The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Episode: Hour 2 - They're Crazy, Guys
Date: February 25, 2026
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts
Episode Overview
This hour of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show dives into the political and cultural aftermath of President Trump’s highly lauded State of the Union address. Clay and Buck break down how Trump’s policies are being received, discuss the media backlash against the US Men’s Olympic hockey team’s White House visit, skewer the state of media and publishing bias, and react to viral moments from the State of the Union and recent New York City events. With listener calls, pointed humor, and their characteristic back-and-forth, Clay and Buck dissect what they see as the left’s “manufactured outrage,” cancel culture, and double standards in politics today.
Key Discussion Topics and Insights
1. Trump’s State of the Union: Policy Wins & Public Reception
Timestamp: 03:10–06:43
- Clay Travis opens the hour praising Trump’s State of the Union, arguing it was “spectacularly well-received,” with Trump touting strong economic growth (4.4% in Q3), inflation down to 2.4%, mortgage rates at lows, stock markets at records, and historically low crime rates.
- Clay frames Trump's focus as “economy, border, crime,” asserting things are “basically going really, really great.”
- The panel notes the symbolic importance of Trump's hosting the US Men’s hockey team, recently gold medalists for the first time in 46 years.
2. Manufactured Outrage: The Hockey Team and “The Joke”
Timestamp: 06:43–11:59
- Clay discusses a controversy: left-wing media attacks the US Men’s hockey team for visiting the White House and for supposedly laughing at a Trump joke about inviting the women’s team.
- Buck Sexton: “I mean, they're insane. But how do they know he laughed at the joke?” (06:43)
- Clay plays and deconstructs the Trump joke, explaining it was actually poking fun at his critics and the impeachment culture—not an insult to women’s hockey.
- “So usually when you go and deconstruct a joke, this is what losers do because you either laugh or you don't laugh…” (07:01)
- “They're saying they want the US Men to apologize for laughing at a joke.” (07:31)
- Clay analogizes this to the “very fine people hoax”—a media-manufactured narrative persistent despite facts.
- Clay and Buck argue this outrage is performative: “The crazy cat lady battalion is fired up because they're so outraged that people laughed at that joke…” (08:39)
- They note this is a double-bind: had the invitation been perfect, the same critics would have condemned any acceptance.
3. Double Standards: White House Visits and Patriotism
Timestamp: 11:59–13:28
- Clay recalls in 2012 how, under Obama, the media criticized athletes for declining White House invitations, contrasting it with today’s media attacking those who go.
- “Not going to the White House was actually the insult. Now this is my position writ large. So if you want to clip this in 20 years and I've got a different opinion, you can play it.” (11:59)
- Clay underscores that the US Men’s hockey players “haven't said a single thing about politics,” being attacked purely for being patriotic.
- “Their very patriotism is being used against them by the left… They hate the country and the country's history.” (12:32)
4. Democrats’ Political Cynicism and Responses
Timestamp: 13:28–15:57
- Buck criticizes prominent Democrats for running “on a mountain of lies,” governing one way and campaigning another.
- “These people run on a mountain of lies to get power and then they just ram through as much crazy left wing nonsense as they can as fast as they can…” (14:04)
- Highlights performative protest and divisive figures like Rashida Tlaib at the State of the Union, contrasting with Republican struggles with intra-party disagreement.
5. Listener Reactions and Public Sentiment
Timestamp: 15:57–22:04; 43:18–46:28
- Clay notes that while some will never support Trump, the data still shows a majority believe in American greatness.
- Numerous listener calls praise Trump’s speech and express dismay at the perceived negativity and lack of solutions from the left.
- Barry from West Virginia: “He touched on so many topics… It's so disappointing to watch the other side. They have no solutions. They appear to be full of hate. And what would I tell my granddaughter or grandson that you have a congressperson with a badge that says [expletive]…” (43:43)
- Calls out the contrast in coverage of egg prices and living costs under Trump versus Biden.
6. Publishing and Media Industry Bias
Timestamp: 23:00–29:32
- Caller “Bill” shares a story of trying to find Buck’s new book (“Manufacturing Delusion”) in local bookstores—that only ordered two or three copies, compared to piles of establishment authors.
- Buck: “It's true…But thanks, guys, keep buying the book because we've crushed the Meacham book.” (24:13)
- Clay and Buck discuss the systemic under-ordering of conservative books in bookstores and the impact on the marketplace of ideas.
- “They intentionally under buy them… so only people who know you exist get exposed to your ideas.” (25:47)
- Buck suggests most conservative books only sell on Amazon for this reason and laments the lack of airport book visibility.
7. Law Enforcement, Crime, and NYC
Timestamp: 29:40–37:46
- Listeners and hosts discuss viral videos from NYC showing police being assaulted with snowballs and ice; both denounce the criminal disrespect and the city’s soft response.
- Andrew from Kentucky recaps Trump’s State of the Union jab at NYC’s left-wing mayor and hiring practices, leading to discussion about hypocrisy.
- Buck: “They deserve a good swift punch in the face… they deserve to get an ass kicking.” (31:44)
- Clay and Buck critique city government decisions to defund police, arguing leniency for criminals only leads to more violence.
8. Media Irony, Cancel Culture, and “Manufacturing Outrage”
Timestamp: 21:31–23:00; Interspersed
- Buck reads a tongue-in-cheek listener email from “Kim, Gen X Cat Lady”: “I thought the President's joke was funny. People need to lighten up and not get their panties in a bunch.” (21:31)
- Clay: “I don't think I've ever been offended by a joke in my life and I don't think it's a badge of honor to be offended by a joke.” (22:04)
- Both reiterate their belief that irony is lost on the left and that “being offended” is weaponized for political ends.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Clay Travis (03:10): “After one year, the economy is very strong… Mortgage rates just hit a four year low… You have basically everything going really, really great.”
- Buck Sexton (06:43): “I mean, they're insane. But how do they know he laughed at the joke?”
- Clay Travis (07:01): “…when you go and deconstruct a joke, this is what losers do because you either laugh or you don't laugh…”
- Buck Sexton (14:04): “These people run on a mountain of lies to get power and then ram through as much crazy left wing nonsense as they can…”
- Caller Kim, Gen X Cat Lady (21:31): “I thought the President's joke was funny. People need to lighten up and not get their panties in a bunch.”
- Buck Sexton (24:13): “It's true…But thanks, guys, keep buying the book because we've crushed the Meacham book.”
- Clay Travis (25:47): “They intentionally under buy them… so only people who know you exist get exposed to your ideas.”
- Buck Sexton (31:44): “They deserve a good swift punch in the face… they deserve to get an ass kicking.”
- Barry, Caller from WV (43:43): "It's so disappointing to watch the other side. They have no solutions. They appear to be full of hate."
- Clay Travis (45:19): “And now egg prices are back to normal, much cheaper. And it's not a story at all. That's a good thing.”
Segment Timestamps
| Segment Topic | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------| | Trump’s State of the Union recap & economy/stats | 03:10–06:43 | | Hockey Team, the Trump joke, manufactured outrage | 06:43–11:59 | | Media double standards on celebrating at the White House | 11:59–13:28 | | Democrats' tactics & State of the Union response | 13:28–15:57 | | Calls & public sentiment toward Trump and the left | 15:57–22:04, 43:18–46:28 | | Listener emails: cancel culture & being ‘offended by jokes’ | 21:31–23:00 | | Publishing/media bias vs conservatives, book distribution | 23:00–29:32 | | NYC policing, crime, disrespect, and political consequences | 29:40–37:46 |
Tone and Language
Clay and Buck maintain a conversational, sarcastic, and unapologetically partisan tone, combining humor, exasperation, and pointed critique of left-leaning politics, media, and cultural trends. They welcome and bolster listener opinions aligned with their views, using anecdotes, media clips, and real-world examples to illustrate what they argue is “mass manufactured outrage” and a cultural double standard.