The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Hour 3 – "His Daughter Should Be Alive"

Date: October 2, 2025
Host: Clay Travis (with Buck Sexton in Taiwan)
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

Hour 3 of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show centers on the devastating consequences of rising violent crime in American cities, focusing particularly on Memphis, TN, and the broader national conversation about law enforcement, criminal justice, and political responsibility. The episode features impassioned listener calls and expert commentary, including a deeply emotional testimony from a father whose daughter was murdered by a repeat offender. The hosts argue for tougher stances on violent crime and question current political and community approaches to safety.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Program Announcements & Family Notes

• Clay shares schedule changes: Buck Sexton is in Taiwan interviewing the president; Clay will be out the following week spending time with family due to his boys' school breaks.
  • “My boys are getting older and I'm trying to make sure that I am spending as much time with them as I can. My oldest is going off to college next year...” (03:10)
• Multiplatform Expansion: The show is preparing to stream all three hours live on YouTube starting January, aiming to engage a younger and more diverse audience.

2. Trump Administration’s Focus on Violent Crime

• Trump’s "Builder Mentality": Clay praises former President Trump’s approach to addressing spiraling crime in major cities, starting with Washington D.C. and potentially expanding to cities like Memphis and Baltimore.
  • "President Trump in Washington, D.C. looked around at the violent crime rate and he said something that should be uncontroversial. This is unacceptable." (07:13)
• Federal Resources in Memphis: Red state governors (including Bill Lee, TN) welcome federal intervention to combat crime; even some Democrats support this due to the necessity.

3. The Toll of Crime: Memphis and Beyond

• Personal Safety Crisis: Many families are leaving Memphis because of safety concerns, according to Clay.
  • Story of buying a cell phone charger at 8pm and being cautioned about his safety—a sign of deep societal breakdown. (08:20)
• Crime Destroys Communities:
  • "Nobody argues that anymore because so many people have left Memphis because they don't feel safe for their family." (07:20)

4. Steven Miller's Speech on Crime (Memphis)

• Call for Action: Stephen Miller addresses Memphis law enforcement and citizens, denouncing the normalization of dangerous neighborhoods:
  • “We are not going to live in an environment anywhere where there is a street that belongs to a criminal…all that bulls*** is done. It's over, it's finished.” (09:17, Stephen Miller)

5. Heartbreaking Personal Testimony: Steven Federico

• Case Summary: Logan Federico, 22, murdered during a visit to friends at Univ. of South Carolina by an offender with 39 previous arrests (25 felonies).
  • Powerful testimony from her father, Steven Federico:
    • “[He] was arrested 39 damn times, 25 felonies, was on the street. He should have been in jail for over 140 years…You woke up a beast and you pissed off the wrong daddy.” (12:50–13:55)
• Clay’s Reaction: Deeply affected, calls it "a profound sickness" that criminals are prioritized over protecting innocents.
  • “We do not have to tolerate murder. We do not have to allow toxic empathy to keep our prisons from being full.” (11:12)

6. Listener Calls from Memphis: First-Hand Accounts of Crime

• Tom in Memphis:
  • Has lived in the city most of his life; recounts having three close friends murdered within 10 years.
  • Recent shooting on his front lawn at a pool party that spiraled into a mass shooting, with bullets missing his head by feet:
    • “My wife and I just walked down that hallway where the bullets came through…We lived there for 20 years, never had any problems.” (27:58)
  • Critiques absence of community leadership and parental guidance, especially for young Black men:
    • “Where are our leaders talking to these young kids in the schools that don’t have fathers or…to help these kids understand how to negotiate life without violence?” (31:53)
• Jonathan, Roofing Company Owner:
  • Describes daily work in Memphis’s most troubled neighborhoods; finds AR-15 bullets in roofs, even in homes of young children.
    • “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on a roof and pulled out AR-15 bullets…I pulled them out of churches, residential houses…” (32:39)
  • Questions sustainability of National Guard/police surge:
    • "What do we do when they leave?" (34:03)

7. Analysis: What’s Gone Wrong and What Should Be Done?

• Systemic Failure in Law Enforcement & the Courts: Clay argues for removing judges, DAs, and other officials in cases like Logan Federico’s—calls the recurrence of such crimes “an epidemic.” (15:30, 32:05)
• Community Responsibility: Emphasizes the importance of local leaders, especially within affected communities, in setting moral standards and intervening with youth.
• The Solution Is Not Complex:
  • “Go to the neighborhoods with the highest rates of violent crime and get the bad guys and put them behind bars and keep doing it…until you can feel comfortable walking down the street in these communities.” (37:05)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Stephen Miller (09:17):
  "We are not going to live in an environment anywhere where there is a street that belongs to a criminal, where there is a neighborhood that belongs to a gang…this is Memphis. This is the United States of America. And all that bulls*** is done. It's over, it's finished."

• Steven Federico (12:50):
  "Think about your child…waking up, being dragged out of bed naked, forced on her knees with her hands over her head, begging for her life…You woke up a beast and you pissed off the wrong daddy."

• Tom in Memphis (27:58):
  "My wife and I just walked down that hallway where the bullets came through. And yes, I live in a very nice neighborhood. The problem is, is that you don't hear…the community leaders standing up and saying, you know, what is going on in the black community?...when this happened, you know, in my front yard...Where are people saying, this is not how you solve issues?"

• Jonathan, Roofer (32:39):
  "Not only is the crime bad, but the living conditions are just atrocious. There was actually this one house where it was brick and somebody fired the night before and behind that brick is a two year old girl in a crib."

• Clay Travis (11:12):
  “We do not have to tolerate murder. We do not have to allow toxic empathy to keep our prisons from being full.”

• Clay Travis (37:05):
  "Go to the neighborhoods with the highest rates of violent crime and get the bad guys and put them behind bars and keep doing it…until, as Stephen Miller said, you can feel comfortable walking down the street.”

Noteworthy Timestamps

• [07:13] – Trump’s “builder mentality” and law enforcement in DC/Memphis
• [09:17] – Stephen Miller’s speech to Memphis law enforcement
• [12:50] – Steven Federico’s testimony about his daughter’s murder
• [27:58] – Tom describes a recent mass shooting on his lawn in Memphis
• [32:39] – Jonathan (roofer) details daily encounters with dangerous crime scenes
• [37:05] – Clay’s actionable solution for violent crime: arrest and prosecute
• [41:00+] – Calls and comments on the issues, further reactions

Tone & Atmosphere

• Direct and Passionate: Clay and callers express raw frustration and anger at systemic failures, maintaining a candid, often emotional tone.
• Sorrowful, Yet Urgent: The episode is marked by grief—especially in Federico’s testimony—but is ultimately a call to action.
• Community-Focused: Multiple voices from Memphis bring personal perspective, making these systemic concerns feel immediate and tangible.

Episode Takeaways

• Violent crime is not isolated nor inevitable: The hosts argue it is a direct result of failed policies and a lack of accountability, and demand systemic change.
• Personal stories matter: The tragedy of individual victims and families is foregrounded, breaking through political rhetoric.
• Community leadership and responsibility are essential: Beyond federal intervention, neighborhoods and local leaders must own and address the crisis.
• Refusal to tolerate crime should guide policy: The hosts advocate for a strong, unapologetic crackdown on repeat violent offenders, regardless of political cost.

For listeners, this hour provides an unfiltered look at the impact of crime in American cities, amplifies the voices of those directly affected, and issues a clarion call for meaningful reform.