later on. I forget when he was on, but he was pretty funny. And I'm actually, I like Conan too. Really. The only one I don't like is Letterman and oh no, that's not true. And the current crop are all garbage.

[Buck Sexton]

Garbage. Okay, I. So if you had told me when I was 14 or 15, hey, you get to have any job in media, there would have been two jobs in media that I wanted 14 or 15 years old. I would have wanted to be like late night talk show host. Seems like an incredible job. You're trying to make people laugh. You're even parts Democrat, Republican, you know, ridicule. And the other one would have been sports center anchor. I would have the idea that you got to go on talk about sports. I would have said those were the two that I would say are the best possible jobs in media. I think Colbert's legacy is he destroyed late night television. Because it's one thing if you fail, right? If Stephen Colbert had a show and he had failed, that happens, right? Everybody gets canceled at some point in time. If you do movies, they don't always, they're not always box office huge successes. If you do media long enough, you're probably going to get fired somewhere or your company's going to go bankrupt and you're going to have to find a new job. Just FYI, that's happened to Buck, that's happened to me. Like that's life in the media universe. I will say Colbert was bombing. He decided to turn his comedy show into left wing propaganda and everybody else followed him. Jimmy Fallon followed him, Jimmy Kimmel followed him. Gutfeld obviously went the different direction at Fox News. But the legacy of Colbert is not only that he's getting canceled now, it's that he destroyed late night television once and for all. Whatever you thought about Letterman, Leno back in the day, Conan, whatever you thought about Johnny Carson, that was, I think, a cultural connective tissue. Late at night people would put on those shows, they would kick back, they would laugh and they would get ready for bed. And now it doesn't exist. I think all these shows are going to get canceled and I think they killed themselves. And I think Gutfeld will continue. And I know a lot of you probably watch that on Fox News at night. But I do think it's unfortunate that that entire cottage industry is basically going to vanish. I really do. And I'm going to miss it. Now people might say, oh well, the podcast universe, whether it's Theo Vaughn who is a Nashville based guy, or there's all these different comedy podcasts, certainly Joe Rogan has an element of this and maybe people watch those now that would have watched late night television and that's the biggest combatant. But I do think if Colbert hadn't gone left wing political, I don't think his show would be getting canceled right now. I think there would have been enough longevity in those shows that everybody else wouldn't have followed him over the woke waterfall if all they had to do was make fun of Democrats and Republicans. That's all he had to do.

[Clay Travis]

I think that he chose the selfish and easy route, which was to just turn his show into the New York Times editorial page. With jokes. Yes, which is what it became. And it also was really sanctimonious and kind of mean spirited a lot of the time. And instead of just, you know, you can make jokes. Look, Shane Gillis, who you And I were playing, playing some clips from yesterday. He's a guy, I'm not sure he's, I wouldn't say he's conservative. I mean he's, he's willing to, he says things sometimes that, you know, he, he plays around. He basically goes after both sides from what I can see. Like he'll make fun of the wokeness, but he'll also take some shots at the right. But not in a mean way, in a funny way. And so I'm not as clear. I think he would probably think of himself almost as like a Joe Rogan politically, a little more non aligned. That's just my guess. I don't know, you might know him better than I do, but he's not a dogmatically right wing guy. But you get the sense that his overriding goal is to say things that have a little edge and make people laugh. And that is what he's actually trying to do. Stephen Colbert, you tune in and it was no different than msnbc. It's just they would slap a joke on the end of the line and that's, that's just, that's gross. And it's really an abandonment of what that show was supposed to be.

[Buck Sexton]

What I would say about Shane Gillis, and this is my view on comedy to the extent you need it at all, the most egalitarian, fair thing you can do is make fun of everybody across the board. So what they tried to do with identity politics was say, oh, a white male comic could never make fun of a black woman. That's the New York magazine headline after Shane Gillis's ESPYs is basically, oh, these are unfunny jokes. You can't make jokes about the wnba. Why? Much of the WNBA deserves to be ridiculed. So by the way, could the NBA or the NFL and what I would say is basically the south park doctrine, which is the goal, is humor above everything. If there is gold in those comedic hills, it should be mined whether the person who's getting made fun of is white, black, Asian, Hispanic, gay, straight, trans, whatever your identity is. If you aren't being made fun of, then we're applying identity politics to the equation. And identity politics destroys comedy because it turns it into propaganda, which is what Stephen Colbert became. And I think that's why his show failed. And I think it's why a show like south park has remained culturally relevant for 30 years, whatever you think of it, because they're going to go where the humor is, even if it makes people uncomfortable. And often great comedy does make people uncomfortable. You shouldn't always love every joke. That's me on the soapbox.

[Clay Travis]

You know when Shane Gillis says that watching History Channel documentaries about World War II is stage one conservative, like, that's funny. Yeah, you know, like, like you're, you know, you're just, you're, you're going down the, the long dark pathway of conservatism because you want to watch History Channel documentaries. Like, no. And that's a gentle joke, but I'm just saying, like, you know, that's actually meant to be funny. I know. I, I like, I like that joke. I thought it was pretty funny. It's pretty true. And now all of a sudden people.

[Buck Sexton]

Are like, good thing comedy not gonna stun you. But I like a lot of comedy that others would consider to be edgy and inappropriate. So go come after me for that too.

[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

Stories of freedom, stories of America. Inspirational stories that unite us all. Each day, spend time with Clay and Buck. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Clay Travis]

All right, welcome back in here to Clay and Buck. Great to be with all of you. Want to remind you as we're heading into the weekend, summer weekend, you might have some time either prepping the grill or yard work or hanging by the pool driving around somewhere. The Clay and Buck podcast network is fantastic. Download the shows. Well, first thing I gotta do, subscribe, go to the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcast. I recommend the iHeart app though. It's what I use. Get the iHeart app. Go to the Clay and Buck page. Remember, it's not just this show, but that is also pretty cool. You can listen to every hour of this show on demand. You've also got great podcast hosts like Carol Markowitz, Dave Rutherford, former Navy SEAL tutor, Dixon. Great, great people in there and they're doing fantastic shows so go check them out. Dave in Salt Lake City wants to ask Clay a question. Dave, go for it.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Okay.

[Clay Travis]

Great show guys.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

You're doing well.

[Buck Sexton]

Good.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

I'm a 30 year listening to Rush. I've been on a show about five times. Clay, I know you were part of out kick when you were on the floxing on Saturday.

[Buck Sexton]

College football.

[Senator Dave McCormick]

Tap the vein, brother. What do you think about Portnoy?

[Buck Sexton]

Well, I think, look, Big Noon, I'll still be doing SEC football games. For those of you out there that are big college football fans, I've been on the road for the last four years. I think the whole time, Buck, you've been with me in addition to all this, like I've been on the road for FOX College football. I'll still be at some of the biggest games. I think Big Noon, for those of you out there that are college football fans is going to be a really good show. And I love, I mean literally as you were and we just took this call. But I was looking at the SEC media predictions on social media for who's going to win the conference. So college football is my favorite thing to do. That is an escape right from the serious things that go on in life. I know that's true for many of you out there as well, whatever part of the country you're in. Buck is great on this because he has pointed out that I trust college football fans much more than I do people who are non college football fans. And that's going to continue. So I think it's going to be pretty awesome. For those of you who are paying attention, lots of good additions for Big Noon coming and I can't wait for college football season to get here and I'll be on the road in addition to having a new book out, I'll be on the road for the big games in the SEC for for fox. So it should be should be super cool and slash outkick and slash Fox News. We come back. Let's dive into the big moves. Npr, pbs. Also a little bit more on the Wall Street Journal, your reactions and more as they came after Trump. This is the Friday edition. Everyone's loving family freedom from T Mobile. We'll pay off four phones up to $3200 and give you four free phones all on America's largest 5G network. Visit your local T Mobile location or learn more@t mobile.com familyfreedom. Up to $800 per line via virtual prepaid card typically takes 15 days. Free phones via 24 monthly bill credits with finance agreement eg Apple iPhone16128 gigabyte 802999 eligible trade in eg iPhone11 Pro for well qualified credits end and balance due if you pay off early or cancel contact T Mobile.

[Clay Travis]

This is an iHeart podcast.