Hour 3 - Israel's 9/11

Summary

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The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 3 - Israel's 9/11
Date: October 7, 2025

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Overview

This hour of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show marks two years since the October 7th, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which the hosts and guest Carol Markowitz frame as "Israel's 9/11." The discussion focuses on how the attack and its aftermath have shaped global attitudes towards Israel, antisemitism in the West, media narratives about the conflict, and evolving political alliances. A significant segment features an interview with Carol Markowitz about the anniversary, perceptions of antisemitism, and ideological divides concerning Israel. Later, Buck Sexton interviews Leland Vittert about his new book, Born Lucky, discussing autism, parenting, and overcoming challenges. The hour also includes commentary on mainstream media and listener call-ins about Donald Trump and working-class politics.

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Main Guest: Carol Markowitz on the Legacy of October 7th

Timestamps: [00:04] – [12:34]

Reflecting on the Two-Year Anniversary

• Carol Markowitz joins to discuss the emotional and societal impact of the Hamas attacks:
  • She highlights that the anniversary coincides with Sukkot, a major Jewish holiday, noting, “Many observant Jews, like our friend Josh Hammer, are offline today, so they can't commemorate October 7th. I’m just so grateful that people are noting this in their absence.” ([00:58])
  • Markowitz expresses gratitude for non-Jewish allies’ support of Israel and Jews globally.

    “To have non Jews care about what's going on in Israel or with Jews in the world is so meaningful to me.” ([01:08])

American and Western Reaction

• The hosts and Markowitz discuss the resilience of Israeli society and the challenges facing Jews in the West:
  • Buck Sexton:

    “So much of what we saw afterwards… the calls for a ceasefire while the Israelis were still counting their dead… was just an astonishing show of bad faith and the worst kinds of antisemitism.” ([01:43])

  • Markowitz:

    “It has been a tough time to be a Jew in America, a Jew in the West… Commemorations of October 7th are taking place in our biggest cities. They seem like celebrations.” ([02:27])

    • She expresses concern about the normalization of anti-Zionism and antisemitism, saying, “Zionists... are being pushed out of various spaces. It’s been going on on the left for years… I just hope the right doesn’t follow them down that path.” ([02:34])

Genocide Claims and Media Narratives

• Buck Sexton and Markowitz dissect claims of "genocide" in Gaza and criticize media representations:
  • Buck flags “genocide” as a highly charged, misused term with historical sensitivity, especially when invoked by Israel’s opponents.
  • Carol calls out a New York Times photo she claims was misleading:

    “They cropped out his healthy looking brother out of the photo because they wanted to project that the starvation thing was happening.” ([07:18])

  • She notes:

    “The idea that there’s a genocide going on while that population of Palestinians in Gaza has actually grown in the last two years makes no sense.” ([05:33])

    • Markowitz further critiques world leaders who, she argues, avoid the real civilizational issues due to fear of their Muslim populations or left-leaning bases ([06:10])

Shifts on the Political Right

• The discussion examines a perceived, though limited, uptick in skepticism toward Israel among some voices on the political right.
  • Markowitz defends legitimate criticism of Israel but distinguishes it from existential denial:

    “The idea is that Israel is allowed to exist and should exist, and that is Zionism. So it's really not that crazy to say Israel is a country, it exists, it's going to continue exist, and we should support that.” ([08:20])

  • She adds:

    “Antisemitism is not a bigotry… it's a mind virus. Once it grabs people, it's all they can think about.” ([10:54])

On American Solidarity and Closing Thoughts

• Polls show strong support for Israel on the right, despite louder fringe voices.
  • Markowitz:

    “Abortion is a more contentious issue on the right than Israel is. It's an overwhelming, positive, supportive point of reference for the right on Israel.” ([10:54])

Notable Quotes

• Markowitz on perseverance:

  “I have such faith in America and Americans, and I know that it's just a tough time right now, but it is hard to watch.” ([02:27])

• Markowitz on conspiracy thinking:

  “I hope the right doesn’t get wound up in conspiracy theories, which is largely what a lot of this comes down to.” ([08:20])

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Key Guest Segment: Leland Vittert on Born Lucky and Autism

Timestamps: [20:40] – [33:53]

The Story Behind Born Lucky

• Leland Vittert, NewsNation host and author, discusses his memoir, focusing on parenting a child with autism.
  • Buck Sexton summarizes: The book is about Vittert’s father’s approach—adapting his son to the world rather than adapting the world to him.
  • Vittert shares:

    “This book is for every parent of a kid having a hard time… It is proof to parents of how much agency they have and how much hope there is for a loving parent.” ([20:56])

Against the "Meet Them Where They Are" Mentality

• Vittert criticizes the prevalent expert advice to simply “meet kids where they are.”
  • He recounts:

    “If I meet him where he’s at and I adapt the world to him… he’s not going to know how to operate in the real world. So this was my dad’s quest—adapt me to the real world.” ([22:31])

Personal Struggles and Overcoming Them

• Vittert lists his childhood challenges (behavioral, sensory, learning disabilities) and how his father instilled discipline, work ethic, and social skills:
  • “At six years old, he started me doing 200 pushups a day as a way to start earning self-esteem… to teach me effort in equals real results and real achievement.” ([24:12])
  • His dad focused on teaching social skills minute-by-minute in real-life situations.

Lasting Lessons and Parental Influence

• Vittert emphasizes:

  “The two things you can control are your character and your work ethic.” ([24:12])

  • He and Buck Sexton share stories of how their parents supported their growth despite experts’ skepticism.
    • Buck: “Here I was a kid who could not pronounce his name… And here I sit on a microphone… Something 2 to 3 million, depends on the… Radio, which is obviously about the ability to verbalize and communicate, is how I make a living.” ([31:23])

On Autism Diagnosis Trends and Public Debate

• Vittert highlights the need for science-driven answers as diagnoses soar:

  “One in 1500 kids when I was diagnosed, now one in 31, three times higher for boys and higher still in poor and minority communities. This should be the scientific question of our time.” ([28:18])

  • He critiques the politicization of autism research:

    “If all you're gonna do is demonize RFK and Trump on the search for this answer, that's the only explanation.” ([28:57])

Hope and Parental Agency

• Concludes:

  “It proves to parents how much hope there is and how much agency they have. And no one is telling parents that.” ([29:33])

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Commentary & Listener Engagement

Timestamps: [14:33] – [20:40]; [35:09] – [38:58]

The View and Mainstream Media Satire

• Buck Sexton humorously deconstructs clips from The View:
  • “Unintentional comedy is where the View excels. That is its value proposition.” ([16:27])
  • He dismisses the show's claims about Trump and National Guard deployments as “crazy town.”
  • Critiques the alarmism and groupthink on mainstream liberal shows:

    “It creates a vision of America that does not exist except in the fever dreams of the Libs. And that’s not good.” ([16:53])

Listener Calls and Trump’s Working-Class Support

• Calls/Talkbacks highlight Trump’s connection to working-class Americans:
  • “He doesn’t try to pretend to be the working class like so many other politicians… Trump genuinely likes working class people and we can see that.” – Mike from Fort Worth, TX ([36:37])
  • Jacqueline from Brooklyn:

    “He did work. He worked every single day. He went around to all of his father’s buildings in Brooklyn collecting the rents… he was on those job sites.” ([37:43])

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Notable Quotes

• Buck Sexton: “It is a negative because it creates a vision of America that does not exist except in the fever dreams of the Libs.” ([16:53])
• Carol Markowitz: “Antisemitism is not a bigotry… it’s a mind virus. Once it grabs people, it’s all they can think about.” ([10:54])
• Leland Vittert: “At six years old, he started me doing 200 pushups a day… to teach me effort in equals real results and real achievement.” ([24:12])
• Listener (Mike, Fort Worth, TX): “Trump genuinely likes working class people and we can see that.” ([36:37])

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Segment Guide (Timestamps)

• [00:04] – [12:34]: Interview with Carol Markowitz — Reflections on October 7, antisemitism, media narratives, support for Israel.
• [12:34] – [16:53]: Commentary on The View and mainstream media’s approach to Trump and the national conversation.
• [20:40] – [33:53]: Interview with Leland Vittert — Personal story of overcoming autism, agency in parenting, book discussion.
• [35:09] – [38:58]: Listener calls and talkbacks on Trump’s working-class appeal and authenticity.

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Summary

This episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show offers a poignant and pointed look at the second anniversary of the October 7th Hamas terror attack, the ongoing debate over support for Israel in the West, the pervasiveness and dangers of antisemitism, and the power of media narratives. The hour is enriched by Leland Vittert’s deeply personal story about autism and the pivotal role of parental involvement in overcoming adversity. The hosts balance news critique, political humor, and listener perspectives, capturing both the intensity of political debate and the resilience of those affected by ideological and personal challenges.

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Transcript

[Carol Markowitz]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Buck Sexton]

All right, third hour of Clay and Buck kicks off now. We're joined by our friend Carol Markowitz, host of the Carol Markowitz show on the Clay and Buck Podcast Network, which, thanks to all of you, is growing every single month and also normally which she co hosts with Mary Catherine Ham, and that is doing fantastic numbers as well. So thank you all for your support. And Carol, great to have you on the program. Thank you so much.

[Carol Markowitz]

Hi, Buck. Thanks so much for having me.

[Buck Sexton]

Two years, Carol, two years since the events of October 7th. I want to get into some of the policy specific conversation in a moment with where Trump is trying to end this thing between the IDF and Hamas and all of that, as well as some other news of the day. But first, I just wanted to ask you to reflect on how, how you view this day and what you think about, given what's happened over the last two.

[Carol Markowitz]

You know, the first thing I want to say is today is the first day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and I'm not a super observant Jew. I should be better, but I'm not. But many observant Jews, our friend Josh Hammer, some other people are offline today, so they can't commemorate October 7th. So I'm just so grateful for you and so many other people for noting this today in the absence of Jews being online. And I think that that's really incredible and special and I feel just grateful have you as an ally, as a friend, and to have non Jews care about what's going on in Israel or with Jews in the world is so meaningful to me. And I hope that you know how much I appreciate it.

[Buck Sexton]

Oh, absolutely. Clay and I have felt very strongly about this issue from the very beginning and have felt like this was a clear case of right and wrong. Not just, of course, on the horrible day of October 7th and what was done to Jews in Israel, but so much of what we saw afterwards, I think was shocking to people, Carol, who haven't followed this issue and don't understand some of the dynamics at play. I mean, the calls, for example, the calls for a ceasefire while the Israelis were still counting their dead and preparing to bury them was just an astonishing show of bad faith and quite honestly, the worst kinds of antisemitism.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, absolutely. And it's been just a really tough two years, I would say. And it's interesting because I went to Israel during that time and they are so resilient and strong and they're really, they've been prepared for how long this is going to take. And they understood it wasn't going to be overnight and all of that, and they want their hostages back so badly. But it has been a tough time to be a Jew in America, a Jew in the West. I have such faith in America and Americans, and I know that it's just a tough time right now, but it is hard to watch that. Commemorations of October 7th are taking place in our biggest cities. And they seem like celebrations and they're, you know, Zionists, quote, unquote, are being pushed out of various spaces. I mean, it's been going on on the left for years and years. I wasn't very surprised about the reaction from the left on October 8th. I know a lot of people were, but I had seen it coming for the better part of a decade. I just hope the right doesn't follow them down that path. And like I said, I do feel very comfortable and so blessed that I feel like conservatives are largely on the right side of this and that they. I do feel like I have allies standing with me.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, you know, Trump, I think, is a consistent ally and friend of the state of Israel, which is. And sees this issue with the clarity that it demands. And on that issue of clarity, you know, we've had you on Carol before to talk about the so called genocide and the New York Times running a story with a photo as the primary photo of somebody who looks emaciated having nothing to do with hunger. It's actually a birth defect, right? Or, you know, a congenital birth issue that that person had. And I think it's, you know, to me it always seemed like, hold on a second, there's not a genocide going on. And here's why. And we made that case before. This is a term, of course, that's thrown around with the additional salt in the wound of the genocide that was committed against the Jews in the Holocaust and World War II. So the opponents of Israel used this, knowing the full implications of the term in this context. But now we have a peace plan, or at least a ceasefire plan put forward with all of these steps. It's essentially Hamas has to stop fighting, hostages have to come back, and then there has to be some responsibility from the Palestinian side. And it seems like it's not a genocide because they say, no, we're going to keep fighting.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right? It's amazing the first victims of genocide ever to say, no, we're going to keep going. It's baffling to me that anybody cannot see what's going on here. And you're right, Trump is such a friend to Israel. I am just, I find his clarity on the matter to be breathtaking. And I make all of the Trump 2028 jokes in our chats because of it, because I really feel like he holds back a lot of the insanity around the world. And when Britain or France, when you recognize, quote unquote, the Palestinian state, Trump sort of laughs at them and says, who cares what they think? And that's meaningful and amazing that an American president is such a leader on the world stage. But you're right, the idea that there's a genocide going on while that population of Palestinians in Gaza has actually grown in the last two years makes no sense. And it makes no sense that really chubby moms are holding starving babies, because that's generally not the way that it goes. So I'd love to see more clarity from other world leaders. There's some really good ones. The president of Argentina is amazing. The prime minister of Italy is fantastic. But in general, a lot of them are afraid of their Muslim populations or their leftist base. And they are really bringing down the idea of civilization around the world. It's not just about Israel. It's really a civilizational question that they would have to contend with in their own countries. What will our countries be with this unchecked immigration that we've allowed to go on? It's all tied together.

[Buck Sexton]

I'd also note that if there was a starvation genocide underway, the photos of it would be everywhere, accessible and obvious. It would not be in the least bit difficult in the social media Internet era that we all live in to see this. And yet the reliance on photos by the biggest newspaper in the United States, for example, that is essentially a falsified premise. I think that speaks very loudly about what, what is going on here. What are the chances they just happen to pick a photo that doesn't depict what's going on? If there are endless photos that would. Right? I mean, that just makes. It makes no sense. You can supply logic to this and it falls apart.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah. And they cropped out his healthy looking brother out of the photo because they wanted to project that the starvation thing was happening. And the very healthy brother would show that that wasn't going on.

[Buck Sexton]

What is going on on the right with. And you know what I'm going to ask you, Carol, but to the degree that we can cover some of this now, there seems to be some questioning and even some hostility to Israel specifically that I haven't seen from the right on the left. It's been there for a long time. But on the right, it seems like there's some problems bubbling up. Where is that coming from?

[Carol Markowitz]

You know, I don't want to ascribe bad motives to people. I'm not going to say they're all paid by Qatar, although kind of seems like they're paid by Qatar. It really could be any number of things. I understand questioning foreign aid, for example, but if your questioning of foreign aid means that Israel should be the first country stripped of it, I'm sorry, that is not a real argument. And a lot of the time there'll be people saying, we're allowed to criticize Israel. Of course you're allowed to criticize Israel. I criticize Israel. There's a million mistakes that I think Israel has made before and since October 7th, and you're absolutely allowed to criticize any number of things. But the idea is that Israel is allowed to exist and should exist, and that is Zionism. So it's really not that crazy to say Israel is a country, it exists, it's going to continue exist, and we should support that. I hope the right doesn't get wound up in conspiracy theories, which is largely what a lot of this comes down to. And I get where it comes from. We were lied to again and again and again over the last decade, and I feel like people have lost all faith in everything. But you have to remember not everyone is lying to you all the time. And you have to find the people that you trust, and they shouldn't be people who lie to you. Your favorite podcaster is telling you things that you know to be a lie. They're probably lying about other things as well. And that's how you should look at it. You should trust the voices that you listen to. And if you can't do that, then you shouldn't do it on anything.

[Buck Sexton]

You know, I've begun to see, finally, because I've been trying to make this case for a while. As somebody who was involved in some capacity among millions of other Americans, including those who actually served in the military, I was a civilian trying to do a part of what we call the gwat, the Global War on terror. But the level of violent hate that has been inculcated in some of these Middle Eastern societies, and specifically in the case of Gaza, I'm a little surprised that so many people on the right seem to have either forgotten or aren't able to draw the obvious parallels. That these societies, they're not upset about foreign aid in Gaza, they're not upset about the lack of some agreement that would move things forward. They actually have been trained and taught to hate Jews and Israelis. This is very straightforward. And I think this has gotten lost in the conversation even on the right for some in a way that bears reminding everybody.

[Carol Markowitz]

Yeah, I will say that poll after poll continues to show that the people on the right support Israel. And so no matter how many loud voices are trying to change that, I.

[Buck Sexton]

Think that's an important distinction you're making. So not to interrupt, you keep going.

[Carol Markowitz]

So far it hasn't moved the needle at all. I would say that abortion is a more contentious issue on the right than Israel is. It's an overwhelming, positive, supportive point of reference for the right on Israel. And so, you know, I don't know what again, what the motivations might be, but I will say that antisemitism is not a bigotry. And I think when people think of it as a bigotry, they get it all wrong. It is a, it's a mind virus. Once it grabs people, it's all they can think about. So again, if you think, if you're, if your favorite podcaster has suddenly become wall to wall Israel, every single episode is Israel, Israel, Israel. They're on a dark path. And it's not about Jews as a kind of culture, it's about a larger mind virus that will really swallow them up. And you've seen this happen in societies in history where once it gets going, it really doesn't stop. So I hope that the trend where the larger right just blocks out those voices continues. And that's what I'm going to be looking for.

[Buck Sexton]

What are you going to be talking about this week on Normally? Carol?

[Carol Markowitz]

So normally just celebrated our one year anniversary. Buck Mary Katharine Ham and I completely didn't realize the date. So it's actually a year and a week and a half, half or so. But we're really thrilled to be on the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton podcast network. It's been amazing. We cover news of the day in a funny way and I hope your listeners will tune in.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, no, you guys are doing a great ladies, I should say are doing a great show.

[Carol Markowitz]

I love it.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah. Carol, thank you so much for being here. Appreciate talking to you as always and we'll talk to you again soon.

[Carol Markowitz]

Thanks so much.

[Buck Sexton]

Two years ago, we woke up to the horrific news from Israel that terrorists were on a rampage slaughtering innocent civilians. By the end of the day, the Death toll was 1200. With 250 people taken hostage. The equivalent to that in the US would be 40,000Americans. To give you a sense of the magnitude. Americans have supported the people of Israel for the past two years in big and small ways with the help of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. One way is by joining a growing movement called Flags of Fellowship. The Flags of Fellowship unites churches across America. Planting over 1 million Israeli flags across our country show the world that Israel is not alone. To get more information about how you can join the Flags of fellowship movement, visit IFCJ.org that's IFCJ.org Clay, Travis and.

[Clay Travis]

Buck Sexton Mic drops that never sounded so good. Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.

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[Buck Sexton]

Welcome back into Clay and Buck. We're gonna be joined by Leland Vittert here in a second. He's got a hit. Book out. We're gonna talk to him about that. He's here with me in D.C. so special points for showing up in person, finding his way to our downtown studio over at the View. You know, I'm grateful for the View. The View gives us so much content here on this show, so many conservative commentary platforms. If not the View, where would we go for these gems of wisdom? Where would we go to find out that really Trump's plan isn't to use just limited National Guard deployments to help bring down homicides and protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement? No, no, the real plan is to steal the next election. Trump 2028 Trump 2028. Oh my gosh. Here you go. The ladies at the View, they're having, they're getting emotional. The vapors, they're getting the vapors. Play it.

[The View Panelist]

There is crime in American cities, but the way to deal with it is get the funding that you need for police, get the training that you need, and work with local officials. This is a pretext to stop the next election. That's what I think it is. I would say it might also be a distraction from the hearing that's going on right now about the Epstein files. Some things have come up and ag Pam Bondi was dodging questions and attacking back. Do you not think maybe the whole civil unrest storyline is maybe overblown? I think that Donald Trump also sees American troops in US Cities as a sign of strength. I think most Americans don't. I think they see it as like, societal breakdown.

[Buck Sexton]

Ah, so many things thrown in there. Oh, I think that Trump is deployed the National Guard because he's gonna steal the election. Well, I think that Trump is deploying the National Guard because of Epstein.

[Carol Markowitz]

Well.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, I think Trump is deploying the National Guard because of climate change. Like, let's just throw it all in there. Let's just make it a la carte. Crazy town. What. What is going on over there? It's so. It's so unfortunate that this show still has people who do. I watch it and Clay watches it for. Well, we don't watch it. We look at the clips. But for the comedic value, it's definitely pretty solid. Unintentional comedy is where the View excels. That is its value proposition. So I hope they keep doing what they do. But for the people who watch it because they think that it is worthwhile commentary, that they are getting some kind of insight about the world around them and more specifically, American politics, it is a factory of delusion. It is nuts over there. It is crazy town. They're going to steal the election. Really? I think. I think the National Guards could have helped steal the next election. Joy, really, honestly, we're still with this now, but you see, because they're. They're so unhinged now we have to troll them with Trump 20, 28 stuff. Like, not that it's going to happen, it's not going to happen, but, you know, let's just wear the hats and really get them, get them all spun up over nothing because it's entertaining for us. I don't know how else to get them to stop being so. So unstable. I don't know what we can do to make them see reality other than mock the unreality that they choose to create for themselves. But the View, honestly, at some point you gotta wonder who doesn't see this for what it is, a very low iq, bad faith, and nasty discourse on what's going on in the world around us. It is, unless you are laughing at it, unless you are viewing it as a point of comedy for which it has value. It is a waste of everyone's time. In fact, it's worse than that. It is a negative because it creates a vision of America that does not exist except in the fever dreams of the Libs. And that's not good. That's not good. They need to get get with the program a bit more when I'm not on the radio with you. I've been spending a lot of time writing and researching lately. It's proven to be extremely productive, especially the last few months. I launched an e newsletter calling it Money and Power. Thousands of everyday Americans have been joining me already and my research partners in this exciting new venture to tap into the wealth that is created in this robust Trump stock market. It's a one of a kind opportunity designed to help ordinary people capitalize on the huge wealth explosion that's being created by what I call the Manhattan Project, too. Look, I've combined the information I get from Washington D.C. decision makers, Wall street pros and tech barons to bring you the stories you need to know. This is about leveling the playing field so everyday folks like you can finally get a fair shot in the markets and win big. I don't want anyone to miss out. All the details can be [e-mail] right now. Join our movement today. Get 82% off. You'll be so glad you did. Insider2025.com paid for by Paradigm Press. All right, everybody, welcome back in. I'm joined by my friend Leland Vitter. On balance, Leland Vitter is a show on News Nation program that I'm honored to occasionally get to grace with my presence. Or I am graced by its presence. Either way, and as a speaking of presence, I'm here in our studio and I am feeling like a fraternity bum or something. This guy comes in here dressed like Gordon Gekko. This is the difference between TV and radio. I'm wearing like sweatpants and a fleece and Leland comes in here crisp as $100 bill, ready for television at a moment's notice. So I'm just saying good for you, my friend.

[Leland Vittert]

It's a respect, respect.

[Buck Sexton]

You got it. You got to do it how you do it. We've got this book. It is doing very well. Born lucky, a dedicated father, a grateful son. And my journey with Autism. This has really struck a chord with people. Tell everybody a bit about it.

[Leland Vittert]

So Buck Born Lucky is the story of my father when I was diagnosed with autism, choosing to adapt me to the world rather than the world to me. So this goes back to the 1980s, and this book is for every parent of a kid having a hard time. Doesn't matter if it's a parent of a kid on the autism spectrum. Adhd, anxiety, social issues, bullying at school. It is proof to parents of how much agency they have and how much hope there is for a loving parent to really dedicate to their kid and help their kid be more and achieve their full potential in a way they never would if they listened to the experts.

[Buck Sexton]

Tell me more about that part of this. Like what, what are some of the. The hurdles, the artificial hurdles that are put in place by expert opinion about autism, how to deal with this and what.

[Leland Vittert]

There is a movement in America and the experts will tell you to meet kids where they are. Right. So you just sort of put little Sally in a. In bubble wrap and tell her that she's perfect and everything's great and we're so proud of you and everything else. 1988. 89. My parents are told that I have to be evaluated. So they take me to one of those little medical centers. You're a new dad. Worst thing a parent could possibly hear, right? So they take me to one of these little medical testing centers. Linoleum floors, old magazines, stale coffee, whatever. The woman comes back with me after two hours, they're nervous, and the woman says to my parents, we have no idea what's going on inside his head.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, can I ask what were some of the signs? How do they know that you need.

[Leland Vittert]

So you know, I had terrible behavioral issues. So if a kid touched me in the lunch line, I'd turn around and slug him. I had awful behavioral issues, sensory issues. Couldn't really wear a lot of clothes or socks or anything else because I didn't like how it felt on my skin. Big learning disabilities. So from the IQ test. Two halves of an IQ test make up the average of your iq. Buck doesn't have to do an average. His is additive. It just goes very high. Mine was half genius, half mentally retarded. So 20 point spread on your IQ test is a learning disability? I had a 70 point spread. And the woman said to my dad, look, you know, there's not much you can do. And my dad goes, as any father would, anything we can do. And she goes, generally not. Got to meet him where he's at. And my dad said if I meet him where he's at and I adapt the world to him and I give him extra time on tests and behavior modification plans in school and tell everybody what's happening, he's not going to know how to operate in the real world. So this was my dad's quest to adapt me to the real world.

[Buck Sexton]

What were some of the things that in that process he did, he learned. And congratulations to your father. I mean, I also just so I have no personal experience of anyone in my family with autism. I have people in my extended family that have serious mental health challenges. People who have. We have my. I have a second cousin with down syndrome, but I've never experienced somebody close to me with autism. And so my knowledge of it is really just from reading, picking things up in the media, we'll hear about the spectrum. What are some of the things that your father had to learn and had to understand to push you through this process?

[Leland Vittert]

It's a great question. And this was much less about autism because at the time autism was really not understood very well to a father leaning in and saying, I am going to push my son to be more right. So he knew I couldn't get self esteem from school because of learning disabilities. I wasn't going to have any friends so I couldn't be the popular kid. And I couldn't do athletics because I was completely uncoordinated. So at six years old, he started me doing 200 pushups a day as a way to start earning self esteem. 200 push ups a day, five days a week. Now what expert would ever tell a parent do that? Right? But it was to teach me effort in equals real results and real achievement. He was big on character. He said the two things you can control are your character and your work ethic. That was something that he forced me to take a lot of pride in. And then it was trying to teach me almost minute by minute the social skills that come naturally to people in the human equation. So he would take me out to lunch with one of his friends. I had a lot of free time because no kid wanted to hang out with me. And we show you in Born Lucky he would take me out and he would sit me down at lunch with one of his friends. I'd start talking to the guy and badgering him and my dad would tap his watch and that was a signal for me to stop talking, number one. But in Born Lucky, then we take you into the post game, right? Where he would sit there and be like, okay, when Mr. Sexton never, never buck, never by a first name, but when he was talking about his, his new child and his dog. Why did you want to talk about how many commercials are in his radio show? I don't know, Dad. I thought was interesting. Well, what do you think Mr. Sexton wanted to talk about? It was this minute by minute teaching.

[Buck Sexton]

Of the human emotional skills.

[Leland Vittert]

Yeah, my emotional intelligence was about free, the near freezing level. My iq, EQ was freezing.

[Buck Sexton]

So how long did it take? I mean, I wouldn't have known from. I mean, we've known each other professionally. Dude, we're getting old. I think I probably met you a decade ago, so it's been at least. Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's been a long time. I did your show at Fox a long time ago. I would not have known. And again, I'm somebody who. There's a lot of people listening who have autistic children or grandchildren or have dealt with this themselves. So they have a much higher understanding of it. But in layman's understanding of it, I would never have known that you struggled with autism. Is, is, is your level of functionality in day to day unusual for somebody who's ever been diagnosed with autism? I mean, people always talk about this spectrum. I mean, how do you describe that so that there's.

[Leland Vittert]

I'm not an expert on it. Right, sure.

[Buck Sexton]

From your own experience?

[Leland Vittert]

My own experience, though what I would say is it's an everyday struggle.

[Buck Sexton]

Was there a point at which though you were, you felt like you were more normal? You know, you really. I'm saying like the point in time you said, okay, I've caught up. I have that emotional intelligence.

[Leland Vittert]

It's a great question. I would say it's still a struggle every day, every hour to force your mind to think through the way that my dad taught me to think rather than the way my mind normally would think. In the book in Born Lucky compared a little bit almost like to alcoholism, that it's, it's never a cure, something you work on every day, but sure. You know, my dad used to always tell me when I was bullied and isolated and alone in, in middle school and high school, what's making you bullied and isolated and alone is what's going to help you succeed later in life. And there was a time, sure, once I got into TV and started working that hard work, good character made up for a lot of the emotional intelligence that I didn't have. But certainly it's something I still deal with every day.

[Buck Sexton]

So this was a progression over time. We're speaking to Leland, Leland Vitart. The book is Born Lucky. A Dedicated father, a Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism. Obviously, this. This conversation about autism also comes up a lot in the context of RFK Jr. And I'm not gonna put you on the spot.

[Leland Vittert]

You're welcome. You're welcome to.

[Buck Sexton]

Do you have thoughts? Yeah, I guess I will put you on the. Do you have thoughts about why there's been this explosion in diagnoses of this condition, which. That part of it. I think everyone agrees that there's a lot more of this than there has been.

[Leland Vittert]

Absolutely. And I'm not a doctor. I'm not a scientist. I have the chemistry grades to prove it, so I won't discuss Tylenol dosing. You don't want to hear from me on that. But I think it's fantastic that this is now the scientific question of our time. One in 1500 kids when I was diagnosed, now one in 31, three times higher for boys and higher still in poor and minority communities. This should be the scientific question of our time. And look, you're a new father. If my wife was pregnant, I'm newly married. And you said, hey, check a box. Your kid can have autism or not. Every parent, Prospective parent, is checking. No, Right.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah. So it's a big challenge. I know that. I have friends who have autistic kids. Yeah.

[Leland Vittert]

So why would we not try to solve this problem? And I wrote an op ed in the Wall Street Journal before Born Lucky came out, effectively saying, you know, does the left or does the anti Trump crew hate Trump more than they love our kids? Because if you're. All you're gonna do is demonize RFK and Trump on the search for this answer. That's the only explanation.

[Buck Sexton]

So you believe, obviously, that the public focus. Well, the Trump administration focus on this is clearly a good faith effort to try to get an answer that we should all want. But, of course, this becomes politicized because anything Trump and RFK Jr now are involved in, people view through a partisan lens.

[Leland Vittert]

Right. Everything. Everybody views everything now in America through a partisan lens. And I think part of the reason Born Lucky has gotten such a tremendous response. Right. We're now in our third printing in our first week is because it proves to parents how much hope there is and how much agency they have. And no one is telling parents that whether it's autism or ADHD or anything else. I had a parent come up to me and say, your book speaks so much to me. And I knew both of these. This woman's kids. They were both very successful college athletes at an Ivy League school. I said, you know, your kid didn't have a hard time. He said, oh, well, my kid had a nut allergy. And they told me when my son had a nut allergy just to pull nuts out of every classroom that he was gonna be in. And instead, I said, I'm gonna desensitize him to nuts. So it's. That is the Born Lucky story, just through various different challenges that every parent faces.

[Buck Sexton]

So now I'm one of these people that is particularly interested in the book because it resonates. And I'll tell you why. As I said. So you are a. You know, in our business, just to be employed is, I think, successful.

[Carol Markowitz]

Right.

[Buck Sexton]

I mean. No, really. I mean, to be true, you know, you have your own show. I share this huge platform with Clay. The fact that we get to do what we do is you're beating the odds and very blessed and very fortunate. Right. But you're a TV presenter, and so your ability to connect with audiences is your currency in one way or another. Right? That's the way it works. I'm a radio host. I had a speech impediment as a kid. I had a speech impediment, and it made me so uncomfortable. I mean, I would mispronounce my own name. Made me so uncomfortable that they thought about pulling me out of school. And it was my mother who really stepped in and said, no, work. I will. I will work with him. No, we will figure this out. And I went to speech therapy, and I had tutors after school, and all of this because she didn't want me to be one of those kids who felt like he couldn't be with the other kids.

[Leland Vittert]

Bingo.

[Buck Sexton]

And that was a remark. I will never be able to thank my mother enough for that one. And the story that I always tell is here I was a kid who could not pronounce his name. True story. I could not pronounce my own name in first, second, going into third grade, constantly made fun of for that. And here I sit on a microphone. We're speaking to a few million people right now. Something 2 to 3 million, depends on the.

[Leland Vittert]

Let's say you've done pretty well.

[Buck Sexton]

And so radio, which is obviously about the ability to verbalize and communicate, is how I make a living. And I started out with a speech impediment, and then with the tutors, by the way, they got me to the point where I was about two years ahead of grade level in terms of academics within 18 months, right? So went from you can't speak, you need to go to a special place, you can't stay with your friends to my mom saying just like your dad did, we're going to figure this out. And I think that that really does resonate with people. It the parents make the difference. Parents make such a huge difference in all of this. Born Lucky is the book. Everybody. I have a feeling right now a lot of people are going on Amazon. A lot of are looking to be a part of your third printing of this. Congrats on the success of it, Leland Vittert. And I'll be seeing you on your NewsNation show very soon. Very soon indeed. You do great work over there and thank you for this important book and good to see you here in the studio. Even though you make me feel like I'm underdressed in my own studio. That's okay though. That's okay. Look, one of the better investments I've made is the purchase of gold. This year alone it's up 47% in value. I think it just crossed the the $4,000 an ounce threshold today, which is an all time high. It's not slowing down, folks. Goldman Sachs is saying it's going to go higher. I mean a lot of people see this as just the continued thesis of gold has value in a world where the printing presses of the central governments are going off, so central banks are flocking to gold. You can still get gold though. I mean this is the key point. It's not too late at all. In fact, Birch Gold Group wants a lot of first gold buyers to consider an entry point now. And you can convert an existing IRA or 401k with birch gold into a tax sheltered IRA. In physical gold. I'm sorry, in gold you don't have to pay a dime out of pocket. Just text my name. Buck to 989898 claim your free info kit. There's no obligation, just useful information. Best indicator of the past is the future. Gold has historically been a safe haven for decades. Text Buck to 989898 to claim your free info kit on gold. That's B U C K Text B U c k to 989898 get get with Birch Gold Group today.

[Clay Travis]

Keep up with the biggest political comeback in world history. On the Team 47 podcast Clay and Buck highlight Trump replays from the week Sundays at noon eastern. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Buck Sexton]

All right, we're closing up shop today in Clay and Buck. Want to give you a reminder to go check out Crockett coffee my friends. Crockett Coffee.com join the army of Clay and Buck listeners who are subscribers and get their coffee from Crockett. Remember, 10% of our profits at the end of the year goes tunnel the Towers foundation. And we've got all different kind. We got whole bean, ground bean, all the different versions of coffee want we can give you. But also we've got the mushroom coffee. If you never tried it, it's really fun. And yeah, I just think you should be drinking Crockett coffee because the communist swill that you get from other places is supporting the destruction of Western civilization. So no big deal. We actually celebrate Western civilization. Crockettcoffee.com Please check it out and subscribe. Now. We've got let's do talkbacks here. And guys, let me know if we I always get the live calls and the talkbacks confused in my head. Let me know which live calls or which are talkbacks. This is Talkback C He's a W O R radio listener. Adam from New York Play it.

[Leland Vittert]

Donald Trump is the leader of the Democratic Party.

[Buck Sexton]

Whatever Donald Trump does, they fight. I mean he definitely is like the director of the Democrat Party. He, he points. You know, he can flash his light. He can flash his flashlight in one direction and they all run after it and they chase it. You know, he can just be the shiny object for them and they will all chase it down. It is remarkable he has their number. No question about it. DD Podcast listener Mike, Fort Worth, Texas Hit it.

[Mike (Caller)]

I think the reason why working class likes Trump is because we know that he's not really working class, but he appreciates the working class and he doesn't try to pretend to be the working class like so many other politicians try to do at the last minute when they want our votes. Trump genuinely likes working class people and we can see that.

[Buck Sexton]

Totally. That's a spot on assessment. Totally agree with that. I think I've said similar things in the past. That is correct. Trump is, Trump is authentic in who he is in all respects, and he authentically respects and has connection to working class people, but does not pretend to be himself. Working class. Right. Obviously. And that's the thing, that, that's what I meant by like, oh, I'm wearing my Carhartt jacket at election time and I'm, look at my Timberland boots and I'm, you know, the, the what's his name, Tim Walls thing, people can see that. I mean, people can just pick up on that stuff right away. Let's see now. Jacqueline in Brooklyn wants to chat. We got a lot of New York calls and talkbacks today. What's up, Jacqueline?

[Jacqueline (Caller)]

Hi, Buck. You know, on this topic, when you were talking about the difference between Pritzker and President Trump, I think people maybe forget that President Trump actually, although he may have had an advantage with his start in life with who his father was, he did work. He worked every single day. He went around to all of his father's buildings in Brooklyn collecting the rents. He also, when he started to become a builder in his own right as a very young man, he was on those job sites. I even remember a story that I had heard. I don't remember who told it, but he had come home from work one day and went to Trump Tower and he asked his son Don Jr. To bring him a Coke. And the son smart mouthed him and says, well, get up and get it yourself. And he turned around and looked at his wife Ivana at the time and, you know, was understood, hey, I was busting my behinds all day long to provide for you. You come and you get me something nice and cold to drink because I've been out sweating all day long on a construction site.

[Buck Sexton]

And he told me, yeah, no, Jacqueline, it's a very, it's a, we're, we're at time. It's a very good point. And yeah, I mean, no one could give Trump the most successful show on television. No one could give him the global brand that he built. I mean, Trump built all that stuff.

[Carol Markowitz]

This is an iHeart podcast.