Hour 2 - Saint Patrick's Day

Summary

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The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Hour 2 – Saint Patrick’s Day

Date: March 17, 2026
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

In this Saint Patrick’s Day episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton blend humor and analysis as they discuss the cultural, demographic, and geopolitical challenges facing Ireland and broader Western societies. The hosts dive into the symbolism of the holiday, generational and demographic shifts leading to migration debates, and take a significant detour into the present and future of Cuba as a microcosm of communism’s failures. The hour closes with a preview of coming interviews on Iran and domestic politics.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Saint Patrick’s Day: Parades, Bagpipes, and Traditions

(02:42 – 06:54)

• Buck and Clay joke about the prevalence of parades on St. Patrick’s Day, both claiming to be "anti-parade."
• Nostalgic discussion about the role parades played before digital entertainment.
• Stories about notable parades: the electrified parades at Disney, New York’s legendary Pride Parade, and memories of bagpipes.
• Buck distinguishes between Irish and Scottish bagpipes—“Scottish bagpipes are less... melodic. Irish bagpipes have a little more of a melody, kind of a sweetness to them.” (05:05, Buck)

Quote:

"I'm not really a parade guy... Parades existed for a time before, like, screens... I think parades make sense for kids. For adults, I don't understand the desire to watch."
— Clay Travis (03:32)

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2. Irish Heritage, Green Eyes, and Viral Myths

(06:08 – 09:23)

• Both hosts recount their mostly Anglo-Irish ancestry.
• Clay shares a viral social media myth: the rarity of green eyes and their purported Irish origin, tracing it back to a message from his mom.
• Buck confirms via internet research: Ireland does have the highest concentration of green-eyed and red-haired people globally.

Quote:

“Ireland has the greatest concentration of green-eyed people and red-haired people in the world—per capita.”
— Buck Sexton (09:23)

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3. Ireland, Migration, and the Population Decline Debate

(09:40 – 16:55)

• Audio clip played of the Irish president’s St. Patrick’s Day message highlights a liberal, globalist perspective—using St. Patrick as a symbol for modern immigration and hospitality.
• Buck and Clay critique the Irish leadership’s policies embracing globalism and increased migration amid a rapidly changing national makeup.

Memorable Exchange:

Clay (14:31): “People in Ireland and most Western civilization countries are just not having enough babies... This is the root cause. They're importing people who are having far more children, which... in the future, Ireland will be largely not Irish, which doesn’t seem ideal to me.”

• They discuss Ireland’s total fertility rate (now only 1.5 children per woman), predicting a future with a shrinking native population and growing reliance on immigration.

Quote:

“My point here on Ireland is 20% of Ireland is now foreign born. The number...is going up dramatically... Let’s bring in as many people from other places as we can, as fast as we can, and see what happens to our culture...”
— Buck Sexton (13:19)

• Connections made to similar trends in the US—where economic pressures lead native citizens to avoid starting families, while immigrants with fewer resources have larger families, often supported by government aid.

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4. Mailbag & Listener Feedback

(20:58 – 21:11)

• Clay revisits the earlier audio gaffe—several listeners agreed the Irish president’s voice sounded “like a wimpy dude.” Buck remarks that someone compared it to Mrs. Doubtfire, adding a light, comedic touch.

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5. Deep Dive: Cuba – From Jewel of the New World to Communist Casualty

(24:16 – 44:19)

Cuba’s Past and Future

• Clay expresses a long-standing interest in Cuba as an example of communism’s destructive socioeconomic effects.
• He laments the “70-year absurdity” of having a communist state just 90 miles from Florida.
• Both recall Cuba’s status as Spain’s and the New World’s economic jewel prior to Castro’s revolution (1959).

Quote:

“Cuba was arguably, Havana in particular, the capital of the New World... It was the economic engine of much of the New World, and it was for a long time until it was destroyed."
— Clay Travis (26:52)

The Poverty of Communism & A Dream of Capitalist Revival

• Clay muses about a future where Cuba becomes a “capitalistic jewel” once again, comparing its future potential to the positive transformations already under way in Venezuela.
• Discussion of the outsized success of Cuban-Americans in Florida versus the poverty in Cuba, and how the Internet and communication technology make the difference more visible to Cubans at home.

Will Cuba Change?

• Buck offers historical and CIA-esque analysis, putting Cuba’s regime chances of falling at ‘50-50’ ("a toss up"), comparing it to less optimism for Iran.
• Both agree the regime can’t survive indefinitely amid total electrical and infrastructure collapse—especially given the knowledge Cubans have about opportunities abroad.

Quote:

“The quality of life would improve so dramatically if you just opened it up to international markets and had some kind of representative democracy and rule of law... It’s just a mafia state. That’s all it is.”
— Buck Sexton (43:47)

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6. Preview: Iran and Domestic Politics

(32:48 – 36:18)

• Clay sets the stage for upcoming segments: an interview with Shervin Pishevar, advisor to the Iran Prosperity Project, and coverage of the Georgia 14th Congressional District race.
• Archival audio from Donald Trump (1980) is played to illustrate his long-held views on projecting American strength, specifically regarding Iran.

Quote:

"That they hold our hostages is just absolutely and totally ridiculous… I absolutely feel [the US should have invaded Iran in 1980]... I think we've lost the opportunity."
— Donald Trump via archival audio (33:35)

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Notable Quotes and Moments

• “Parades existed for a time before, like, screens… I think parades make sense for kids. For adults, I don't understand the desire to watch.”
  — Clay Travis (03:32)

• "Ireland has the greatest concentration of green-eyed people and red-haired people in the world—per capita."
  — Buck Sexton (09:23)

• “In the future, Ireland will be largely not Irish, which doesn’t seem ideal to me.”
  — Clay Travis (15:50)

• “Cuba… It’s just a mafia state. There are people at the top... if you say anything about it, they throw you in prison or they kill you.”
  — Buck Sexton (43:47)

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Segment Timestamps

• Saint Patrick’s Day Parades & Traditions: 02:42 – 06:54
• Heritage and Eye Color Rumors: 06:08 – 09:23
• Irish Demographics & Immigration Debate: 09:40 – 16:55
• Listener Mailbag/Jokes: 20:58 – 21:11
• Cuba Discussion (History, Communism, and Future): 24:16 – 44:19
• Preview: Iran Segment & 1980 Trump Clip: 32:48 – 36:18
• Closing/Tease for Next Hour: 44:19 – End

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Overall Tone & Style

The episode is fast-paced and conversational, balancing critical analysis of policy and cultural trends with irreverent humor. Both hosts lean into skepticism about modern political leadership and progressive policies, often returning to the themes of tradition, national identity, and the perils of unchecked migration and socialism. The show is peppered with playful banter and listener interaction, keeping the mood light even when discussing serious topics.

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Useful for listeners seeking:

• Insight into the intersection of cultural celebrations and political identity
• Conservative commentary on demographic change and migration
• Geopolitical analysis of Cuba and the prospects for democratic change
• Entertaining banter with historical tidbits and pop culture references

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Transcript

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[Buck Sexton]

and Buck kicks off right now. St Patrick's Day edition. I'd say hello to all of our Boston area listeners. But you're probably four Guinnesses deep already and dressed like a little leprechaun and running around the streets of Southie having a great time. So you're not listening necessarily to the show, But I'm sure the St. Patrick's Day parade in New York is going to be quite a. Quite an affair. I used to. The only. That's really the only parade clay that I can think of in New York. That on a. Sam, I'm not a parade. This is. This will surprise none of you. I'm not really a parade guy. You know, I'm gonna.

[Clay Travis]

I'm gonna join you, Buck. This is maybe gonna surprise people. I'm very anti parade. I. I don't.

[Buck Sexton]

I think parades existed for a time before, like, screens and, you know, I. I don't. I don't get it.

[Clay Travis]

I get why parades in the 1940s were a big deal.

[Buck Sexton]

Right?

[Clay Travis]

You never went to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade?

[Buck Sexton]

Definitely not. Nope. Not a thing.

[Clay Travis]

Well, I get why parades are good for kids. Like, there's the electrical light parade at Disney World, which I would rank as number one on my parade list for little kids. I think parades make sense for adults. I don't understand the desire to watch.

[Buck Sexton]

I also watch parade tell you that I lived on the route for many years on the actual route of the gay pride parade in New York City. And I saw things. I saw things in that parade that I gotta tell you, shouldn't be going on in parades. Just gonna tell you that's a whole other. Whole other thing. A lot of nudity, A lot of. A lot of crazy stuff going on. So I'm not a parade guy. The one exception I have for parades

[Ad Read Announcer]

was

[Buck Sexton]

I love the Scottish bag. I mean, the. God. Scottish bagpipes.

[Caller or Guest (Tim from Menominee)]

Whoops.

[Buck Sexton]

I love the bagpipes. And you'll hear on St. Patrick's Day, a lot of bagpipes going on now, apparently.

[Clay Travis]

I'm sorry you and the Queen Elizabeth was a huge bagpipe fan back in the day. That's how she wanted to plan when she planned her funeral. She was like, I want as many bagpipes as possible. Basically.

[Buck Sexton]

I believe the bagpipes that you all think of when you think of the movie Braveheart are actually Irish bagpipes. And they're Scottish bagpipes. Scottish bagpipes are less. How do I put this? Nicely melodic. Irish bagpipes have a little more of a melody, kind of a sweetness to them. I don't know much about this stuff, but I've Just done a little digging on Braveheart, so I figured these things out. So point being, if you're going to a St. Patrick's Day parade, have a great time and I hope you remember some of it. And there's that. We also have over in Ireland, which is the top of my list for the next place. I want to go overseas with Carrie. Our last little family trip was to Spain. Loved Spain. But I though I went to see the cathedrals. I went to Toledo and did all the. I love Spain is an incredible civilization, a wonderful country. Big fan. Scotland is amazing too. Went to Scotland. That was a lot of fun. Ireland, that's where my people are from. How Irish are you, by the way? Like by. By background, you didn't do 23. And me, like every human being in

[Clay Travis]

this country, I did 23andMe. And I was hoping that I would be part black so I could start saying as an African American, I was entirely, entirely English and Irish. Like my entire. There was maybe a little bit of, A little bit of north French, you know, because there used to be a lot of cross pollination between, for those of you who are history nerds, between England and France across the English Channel there. And so all.

[Buck Sexton]

There's a lot of names that we think of as, as Anglo or, or, or British, like Fitzgerald. It's like Fijian. It actually comes from northern France. There's a lot of that. A lot of names that we think of as, as Anglo Irish are actually French names that got brought over.

[Clay Travis]

Supposedly the Travis name is partly connected to Travers, which is a French. A French derivation. First of his name, I think was around 900 in. In the Travis name, around 900, I think, in. In England. So all British, all Irish. And my mom sent me this. And I don't know about. I don't, I don't want to throw my mom under the bus here, but I will say my mom is not always 100% accurate in the information that she shares with me from the Internet. I don't know if this is a. This is a general.

[Buck Sexton]

My dad used to send me those chain letters that were like, if you don't forward this on, you're gonna have seven years of bad luck. And I would be like, stop it. And he's like, I can't. I don't want the bad luck.

[Clay Travis]

So my mom sent me something. I don't know. You. You would. You may have some knowledge on this, that green eyes are uniquely connected to the DNA from people who lived in Ireland. I don't know if this is true at all. Some of you may be super smart when it comes to eye color. She said that it again, this is my mom, so I don't want to throw under the bus, but my mom is not 100% accurate on things on the Internet that she sends to me, as I'm sure maybe some of your moms and grandmas are not, are not as well. But she sent me something yesterday in honor of St. Patrick's Day saying green eyes are incredibly rare, which is true. And that they have primarily derived from people who are of Irish descent. And so if you see someone with green eyes, hazel eyes, that that is primarily connected to Ireland. And it was a cool kind of little take that she sent me that it's, to be fair, gone mega viral, I think on Instagram. But it had me thinking about it in advance of today being St. Patrick's Day. I, like you, have not spent time in Ireland. I have been to England. I have been to Scotland. I would like to go to Ireland and actually be able to do a good visit at some point in time. I love Guinness. I have heard that one of the coolest tours you can take if you are a fan of Guinness is they have the great Guinness factory where they produce all of this, I believe in Dublin. I bet a bunch of you who are listening to us have been there. I am a big fan of Guinness. I'll probably have a few pints today as I watch the US hopefully beat Venezuela in the wbc. But we'll see on the eye color argument whether my mom is correct or not on that.

[Buck Sexton]

According to the Internet, which take that as you will, Ireland has the greatest concentration of green eyed people and red haired people in the country. I mean the world.

[Clay Travis]

In the world.

[Buck Sexton]

Per capita. In the world. Yes. So.

[Clay Travis]

And your son has got red hair.

[Buck Sexton]

He's got fiery red hair. He's a little redhead. He's. He's like, he looks like Jamie from Outlander. For those of you who are Outlander fans, he's got that fiery red hair. But Clay, unfortunately the leadership of Ireland, when it comes to love of their country and heritage, not as fiery as some of us would want. Or rather sounds a bit more like you're at a Davos lecture. Here is the Irish president using the story of St. Patrick to tell everybody, you know what we need in Ireland? More globalism and more migration from countries all over the world that have nothing to do with Ireland or have no similarity or commonality with Ireland. Play 15.

[Caller or Guest (Tim from Menominee)]

The story of Patrick's life serves as a Reminder of the resilience and courage of migrants, the invaluable contributions to that they have made and continue to make to the countries they now call home, sometimes even in the face of great adversity. As we recall the life of Patrick, we invoke his spirit and acknowledge our shared responsibilities as global citizens. Patrick's story invites us to respond with hospitality and kindness to those suffering the consequences of war and displacement, those fleeing their countries because of persecution or violence.

[Buck Sexton]

I mean, he was initially captured as a slave from Britain, brought to Ireland to work there, and then he escaped and then he came back later as a missionary. But he didn't show up from, like, Bangladesh and say, hey, I want a lot of free stuff. Pay for all my things, and I don't plan to learn your language. Like, things have changed quite a bit since migration in the fifth century.

[Clay Travis]

That. Yes. That also sounds like a guy who's playing the role of an Irish guy. Listening to that audio. It doesn't sound like a real person. It sounds like he's playing the role of an Irish guy in a movie. That's a woman. I think that's a guy that we just played the audio of.

[Buck Sexton]

It's a woman.

[Clay Travis]

Oh, I thought that was a guy. Am I the only person, Travis, throwing haymakers? Only person who thought that was a dude. Is that, is that sexist of me? I was like, this is kind of a soft, like, not very, to be fair voice.

[Buck Sexton]

We don't know how the president of Ireland identifies, but if you're going with, is this a chick? When you look at her, It's a chick. Dude.

[Clay Travis]

I totally thought that was a dude. No, like, kind of a weak voice dude. Am I the only person that thought that was a dude? Please, other people out there listening.

[Buck Sexton]

You're not going to hire her for the outkick bikini calendar. But it is a female. Yes.

[Clay Travis]

I, I thought, totally thought that was an effeminate dude. I was like, this sounds like somebody who's trying to be blandly inoffensive and playing a role of blandly inoffensive, apologetic dude. So. Well, I guess that's a masculine sounding chick in some way. Then you, you had, you knew 100% that was a dude or you knew because I knew it was a chick.

[Buck Sexton]

It's a lot of dude. It's the opposite of dude.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, well, right. But you knew, you knew based on the voice.

[Buck Sexton]

It's not even a dude who looks like a lady. It looks like a lady.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, but we don't have video.

[Buck Sexton]

What do you mean there's video?

[Clay Travis]

Yes, I'm saying, but we're not watching the video. So I'm only. It's a theater of the mind. I'm only hearing a voice, and I was picturing that being a man speaking.

[Buck Sexton]

I don't know. I think that gets you a headbutt and some Guinness thrown in your face in Dublin, buddy. So that's all I can tell you. My, my point here on Ireland is 20% of Ireland is now foreign born. The number in the last 10 years is going up dramatically. And the, and the Irish leadership, they see what's gone on in places like Germany and Sweden and Belgium and, and they're like, you know what? We need some of that. And France, you know what? We need some of that. Let's get some of that going on. Let's bring in as many people from other places as we can, as fast as we can and see what happens to our culture, to our political unity and everything else. But the Irish, look, just historically, they got a big. I'm not talking about Irish Americans, which is probably about a third of this audience right now, including Clay and me. I'm talking about the actual Irish. Irish, big Chip. They love, they love, you know, they love the plo, they love Cuba, they love, they love all the, like, downtrodden leftists of the world because they're right next door to Great Britain. And yeah, they've had all their beef with Britain and the IRA and everything else, but at the end of the day, they're next door to Britain. It's a pretty safe, cozy little place to be.

[Clay Travis]

Do you know where all of this comes from, though? Unfortunately, people in Ireland and people in most Western civilization countries are just not having enough babies. Like, this is why ultimately I understand the idea of, oh, we just want to be welcoming for everybody. The population collapse, Japan, Italy, Ireland. I'm sure when it comes to actual numbers of babies that Irish women are having, which, by the way, if you went back to America in the 1880s, if we had said, hey, you know what's going to be an issue one day for Ireland, they're not going to have enough kids. A lot of people would have rolled their eyes and said, yeah, you know, the, the whole phrase Irish twins, which I don't know if it's offensive or not, but, you know, it's like you're having babies so close together is, is called Irish twins for a reason. But the population is collapsing. I bet, here's off the top of my head, I bet the average Irish woman right Now, Buck is having. We'll look this up. I Bet they're having 1.35 children on average. And so over generations, we'll look up what the number actually 1.5.

[Buck Sexton]

You're close. 1.5. So, and, and they're going to be a negative, negative territory. Their population will start contracting within the next 20 years based on the current trend.

[Clay Travis]

So this is why they're trying. This is the root cause. Like they may say, oh, we want to be welcoming and all these other things. They're importing people who are having far more children, which then becomes even more dangerous, Buck, because in the future, Ireland will be largely not Irish, which doesn't seem ideal to me.

[Buck Sexton]

See, this is, this is what the frustration is, though. And by the way, we're all, we all understand, right? There's a lot of this with America, too, that you have people who are overtaxed and overburdened and overregulated and have to deal with all the nonsense of the government make in this country. The cost of housing has gotten completely outrageous. You have to make 100% more to qualify for the same house you would have five years ago. That's insane. Purely government policy driven. And we're bringing people from all over the world who go on welfare. So a lot of Americans of all colors, of all ethnicities, of all backgrounds, a lot of actual Americans, though, are saying, I can't afford to have kids. And then people show up here who don't actually contribute, have five kids and go, the state's going to pay for all my kids.

[Clay Travis]

Yes.

[Buck Sexton]

And that is happening in Europe and it is happening here and people are sick of it.

[Clay Travis]

The number of people out there who, if you sit around and think, I can't afford to have kids, you are in the minority. People who are just, to your Buck's point, who actually can't afford to have kids are the ones having kids. And a lot of people out there who are highly educated and have resources, they don't think they can afford kids. It's a major issue. And again, this is the underlying impetus under which all of this immigration is happening. I want to tell you, March Madness is here. Price picks will make it more fun. Whether you are in California, whether you are in Florida, whether you are in New York or Washington state lit the width and breadth of the country, March Madness fever is spreading. And you can play along and have some fun. For $5, you get $50 deposited in your account when you sign up right now. Prizepix.com Code Clay that is prizepix.com Code clay When you play $5, have some fun with March Madness. You get $50 deposited in your account. That's prizepix.com Code Clayton prizepix.com Code C L A Y Want to be in the know when you're on The Go the Team 47 podcast Trump highlights from the week, Sundays at noon Eastern in the Clay and Buck podcast feed. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck Sexton show. Several of you at least agreeing with me that you also thought it was a wimpy dude who was talking. So I'm not totally out to lunch here.

[Buck Sexton]

Someone said it sounds like Mrs. Doubtfire.

[Ad Read Announcer]

Hello.

[Clay Travis]

That's kind of. That's kind of what I was getting into. It felt like someone fake performing. And yes, I could see totally the Mrs. Doubtfire, which was a dude pretending to be a chick in a weird voice. Let's see.

[Buck Sexton]

We were.

[Clay Travis]

Said we were gonna talk about Cuba, so let's set the table here.

[Buck Sexton]

Can we. Can I just get a little credit from our. We have a. We have a Scottish. A bagpipe expert who has called in to say, wow, Buck, you know, not expect this. Tim from Menominee. Did I nail that Menominee?

[Clay Travis]

I think that's right.

[Buck Sexton]

Wow. Menominee, Wisconsin, if I got that right. Menominee, you got to give Buck the key to the town. Hit it.

[Clay Travis]

B. Clay and Buck Aaron gobrau on this St. Patrick's Day. Just so you know, the Irish bagpipes, as you call them, are referred to as Ulian pipes. And yes, they do have a more mellow sound than the Scottish bagpipe counterparts. That's a real.

[Buck Sexton]

What happens when you love Braveheart so much that you watch the behind the Scenes. You read multiple biographies of William Wallace and you find out that Braveheart is a movie set in Scotland, but filmed and basically costumed and soundtracked by Irish stuff.

[Clay Travis]

You did hopefully tour the castle, the William Wallace castle in Scotland when you were there, right?

[Buck Sexton]

Not really a castle. It's a monument to him.

[Clay Travis]

I thought he used to live in one of the castles.

[Buck Sexton]

No, no. I mean, there's. You don't go. What do you mean?

[Clay Travis]

I thought that there was a place in Scotland that William Wall.

[Buck Sexton]

There's a Wallace monument that looks like a castle, but it's. It was built as, like, a monument. Yeah, that's what you're thinking of, the Wallace Monument, which looks like a castle. But no, that wasn't his actual. They realized the movie was so freaking huge and such a tourist thing that, like, you know, they had to go all in on this.

[Clay Travis]

So I was there 27 or 28 years ago, so. But I remember thinking it was awesome then.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

You're.

[Buck Sexton]

I'm going to go out on a limb here for a second. Okay. My interest in Cuba, other than just the history of, of communism and how it destroys everything and having some friends who, including a friend who fought at the Bay of Pigs still around and may actually be listening right now, my interest in Cuba tends to go around the just pure anti communist lines. You're interested in Latin America. I feel like right now, particularly because there is a baseball going on.

[Clay Travis]

I thought you were going to say there's baseball going on. I would like to buy. That's what I said. Huge Cuban estate. I want Cuba to be a capitalistic world. And I think it would be. If you go back in time and you're a history person. You know, Hemingway lived in Havana. It was a beautiful place until the 50s. I used to live in the Caribbean.

[Buck Sexton]

Didn't finish building your house like your, your house in Florida. You're really going to make her build a house in Cuba now. Do you realize all the hoops they're going to have to go through for this?

[Clay Travis]

I'm in the house in Florida right now. It is awesome. But yeah, I think having like a big Cuban estate would be awesome. And I think Cuba would be. I'm not kidding about This, I think it would be a real capitalistic jewel because of its proximity to America. How quickly you can get back and forth. And I know there are tons of Cubans out there that would love to have the opportunity to help make it a capitalistic jewel again. And so I have been a long time student because I lived in the Caribbean. I love so much of the history of the Caribbean. And I think Cuba is sort of this perfect postcard of what communism does. It destroys so many people's qualities of life. And I just hate when we have the same conversations over and over and over again. And I think this ties into a large extent with President Trump because he's just fed up with a lot of the same debates having existed for much of our lives. And one of the things that we've debated is when did the Cuban revolution start? 59. Was that when Castro came into power, if I'm not mistaken? I think in 1959, Ish Castro took over Cuba, which at the time was a flourishing island filled with commerce as it had been from the moment we basically founded the New World. I mean, Cuba, Havana was one of the jewels of the New World.

[Buck Sexton]

It was Spain's real headquarters in the world. Right. I mean, Cuba was the site of the most important Spanish settlement for a long time, if memory serves.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah. And it was a jewel of the New World. I mean, one of the. I read the. There's a great book on the history of Cuba that I read probably five or six years ago. And Cuba was arguably Havana, in particular the capital of the New World. When you go back and look at the populations in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Charleston, the biggest cities at the time of the colonization of America. And Cuba was as big as as many of these. These cities that are absolute heavyweights of America today. It was bigger back then and it was the economic engine of much of the New World. And it was for a long time until it was destroyed.

[Buck Sexton]

And they produce a lot of great outfielders, let's be honest. You know, a lot of guys who

[Clay Travis]

could swing that back, a lot of elite talent. And it would not be bad if you're a Major League baseball fan, to have more Cubans who were able to compete in Major League Baseball. But you know, Castro himself, there's a lot of people don't know this buck Fidel Castro, decent ball player back in the day. Do you know, this was actually a very good. Hoped to have a pro career in Major League Baseball, didn't. And then overthrew capitalism in his country.

[Buck Sexton]

I just, I can see it right now allowed kick brought to you by Prize Picks. You know, well, I've got to learn

[Clay Travis]

Spanish, so I'm, I'm a little bit behind on my idea of living in Cuba and I'm not great at language or accents, as everyone knows who listens to this. I can barely pull off English sometimes. And so. But I do think that we are in, we are poised to potentially finally end this, whatever it is, 70 year absurdity of allowing a communist country to be 90 miles off the shore of the United States. And I think it's long past time to free the economy of Cuba and in so doing, free the people of Cuba as well. And there is no opposition to speak of at all. And I know Marco Rubio has got a lot on his plate, but I feel like he is particularly well attuned throughout the enormity and entirety of his life, given the situation of Cuba, to know and have thought a great deal about what is the appropriate way to return freedom and capitalism, which march hand in hand to Cuba. And so I think we're honestly almost there. And I think it's the great unspoken aspect of what we did Venezuela, in taking out Maduro, freed up Cuba to fall. And I think figuring out how to manage this is, I bet, something that Marco Rubio is spending a great deal of time on right now.

[Buck Sexton]

Marco Rubio, I think has and always will have a special place for the freedom of the Cuban people. And so if there's anything that he can do at this stage as the Secretary of State under this Trump administration, to bring that about, it would be really almost like a Shakespearean bringing full circle moment for him. It would be pretty incredible or maybe a Homemarian moment. So, yeah, I think it would be incredible. I think this would be a great thing. And I don't know how they're planning to do anything other than what we've seen right now. But I do know this. You can't just keep a country in the dark without power before things start to. I mean, think about what a mess this must be.

[Clay Travis]

Yes.

[Buck Sexton]

And we have very little media coverage, for obvious reasons of what goes on in Cuba, but it must be pretty hellish situation there. Like I said, it's, it's. You're talking transport, refrigeration.

[Clay Travis]

Yes.

[Buck Sexton]

You're talking electricity, obviously, for hospitals.

[Clay Travis]

Think about the impact of hospitals right

[Buck Sexton]

now, all kinds of stuff. So I wonder, I don't know what level of contact the governing, you know, communist authorities have with anybody who could even get in touch with us. I'm not really sure how that works. But I do know this. They do not have long to play this out. I don't really know what the future is. Yeah, I think the Trump administration is playing this one pretty close to the vest play. I think they have thought out more of what's going to happen in Cuba than had they been able to count on the next steps in Iran, if that makes sense. I bet they've got some ideas here for how this is going to go.

[Clay Travis]

I think that's right. And they haven't really spoken out on it. I mean, we obviously have a lot of foreign policy playing out right now where I would say some people have said, well, I don't think they've really kind of spelled out all of this. And that's been in a criticism. I actually think there is pretty strong connection between all three of these. And basically what we're trying to do is return freedom to as many people around the world who have been in direct opposition to the United States as possible. Which is why I say that to me, it has a sort of echo effect of what we saw happen in 1989 when the Berlin Wall came down. And I give me give credit to our team here, Buck, because I asked, hey, these were circulating. People have said, including Joe Kent, who we talked about earlier, hey, I'm resigning. This is the president falling victim to the sway of Israel. And that is why we went into Iran. And the team went back and pulled a bunch of audio. Listen to this, Buck. This is Trump interviewed in 1980, saying the U.S. should have invaded Iran to get the U.S. hostages out. Listen to this. This is from 1980. For people who say, oh, he's just doing this because of Israel. I think Trump has had in the back of his mind wanting to solve these problems for much of his life. This is a flashback. October 6, 1980, Trump talking to Ronna Barrett.

[Donald Trump (archival audio)]

It should really be a country that gets the respect of other countries today. Respect, the most important thing in your opinion. Well, respect can lead to other things. When the respect of the other countries, then the other countries tend to do a little bit as you do and you can create the right attitudes. The Iranian situation is a case in point. That they hold our hostages is just absolutely and totally ridiculous. That this country sits back and allows a country such as Iran to hold our hostages, to my way of thinking, is a horror. And I don't think they'd do it with other countries. I honestly don't think they'd do it with other countries.

[Clay Travis]

Obviously you're advocating that we should have

[Buck Sexton]

gone in there with troops, et cetera, and brought our boys out.

[Donald Trump (archival audio)]

I absolutely feel that, yes, I don't think there's any question, there's no question in my mind. I think right now would be an oil rich nation. And I believe that we should have done it. And I'm very disappointed that we didn't do it. And I don't think anybody would have done held us in abeyance. I don't think anybody would have been angry with us. And we had every right to do it at the time. I think we've lost the opportunity.

[Clay Travis]

Okay, 46 years ago, that is President Trump saying we should have gone in and taken out Iran. So he's actually acting on many of the public pronouncements that he has made for a very long time. And by the way, we're going to talk at the top of the next hour and I'm super interested to have this conversation with a guy named Shervin Pishvarhar and again, may or may not be getting that name perfect, but has been involved in trying to come up with an economic plan for Iran if there were not crazy religious fundamentalists opposed to capitalism in control of the country. But we will talk with him. He's an advisor to the Iran Prosperity Project at the top of the next hour. And by the way, just a heads up, we're going to go down to the Marjorie Taylor Greene district where they are going to be selecting a new congressman. And Clay Fuller, former district attorney, lieutenant colonel, he is the nominee in Georgia 14. And we will be talking with him when we go into the third hour. But in the meantime, I want to tell you, are you feeling tired? Are you feeling challenged with the energy that you need to have to be able to get through your day? Are you maybe feeling a little bit like, I hate to say it, a Democrat like Joe Biden back in the day? Are you sleepy like Joe Biden? You know, testosterone can make a big difference for you. The male Vitality Stack supplement bundle, it increased testosterone by 20% in just three months according to studies. All natural. What do you have to lose? Why not check it out choq.com to unlock the spring special. And when you subscribe with my name, Clay as the promo code, Chalk will pack a free 99 $99 bag of chalk lit powder with your first delivery. What do you have to lose? Check it out. See if it can make a big difference for you. A 20% increase in your testosterone level over the next three months at Chalk.com code Clay that is C-H O Q.com code Clay Chalk.com code C L A Y News you can count on and some laughs too. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Clay Travis]

Clay Travis Buck Sexton show by the way, that book, if some of you are readers, Cuba and American History by I believe it's a woman named Ada Farrer and I probably have mispronounced her name, but the book is actually really interesting. If you are in any way interested in the history of colonialism and, and when we found the New World and which cities became incredibly popular and, and wealthy and why they did and Havana as one of the jewels of the New World. It's a great read. Cuba and American History just kind of taking you through particularly the olden history of, of Cuba as we potentially face a new world where Cuba may in some way be freer than it has been in a very, very long time. Buck, you're not particularly optimistic on Iran. What about Cuba?

[Buck Sexton]

Well, hold on. I'm not, I'm not optimistic on regime change in Iran. I think that obviously we've kicked their military's ass and this may be useful for a whole range of reasons, but I don't think we're going to have a new government that seems like a normal country anytime soon.

[Clay Travis]

What about Cuba? What do you think is going to happen there? If you were putting your CIA analyst hat on and trying to discern the

[Buck Sexton]

future, I see it as in between Iran and Venezuela in terms of, to me it's a, I think Iran probably stays with the government. It has, I think Cuba, it's a 5050 and obviously Venezuela has already had major change and I think is going to continue to go in a better direction as a result. So to me, to me it's a, it's a, it's a toss up whether Cuba, the regime stays or not. I'd give you 10 to 1 odds. I always do that wrong. But 10 to 1 odds that the Iranian regime stays.

[Clay Travis]

One to 10, damn it.

[Buck Sexton]

One to 10 odds, gambling man, that the Iranian regime stays.

[Clay Travis]

10 to 1 would be, you know, you're you're given $10 back for a $1 bet. You want to give. You want.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, yeah. The other way around, I'm saying it's very unlikely to me that Iran, Iran's government changes.

[Clay Travis]

The one thing that's interesting about Cuba, as we were just talking about, is they don't have power on the whole island. And I know inconsistent power has been a plague of Cuba for a long time, but the whole island being without power, I don't know how a government can survive if they can't provide the people electricity. I mean, leave aside whatever the general perspective is of a government, I think electricity is seen as such a foundational element of basic life at this point in time that when a government that is in power is unable to provide it at all or frankly, consistently, it's hard not to see that incongruity. Particularly because, Buck, everybody left behind In Cuba, the 8.5 million Cubans there, they see the wealth that many of their Cuban family members live with in South Florida. And that disconnect is, I think, more problematic for Cuba than it ever has been before. Because of the Internet. Right. I know the Internet. Obviously, when power's down, you're not able to get on it. But you can see the difference between the way the average person from Cuba lives in, for instance, South Florida, and the way the average Cuban lives in Cuba, and pre Internet and pre widely distributed video. Maybe you could buy into the lie that you aren't living in a suboptimal condition now. I think it's way harder. I think the same thing. This is the same argument I made about Iran. It's one thing to see your country stink. It's another thing to see other people who are from your country thrive in other places and wonder why you can't have that too. And I think that's a real challenge unless you can live in a cloistered state like North Korea and try to restrict the ability of people to even see what the larger world is like. People in Iran know, people in Cuba know. And I think they are craving the same kind of wealth and opportunity that they see their countrymen get elsewhere.

[Buck Sexton]

I mean, the quality of life would improve so dramatically if you just opened it up to international markets and had some kind of representative democracy and rule of law and didn't have. It's a mafia state. It's just a mafia state. That's all it is. There are people at the top who are in control and they get what they need and they have what they want, and they have power and if you say anything about it, they throw you in prison or they kill you. That's it.

[Clay Travis]

Yes.

[Buck Sexton]

It says it's not really actually that it has nothing to do. There's no communist, blah blah blah. It's all garbage. It's just a mafia state.

[Clay Travis]

So we will see. What could the future of Iran look like? One of the people who's most plugged in with trying to think about a future of Iran in a pro capitalistic world, what might that look like? We'll talk with Shervin Pisvahar when Pishpahar when we come back and have him break all that down for you next here on Clay and Buck. And then we will also talk with Clay Fuller, a fine named man who is running in Georgia 14 to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in a North Georgia Congressional district in what is likely to be one of the ultimate battlegrounds of the midterms, State of Georgia governor's race and a Senate race with big battleground impacts there. All that and more coming for you next third hour.

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Can you grab one more thing?

[Clay Travis]

I'll come back up for you.

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[Clay Travis]

Really?

[Buck Sexton]

I'm gonna have another one.

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Today.

Flag football is exploding and iflag is leading the way as the Guinness World Record Holder. Iflag hosts premier flag football tournaments nationwide for boys, girls, high school girls and adults. From first time players to elite competitors, iflag delivers top level competition, unforgettable experiences and a community built around the game. Ready to be part of it? Join the movement, find your tournament and learn [e-mail] that's iflag.org these days it

seems like AI agents are just about everywhere. You turn every field and every function, but without identity, you can't trust they'll serve your business instead of jeopardizing it. Fortunately, Okta helps you get identity right by securing your AI agents identities, giving you a single layer of control, a single standard of trust. So whether an AI agent supports a single user or your entire enterprise, with Okta, you'll turn risk into opportunity. Secure every agent. Secure any agent. Okta secures AI.

[Clay Travis]

Hey, it's Bobby Bones. You know, Eddie and I recently stopped by. Yeah, in Nashville. It's an incredible nonprofit empowering kids through music education. Thanks to Hyundai, we recorded a special podcast episode while we were there.

[Buck Sexton]

How do you think learning an instrument helps kids with confidence?

[Meaningful Beauty Narrator (Cindy Crawford)]

Learning an instrument allows them to discover a little bit further of who they are and be comfortable with it and then share a little bit about that with others. And if it's done in an environment that is celebrating and championing them, then that confidence can only go up.

[Clay Travis]

The full episode is out now, presented

[Buck Sexton]

by the Hyundai Ionic 9.

[Clay Travis]

To donate and learn more about Ya's mission, just visit Yarocks.

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Org this is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.