The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Hour 3 – Nerding Out with Ryan Girdusky
Date: December 12, 2025
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts

Overview

In this lively final hour of the week, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton welcome political analyst and writer Ryan Girdusky for an in-depth, data-driven discussion about immigration trends, housing markets, and policy impacts under the Trump administration. The episode also features the hosts’ trademark banter, listener call-ins, jokes about gift wrapping and guns, and reflections on AI’s future in radio.

The main focus centers around Girdusky’s unique insights into recent birth data and its implications on illegal immigration, as well as the policy levers available to further influence demographic and economic trends going into the 2024 election season.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Buck’s Baby & The Clay and Buck Podcast Network

• [02:34] Clay jokes about holding Buck’s "chunk" of a new baby, nicknamed "Lord Chunkingham," sharing lighthearted banter to kick off the hour.
• The two plug the show’s network and encourage listeners to subscribe to their content.

2. Ryan Girdusky on Birth Data and Immigration Trends

Segment Start: [03:40]
Main Theme: Using CDC birth and other government data to assess illegal immigration flows and enforcement outcomes.

• Methodology:

  • Girdusky explains he analyzed recent provisional CDC birth data, comparing the number of foreign-born mothers giving birth in the U.S. to previous years.
  • "Overall, there’s about 35,000 fewer births from foreign-born mothers this year compared to last year." – Ryan Girdusky [05:57]

• Key Findings:

  • In 41 states plus D.C., births to foreign-born mothers have decreased significantly.
  • The drop is widespread, including states both compliant and non-compliant with federal immigration enforcement (e.g., Texas, Nevada, Kentucky, New York).
  • "The number is well into the 2 millions of foreign-born people, mostly illegal aliens, who have left the country." – Ryan Girdusky [06:33]

• Understanding ‘Self-Deportation’:

  • Uncovered through secondary indicators like birth rates, housing rental trends, and Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
  • Contrasts the official government deportation numbers (600,000–700,000) with a much larger likely number of voluntary departures.

3. Enforcement Policy Levers and Birthright Citizenship

Segment Start: [07:47]

• Discussion of ongoing Supreme Court cases about birthright citizenship, the 14th Amendment, and the potential to curb "birth tourism."
• Policy ideas to reduce illegal immigration incentives, such as:
  • Withholding Medicaid funds from hospitals that serve as "illegal alien hubs."
  • Refusing tourist visas to heavily pregnant women likely aiming for birth tourism.
  • "Those are easy staples that are not... ugly in terms of optics, like pregnant women being arrested." – Ryan Girdusky [09:35]

4. Housing Prices and Immigration Outflows

Segment Start: [10:11]

• Clay asks if falling average home prices are connected to millions of illegal immigrants leaving.
• Girdusky attributes housing market relief at least partly to the drop in illegal and foreign-born populations, citing:
  • Four consecutive months of declining apartment rents.
  • "Given that there are 15 to 20 million illegal aliens... dropping that population down by 2 million... absolutely opens up the housing market." – Ryan Girdusky [11:47]

5. Challenging "Official" Illegal Immigrant Population Estimates

[13:30]

• "The official number, the 11.2, which has been like that for 25 years... is a lie." – Ryan Girdusky
• Both Girdusky and Tom Holman (former acting ICE Director) estimate the true number at close to 20 million.

6. Trump Team’s Approach to Affordability and the Economy

Segment Start: [14:03]

• Buck asks about political handling of the affordability crisis, especially heading into elections.
• Girdusky comments that while energy prices are down, insurance and other necessities have risen, with tariffs being misleadingly blamed in the media.
• Suggests leveraging government contracts ("weaponizing contracts") to incentivize domestic manufacturing, using military procurement as an example for medical supplies.
  • "I would give them about a six [out of ten]. They’ve done certain things, been very effective." – Ryan Girdusky [16:20]

7. Notable Quotes & Banter

• "We call him Lord Chunkingham, first of his name." – Buck Sexton on his baby [03:27]
• "I was just downstairs holding Buck's new baby boy, who is a total chunk." – Clay Travis [02:34]
• "[AI voices are] going to eventually lead into honestly where you can't tell what's real and what's not." – Clay Travis on AI and the future of broadcasting [40:57]
• "The official number... is a lie. Everybody who's really studied this knows it's 20 million..." – Girdusky on illegal immigrant estimates [13:30]

Listener Call-ins, Humor & Pop Culture

8. Red Carpet Gene Simmons Moment

Segment: [24:46]

• Gene Simmons, asked who he supports politically, retorts:
  • "Nonsense, it's all clickbait... Why do you care who I like and who I don't like? I'm nobody. I stick my tongue out for a living. I would do that now, except the floor's dirty."
  • "I have a hot chick with me and I'm set." [25:35]

9. Gift Wrapping, Guns, and Gender Norms

Segments: [26:09]–[30:13]

• Listener "Deborah" advises Buck: “Dude, man up and do it right” about wrapping his wife’s Christmas gifts in birthday paper [27:46].
• Extended riff on guns, gun culture, and caller personalities, with Buck playfully taking heat for preferring modern pistols over old-fashioned revolvers and 1911s.
• "Blunderbuss is such a good word.” – Clay [28:57]

10. Men vs. Women on Shoes

Segment: [31:06]–[32:32]

• Observations on women enduring uncomfortable shoes for beauty; hosts joke about their own shoe preferences and experiences.
• “The wife looked amazing… Are those comfortable? She looked at me like, ‘are you out of your mind?’” – Buck [30:56]

11. Artificial Intelligence and Broadcasting

Segment: [40:08]–[41:20]

• Clay discusses AI mimicking radio hosts, foreshadowing challenges for public life, privacy, and scamming as technology evolves:
  • "At some point they’re going to decide… to give us one of these AI things… but then… you can't tell what's real and what's not." – Clay [40:57]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:40] – Ryan Girdusky dives into birth data and illegal immigration trends
• [07:47] – Discussion of policy levers: birthright citizenship and hospital funding
• [10:11] – Housing market impacts of immigration trends
• [13:30] – False official immigration stats, real numbers closer to 20 million
• [14:03] – Affordability, economic issues, and the Trump team
• [24:46] – Gene Simmons’ red carpet riff on politics and privacy
• [26:09]–[30:13] – Listener calls, jokes about gift wrapping, guns, and male/female stereotypes
• [31:06]–[32:32] – Men vs. women: the uncomfortable shoe debate
• [40:08]–[41:20] – AI, digital impersonation, and the future of radio/podcasting

Tone and Takeaways

• The hour balances serious political analysis with the hosts' trademark casual, humorous rapport.
• Girdusky’s data-driven approach lends weight to a headline story with real demographic, economic, and political consequences.
• The show’s banter, notable quotes, and listener call-ins provide color and relatability, illustrating why Clay and Buck remain a staple for conservative-leaning talk with an approachable vibe.

Where to Find More

• Ryan Girdusky: "Numbers Game" podcast, YouTube, Substack (National Populist Newsletter), Twitter @RyanGirdusky [16:30]
• Clay and Buck: Podcast feed, YouTube, all major social platforms

Summary prepared for listeners wanting the full picture without the fluff.