The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 2 - We're All Charlie

Date: September 19, 2025
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts
Hosts: Buck Sexton (Clay Travis referenced but not present this hour)

Overview

This hour of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show centers on three primary themes: Democratic Party leadership battles post-Biden, the political future of figures like AOC and Gavin Newsom, and an extensive, emotionally charged discussion about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Buck Sexton applies both humor and pointed critique in analyzing the rise of left-wing identity politics, the reaction of Democratic figures to Kirk’s assassination, and what he sees as a concerning trend in youth radicalization influenced by online culture.

Key Discussion Points

1. The Democratic Leadership Landscape Post-Biden

• AOC’s Next Move:

  • Buck discusses a recent Axios piece suggesting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) is eyeing a 2028 presidential run, but could also challenge Chuck Schumer for his Senate seat.
    • “AOC and her team are positioning for her to run for president… or the U.S. Senate in 2028… I think she would beat Chuck Schumer. I really do.” (03:21)
  • Buck recalls how AOC unseated Joe Crowley and speculates her youth versus Schumer’s age would work in her favor, especially in a landscape wary of older politicians post-Biden.

• Presidential Ambitions as Branding:

  • "Running for president has become, for a lot of people, just a branding exercise. It's something that allows a person to get their name out there, to build their social media, which matters in elections now." (05:26)
  • Buck suggests AOC lacks genuine policy depth and intelligence, but will benefit from her media savvy and youthful image.

• Gavin Newsom’s Role:

  • Buck predicts the Democrats will ultimately rally around Newsom as the “establishment candidate,” with AOC potentially joining as Vice President to capture the progressive youth vote.
    • “It’s going to be Newsom at the top of the ticket, AOC at the bottom of the ticket… I tend to be right on these things.” (13:24)

2. Critiquing AOC and Democratic Gun Control Response

• Reaction to Charlie Kirk’s Assassination:
  • Buck plays and dissects a clip of AOC calling for “common sense gun safety measures” after Kirk’s killing.
    • AOC: “I think that our common-sense kind of gun safety measures are so past due… this isn’t about taking anyone’s guns away.… It’s about how do we get to a point where people … at risk of committing violence can so easily gain access to deadly weapons such as these.” (08:07)
  • Buck is dismissive of the utility of stricter gun laws in this context, especially since the assassin used a bolt-action rifle. “There’s no gun control law that anybody could even begin to talk about that isn’t just the absolute confiscation of all firearms… If you can’t have a bolt action rifle, you can’t have anything.” (09:05)
• Mental Health and Transgender Issues in Gun Debates:
  • Buck notes the hesitance among Democrats to discuss whether transgender status should factor into firearms access, describing the broader topic as "an interesting conversation" the left doesn't want to engage with.

3. Identity Politics and Party Coalition Challenges

• Kamala Harris and VP Calculations:

  • Buck brings up Kamala Harris’s reported VP deliberations—her concern about naming Pete Buttigieg as VP due to his sexual orientation, and speculation about Josh Shapiro being passed over because of his Jewish faith and potential issues with Muslim voters in the Democratic coalition.

    • Pete Buttigieg: “I was surprised when I read that. I just believe in giving Americans more credit than that… I wouldn't have run for president if I didn't believe that.” (19:32)

  • Buck critiques the fragmented Democratic coalition, suggesting identity politics creates rivalries, not cohesion: “Democrats realize they've got this coalition of people who are in many ways just kind of united by… antipathy toward traditional America and Americana. But there's also a lot of group rivalries and problems.” (20:38)

4. The Charlie Kirk Assassination, Online Radicalization, and Youth

• Details of the Assassin’s Background:

  • Buck expresses horror at reports about Tyler Robinson (the alleged assassin), particularly his online activity involving “furry porn video games” and connections with “trans furry” communities.
    • “I had never, until reading this article, heard of a furry porn video game… This guy was going into the hardcore and deep, dark, scary corners of the twisted sexual Internet.” (27:17)
  • Buck links this online behavior to radicalization, paralleling it with how some individuals are exposed to extremist jihadist content online. He frames the killing as a “satanic” or “demonic” act, lamenting the “psychological and emotionally destabilizing stuff” permeating Gen Z’s online spaces.

• Gen Z Identity “Explosion”:

  • Citing Dr. Scott Atlas’ research, Buck notes huge increases in transgender and non-binary identification among Gen Z.
    • “Transgender identification among young adults surged from 0.59% in 2014 to 3.08% in 2023, a 422% increase…” (32:14)
  • He suggests this is driven by “social contagion,” media echo chambers, and peer pressure, leading to confusion, mental health crises, and risky medical interventions. “This confusion pushes youth toward drastic measures… and fuels mental health crises.” (33:29)
  • Buck contends the left ignores or even enables these issues, emphasizing that organizations “will help you transition, but if you want to detransition, you’re on your own.” (33:51)

• Cultural Commentary on Gender and Media:

  • Buck rails against the normalization of radical gender identities, especially among youth, and criticizes Hollywood and progressive culture for encouraging these trends.
    • "We should be able to say… if you find yourself as a Gen Z person… not knowing whether you are attracted to men or women or whether you're a man or a woman… you need help. This should not be encouraged." (38:58)
  • He calls for resilience and proactive parenting and policy to “fight against this” and “shut this stuff down,” warning against the left’s efforts to mainstream it, even in the context of children accessing explicit material.

5. Community Impact and Listener Calls

• Emotional Reaction from Local Utah Caller:
  • Christy, an HR professional in Orem, Utah (near the Kirk shooting site), describes the community’s trauma: “It's rocked this community. Like it's, it's been very emotional, like nothing ever happens here.” (45:15)
  • Buck expresses condolences and gratitude for stories from listeners, underlining the profound impact of Kirk’s death even among those not directly connected.

Notable Quotes and Timestamps

• On AOC's Ambitions:
  • Buck: “In a post Biden public meltdown era, where now it really, it really hits when somebody says, look at that guy or that gal too old for that position of power right now… I think she could be formidable for, for Schumer, but in my mind, she's going to run for president. Why wait?” (04:05)
• On Gun Control Proposals After the Kirk Assassination:
  • Buck: “There’s no gun control law that anybody could even begin to talk about that isn’t just the absolute confiscation of all firearms. Because if you can't have a bolt action rifle, you can't have anything.” (09:05)
• On Identity Politics and Democrat Coalitions:
  • Buck: “Democrats realize they've got this coalition of people who are in many ways just kind of united by, well, socialism, an antipathy toward traditional America and Americana. But there's also a lot of group rivalries and problems…” (20:38)
• On Gen Z and Radicalization:
  • Buck: “Transgender identification among young adults surged from 0.59% in 2014 to 3.08% in 2023, a 422% increase… This confusion pushes youth toward drastic measures like mutilative surgeries and fuels mental health crises.” (32:14; 33:29)
  • “You can't tell me that some guy who grows up with…a dad in law enforcement, by the time he's college age watching trans furry cartoon porn… and is in love with a trans furry himself… there's not something really wrong with the influences…” (36:48)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 02:53 — Buck introduces the hour: Dem leadership shakeup and AOC/Schumer/2028 discussion begins.
• 08:07 — AOC’s gun control response to Kirk’s assassination (audio clip and discussion).
• 13:24 — Buck predicts Newsom/AOC ticket for 2028.
• 19:32 — Discussion of Kamala Harris, Buttigieg, and identity politics in Dem VP choices.
• 27:17-38:58 — Deep dive into the culture around the Kirk assassin; online radicalization; Gen Z gender explosion; media and parenting critiques.
• 45:15 — Christy (Utah caller) gives a local perspective on the impact of the Kirk assassination.

Memorable Moments

• Buck’s biting humor about Democrat infighting:

  “I love watching Democrat infighting… it's like watching—you want both sides to lose. So whatever they do to each other is so entertaining.” (03:09)

• His stark response to AOC’s policy depth:

  “I think the bigger problem is she is not, in fact, very bright. And that is a reality that will be hard for her to cover up for very long.” (07:10)

• Emotionally charged eulogy for Charlie Kirk and condemnation of the assassin:

  “There’s something satanic that is central to this act. You must have… whether he believes in Satan or not, there must have been, you know, whether he was like a Satanist or not, there must have been a devil at the center of this process because otherwise you couldn’t do it.” (29:10)

• Buck’s plea for cultural and online accountability:

  “We have to figure out ways to counteract this, to fight against this, to shut this stuff down, to push this stuff, you know, out of as far out of the mainstream, certainly as possible, because the left is always trying to mainstream this stuff.” (39:55)

Tone and Style

• Language/Tone: Direct, often sardonic; Buck mixes policy analysis with shock, grief, gallows humor, and sometimes hyperbolic condemnation (“satanic,” “demonic”).
• Engagement: Invites real-time listener calls, reads from current news, and references personal experiences, keeping the show conversational and audience-inclusive.
• Stance: Firmly conservative, critical of progressive and left-wing politics; emotionally invested when addressing loss and cultural trends.

Summary for Non-Listeners

In this hour, Buck Sexton takes listeners through a vivid journey: from Democratic post-Biden struggles, with AOC’s rise and Newsom’s ambitions analyzed, to a scathing critique of left-wing responses to Charlie Kirk’s assassination and the online subcultures he believes radicalize young people. Listeners hear both policy speculation—about the 2028 Democratic ticket—and a deeply personal mourning for Kirk, laced with warnings about the corrosive potential of internet culture. Emotional caller stories from Utah drive home the real-life aftermath of political violence, while Buck continually ties current events to what he sees as broader cultural and generational decline, led by a mainstream that refuses to set boundaries on youth identity formation and mental health.