Hour 3 - Fangs Grow Back

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: “Hour 3 – Fangs Grow Back”

Date: March 16, 2026
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

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Episode Overview

In this third hour, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton dive deep into escalating U.S.–Iran tensions, the implications for global oil markets and allies, and President Trump's forceful approach to the Iranian regime. The conversation moves through vivid analysis of American foreign policy, the challenges of negotiating with Iran amid political upheaval, and related fractures within the MAGA movement. The hosts also provide cultural commentary on the Oscars, Hollywood activism, and the hypocrisy of Western athletes compared to the genuine risks faced by Iranian sportswomen. Listener call-ins and talkbacks add humor and perspective, closing out with pointed takes on domestic security funding and government dysfunction.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. U.S.–Iran Escalation: War or Airstrikes?

• Buck asserts the gravity, “We are engaged in acts of war, we are killing people, we are blowing up military materiel. … So it’s serious business.” (00:46)
• Ongoing airstrikes against Iran and allied concerns about the strategic Strait of Hormuz are front and center.
• President Trump’s stance: confident, unfiltered, and emphasizing American military self-sufficiency.

2. U.S. Allies and the Strait of Hormuz

• Trump rates President Macron’s support an “8 out of 10.” (01:40)
  • Trump: “If allies want to help, that’d be great. … We don’t need anybody. We’re the strongest nation in the world.” (02:01)
• Discussion of which countries are most affected by Strait of Hormuz disruptions—especially China, not the U.S.

3. Iranian Leadership Crisis

• Trump doubts the whereabouts and health of new Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei:

  • “People are saying he’s badly disfigured. … Other people are saying he’s dead. Nobody is saying he’s 100% healthy.” (04:28)

• The U.S. has eliminated multiple Iranian leadership groups, causing confusion over who actually holds power.

• Trump: “We don’t know who we’re dealing with… We knocked out the first group… [Now] we have people wanting to negotiate. We have no idea who they are.” (05:37)

4. Trump and the ‘Regretful’ Former President

• Trump references a conversation with a former president who privately wished he’d taken tougher action on Iran.

  • Trump: “Every president knew. I’ve spoken to a certain president who I like… He said, ‘I wish I did it. I wish I did.’ But they didn’t do it. I’m doing it.” (06:38)

• Clay and Buck speculate the president in question is likely Bill Clinton (not Obama, Biden, or Bush), citing personal rapport and past public comments by Clinton.

• Bill Clinton, from Epstein investigation deposition:

  • “The president never… never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper with regard to Epstein… I have no information that he did anything wrong.” (11:42)

5. Tough, Cyclical Reality with Iran

• Hosts recount how Iranian-backed groups targeted U.S. troops in Iraq and elsewhere with deadly techniques, causing persistent U.S. frustration and eventual escalation.
• Buck: “We keep hearing ‘defang’… the fangs are going to grow back if the same people are in charge here.” (10:51)

6. Fractures Among Trump Supporters

• Recognition of a split among MAGA supporters over Trump’s Iran strategy.
• Buck: “There are a lot of very ardent Trump supporters who are really, really upset about this operation in Iran… But I do think we have to keep an eye on how long this goes…” (13:14)

7. Culture & Hollywood: Oscar Commentary

• Reaction to Jane Fonda’s opposition to Paramount’s merger (she references sleeping with Ted Turner) and its potential impact on CNN and news coverage.
  • Jane Fonda: “If Jane Fonda is against it, I think a lot of you are probably saying, maybe I should be for it.” (18:06)
• Actor Charithra Chandran (Bridgerton) calls for a ceasefire in Gaza at the Oscars.
  • Buck: “The causes are largely irrelevant. It’s what taking the side of the cause says about them to their peers… the whole point is your declaration of fealty to the thing.” (28:21)
• Positive moment: Best Actress winner Jesse Buckley praises marriage and motherhood in her acceptance speech.
  • Jesse Buckley: “You’re my best friend and I want to have 20,000 more babies with you.” (30:03)

8. Iranian Women’s Soccer Team Crackdown

• Heart-wrenching discussion of the Iranian women's soccer team who protested by refusing to sing the anthem, sought asylum in Australia, and were pressured—via threats to family members—to rescind asylum and return.
• Western activist athletes (Megan Rapinoe et al.) criticized for ignoring these genuine human rights abuses.
  • Clay: “When real danger is faced and when real courage is required by women's athletes, they won't say a word. … These women… may well be tortured or killed for having the bravery to actually do something.” (22:45)

9. Media & Listener Talkbacks (Humor & Insight)

• Listeners joke about Clay’s interests making him “possibly gay” (flute, Broadway, Tesla, British royalty) – “Maybe I'm the, the. The Gay Atolla podcast listener.” (32:53)
• Oscars inclusivity: listener suggests “The Wizard of Oz” would now qualify for awards based only on diversity standards. (33:15)
• Listener “Trucker Mike” cynically speculates Democrats are voting against Homeland Security funding to set up Trump for blame if a terror attack occurs. (34:26)

10. Domestic Security & Political Dysfunction

• Discussion of TSA agents working without pay due to government funding standoffs and the hypocrisy of political inaction in the face of escalating security threats.
  • Clay: “It's an indefensible situation that we put these guys and gals in. … Now would be the number one time that you would want to make sure everybody's getting their pay.” (36:12)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Buck, on the cycle with Iran: “We keep hearing ‘defang’… the fangs are going to grow back if the same people are in charge here.” (10:51)
• Clay, on Trump’s bluntness: “If it were a 2 out of 10 [Macron], he wouldn’t be shy. Or 0 out of 10, he wouldn’t be shy about saying it.” (02:21)
• Trump: “All of their leaders are dead, as far as we know, but they’re all dead. We don’t know who we’re dealing with.” (05:37)
• Clay, on athlete hypocrisy: “When real danger is faced and when real courage is required by women's athletes, they won't say a word.” (22:45)
• Buck, on virtue signaling: “The causes are largely irrelevant. … the whole point is your declaration of fealty to the thing…” (28:21)
• Listener Talkback: “Clay is a flute player, knows his Broadway, drives a Tesla and knows his British royalty. That’s all I need to know.” (32:44)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:46: Buck frames Iran airstrikes as acts of war.
• 01:40 & 02:01: Trump’s assessment of Macron’s support.
• 04:28: Trump speculates on status of Iran’s new Supreme Leader.
• 05:37: Trump, on Iranian leadership confusion post-airstrikes.
• 06:38: Trump references a former president regretting Iran inaction.
• 11:42: Bill Clinton’s denial of any knowledge of Trump wrongdoing (Epstein deposition).
• 18:06: Jane Fonda’s comments about media mergers and CNN.
• 22:45: Iranian women’s soccer team’s ordeal discussed.
• 28:21: Buck on Hollywood virtue signaling.
• 30:03: Jesse Buckley’s heartfelt Oscars acceptance speech.
• 32:44: Lighthearted listener talkback about Clay.
• 33:15: “Wizard of Oz” and Oscars diversity joke.
• 34:26: “Trucker Mike” on Dems and Homeland Security funding.
• 36:12: Clay on TSA pay crisis.

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Tone and Style

• Direct, no-nonsense, occasionally humorous; hosts mix policy analysis with personal anecdotes and cultural critiques.
• Frequent playful ribbing, especially around Hollywood or media personalities.
• Listeners and host-generated jokes interspersed with somber, serious takes on national security and human rights.

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Takeaways for Non-Listeners

• Foreign Policy: The U.S.–Iran situation is drastically heated. Trump’s aggressive posture has caused both international and intraparty debate, with a possible shift in traditional alliances and the unpredictability of who is actually in charge on Iran’s side.
• Culture: Hollywood activism is portrayed as superficial compared to the real risks taken by those like Iranian women athletes. Structural changes in awards and mergers are greeted with skepticism—and sarcasm—by the hosts.
• Domestic Affairs: The show doesn't shy from criticizing both Democrats and elements of the right, puncturing groupthink around foreign policy. Government dysfunction, especially around security funding, is seen as both unacceptable and emblematic of deeper issues.
• Listener Engagement: The audience is participatory and often irreverent, supplying content that both reflects and enhances the hosts' worldview.

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For an immersive blend of incisive foreign policy commentary, sharp cultural takes, listener humor, and unfiltered opinions, this episode of Clay Travis and Buck Sexton is emblematic—balancing serious critique with moments of levity and community.

Transcript

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Third hour of play in Buck kicks off right now. Iran, the big story of the day. We're gonna give you the latest on it. President Trump went live and we carried some of that for you in the first hour, if you wanna go back and listen to that. Of course, all three hours of the Clay and Buck show were up in podcast form as soon as we finish with them and you can listen to them on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcast. Now, Trump covered a whole range of issues. We have this ongoing, I guess we just call it airstrikes. Clay. I say this is war, but that's ok. I don't want to get into some definitional fight with people on this. As long as we understand that we are engaged in acts of war, we are killing people, we are blowing up military materiel. We have lost over a dozen soldiers in this process, or I should say a dozen service members in this process as well. So it's serious business. Whatever we want to call it, it's a serious business, and this is something that the country should pay close attention to. Now with the latest on this, There are concerns over the price of oil, the Strait of Hormuz, allies assisting us with the Strait of Hormuz, or the lack thereof, lack of help from them. So here we have Trump. For example, this is cut 34 on whether France's Emmanuel Macron has been helpful and what's going on with our allies and the Strait of Hormuz. Here's what he has to say. Play 34.

[B]

Have you been speaking with the French President Macron about the coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

[C]

Yeah, I have. I have spoken to him. He's been. On a scale of 0 to 10, I'd say it's been an 8. Not perfect, but it's France. Are you expect perfect?

[B]

Are you confident that France will help with the reopening of Strait of Hormuz?

[C]

Yeah, I mean, sure, he's going to. I think he's going to help. I mean, I'll let you know, I spoke to him yesterday. I don't do a hard sell on them because my attitude is we don't need anybody. We're the strongest nation in the world. We have the strongest military by far in the world. We don't need them.

[A]

Clay Trump being Trump there and just laying it out, he's like, look, if allies want to help, that'd be great. He says Macron, 8 out of 10 from Trump is pretty good because, you know, if it were a 2 out of 10, he wouldn't be shy. Or 0 out of 10, he wouldn't Be shy about saying it. But getting more allies to help. This is a. Remember, it's not just Iranian oil. It's Iraqi and Kuwaiti. And, you know, you have to the Saudi. You got to think about all the different factors here with the Strait of Hormuz and who is affected by, by this.

[D]

Yeah. And look, I mean, the reality is China, I believe, is the most impacted. They're the ones who need Iranian oil worse than anybody does. And so the amount of oil and gas that impacts us, that comes out of the Strait or Hormuz is almost nonexistent. In fact, we're a net exporting country when it comes to our overall oil and gas. And if you've paid attention, the oil and gas company stocks have actually been on fire because Trump prefers that the price of oil and gas be in the $50 area. The oil and gas provider, some of them say they needed to be in the $60 area. For those of you that are paying attention right now, as I speak to you, oil and gas is $94 a barrel, and it's down from 120 last Sunday when it spiked and hit a higher rate. So the price of oil and gas come down, the price will go up. And President Trump has been pretty clear that when, and I think this is 100% accurate, when we end our actions in the Middle east, they will be coming back down here. By the way, we were talking earlier about Mojtaba Khamenei and the fact that Trump has been told that he may actually be gay. But Trump says, we don't know where he is or even if he's alive. He was asked about this at a press conference at the Kennedy center just a little bit earlier in the day. Here is cut 35 Trump on the man that has been elevated to the new supreme Leader of Iran and whether he's even alive. Cut 35.

[C]

A lot of people are saying that he's badly disfigured. They're saying that he lost his leg, one leg. And he's, you know, been hurt very badly. Other people are saying he's dead. Nobody is saying he's 100% healthy. And, you know, he hasn't spoken because the ayatollah would sit and he'd spew hate from a form of a throne. Not as nice as a throne. I like the English throne much better. But it was, it was a fancy chair, but he'd spew hate from his chair. But you see him a lot, right? This one we haven't seen at all. So that could be for a lot of different reasons. We don't know, Peter, if he's dead or not.

[D]

Okay. A couple of other things here, Buck. President Trump says. So he doesn't. That was a response to a question from Peter. Doocy says, we don't know if he's alive or dead. And President Trump says one of the challenges here, Iran wants to talk and they say they want peace. But President Trump says, we killed so many of their leaders, we're not even sure who's alive or who we're negotiating with. Cut 36.

[C]

All of their leaders are dead, as far as we know, but they're all dead. We don't know who we're dealing with. We knocked out the first group. Then the second group met.88 met to pick the leader because the first group was all dead. And the second group got knocked out. They're all dead. Then a third group met. I would think they're a little nervous about meeting. I don't know if they're nervous. Maybe they're not. Maybe they're crazy if they're not nervous and they're crazy. But we met with the next group and. But we don't know who their leader is. We have people wanting to negotiate. We have no idea who they are.

[D]

And then. So again, we have no idea who the leader is. We don't know who we're negotiating with. I did think this was interesting, Buck, and we were talking about this a little bit off the air. President Trump won't say which president he talked to. Former president, although we'll tell you who our guesses are here in a moment. But he said, I wish I had done it. Here is cut 37.

[C]

Every president knew. I've spoken to a certain president who I like, actually a past president, former president. He said, I wish I did it. I wish I did. But they didn't do it. I'm doing it. Yeah.

[D]

Which president?

[A]

Which.

[C]

I can't tell you this. I don't want to embarrass him. It would be very bad for his career, even though he's got no career left.

[D]

Okay. Certain president who he likes that says, I wish I had done it, Buck. Bill Clinton, it feels to me if you listened, I don't know if we played that, maybe we can go grab it. Bill Clinton in his Epstein deposition said, as far as I know, President Trump never did anything wrong. And he. Can we go grab that. I know it was in the roster. Producer Greg, if you can grab that. Because I don't think we ever played it, but I meant to, to have us play it because President Trump has been actually fairly complimentary of President Clinton. They used to play golf a lot. I don't think it's Biden because certainly Trump does not seem to be very fond of Biden. I don't think it's Obama because I don't think Trump and Obama would talk. George W. Bush is the only other former president. This is, this could be. But it doesn't seem like President Trump and George W. Bush have much of a positive relationship. So would you agree with me if you were assessing who the conversation was with that by far it would be Bill Clinton?

[A]

Yeah, I think if you put Bill Clinton and Donald Trump in a room right now, I think they bro it out for an hour and like are laughing and having a good time. I don't think that Trump has any animosity toward Bill Clinton at all. I don't. I can't think of Bill Clinton taking any meaningful shots at Trump publicly either. I do not think that Donald Trump likes Barack Obama. I do not think that they would have this kind of offline conversation. I could not see that. So, you know, yeah, I would, I

[D]

would say it's probably, I mean, I. The only other one I think it could be is George W. Bush. Right. And there's never really been any indication that Trump and George W. Bush have much of a relationship at all. So I think of the, of the former presidents, Clinton would be the one that he has the best relationship with by far.

[A]

Well, what he's speaking to here as well is when he says, a former president who says, I wish I could have done this too. The Iranian regime has just been causing problems and not like trade problems. I mean, you know, Iranians, they directed, you know, the via Hezbollah as a proxy, they'll direct terrorist attacks all over the world. World. There was a horrific attack at the Jewish center in Buenos Aires. I've actually been to that Jewish center and been there for a ceremony commemorating this down in Argentina. Just how horrible this attack. You wouldn't think that Middle Eastern terrorist groups would be reaching deep into Argentina, but they did. So this is the reality. I think Clay is Trump just lost patience with this not nonsense. I think he realized that there was no world in which the Iranians were going to meaningfully agree to verifiable denuclear weaponization and everything. And it was all just chirping and chat. You know what I Mean, it was all nonsense and all this talk and all the negotiations. Trump, I think, and his team are approaching them in good faith and they just, the more they deal with the Iranians, the more they feel like you're just, you're just constantly playing games and lying. And he said, enough is enough. And I think that there are a lot of people that after especially many of you listening to this, you know what I'm talking about. In Iraq, it was Iranians working through the Shia militias, which were just essentially armed, tripped and armed, trained and equipped factions of the Iranians in, in Iraq, they were blowing up Americans just to kill Americans, maiming them, killing. With these EFPs, I've talked about the explosively formed penetrators. The Iranians came up with an explosive that was specifically designed to penetrate the hulls of American armored vehicles. Because after all the IEDs, our vehicles got up armored. But these EFPs could punch through almost anything. And they did this just to kill Americans. They, they weren't going to take over in Iraq, you know, they weren't going to invade themselves, so they kind of took over via proxy. But people got pissed off about this and Trump was pissed off about it, and I get it. So part of this also is just we're sick of the Iranians thinking that they can do this stuff, but I'll just remind everyone, they stay in charge, they're not going to forget about this. So it's not like the problem is solved just by we keep hearing defang. I've used the phrase myself, the fangs are going to grow back if the same people are in charge here.

[D]

By the way, we didn't play this. Bill Clinton was deposed in the Epstein related investigations. And here is what he said about President Trump. He goes out of his way, not even directly asked this, I think in a Democrat line of questioning, to say, hey, I never saw anything that would suggest Trump was engaged in any kind of illegality.

[E]

Listen, he never, the president never, this is 20 something years ago, never said anything to me to make me think he was involved in anything improper with regard to Epstein either. He, he just didn't. That's the truth. You know, as I said earlier, the only conversation I had with President Trump about this was in the early 2000s. And I have no information that he did anything wrong. I just want it all out there. I want everybody to get it all out there and let everybody see where we are.

[D]

I just thought that was interesting. In the, in the prelude to that, Clinton said, hey, you're not asking me specifically about this, but he just put it out there, which makes me think, and I know they played golf together before. Again, presuming President Trump is being honest about this, and I think he probably is. I think he probably does talk to Bill Clinton every now and then. I think he liked Bill Clinton. It also ties in buck with. I think Bill Clinton, if you go back in time, would say not having taken out North Korea's nuclear abilities is one of his regrets from when he was president. I think he said that publicly and, and I know that we've made that analogy, certainly I have, that this is the modern day equivalent of taking out the nuclear opportunity before it arises. And so I think they probably have talked about this. So I would, I would be very surprised if he's not talking about Bill Clinton.

[A]

Yeah, I think that's probably the case now. We have to see where all of this goes and how long this continues on. And we haven't really discussed it, Clay, but there is something of a fracture in the MAGA world right now where there are a lot of very ardent Trump supporters who are really, really upset about this operation in Iran. I think that they will stop being so upset about it when the operation ceases, which I believe will be soon. But you know, this is causing, in an election year now, we're early in the election year, but this is definitely causing a bit of static on our own side. And I think that people have started to lose sight a little bit. And this is true in a whole range of ways of what a danger the Democrats are, how much suffering, how much waste, how much fraud, how much misery, how much crime, how we go to the list. If Democrats take back power, we will all have to suffer through. And I think that will be a unifying thing as it gets closer. I would hope it's a unifying thing to recognize the Democrat party of 2024 that was soundly defeated is the exact same Democrat Party now, except there are even more, you know, outraged, angry and emotionally unstable. And they are thinking that as soon as Trump is no longer leading, they'll have an opportunity. So that's part of this too. So I'm just saying there, I know there are voices out there who are very upset at Trump about this, who are Trump supporters. I don't care about the I hate Trump even if he cures cancer people, cuz they're irrelevant. I mean, there's nothing to do for them. But I do think we have to keep an eye on how long this goes because you want people to show up in the midterms and prevent Trump from being completely stymied by a Democrat controlled house, which is certainly a high concern. I have high concern about it. All right, Protecting yourself and your family with non lethal protection is not a new concept. Modern day versions have been around for more than a half a century. There's a company called Sabre Spelling's important S A B R E that has been manufacturing nonlethal projectiles for a long time. I'm talking about decades. And now's a good time for you to put together your self protection plan, your home protection plan using Sabers Non lethal tools. Because home invasions happen all too often all across the country, even in places where you would never expect it. So it's just worth being safe and taking action today so that you can defend yourself if the time comes. Sabers Home Defense Launcher is one of the non lethal items that you should purchase. Powerful protection designed to help keep you safe. We own these. We know how easy they are to use. The Sabre Home Defense Launcher delivers seven powerful impact or pepper projectiles, two more than most competitors. When safety matters, America chooses Sabre, number one brand trusted by police and millions worldwide. Sabre is how it's spelled. Don't wait for a close call. Get protection now@sabre radio.com that's S R radio.com or call 844-824 safe news you

[F]

can count on, and some laughs too. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. Find them on the free I Hard radio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[G]

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[D]

Welcome back in Clay Travis, Buck Sexton show. We'll have some takes here from Hollywood last night. One is positive, the other is negative. Just to balance things out. But I am a super media nerd. And so I've been paying a lot of attention as Buck has mocked me a little bit for on who's going to own Warner Brothers. And I actually think it's a positive that Paramount will now own Warner Brothers. And if you were out there and you say, I don't know that it matters, maybe Netflix, who do? Why do I care? Well, Jane Fonda is upset, so you probably should think to yourself, hey, maybe the right side did win this one. This is Jane Fonda on being against the Paramount merger. Merger and Paramount having CNN cut 29.

[H]

Yeah, the mergers are going to be bad for workers. A lot of people are going to lose their jobs. We're going to, we're going to have higher prices. We're going to have political control over what we do. You know, that's why Hegseth said the secretary of Defense. Oh, he said we can't. CNN can't come soon enough to be under the control of Paramount because we know that Trump wants to hurt. I mean, I slept with the guy that created it. You did have a personal stake in it.

[D]

All right, Jane Fonda slept with Ted Turner back in the day. So she has a personal stake in it, Buck. And if Jane Fonda is against it, I think a lot of you are probably saying, maybe I should be for it. Look, right now over in Israel, there are a lot of people that need bomb shelters. There are a lot of people that need help. That's what the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is all about. They're trying to just help people who are in danger right now in Israel as Iran has continued to send so many missiles over in that direction. I traveled to Israel and saw for myself all of the incredible work that the Fellowship does. And I know that they continue to do it, whether it's build a hospital in a parking garage underground so that all the patients are safe, whether it's putting more bomb shelters on the sides of roads, whether it's allowing police officers to have better protected cars. The Fellowship is helping everybody under fire. You can join us in [e-mail] that's

[A]

ifcj.org welcome back into Clay and Buck. So we are talking about the Iran situation here and everything going on around around it. And it looks like this war is going to continue on for at least some weeks ahead. We've also got a lot of your talkbacks, Your thoughts, your latest for all of us, which we want to get to for sure. Do we still, let me see if we still have Here we go. Podcast listener. Oh, wow. This is not about Iran. Clay, did you have something you want to jump? This is going to get unserious very fast here. These talk backs.

[C]

Do.

[A]

Do you have serious analysis to offer up?

[D]

Well, I. What did I tease. I do want to mention before we have some. Some fun here. This is awful. And it's a story that I think should be getting more attention.

[A]

Oh, you're talking about the Iranian. Serious thing. The Iranian.

[D]

The Iranian women's soccer team refused to sing the national anthem in Australia during a tournament that happened about the same time as our attacks on Iran began. The women were then thrown, threatened by their minders, as unfortunately often occurs, and seven of them, I believe was the initial number, were granted asylum in Australia because they were terrified to go back home. There are reports now that Iran has been seizing the family members of these women and torturing them. And the women have now, for the most part, all left Australia and relinquished, rescinded their asylum claims. I believe, Team, if you can make this. I believe they're down to two people now who are left in Australia, two members of that team, and everybody else has. Has decided to. To return to Iran, even though obviously they are likely to face severe torture themselves and maybe even execution for some of them. On top of that, Buck, no. 1, the Megan Rapinos of the world, all of the U.S. women's soccer players who have lectured us about how awful Trump is and how they won't go to the White House and how they don't want your support if you're a Trump voter. All of those things the Megan Rapinoe and their crowd have said. None of these women have said a world, a word, Buck, about these Iranian women soccer players and spoken up for basic human rights around the world or supported them in any way. I just think it's very much worth considering when we look at the hypocrisy there of so many of these athletes. When real danger is faced and when real courage is required by women's athletes, they won't say a word. And unfortunately, these women, we may not see some of them ever again because they may well be tortured or killed for having the bravery to actually do something to stand up for freedom. It kind of ties in with your point earlier, Buck, which is it's hard to be the guy or gal who stands up for a new regime when the regime in power still has the ability to kill you. It takes unbelievable courage and frankly, a high tolerance for risk, not only for you, but for your family to rise up with the idea of throwing over this government, overthrowing this government, when the reality may be there might not be very many people following you.

[A]

It is interesting, I think as well, Clay, with this. And it is, it's a really, it's a terrible story. It's important for people to know about the story. But the same voices who are so quick to criticize Trump and the US for its actions in Iran have narrow word of criticism to share about the Iranian regime ever really. Iran just gets to do what it wants. And a lot of people in the commentariat and in politics don't really have any problem with Iran. They can do whatever. They can sponsor as much terrorism as they want. They can be as anti, they can be as, as they can persecute gays as much as they want. They can whatever it is that they want to do and they're allowed to do it. And they can be authoritarian, non democratic state, no elections, nothing else. And you might say, oh, but what about all these other Arab countries in the region? Okay, yeah, but they're not causing problems for everybody else. So, you know, we take problems based on the order of importance and priority, I think, and that's how our focus should be distributed. They have nothing to say about these Iranian countries. They have no problem, I'm sorry, with these Iranian actions. They have no problem with it. Or at least they don't feel the need to vocalize that it's only America that they're willing to speak out against and trash. And I just think that goes to the unseriousness of so much of the anti American commentariat in general. These are people who only find fault. It actually reminds me a lot of the anti Israel commentary. They'll criticize Israel. They have nothing to say about Gaza being run by Hamas as a terrorist state for as long as it was and what an awful place it is and how in so many of these countries, you know, there's this perfect correlation with regimes that hate Israel and hate Jews and horrible crappy countries that nobody wants to live in really, and that have nothing but misery and despair as their primary day to day existence. There's 100% correlation. It's kind of amazing, isn't it? You look at the countries that hate Israel the most and they're the crappiest places in many cases in the world. And the people who speak out against Israel, and you see this even in the United nations, have nothing to say, not a word to say about tyranny and oppression and violence and disgusting behavior from Muslims who are running the show in Gaza, or from Muslims who have been running Iran into the ground for. I mean, Iran should be a really nice country. You ever notice something? Nobody wants to visit this place. It's not safe now, obviously. But, I mean, in general, like, no one wants Americans. We can't go to Iran. We can't see all the beautiful architecture and the history and eat the pistachios and buy the carpets. We can't do all this, which is just shameful. And really, very few people can and will do any of this because you cannot trust that government at all. They may decide to grab you, to make an example of you, because it's a. They're a fundamentally immoral regime, a fundamentally evil regime. And the people that have done all these things, they're not going to get better, they're not going to improve. And so finally, Trump, I think, makes the decision, we at least have to raise the cost of doing business for these maniacs. And I think that's a big part of why we're currently bombing their military into smithereens.

[D]

And that's why ultimately this story might be that we just. I think you use the mow the grass analogy, where ultimately we destroy as much as we can. We leave and we say, hey, in five years, we may have to come back and do this again. And that's assuming that we don't get actually people rising up. Okay, I mentioned that we would play a couple of cuts from the. From the Oscars. Buck. This is Charitha Graham Chandrin, who I'm sure I mispronounced her name. She is an actor in Bridgerton. So this is perfect. I don't know what else she was in, but she was on the red carpet and they asked her why she was speaking out and she said she's demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. Now, that happened six months ago, but she's maybe a little bit behind. This is Hollywood actress Charithra Chandran. Listen, cut 30.

[I]

It's an artist for ceasefire pen. And what we are demanding is a ceasefire in Gaza. And I think that I am so blessed to have a platform and this is the least I can do to use it. And, like, sometimes the news cycle is so fast and people move on, but the people in Gaza and the west bank are still suffering. So, yeah, just bringing attention to that.

[D]

Okay. Yeah, the ceasefire started six months ago, so great job. You've done an incredible, phenomenal job of being on top of the news.

[A]

But you just have to remember I'd never heard of this person before. She's Obviously an actress. The point of her saying these things has nothing to do with Gaza.

[D]

Yeah, this is.

[A]

You always have to remember this. This is true about, about libs, about leftists, about Democrats and the global left in general. The causes are largely irrelevant. It's what taking the side of the cause says about them to their peers. So her saying this, you know, you could say, hey, I'm here to save the dodo bird. And someone could pull her aside. Be like, dodo bird's been extinct, honey, for like a hundred and something years. Doesn't matter. She wants you to know she's an environmentally conscious person. Like the stupidity, the lack of geopolitical knowledge, or even curiosity. Clay, it's not a problem. The whole point is your declaration of fealty to the thing, to the current thing that people have to pretend they care about so that other people around them think they're a good person. And that's all this really is. And unfortunately, this is very powerful. The kind of thing that in Manufactured Delusion, a great book you should all get, by the way, if you have not already New York Times bestseller. Go get your copy. But it's in there.

[D]

I would love to have had a microphone or maybe just an audio transcript of some of the conversations she had with people. As to your point, they all said, it's so great of you to use your platform to speak out against the war that's continuing in Gaza, because they also have no idea that there's been a ceasefire for six months. But I did say we would play a nice thing from the Oscars. You may have seen this, buck. I saw it on social media a little bit ago. Best Actress winner Jesse Buckley from Hamnet, that don't know who she is, did not see this movie, but she decided to use her acceptance speech to praise marriage and promote motherhood. This was actually, I'm told, quite nice. Cut 22.

[B]

You, Fred. I love you, man. I love you. You're the most incredible dad. You're my best friend and I want to have 20,000 more babies with you. I do, I do. And Isla, my. My little girl who is eight months, who has absolutely no idea what's going on and is probably dreaming of milk, but this is kind of a big deal and I love you and I love being your mom and I can't wait to discover life beside you. It's Mother's Day in the UK today, So I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother's heart.

[D]

So very positive there. I didn't know it was Mother's Day in the UK over the weekend. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in the UK listening to us right now. Maybe there's two or three, but. But I thought that was pretty great. So we wanted to at least share a positive. That did happen last night on the Oscars. Get married and have kids. It's a good thing to do. All right, Buck, you've got us going into this break and then we've got some laughs for you. A lot of very good talkbacks. I've seen a preview and we'll have some fun with those. But first, Buck, take us away.

[A]

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[F]

Today, making America great again isn't just one man, it's many. The Team 47 podcast, Sundays at noon Eastern in the Clay and Buck podcast feed. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[D]

Start with the unidentified podcast listener.

[A]

Cut D. Clay is a flute player,

[C]

knows his Broadway shows, drives a Tesla, and knows his British royalty.

[A]

That's all I need to know.

[D]

It's possible, listening to all that, that I'm actually gay. I'm not gonna. I'm not gonna deny flute, playing Broadway shows, Tesla and knowing British royalty. If you heard all those factors, you would think that I might. So maybe I am gay. Sorry, wife. Sorry, Laura. Maybe I'm the, the. The Gay Atolla podcast listener Christina E. Guys.

[A]

Christina, Texas. I'm pretty sure the wizard of Oz would qualify for an Academy Award, saying that the Tin man, the Scarecrow, the Witches, the Munchkins are all under underrepresented ethnic groups.

[D]

That is quite funny. Very well played. Senator Ted Cruz shared that same criteria on dei and he said none of these prior winners for Best picture would qualify. We talked about the Godfather, no Country for Old Men, the Departed, Chicago, A Beautiful Mind, Gladiator, Braveheart, Titanic, Forrest Gump, Schindler's List, Unforgiven, Amadeus, Patton, the Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Casablanca, Ben Hur, or Gone with the Wind. I have not done the deep dive. I would love to hear from the Academy how they could defend all of that. But again, they now have diversity inclusion requirements, which would knock out a lot of, as you just heard, the greatest movies that have ever been made from ever being able to even be qualified to be nominated for the greatest movies ever made. Trucker Mike Arizona, listening to us on kfyif.

[J]

Morning, gentlemen. Trucker Mike Surprise, Arizona. Hey, man, you think it's possible there's a few Democrats? I don't even consider Democrats, just evil, anti American hating our country. Not like the old school Democrats. I think they're voting no against Homeland Security because they're wanting a terrorist attack on Trump's watch to blame him. I don't know, man, it's disgusting. But tell me what you think.

[A]

Have a good day.

[D]

Look, I think unfortunately their brains are broken. I just. And I do think when awful things happen, if they can blame Trump, they're happy to do it. If ever you were going to fund tsa, wouldn't it be now, Buck, when we've had terror attacks in Austin, Old Dominion in Virginia, Detroit and New York City. Now, thankfully, they haven't been very successful, but there have been three lives taken. Wouldn't you want as many people as possible working in airplane security right now, given the climate that we're dealing with?

[A]

Yes. But as we often see is the case, the people in the government who are supposed to care about more important things than petty politics don't always care about more important things than petty politics, even when lives are at stake. That is the unfortunate truth of what we are dealing with.

[D]

Yeah, it is super unfortunate. I just, I'm looking right now.

[A]

That's kind of a bummer. I know.

[D]

Yeah, I know. I was going to say. Well, there's a lot of people who work in media that you could also put in that. That in that category. I just I. I know we actually have a lot of TSA agents who listen to this show because every time I go through in Nashville, in particular, the TSA guys listen. So thank you for everybody out there who's working without paychecks. I know that's super difficult. Again, these are not people who are able to save tons of amounts of money. I think the average salary for a TSA agent is $40,000 a year. So you're talking about people who are living paycheck to paycheck and they're not getting paychecks. To me, it's an indefensible situation that we put these guys and gals in. And thank you for everybody who's showing up for work without getting paid. And if you're standing in a long line, which I know a lot of you are going to end up doing, because I see the videos coming from so many different airports across the country, Democrats have made that a reality. And to Buck's point, at a time when, of all times, you should be caring the most, given the danger that we potentially are facing from people who want to do us illness and have used our planes before to do so, it seems like now would be the number one time that you would want to make sure everybody's getting their pay.

[A]

Totally agree. Totally also agree that tomorrow is going to be an amazing show here on Clay and Buck. So make sure you tune in as we give you the latest on all of the things we hit today, including, of course, Iran and things happening in the world of politics. Appreciate you rolling with us, everybody. And we will be back back tomorrow. And at least we all know the highest grossing musical of all time. Now, this is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.