Hour 3 - Josh Hammer on Israel and the Destiny of the West

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show: Hour 3 - Josh Hammer on Israel and the Destiny of the West

Release Date: March 18, 2025
Host: Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
Guest: Governor Patrick Morrissey (West Virginia) and Josh Hammer (Senior Editor at Large of Newsweek)

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1. NCAA Tournament Controversy and West Virginia's Exclusion

The episode opens with Clay Travis addressing the controversy surrounding the West Virginia Mountaineers being excluded from the NCAA Tournament. Governor Patrick Morrissey joins the discussion to express his discontent and outline potential actions.

• Clay Travis introduces the topic: "West Virginia Mountaineers left out of the NCAA tournament and Governor, you are going to potentially be suing the NCAA over this. Thanks for coming on with us." ([01:33])

• Governor Morrissey passionately declares, "West Virginia being left out of the tournament was the ultimate miscarriage of justice and robbery at the highest level." ([02:20])

He criticizes the NCAA selection process, highlighting suspicious factors and calling for more objective criteria to ensure fairness. Morrissey points out inconsistencies, such as conflicting predictions from bracketologists and the behavior of the North Carolina athletic director, who sits on the selection committee but chose to recuse himself.

• Discussing the selection process: "If WVU left out. They say that they're trying to have a fair process, but it sure as heck could make it a lot better for the future to avoid these kinds of outrageous decisions." ([02:52])

2. Conflicts of Interest in NCAA Committee

Clay Travis probes deeper into the potential conflict of interest involving North Carolina's athletic director, questioning the integrity of the selection process.

• Clay Travis asks: "Do you believe that that was on the up and up? Do you think that it was fair?" ([03:45])

• Governor Morrissey responds skeptically: "Look, I think at a minimum, it smells a great deal, right." ([04:18])

He emphasizes the need for transparency and urges the NCAA to step up and address these concerns to maintain credibility.

• Highlighting the lack of transparency: "We need to make sure we have the better objective information. We're going to get it through the investigation and trying to get all the facts." ([04:18])

3. Potential Legal Action and Call for NCAA Accountability

The conversation shifts towards legal recourse and the importance of maintaining the integrity of collegiate sports.

• Buck Sexton inquires about Governor Morrissey's desired outcome: "Is there some redress that you want on this or do you just want transparency and accountability?" ([05:34])

• Governor Morrissey insists on transparency: "If the NCAA doesn't act in a transparent manner, then they're going to lose a lot of credibility nationally." ([05:47])

He reflects on past interactions with the NCAA, mentioning his role in challenging their transfer eligibility rules, and underscores the significance of protecting West Virginia's athletic programs.

• On affecting change: "Do you think that it's acceptable to have something that smells so bad and no one's going to address it, so maybe you shine a little spotlight on it." ([07:42])

4. Audience and Listener Reactions

The hosts and Governor Morrissey acknowledge the support from West Virginia listeners and address critiques regarding political involvement in sports decisions.

• Clay Travis notes: "All 50 states listen to this program. Right now, everybody in the state of West Virginia is saying, heck yeah, Governor, you've got our back." ([07:08])

• Governor Morrissey defends the necessity of active engagement: "If you want to effectuate change, you actually have to do something." ([07:42])

He reiterates the importance of the NCAA process and the stake it holds for the university and its supporters.

5. Introduction of Josh Hammer and Discussion on Israel

Transitioning from collegiate sports, the show welcomes Josh Hammer, author of the book "Israel and Civilization, the Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West."

• Buck Sexton introduces Josh Hammer: "Your stomach is a mess and you feel lousy... Your gut is a mess... Here's the truth." ([30:56])

(Note: This timestamp seems to be incoherent with the context. Assuming it's a mistake, the introduction likely occurs around [20:56].)

• Josh Hammer elaborates on Israel's strategic position and the end of ceasefire, emphasizing Benjamin Netanyahu's role: "The ball is clearly in Benjamin Netanyahu's court." ([21:41])

He discusses the dynamics of U.S.-Israel relations, Trump's pro-Israel stance, and the ABRAHAM Accords, advocating for a realist approach to Middle Eastern geopolitics.

• On Trump's relationship with Israel: "The Israeli people are about the Trumpiest people in the... world." ([24:22])

6. Insights from Josh Hammer’s Book

Josh Hammer delves into the historical and biblical foundations of American civilization, arguing for a continued alliance between Jews and Christians to influence the destiny of the West.

• Hammer explains the book's premise: "The book is kind of painstakingly arguing that so much of what we take for granted today... really does go back to scripture." ([26:18])

He challenges the notion that U.S.-Israel relations are solely a neoconservative issue, presenting Trump as a foreign policy realist who strengthens ties between the two nations.

• On the importance of U.S.-Israel ties: "The obvious answer, which Trump and Bibi got to in the Abraham Accords is to empower and embolden our allies in the region." ([26:18])

7. Prospects for Peace in the Middle East

Addressing the possibility of peace, Josh Hammer provides a nuanced perspective, attributing regional instability primarily to the Iranian regime and advocating for its dismantlement to pave the way for lasting peace.

• Hammer on peace prospects: "I think that there is such a thing as a more peaceful region... that is less prone to violent eruptions of jihadism." ([28:49])

He underscores the necessity of neutralizing Iran's influence and questions the compatibility of Islam with a Jewish state in the Middle East.

• On Iran's role: "That has to take the Iranian regime to go because the Iranian regime currently is the head of the snake." ([29:12])

8. Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with Buck Sexton reiterating the availability of Josh Hammer's book and encouraging listeners to support his work.

• Buck Sexton: "Israel and civilization, the fate of the Jewish nation and the destiny of the West. Josh Hammer is the author. Go get your copy of the book today." ([30:38])

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Notable Quotes

• Governor Patrick Morrissey ([02:20]): "West Virginia being left out of the tournament was the ultimate miscarriage of justice and robbery at the highest level."

• Governor Patrick Morrissey ([04:18]): "We need to make sure we have the better objective information. We're going to get it through the investigation and trying to get all the facts."

• Governor Patrick Morrissey ([05:47]): "If the NCAA doesn't act in a transparent manner, then they're going to lose a lot of credibility nationally."

• Josh Hammer ([21:41]): "The ball is clearly in Benjamin Netanyahu's court."

• Josh Hammer ([24:22]): "The Israeli people are about the Trumpiest people in the... world."

• Josh Hammer ([26:18]): "The book is kind of painstakingly arguing that so much of what we take for granted today... really does go back to scripture."

• Josh Hammer ([28:49]): "I think that there is such a thing as a more peaceful region... that is less prone to violent eruptions of jihadism."

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Conclusion

In this episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton engage in a robust discussion with Governor Patrick Morrissey regarding the perceived injustices in the NCAA Tournament selection process, advocating for transparency and fairness. Transitioning to international affairs, they welcome Josh Hammer to explore the intricate dynamics of U.S.-Israel relations and the broader implications for Western civilization. The conversation underscores the importance of strategic alliances and the enduring influence of historical and biblical narratives on contemporary geopolitical landscapes.

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Note: Advertisements, non-content segments, and lighter talkbacks about pickles and chickens have been omitted to maintain focus on the primary discussions.

Transcript

[Clay Travis]

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[Clay Travis]

Travis Buck Sexton Show. Appreciate all of you hanging out with us as we are rolling through the Tuesday edition of the program. Buck has already filled out his bracket, I will fill mine out in the next day or two and we will be posting them up on clayandbuck.com we have a steak dinner bet on the outcome of the bracket challenge. One man not very happy about the brackets, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrissey. You guys, West Virginia. For those who don't know, West Virginia Mountaineers left out of the NCAA tournament and Governor, you are going to potentially be suing the NCAA over this. Thanks for coming on with us. What can you tell us about this story?

[Patrick Morrissey]

Well, a couple things. First of all, thank you so much for having me on your program today. I thought West Virginia being left out of the tournament was the ultimate miscarriage of justice and robbery at the highest level. And so what we've asked to do is get to the bottom of it and know just what happened. There's so many suspicious things that have come up. The American public deserves to know about it. This is actually the NCAA selection process involves Americans across the country. It's very important. Here in West Virginia, we care a lot about wvu. We don't have a pro team, so so much fan energy, player energy, and quite frankly, resources go in to building the Mountaineers up. And when you have a process where you have an athletic director who skips out of the room, yet there are reports about payments, incentives that may be in place, I think it's time that we have more objective criteria. They say Quad One wins really should have mattered. Well, obviously that's not the case. If WVU left out. They say that they're trying to have a fair process, but let's publicize the criteria and have this be much more objective. It's not going to impact the tournament this year, but it sure as heck could make it a lot better for the future to avoid these kinds of outrageous decisions.

[Clay Travis]

Okay, so for people who don't know, a big controversy is that North Carolina's athletic director sits on the committee. The committee is apprised of many different athletic directors from across the country. There's a conflict there. They say when they talk about North Carolina's contention or seating that the athletic director of North Carolina would recuse himself. Do you believe that that was on the up and up? Do you think that it was fair? Do you think that it was coincidental that North Carolina ended up being the last team in?

[Patrick Morrissey]

Look, I think at a minimum, it smells a great deal, right? So part of the reason we ask for information and we want to investigate this is we want to get to the bottom of it, right? That's what the process is all about. And so when I hear this and I hear the people jump out of the room at the very end, and you know that North Carolina is the last team in and WVU is the first team that's out. You know, you start to say, wait a minute. When are you jumping in and out? Yet you're in there the entire process. And there's not the transparency about what factors really matter. So just to go through a few of these details, imagine if you're WVU and you have 111 bracketologists who. Who are predicting, using their own models, that you're going to be in the tournament. And then North Carolina, 27 of the 111 are suggesting you're going to be in. You look at the various ratings and you say, how does this stuff happen. So here's what needs to happen for the future. We need to make sure we have the better objective information. We're going to get it through the investigation and trying to get all the facts. That's why we need the NCAA to step up on this front.

[Buck Sexton]

Hey, Governor, it's Buck. I just have a quick. I have a quick question. Is there some redress that you want on this or do you just want transparency and accountability for what you think is a very unfair outcome?

[Patrick Morrissey]

Look, I think that the ncaa, I found over the years and I've been engaged with them on a number of different topics, sometimes they can be very arrogant. We saw that in the transfer eligibility rules. Some of your listeners may know that I sued over that with a number of other attorneys general and we brought that rule down. So I think the first thing you do is you have transparency and put a little more sunlight on the process. It's the best disinfectant. So I said yesterday, look, it's preliminary to talk about suing them. I think what we want to focus on, let's get to the bottom of it. But I will say this. If the NCAA doesn't act in a transparent manner, then they're going to lose a lot of credibility nationally. To me, that's the important part of the process. That's why a governor gets involved, because a governor is standing up for the state university in his state and ensuring that people know this is. A lot of money's at stake, a lot of pride's at stake, a lot of hard work's at stake and it's got to change. But we've said, look, we're not going to talk about litigation until we get to the other point. And I found that that's the better approach. And that's why I'm just asking and pressing the NCAA to respond to this, because if they don't, it's clear they have something to hide.

[Clay Travis]

All 50 states listen to this program. Right now, everybody in the state of West Virginia is saying, heck yeah, Governor, you've got our back. Some people in the other 49 states who are not Mountaineer fans, to be fair, they're Mountaineer fans everywhere. It's a great university, great fan base are saying man should in the political process. Anybody really get involved in who ends up in the NCAA tournament. I'm sure you've heard this already.

[Patrick Morrissey]

Yeah.

[Clay Travis]

Isn't there something else for West Virginia's governor and elected officials to be concerned about? How would you respond to that criticism?

[Patrick Morrissey]

Well, a couple things. First of all for all those saying that, there's some blowhards out there that talk about this, but they don't know one, you can walk and chew gum at the same time. The second point I would say if you want to effectuate change, you actually have to do something. Do you think that if anyone's saying that, do they think that it's acceptable to have something that smells so bad and no one's going to address it, so maybe you shine a little spotlight on it. And I know in the past by taking this approach, we've caused change to happen. So we talked about the transfer eligibility rule. You know, we know that nil happened in the past because people spoke out. And in West Virginia, this is really a big deal that we take our sports seriously. We take WVU seriously. In fact, we put a lot of resources invest in WVU every single year. And when someone makes the cut or doesn't, that matters. But it's not that we're trying to say that we deserve it more than others. What we're saying is when the process is tainted, it calls into question what's going on. And we're a participant in the process. We're a grinded out school, hard workers, and we're not asking for any special treatment. We're just asking for the future. We need the process to be a lot more clear. So if you know that it's about quad win wins, great. Is it about, hey, great, is it about net rankings or is it about an eye test? If it's about an eye test, who is sitting in there? And are there potential conflict of interest? How are those processes raising? These are very reasonable things to raise. And I'm not sure why people would be taking the opposite approach. But it's important for anyone. You know, I'm a sports fan just like anyone else. I care about this stuff. And you know, we're not talking about any extreme measures. We're just drawing attention to something that matters for our state. Quite frankly, matters for a lot of American sports fans.

[Clay Travis]

Governor, we appreciate the time. Will you still fill out a bracket or are you boycotting the brackets?

[Patrick Morrissey]

Listen, I think that we're going to fill out a bracket. But I'm going to tell you this, wvu, we're going to get ready for our comeback. And you watch next Tuesday year, our basketball team with Coach Devries, our football team with Rich Rod. He always tells his players come with a whole cold hard edge. That's what we're doing in West Virginia. We're speaking out against the efforts Sometimes that these blue bloods have and they try to keep us down. We're not going to let that happen.

[Clay Travis]

Governor, we appreciate the time. Thank you. Governor Patrick Morsi of West Virginia. Buck, was that all, by and large, did you have any idea that this controversy had arisen as you prepare to fill out. You already filled out your whole bracket as you prepare for the NCAA tournament, Clay.

[Buck Sexton]

I was basically flipping a coin to fill up my bracket yesterday. I have no idea, no idea what you guys are talking about. And I just wish all the best to the fans of WVU who feel like they got the short end of the stick on this one.

[Clay Travis]

All right, Buck, we've got two listener talkbacks that I want to play here. Uh, this is the. This is the wide range of topics that we have had on the show. The first one is from an unnamed listener in San Antonio. Angry at me for presuming that you had to have both roosters and hens if you wanted to have eggs. Listen to BB here, boy. I'm a couple city folk, ain't you? You don't get a rooster if you want to just have eggs. The only reason you get rooster is because you want more chickens. All right, so. Well, I was.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, excuse me, sir. I will have you know that also a rooster provides protection for the chickens against raccoons and foxes and other predators. So it is not, in fact, just to make more chickens. The city folk have access to the Internet, too.

[Clay Travis]

All right, so here's the question. Do most people who have hens not have a rooster? Because I would think that you would have some protection and. Or want more egg chicks to be able to be developed going forward. I don't know.

[Buck Sexton]

Again, my. My in laws. I mean, it's a little sad. They had. There was an incident. Yeah, there was an incident where a raccoon got into the chicken coop, and it was. It was rough. It gets messy real fast. You don't realize how nasty those raccoons can be, man. It was.

[Clay Travis]

It took out the hands.

[Buck Sexton]

It was like a chicken blender in there. Yeah, it was. Oh, yeah. Oh, man.

[Clay Travis]

Armageddon for the chickens. All right, so there. People wanted to come after me over roosters. Now somebody's angry because I'm not supportive enough. Along with you, Buck of Ukraine. And he's furious. This is New York City listener on wor. Here he is.

[Patrick Morrissey]

You have no idea what's going on in Ukraine. Ukraine is an innocent victim of Putin's aggression and desire to rebuild the Soviet empire. They are simply defending their land. Wouldn't you do the same thing? What if Tennessee were invaded or Florida? Would you just lay down and say, oh, we have too many people dying. Let's just give it up. Why not? Screw you.

[Clay Travis]

Screw us. All right, well, so my question would just be, what is his answer? Like, should we, should we actually fight the war ourselves?

[Buck Sexton]

Well, no, I mean, we. Nothing that we have said. I've, I never said that Putin wasn't the aggressor. We say he's a bad guy. But see, this is when people make this an emotional argument instead of a national security argument. You have pathways here. You can continue to fund a Ukrainian war machine that is running out of people, which is true. And not going to gain back any more territory than it currently has, except through negotiation, which is true. Or, you know, you can, I don't know, you can continue on the current pathway. You know, you can either negotiate an end to this thing or you can continue doing what it's doing. The fact that there are bad people who have done bad things here doesn't change the realities on the ground of what they face. I don't know why. I've never. I mean, anyway, some people, they get very.

[Clay Travis]

No, no, I mean, this is. I just want to play it because it is like this idea, my argument, and we've.

[Buck Sexton]

Should Native. Should Native Americans still, like, should Native Americans be running around doing suicide bombings because we took their land? I mean, think about that for a second, right? I mean, at what point. At some point you've lost, right? At some point you can't win. So what do you want? Unless you're going to make the case that Ukraine can beat Russia, which is insane, you have to have this thing end and you have to negotiate an end of the conflict, otherwise you're just letting people die. And it's very easy for people sitting wherever they are in this country to say, yeah, you know, it's the brave resistance. People are being chewed up by machine gun fire and artillery rounds every day. For what?

[Clay Travis]

That's the argument I don't really get. I get the argument of, oh, Putin's a bad guy, ok, but the war cannot be won by Ukraine. I haven't heard anybody say Ukraine's going to win the war. If you accept that as a reality, even left wingers are like, yeah, they're not going to win the war. Then what is your solution? That they just continue to fight sort of forever, which honestly probably benefits Russia because they're just going to inexorably be slowly advancing across Ukraine's Territory. There isn't a counter argument to let's end the war. And I understand, like, screw us. So, you know, you got angry emotional responses, but I haven't heard a rational, coherent, not emotional response about how to end this war. If you disagree with us, of the opinion that there needs to be a ceasefire and a brokered peace that will involve Russia getting some land. Sometimes bad guys, and they were the aggressor, they were the bad guy benefit from war. That's not unheard of. That in fact is much of the history of the world. So eventually this thing has to end.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, I mean, look at all the countries that fell to communism that shouldn't have, but that did through violence. And you know, eventually that's just where things are. We go, okay, sorry, you know, China's, you know, Mao won, Chiang Kai Shek lost. I mean, things happen. I don't know what to say. Like you have to deal with the reality as it stands before. You and I come back to the same thing, which is, okay, what's the, what's the better plan? The better plan is to just keep funding this thing. So we have to keep writing checks for this thing forever?

[Clay Travis]

Yes, that's according to our unnamed listener wor who says that we are need to be screwed and not a good way. Screw us. But you know what is going to happen this weekend that can make everybody happy? Buck. Maybe even our listener in W R who's so angry. The NCAA tournament play in games actually start tonight. Buck doesn't know what a play in game is, but they're going tonight and they're going tomorrow. And then the official start of the NCAA tournament is Thursday. And many of you out there are going to have tons of opportunities to get hooked up with prize picks all over the country. You can play in California, you can play in Texas, you can play in Georgia. You can play a Buck's home state now of Florida. You can get hooked up. Right now you go to prizepix.com you play $5, you get $50 just for signing up. Right now they have a free square for all of you out there who want to play along. And on that free square, Auburn basketball star Johnny Broom, one of the two best players in college basketball this year, he gets a free square for you. If he scores one point, he is going to score one point or more. In Auburn's opening game. That is a free square. It means if you get three more picks, right, you get a 10 to 1 payout on your prize picks. Just pick more or less on A bunch of players. You know some teams better than others. You can take advantage of it at prize picks. 40 states, 13 million players out there, and you get 50 bucks just for playing. $5 at prizepix.com code clay, clay, travis and Buck Sexton.

[Listener]

Mic drops.

[Buck Sexton]

That never sounded so good.

[Clay Travis]

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[Patrick Morrissey]

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[Buck Sexton]

All right, we got talkbacks and VIP emails flooding the zone here on a bunch of things. Chickens, burgers. So much, yes. So many things. You know musicals. This is. This is our listener. This is DD Rita. Listen on kfy, KFYI radio with a talkback. Play it.

[Patrick Morrissey]

I love pickles on my burgers. What's the matter with you?

[Buck Sexton]

Well, well, Rita, different strokes for different folks. You know, I think that pickles are one of those things that should be left off burgers. Unless you opt in some places they just put the pickles on the burgers. And I don't want some weird vegetables. That's a little slimy vegetable thrown on top of my delicious burger, Clay.

[Clay Travis]

Oh, pickles are amazing. I think it's the perfect condiment to kind of just set off the Chick Fil A sandwich. I think you're a communist if you take the pickle off the Chick Fil A sandwich or the hamburger. I was at Rita who called in, I'm with her. She's a astute woman who understands great cuisine.

[Buck Sexton]

VIP email from Graham. I could be Buck's long lost brother. One, I hate noise and people who make noise. Well done, sir. Two, I understand that pickles on burgers are the devil's work. See, Clay, there's sanity out there.

[Clay Travis]

This is a poor decision. Poor, poor Hill for you to die on. Big pickles coming. That's dangerous. That's dangerous prey. Big pickle coming for you can mean a lot of different things depending on where you are. Look, I gotta tell you right now that chalk, there's a lot of good analogies I can make associated with this. But if you want to have a high level of testosterone, if you don't want to be tossing pickles off your burger, you need to get hooked up right now with Chalk's Mel Vitality Stack. They have an incredible set of leading ingredients that replenish diminish testosterone levels in guys. That's your body's natural source of energy. When your testosterone levels are low, Chalk's Mill Vitality Stack can replenish it by 20% in just three months time. Listen, get hooked up, go check this out. It can make a tremendous difference in your energy, help you keep up. Maybe some late nights coming with the NCAA tournament going on, maybe you're starting to get a little bit of a cough in that throat. Get hooked up now@chalk choq.com that's my name, Clay, for the best possible discount.

[Buck Sexton]

Chalk.com Our friend Josh Hammer joins us now. Senior editor at large of Newsweek and host of the Josh Hammer Show. He's got a new book released today. He's coming on the show to tell everybody about it. Israel and Civilization, the Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West. Already doing great numbers on, on Amazon. Go get your copy today. Mr. Hammer, great to have you with us, sir. I wanted to get your take first, if I could, before we dive into the book, which everyone should go get a copy of. I know it's doing great so far. The, the end of the ceasefire in Israel and the new posture or the renewed posture perhaps toward Hamas, what make of it?

[Listener]

Well, Buck, great to join you and thanks for, for the book support. Look, to me, the ball is clearly in Benjamin Netanyahu's court, Buck. I mean, Donald Trump is all in for us Israel relations. He's used the rhetoric of, of give them hell to pay. He's made it very clear that he and his cabinet are going to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Israeli government when it comes to diplomacy, when it comes to military, when it comes to trying to eradicate the entirety of the Hamas political and military cancer from the Gaza Strip. So for some weeks now, Buck, I've been saying the ball is in Netanyahu's court. I mean, Bibi has basically lived his entire adult life for moments just like this. He has led his entire adult's life to wait for the opportunity to go in and do what needs to be done, so to speak, whether it's in Gaza, whether it's in Lebanon and Hezbollah. He did that partially last summer, actually, or whether it's really the grand threat of all in the region, which of course is, is the Islamist regime in Tehran. So I'm not surprised that the ceasefire broke. Frankly, Hamas only has itself to blame. I mean, with a medieval Islamist death cult, they had any number of opportunities to avoid this outcome. They completely brought this upon themselves. And frankly, this is a necessary thing that has to happen, or if there to be any resolution whatsoever in the region.

[Clay Travis]

Congrats on the book. I know all the work that goes into that. I hope you're having a good time with it officially being out. What is the ultimate goal, do you think, when it comes to Gaza? What should happen? What's likely to happen? What does history suggest should happen?

[Listener]

It looks like Donald Trump has a certain vision in mind. I mean, he wants, he wants the United States to take over Gaza. I will be, I'll be honest with you, that was not on my personal bingo card. I'm not sure that, frankly, that was on Bibi Netanyahu's bingo card. I mean, you look at his facial expression at the joint press conference when Donald Trump announced that to the world. It was quite humorous to look at the way that Netanyahu and the Israeli officials in the room reacted to that. I'm open to being persuaded of that. That's not entirely what my first guess would have been. Buck. Look, in my heart of hearts, I would love to see the Arabs there find a permanent home in Jordan or Egypt, which seems to be Donald Trump's preferred approach, and for Israel to go ahead and take it over. Realistically speaking, I think the most likely way that this ultimately ends is you get some sort of consortium of the more moderate Sunni Arab states, the Saudis, Emiratis, Bahrainis, maybe Egyptians, if they're willing to play ball, and they kind of go in there jointly together and try to make sure that, that Islamism and jihadism will not be the way forward there. But that's going to entail some sort of American, Israeli or some sort of joint presence there, even with that, because frankly, even these guys, the more moderate forces, I'm not sure just how much we can trust them for the mid to long term.

[Clay Travis]

Josh, for people who don't know I was over in Israel in, in December, the amount of immense popularity for Trump in Israel is off the charts. Trump, if they Israel had had a vote in the American presidential election, would have won like he did in West Virginia or Wyoming. What do you think Israelis believe when they see that Trump is being attacked by Democrats here as Hitler.

[Listener]

Well, Clay, I'll tell you exactly what Israelis believe, because I happen to be married to one and I happen to have in laws here in Florida, where I live. Who are them? And I taught them every day. The Israeli people are about the Trumpiest people in the. Basically in the entire world. I'm not sure if there's a single foreign country where Trump has a higher approval rating than the state of Israel for very clear and compelling reasons, which is that Donald Trump is the most pro Israel, frankly, he's the most pro Jewish president in American history there. And this is something of an issue that I think a lot of people here, even on the right, don't fully understand is how can American Jews vote disproportionately so much for the Democratic Party, while Israeli Jews are so supportive of the Republican person in this case, that would be Donald Trump. I actually talk about that quite a bit in the book Israel and Civilization. It's maybe a longer and more complicated conversation there. But the Israeli people in general are emphatically pro Trump. They even named a town after him. Clay, there's literally a town in the Golan Heights called Trump Heights. Ramat Trump would be the Hebrew word. I know it because I've been there. I actually drove by, got out of the car, took a selfie on the side of the road there with the road sign Ramat Trump. So they're all in. They're all in for President Trump there, as they should be, because Donald Trump is deeply supportive of the state of Israel.

[Buck Sexton]

All right, let's talk about the book Josh, out today. Israel and Civilization, the Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the west by Josh Hammer. What do people need to know and why should they pick up their copy?

[Listener]

So, Buck, the book Israel and Civilization, both fortunately and unfortunately, I think could not possibly be timely. I'm a little biased, but I happen to think that it is very timely. On the one hand, Buck, you have the wokelef, which is obviously a horrific, cancerous actor, but there is an increasing portion even of people on the nominal rights. Not a loud portion, but there are some people that are really calling for the US to abandon Israel. And frankly, I think deep down in these people's hearts, what they really want to do is ultimately to convince American Christians to just leave the Jewish state and leave the Jewish people behind. So I took it upon myself to write this book basically calling for Jews and Christians alike to lock arms and stand shoulder to shoulder like never before and to fall in love with the biblical inheritance again, because it actually is that ecumenical biblical inheritance that frankly founded this country going back in 1776. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, they wanted the national seal of the United States to be Moses parting the Red Sea. Abraham Lincoln, my own favorite figure in American history, described famously Americans as an almost chosen people using that covenantal language from the Hebrew Bible. The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia literally has a scriptural quote from the book of Leviticus kiss right on the outside of it there. So the book is kind of painstakingly arguing that so much of what we take for granted today when it comes to our law, politics, morals, ethics and so forth, really does go back to scripture and that we cannot abandon that. But the book is also relevant buff, because I make a very clear maga America first hard headed realist case for US Israel relations and the importance of US Israel ties. You have a lot of people that are screaming, oh, the Israel issue. Oh, it's an old neocon, neoconservative issue. It's an old Bush administration, Dick Cheney, Don Russell, Rumsfeld issue. And I'm sorry, but the answer is no. That's not what it is. Donald Trump is not a neoconservative. He is a foreign policy realist and he's the most pro Israel president in American history there. If you wanna focus disproportionately on China, which I think America needs to do, because again, I'm a realist who believes in limited resources. The question is, how do you secure American interests in the Middle east while allowing you to extricate resources to the Indo Pacific? And the obvious answer, which Trump and Bibi got to in the Abraham Accords is to empower and embolden our allies in the region, secure that region in a way that redounds to all of our interests. So I think that, I think that this explicitly realist case for us is relations is very timely and very important, but it's all in there. Israel and civilization, the fate of the Jewish nation and the destiny of the West. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, wherever you get your books.

[Clay Travis]

Josh, when you look at the history and I got your book and I was looking through it and I was fascinated because again, I just came back from Israel. How optimistic are you about peace in the Middle East? Because for thousands of years obviously it hasn't happened. Are you optimistic that in the lifetime of the people that are listening to us right now, we could have some form of peace in the Middle East?

[Listener]

Yes and no. I think that there, that there is such a thing as a, as A more tranquil region as a, as a more peaceful region that is less prone to violent eruptions of jihadism. Frankly, Clay, that's ultimately going to take, it's going to have to take the Iranian regime to go because the Iranian regime currently is the head of the snake. They are the source of virtually all of the violent jihad that goes across the Middle East. Now, to be clear, I'm not saying that America needs to go and start toppling the Ayatollah. That's not my stance. But some way or another, whether it comes from sanctions or the, or the Mike Pompeo esque maximum pressure campaign, that regime is going to have to go. So at some point, God willing, in a post Islamic republic Iran there, where Jihad is on the decline, then yes, I think the Middle east could be a lot more stable than it is today. Hezbollah, the Houthis, Hamas, all these forces would be subdued if not made completely extinct without their major benefactor in Tehran. On the other hand, you still do have the issue of Islam. And there are very real questions I think are worth asking and exploring as to the extent to which Islam will ever itself, even any more moderate form, ever be comfortable fully with a Jewish state there in the heart of the Middle East. And I don't really fully know the answer to that, but I do think that after Iran goes, and God willing it'll be at some point, again, not that the US has to topple them, but at some point that regime is going to have to go. At some point, Clay, after that, I think things will definitely be better if not fully solved.

[Buck Sexton]

Israel and civilization, the fate of the Jewish nation and the destiny of the West. Josh Hammer is the author. Go get your copy of the book today. Hammer time. Great to have you, my friend.

[Listener]

Thanks for being here, gentlemen, my pleasure. Thank you so much.

[Buck Sexton]

Many people will use the word disruption to describe the beginning of 2025. It's appropriate we elected a president to disrupt the deep state, to remove roadblocks and reduce the size of government. But there are bound to be other disruptions as well. And they could hit the financial markets, the housing markets, a whole range of things. So I invited somebody with great experience covering the financial markets, somebody with a great track record for predictions in this space, to talk to me in a videotaped interview that we've posted online. While I might have helped to organize the online video event, it was my dad, Mason Sexton Sr. That made the predictions possible about these disruptions ahead. This is my father's area of expertise. The financial markets and how they affect everyday Americans, I think you'll find it most beneficial. My dad has made his living researching and predicting the stock market for decades. And when he is right, he is right in a big way. To his credit, my dad created a name for himself back in the day on Wall street when he called the crash of 87 in advance on television. Still can see the videos of it. You can still see his prediction by the way, his forecast for the future that affects you and your finances now at this website, disruption2025.com video is free for you to watch and it is worth the time to check it out. Go check this out today. Disruption2025.com paid for by Paradigm Press.

[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. Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck Sexton Show. Appreciate all of you hanging out with us. We are absolutely overloaded with pickle. Pickle takes pickles and chickens. Pickles and chickens. We've covered saying we talked about the Nobel Peace Prize. We talked about all sorts of economy things.

[Buck Sexton]

We talked about, you know, the important things. It's all about pickles and chickens on the talkback.

[Clay Travis]

That is true. And let's listen to Junior up in New York City. He has an idea for Buck I Clay, this is a junior from Long Island. Buck, don't eat pickles on his burgers. He's eating pistachio cobbler garbage. Please take away another one of his man cards for the day. I don't think he deserves one. I'm not your hometown of New York. Junior off the top rope on you. Buck pro. He's right.

[Buck Sexton]

Junior is from Long island, to be clear, which is almost like its own state. But yes, it is nearby to New York. And I would just say this, Junior, it was pistachio creme brulee, not cobbler. Cobblers for peasants. How dare you.

[Clay Travis]

How dare Cobbler. Cobbler is a man. Like, who doesn't.

[Buck Sexton]

I'm just saying. I'm just saying.

[Clay Travis]

Hold on. You don't like fruit plus sugar plus delectable baked bread like cobbler's.

[Buck Sexton]

Okay, I'm kidding.

[Clay Travis]

I'm kidding.

[Buck Sexton]

Oh, my God. I think I'm just.

[Clay Travis]

I Cobbler universe better light up Buck Sexton right now because every now and then I remember this. This was early days of Twitter, before I really understood how it worked. This is like 2008 or whatever. I Had a Twitter account and I was like, man, you know, I really love cobbler. Like, I like all types of cobbler. And when I tweet, I. I think I was like, eating and I put a picture up or something, and people came after me like I was the antichrist. I was like, who is anti cobbler, by the way? BlackBerry cobbler, the best cobbler on the planet. Rarely offered, but when it is the best of all cobblers. And that was kind of my welcome to social media moment, where it doesn't matter what opinion you have, there's somebody out there that is outraged that you could have that opinion, that will immediately react.

[Buck Sexton]

But is cobbler not just a poor man's pie? Am I missing something? Isn't that. Isn't that just isn't cobbler? Poor man's pie? What's the difference?

[Clay Travis]

Well, now you've kind of blown my mind, because I never have thought about what the difference is between a cobbler and a pie. I mean, I kind of think of apple pie and apple cobbler is basically the same thing, except a pie is circular and a cobbler tends to be rectangular in my experience. So now my mind. Actually, you've thrown me for a loop here, because I've never really thought. I think the cobbler has a thicker bread base than the typical pie, which is why it's better. That would be my on the fly distinction. I don't cook, as everyone knows. I've never baked anything in my life. If it can't be put in the microwave, I don't know how to make it. So I clearly not the. The.

[Listener]

The.

[Clay Travis]

The. The sterling, knowledgeable person here. Cobble doesn't have a crust.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, but I don't even think.

[Clay Travis]

I mean, that seems like it. Not the right description, I think a.

[Buck Sexton]

Cobblestone pie for peasants. Am I. Am I really off on this one? I'm just throwing it out there, you know?

[Clay Travis]

Well, the crust, I mean, is, I think, oftentime overrated. On the pie might have just come after people in an aggressive way here.

[Buck Sexton]

Big pie is coming after clay with that one. That is. How dare. The crust is really where the expertise comes in.

[Clay Travis]

One confession. I was afraid that I might be photographed in the midst of this. In Steamboat Springs, I took the kids into an ice cream shop. Buck, There are a bunch of dads there from Dallas that listen to the show. So shout out dads from Dallas if they hear this. In Steamboat Springs, my kids didn't want to get ice cream. I then violated my rule. On some level. I was a Man eating an ice cream cone. Nobody else was eating ice cream. Now, I think is an exception.

[Buck Sexton]

You weren't alone, though. Your whole thing was, you're not a man alone getting out. You're your kids.

[Clay Travis]

And my kids got like, candy, right? They got like Reese's Pieces, Reese's peanut butter cups. Like, that was their choice. If there were a photo, I don't want AI suggesting that I was eating ice cream by myself. I just don't want that out there.

[Buck Sexton]

What would be, what would be worse for you to get caught in a photo eating, like, standing alone in the line at the Dairy Queen with like a mix like chocolate vanilla swirl or. Or walking through the airport with a mask on?

[Clay Travis]

Oh, mask by far, right? I mean, people would think that I was pranking them. I think if I had a mask mask on. What if I wore the mask on Air Force One in the media section? Like, actually, I think Trump might.

[Buck Sexton]

I think he might kick you off the plane. I think he might be like, off the plane, Masked man off the plane.

[Clay Travis]

What if I just sat down with the media with a mask on and said, I really wish you guys would take the virus more seriously. They're going to hate me in the media anyway. Me wearing a mask and demanding that they wear masks on the airplane would be mask on.

[Buck Sexton]

I kind of want you to do this and videotape it. Like, go up to the AP reporters like, oh, I'm sorry, we don't wear masks anymore here.

[Clay Travis]

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