The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 2 – Reagan's Warning

Date: November 6, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)

Episode Overview

In this hour, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton dive into the aftermath of recent elections, focusing on ideological divides, leadership in major cities like New York, and broader national themes of government overreach versus individual responsibility. Central to the conversation is the symbolic exchange between Ronald Reagan’s iconic skepticism of government and the progressive counter-narrative, brought to life by recent NYC mayoral statements. The hosts analyze policy debates, reflect on political personalities, and engage with their listeners about the future of the Republican Party and conservative governance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Holiday Air Travel & Potential Shutdowns

[02:06 – 04:57]

• Buck Sexton highlights breaking news: the FAA is expected to cut air traffic at 40 airports due to staffing and shutdown threats, right as holiday travel approaches.

• Clay warns listeners to check flight statuses and possibly reconsider non-essential travel.

• Noted that Thanksgiving is the busiest and most compact travel period of the year.

  “There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a place you don’t want to be, waiting to see whether you’re going to get on an airplane or not.” – Clay Travis (03:10)

2. Clay’s Book “Balls” & Media Tour

[04:57 – 06:19]

• Clay and Buck engage in light banter about Clay’s new book "Balls", encouraging listeners to support it for a shot at the NYT bestseller list.

• Clay discusses the arduous process of recording the audiobook.

  “It’s really in your best interest to have a copy of Balls.” – Clay Travis (04:57)
  “You have to be shameless... anything on his [Hannity’s] radio show. If you guys would please go buy it... I deeply appreciate it.” – Buck Sexton (05:55)

3. Sports & Pop Culture Side-Talk

[06:19 – 07:43]

• Discussion on sports team allegiances, nostalgia for the Miami Dolphins’ Dan Marino era, and the cultural shift in what’s acceptable for movies like “Ace Ventura.”

• Nod to how society would react to older comedy storylines today.

  “They have not found a quarterback basically in 30 years since Dan Marino. And every Miami Dolphins game you go to, there’s a guy in the number 13 Dan Marino jersey.” – Buck Sexton (06:54) “That [Ace Ventura] would never ever be allowed these days, that’s for sure.” – Clay Travis (07:43)

4. Reagan’s Warning vs. Progressive Government

[08:51 – 09:53]

• Clay introduces the core theme: the fundamental clash over the role of government.

• Plays Reagan’s famous quote:

  “I’ve always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” – Ronald Reagan [08:51]

• Contrasted with the newly-elected NYC Mayor Mamdani’s speech:

  “We will prove that there is no problem too large for government to solve and no concern too small for it to care about.” – Mayor Mamdani [09:17, replayed at 09:45]

• Buck frames this as his “worst nightmare,” seeing a direct repudiation of Reagan’s skepticism about government.

  “This is just like he distilled, in essence, my worst nightmare.” – Buck Sexton (09:24)

5. New York City Politics, Tax Policy, & Progressive Mayors

[10:16 – 14:05]

• Clay and Buck analyze the potential and pitfalls of New York under progressive leadership, predicting outmigration of high earners and budgetary issues.

• Discuss how a small percentage of ultra-high earners pay the majority of NYC’s taxes.

• The pattern of progressive mayors in cities such as Minneapolis, Portland, and Chicago leading to declines.

  “Without their earnings to tax, you can’t have the socialism that these people are advocating for.” – Clay Travis (11:00) “They can’t point to one who’s a real lefty and say, well, look at what a great... city that is.” – Clay Travis (13:09)

6. Anti-Trump Rhetoric in Progressive Victory Speeches

[12:22 – 13:09]

• Clip from Mayor Mamdani highlighting his city as poised to "show the nation how to defeat Trump."

• Both hosts lampoon the melodramatic rhetoric and fantasy narratives of progressive politicians.

  “This is not only how we stop Trump, it’s how we stop the next one.” – Mayor Mamdani (12:30) “If he was really a despot, you wouldn’t have crowds of people cheering for you, you little twerp.” – Buck Sexton (13:09)

7. Chuck Schumer’s Party Disconnect & AOC’s Ambitions

[14:05 – 15:20]

• Buck speculates on Chuck Schumer’s waning influence, fear of being primaried by AOC, and the generational shift in Democrat leadership.

• Clay forecasts a potential Newsom/AOC ticket and emphasizes AOC’s growing role.

  “He lives in constant fear that AOC is going to decide she’s going to primary him because he’ll get smoked in the primary...” – Buck Sexton (14:14) “She represents the real vanguard of the Democrat Party today.” – Clay Travis (15:20)

8. Listener Calls: GOP, Trump, and Party Disaffection

[20:01 – 21:34]

• Caller Betty (Virginia) shares that Trump supporters stick with him because he keeps promises, unlike the broader GOP.

• Buck recaps Trump’s agitation with Republicans over filibuster and legislative gridlock.

  “Donald Trump voters vote for him because he makes promises... The Republican Party repeatedly doesn’t keep their promises.” – Betty (20:27) “We have majorities. The problem is we don’t have substantial enough majorities, according to Republican leaders, to really enact substantial change.” – Buck Sexton (21:18)

9. Progressive Election Strategies & Media Reactions

[22:42 – 28:00]

• The hosts dissect Sunny Hostin’s ("The View") call for Democrats to fight political battles “lower” than Republicans, especially in redistricting.

• Highlight the double standards in media and among progressives regarding tactics like gerrymandering, prosecution of political enemies.

  “When they go low, you go lower. I’m sorry, but that is where we are now.” – Sunny Hostin, quoted by Buck Sexton (25:43) “Prosecuting your political enemies, a good thing, a worthy thing when Democrats do it… Republicans even think of doing it—it’s the end of the republic.” – Buck Sexton (26:43)

10. Bernie Sanders and Health Care Blame

[28:00 – 30:46]

• Bernie Sanders is played discussing election losses as rejections of “Trumpism” and blaming Republicans for health care woes.

• Buck notes the “cognitive dissonance” as Democrats blame the right for the failures of policies they themselves implemented.

  “Everything is going to get worse. And they turn around and they say it is your fault or rather it’s Republicans’ fault.” – Buck Sexton (29:30)

11. NYC’s Future under Mamdani; Learning the Hard Way

[30:46 – 36:00]

• Buck expresses skepticism that a progressive mayor like Mamdani will be held accountable for failures—blaming Trump will remain the playbook.

• Historical reference to de Blasio’s tenure, inherited prosperity, and slow erosion of city governance standards.

• Senator Ted Cruz’s warning that Mamdani represents “an actual communist jihadist” and that while some on the right see this as politically advantageous, it is “terrible for America.”

  “MamDani’s just going to blame Trump. As absurd and childish and irrational as that is, it’s going to be effective for a lot of people.” – Buck Sexton (31:49) “We have an actual communist jihadist… I think it’s terrible for America. It’s a bad look that we’ve got this guy in charge of our largest city.” – Sen. Ted Cruz (35:35, paraphrased by Buck)

12. Listener Engagement – Women and Voting

[39:41 – 41:08]

• A call from Paula jokes about women not voting and copying her husband’s ballot, sparking playful banter on-air about controversial out-of-context headlines.

  “I agree with Allison. I don’t think women should be voting, we put too much of our hearts into it... I copy my husband’s ballot each time we vote.” – Paula (40:01) “You and I are going to end up the headline on this... Clay Travis and Buck Sexton call for women’s right to vote to be taken away.” – Buck Sexton (40:22)

Notable Quotes

• [08:51] Ronald Reagan:
  “I’ve always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’”
• [09:17/09:45] Mayor Mamdani:
  “We will prove that there is no problem too large for government to solve and no concern too small for it to care about.”
• [13:09] Buck Sexton:
  “If he [Trump] was really a despot, you wouldn’t have crowds of people cheering for you, you little twerp.”
• [14:14] Buck Sexton:
  “He [Schumer] lives in constant fear that AOC is going to decide she’s going to primary him because he’ll get smoked in the primary...”
• [20:27] Caller Betty:
  “Donald Trump voters vote for him because he makes promises... The Republican Party repeatedly doesn’t keep their promises.”
• [25:43] Sunny Hostin (audio):
  “When they go low, you go lower.”
• [35:35] Sen. Ted Cruz (audio):
  “We have an actual communist jihadist... Mondami is not a socialist – he is a full-on communist. He has called for seizing the means of production in our economy. He is a Marxist. That is profoundly dangerous.”

Memorable Moments & Tone

• The juxtaposition of Reagan’s “nine terrifying words” with the new progressive mantra is underlined with alarm, sarcasm, and dismay.
• Listeners’ quirky, sometimes controversial calls spark humor but also reflection about the possibilities for media misinterpretation.
• The hosts’ tone swings between outrage at political developments and joking camaraderie, including self-effacing commentary about their media appearances, books, and podcast ambitions.
• Recurring references to the theme of consequences—whether for cities under progressive rule or a party that fails to deliver for its core supporters.

Timestamps of Key Segments

• [02:06] FAA holiday air travel warning
• [04:57] Clay’s book “Balls” and bestseller push
• [08:51] Reagan quote on government
• [09:17/09:45] Mayor Mamdani’s speech and ideological clash replayed
• [12:22] Anti-Trump rhetoric in mayoral victory speech
• [14:05] Chuck Schumer and AOC speculation
• [20:01] Caller Betty on Trump and the GOP
• [25:43] Sunny Hostin on Democrats fighting dirtier
• [28:00] Bernie Sanders on health care, blaming Trumpism
• [35:35] Senator Ted Cruz: “Communist jihadist” warning about Mamdani
• [39:41] Paula calls about women’s voting and playful controversy

Conclusion

This episode underscores the growing ideological divide over the role of government in America. Through the juxtaposition of Reagan-era warnings with today’s progressive confidence in government solutions, Clay and Buck interpret contemporary political events with a blend of skepticism, humor, and conservative insight. The show is energized by listener interaction, sharp media criticism, and an unflinching commentary on personality-driven politics in both parties, setting the stage for ongoing culture war battles and 2024 election stakes.