The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Hour 2 – "They Will Do It Again"

Date: September 23, 2025

Episode Overview

This hour of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show delves into major political stories and controversies, focusing primarily on Kamala Harris’s new book and her veepstakes disclosures, the deep divisions within the Democratic coalition, and—most critically—the acknowledgment by YouTube/Google that they censored conservative voices under pressure from the Biden administration. The hosts provide analysis, personal anecdotes, and spirited debate, peppered with humor and sharp criticism of both the current administration and “woke” culture in general. The episode is characterized by candid, sometimes irreverent, conversation, with recurring themes of free speech, identity politics, and the future of the Democratic Party.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kamala Harris Book Revelations & the Democratic VP Pick Process

• Clay Travis recaps that Kamala Harris is on a media tour for her new book and was recently pressed by Rachel Maddow on her VP selection rationale. This included a focus on why she did not pick prominent figures like Josh Shapiro, Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker, and Pete Buttigieg.
  • (03:28–08:10)
• Clay’s Analysis: Suggests that considerations around identity politics and perceptions of minority voters were central—specifically noting that Harris believed a Jewish or gay running mate would be “unselectable” with large Democratic voting blocs.
  • “Josh Shapiro’s out because he’s Jewish and maybe a little too ambitious… she would have picked Mayor Pete but was concerned that Mayor Pete was gay, and…it was asking too much of the electorate…” – Clay Travis [05:17]
• Harris’s remarks on the topic (from The Rachel Maddow Show) play, with Kamala arguing her decisions were about risk mitigation, not personal prejudice.
  • Kamala Harris [07:23]: “To say that he couldn’t be on the ticket effectively because he was gay is hard to hear. No, no, no, that’s not what I said…”
• The hosts discuss how Harris’s explanations indirectly reinforce difficult truths about coalition politics and persistent divisions within key Democratic groups.

2. Identity Politics & Democratic Party Tensions

• Buck Sexton and Clay note that the Democratic “identity coalition” is at war with itself—in particular, how it deals with conflicting views and priorities around race, ethnicity, and sexuality.
  • Buck [10:14]: “She’s forced herself to speak on the issue that all Democrats know is not supposed to be spoken of…that a Democrat candidate cannot win…if he or she is gay, cannot win the primary because they cannot win the black vote.”
• Clay posits that Harris’s book passage is a shrewd maneuver to “undercut Mayor Pete” while appearing to pass blame to others. Buck agrees: this is internal politicking at work.

3. Will Kamala Harris Run Again?

• The hosts play and discuss Kamala’s interview exchange about her political future. She dodges direct answers about a 2028 run for president or other office.
  • Kamala Harris [12:47]: “That’s not my focus right now. I know. That’s not my focus at all. I know. It really isn’t.”
• Clay and Buck recall historical context, referencing Nixon’s failed runs and comeback as an outlier, making the case that running for governor after the presidency is “a step back.”

4. Free Speech, YouTube Censorship & the Biden Administration

• Major story: YouTube (owned by Google) has admitted to Congressional investigators that it censored, demonetized, and suppressed conservative speech and content at the behest of the Biden White House—often when it did not even violate their own policies.
  • Clay’s account (27:29): He describes firsthand how, as the head of Outkick, his content was struck, demonetized, or edited if it questioned COVID policies, mandates, or vaccines.
    • “This is what they did…they stopped allowing my show to air live and they would edit out any reference that I happened to make to COVID shots, to masking…then post it so they could monetize the other aspects of the show. Think about how crazy that is.” – Clay Travis [28:07]
• Buck laments that the censorship was widespread, targeted, and did real financial and reputational harm—emphasizing this was a rigged game. The platforms, he says, have only just admitted this because “the wind is blowing” with the possibility of a power shift.
• Notable Quote:
  • Buck Sexton [31:59]: “We should not have any illusions they would do this again in a heartbeat. And it’s not a fair game. It’s a rigged game on YouTube. It’s a rigged game on Facebook and has been for years, and rigged against people who are right of center.”
• Clay provides details from House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan: the Biden administration “pressured Google to censor Americans and remove content that did not violate YouTube’s policies” and the company has admitted this.
• The hosts recall specific, public examples: YouTube wouldn’t allow them to post interviews with Sen. Rand Paul (an M.D.), or even with President Trump.

5. The Supreme Court’s Failure to Defend Online Free Speech

• Clay and Buck sharply criticize the Supreme Court’s recent refusal to clearly prohibit government “deputization” of tech companies for censorship, calling it one of the worst First Amendment decisions in recent times.
• Buck notes that trust with social platforms is likely irreparably damaged, even as the hosts encourage listeners to help them “fight the fight” on YouTube and other platforms while they can.

6. Lighthearted Segments: Kamala “Commologists,” Analogies, and On-Air Banter

• Listener “Dave from Syracuse” proposes the term "commodists" for experts on Kamala Harris; hosts joke about buying Kamala’s book for research and how disconnected this is from most of their audience [23:56–25:26].
• The hosts riff on the Princetonian pronunciation of “scion” (as in a family heir, not ‘sky-on’), and commiserate over the difficulty of their kids’ homework, noting how tough even fifth grade is now [46:29–47:58].

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Democratic infighting (Buck Sexton, 10:14):
  • “The identity politics coalition of the Democrats is inherently at odds with itself… you just hope you cobble together enough votes from these different groups… who have very different views.”
• On YouTube censorship (Clay Travis, 28:07):
  • “They stopped allowing my show to air live and they would edit out any reference that I happened to make to Covid shots, to masking… so they could monetize the other aspects of the show. Think about how crazy that is.”
• On the future of online free speech (Buck Sexton, 39:40):
  • “Online is the town square now. If you don’t have free speech online, you don’t have it meaningfully anywhere. And that’s the pro[blem].”
• On Kamala’s political prospects (Clay Travis, 13:32):
  • “I think we all know that she’s not running for governor of California because…if she loses, she’s definitely not running for president then. So it’s all or not.”

Important Segment Timestamps

• Kamala Harris book, VP pick discussion: 03:28 – 10:14
• Rachel Maddow audio, Harris on Buttigieg: 07:23 – 08:10
• Analysis: Democratic coalition, identity politics: 10:14 – 12:40
• Kamala’s future/2028 run: 12:47 – 17:09
• YouTube/Google censorship revelations: 27:29 – 36:49
• Direct quotes from Judiciary Committee findings: 34:22 – 36:49
• Supreme Court free speech critique: 36:49 – 39:40
• Listener “commodist” call; show banter: 23:56, 25:04, 46:29

Summary & Takeaways

• Kamala Harris’s new book is revealing in unexpected ways, casting light on the realpolitik of identity for Democratic nominees and igniting debate about the party’s internal divisions.
• The exposure of government-pressured YouTube censorship is a major story, with the hosts forcefully arguing that this constitutes a broad, dangerous attack on free speech—and that the risk will persist as long as tech platforms and power remain aligned.
• Both the right and left can be punished or suppressed by systems designed and run by corporate partners of government, especially in the digital "town square".
• Despite the weight of these topics, the hosts maintain their trademark humor and rapport, poking fun at themselves, Kamala Harris, and each other, keeping the show lively and engaging.

This episode is essential listening for those interested in the ongoing battles over free speech, the state of American party politics, and the intersection of technology and power—all delivered in Clay and Buck’s signature, unfiltered style.