The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 3 - Holiday Spending and Economic Optimism
Date: December 22, 2025
Host: Brett Witterbol (in for Clay Travis & Buck Sexton)
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode, hosted by Brett Witterbol sitting in for Clay and Buck, centers on Americans’ holiday spending habits, reflections on economic optimism, and broader discussions about American identity, free speech, and the U.S. political climate. Brett takes calls from listeners around the country, explores the contrast between American values and foreign commentary, and dives into the implications of economic and immigration policy, all while maintaining a festive and patriotic tone.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Holiday Spending and American Optimism

Segment Start: [02:59]

• Brett opens with a central question for listeners:
  “Are you spending more on Christmas, or less on Christmas? Are you feeling like you’re more in the spirit of the season than maybe you were in the last couple of years?” [03:10]
• Emphasizes gratitude for being American, regardless of economic ups and downs:
  “We are so lucky to be Americans. We are so blessed to be Americans... I would not want to be in any other place with any other group of people than right here in the good old US Of A.” [03:43]

Notable Calls:

• Luke from Ohio: Reports positive economic conditions and holiday spirit (“Me and my wife will make around $115k this year... We’re gonna have a very good Christmas season.”) and credits low gas prices and falling interest rates. [12:12–12:43]
• Linda from Alabama: Attributes her family’s successful year to the president and the stock market, allowing for increased charitable giving (“Thanks to our president and the stock market this year, my husband and I have had a very good year... we have given more to charities and our children will be having a better Christmas.”) [19:07–19:24]

2. America Versus the World: Freedom of Speech & Multiculturalism

Segment Start: [04:00]

• Brett plays and reacts to a controversial statement from Australian politician Chris Minns regarding freedom of speech in the wake of the Bondi Beach attack. Minns distinguishes Australian and American approaches, favoring limitations to maintain multicultural harmony.
• Brett reacts strongly, defending U.S. free speech and critiquing what he sees as an international trend toward “command and control:”
  “I believe everybody should have a chance to be the person that they should be. But it cannot be a command and control sort of a deal here. That is just poppycock. It is nuts.” [07:05]
• He critiques foreign politicians’ tendency to denounce American freedoms:
  “Why do they look to the United States and say terrible things about the United States of America? Why is that? Anybody? Can you explain that to me? ...Weird. Really, really weird. And a terrible sort of take.” [08:45]

3. Everyday Americans Sound Off: Diverse Economic Stories

Segment Start: [12:08]

• Kenny from Boston: Shares concern for struggling Americans and highlights the importance of not being embarrassed about accepting help, especially for veterans. He pivots to concerns over immigration, claiming it impacts Congressional representation and the partisan makeup (“...these congressional districts get bigger and bigger or they just create new congressional districts and they create electoral votes for the left wing candidates through immigration, legal and illegal...”) [13:06–14:28]

• Father Michael from Ohio: Offers a defense of President Trump, especially regarding religious freedom in schools, relating a personal anecdote from a campaign rally (“He told me right to my face, he said, Father Michael, I will get prayer back in school... within three months of him being president that very first term, that federal law was changed.”) [20:34–21:38]

4. Economic & Immigration Policy Commentary

Segment Start: [23:00]

• Immigration Policy Discussion:
  • Analysis of recent changes, including halted diversity visas and a shrinking foreign-born workforce.
  • Expert argues that as foreign-born (especially illegal) workers leave, there is a net employment gain for native-born Americans, especially Hispanic Americans (“...native born workers are up more than 2 million...the majority of the native born jobs that have been created over the last year are Hispanic Americans.”) [23:35–24:16]
  • Construction wages rising ($3,300/year) due to labor scarcity, seen as a positive for American workers. [24:36–24:48]
• Business community still expresses labor shortage concerns, but the expert insists these are natural market adjustments and that legal residents now have first pick at jobs.
• Assurance that legal clarity will improve in the new year. [25:33]

5. Future Economic Leadership & The Fed

Segment Start: [25:51]

• Brett discusses former economic advisor Kevin Hassett’s communication strategy, lauding his calm, “heartland-first” approach and potential as a future Fed chair.
• Contrasts Hassett’s focus on ordinary people and small businesses with what Brett sees as the out-of-touch priorities of current and prospective Democratic leaders.
• Critiques Jerome Powell’s incrementalism and argues Trump and likely VP JD Vance are committed to supporting the middle class, especially around issues of credit and business lending.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Brett Witterbol:
  • “We are so lucky to be Americans. We are so blessed to be Americans. Imagine all the times that you could have possibly been alive, and you’re alive now...” [03:43]
  • “If you are somebody who is moral, if you are somebody who can abide by morality. And I’m not saying you impose morality on individuals. They have a choice. They get to do what they want to do.” [07:37]
• Linda (caller):
  • “Many people might not know that Birmingham, Alabama, is one of the most giving cities in the country. And I’m very proud to live here and proud of that.” [19:56]
• Father Michael (caller):
  • “I had the blessing to give the invocation at [Trump’s] rally... he told me right to my face... I will get prayer back in school... within three months... that federal law was changed.” [20:34–21:38]

Key Timestamps

• Holiday spending discussion opens: [02:59]
• Brett's take on Chris Minns & free speech: [04:00–09:00]
• Caller Luke (Ohio): [12:08]
• Caller Kenny (Boston): [13:00]
• Caller Linda (Alabama): [19:04]
• Caller Father Michael (Ohio): [20:30]
• Immigration policy segment: [23:00–25:51]
• Kevin Hassett/Fed speculation: [25:51–33:00]

Tone & Style

Brett maintains an upbeat, patriotic, and conversational tone throughout, favoring stories from everyday Americans and highlighting the potential and promise of American society when grounded in personal responsibility and constitutional freedoms. He is critical of foreign critiques and policies perceived as restrictive, and champions both optimism and realism about economic and political conditions ahead.

Summary

This episode melds holiday cheer with pointed social and economic commentary. Brett Witterbol celebrates American resilience and gratitude, surfaces real listener perspectives on prosperity and struggle, calls out perceived anti-American rhetoric abroad, and confidently predicts better times ahead with a focus on national unity, constitutional freedoms, and economic opportunity. Through calls and commentary, he provides a snapshot of diverse American attitudes at the close of the year.