The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (Best Of)

Episode Title: Hour 3 – The Best of Clay and Buck
Date: November 27, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Host: iHeartPodcasts

Overview

This “Best Of” hour of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show highlights the duo’s trademark political commentary, humor, and cultural insight. The main themes include analysis of record-breaking stock market highs, speculation about the future of the GOP, sharp-tongued reactions to political feuds involving Donald Trump, AOC, and Jasmine Crockett, and deeper discussion on the left’s reaction to cultural figures like Riley Gaines. Listeners are also treated to lighter moments, including tales of extravagant weddings and football heartbreak.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Stock Market Highs and Economic Context

Timestamp: 03:15 – 06:50

• Clay Travis celebrates new all-time highs for the S&P 500, Dow Jones, and Nasdaq, emphasizing the positive economic news for investors.
  • “Chances are if you happen to go gander at your stock values, they have never been higher in your life.” (03:56)
• Reminds listeners that skepticism about Trump’s economic handling in April proved incorrect as markets have soared.
• Recognizes disconnect some feel between market highs and "on the ground" economic conditions, attributing lag to Biden’s prior administration.
• Explains that markets anticipate future economic conditions, suggesting optimism for continued improvement under Trump.

2. Trump’s 2028 Prospects, GOP Unity, and Political Realism

Timestamp: 06:52 – 10:35

• Trump, speaking on Air Force One, muses on the possibility of running in 2028 and floats a JD Vance–Marco Rubio unity ticket:
  • “If they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable. I really do. I believe that.” (06:58)
• Clay speculates about future GOP unity and Trump’s possible role as kingmaker rather than candidate:
  • “Let’s not have all the drama of this huge fight. Let’s just keep things rolling.” (08:01)
• Buck responds with caution, recalling how quickly unforeseen events (e.g., COVID) can upend politics:
  • “A lot can happen in two and a half years... This is the way we think the story should go. And that, to me means it’s unlikely that that is the way the story will play out.” (08:43)
• The duo humorously recounts Buck’s lockdown solitude in New York and contrast with looser restrictions in Clay’s Tennessee.
  • Buck: “New York turned into a prison camp with masking. It was insane.” (10:30)

3. Trump vs. Jasmine Crockett and AOC: The “IQ Test” Challenge

Timestamp: 11:13 – 13:48

• Trump publicly questions the intelligence of Rep. Jasmine Crockett and AOC, challenging them to a cognitive test:
  • “They have Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ person. They have AOC, low IQ... The first couple of questions are easy. A tiger, an elephant, a giraffe...” (11:16)
• Clay and Buck dissect Trump’s comedic timing and the way critics misinterpret his humor.
  • Clay: “His comedic timing and the fact that people don't get his sense of humor...really, what they have is an inability to process tone and context.” (12:41)
• Jasmine Crockett’s rebuttal (from a press gaggle), accuses Trump of lacking merit and being obsessed with two women of color:
  • “This is someone who, but for him, being born with a silver spoon, probably wouldn’t got into anybody’s institution, unlike me.” (14:33)

4. Competence and Communication in Congress

Timestamp: 14:48 – 15:49

• Clay criticizes the intellectual quality of Congressional representatives across the board:
  • “We are not represented...by the most accomplished and intellectually sound and great communicators out there.” (14:52)
• Buck agrees, lamenting the prevalence of buffoonery in government and hoping for systemic reform.

5. Weddings, Family Budgets, and Millennial Housing

Timestamp: 19:52 – 23:33, 41:35 – 44:09

• Light-hearted but practical advice on wedding expenditures, featuring audience anecdotes and personal stories.
  • Clay recounts a listener whose father made daughters sign a contract to repay wedding costs if their marriages didn’t last five years.
• Buck and Clay propose practical budgeting: allocate parents’ money between a wedding and a house down payment.
  • Clay: “If you are fortunate enough to have resources to help with the down payment, make a smart, rational decision.” (22:03)
• They deride the idea of going into debt for weddings or rings, recommending a modest approach to both.

6. Culture Wars: Riley Gaines, Transgender Sports, and Left-Wing Vitriol

Timestamp: 24:11 – 37:33

• Clay introduces the segment with recent attacks on Outkick’s Riley Gaines, an NCAA swimmer and voice for women’s sports, particularly from Jennifer Welch and AOC.
  • Clay: “[Jennifer Welch] is...an awful bitch and she is also representative of a particular type of...liberal white woman who is just nasty and awful.” (26:57)
• They dissect Welch’s expletive-filled diatribe targeting Riley Gaines:
  • Welch (clip): “You are wound up like a cheap clock over trans people...you will always have been the dumb [expletive] that tied for fifth place...” (27:20)
• Buck defends Riley, emphasizing her sporting accomplishments and the absurdity of discrediting her fifth-in-the-nation status as an NCAA swimmer.
  • “People who have actually competed at any level...greatly respect being the fifth best swimmer in the NCAA in the United States. That’s an incredible accomplishment.” (29:16)
• Discussion of the left’s increasing desperation and nastiness as they lose cultural influence, with particular reference to online commentary and attacks against conservative women.
  • Buck: “Because they're losing the argument and they're losing the culture...the nastiness and it is truly nasty.” (31:00)
• The conversation pivots to the broader trans issues in sports and society:
  • Buck: “There’s a very clear, passive aggressive, really a gaslighting that is at the heart of the whole trans agenda approach...they make it your problem.” (34:48)
• Clay notes that Riley’s effectiveness comes from her authenticity and athletic excellence, making her a relatable and unassailable advocate for women’s sports.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Clay Travis on market highs:

  • “If you happen to go gander at your stock values, they have never been higher in your life.” (03:56)

• Trump on future Republican unity:

  • “If they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable. I really do. I believe that.” (06:58)

• Buck Sexton on political uncertainty:

  • “This is the way we think the story should go. And that, to me means it’s unlikely that that is the way the story will play out.” (08:43)

• Trump on cognitive tests, referencing AOC and Jasmine Crockett:

  • "A tiger, an elephant, a giraffe...when you get up to 10 and 20 and 25, they couldn’t come close to answering any of those questions.” (13:24)

• Jennifer Welch (attack on Riley Gaines):

  • "You are wound up like a cheap clock over trans people...you will always have been the dumb [expletive] that tied for fifth place..." (27:20)

• Buck Sexton defending Riley Gaines:

  • “People who have actually competed...greatly respect being the fifth best swimmer in the NCAA...That’s an incredible accomplishment.” (29:16)

• Clay on expectations around engagement rings and weddings:

  • “If the girl is going to be upset about the size of the ring, you need to run in the other direction.” (43:54)

Segment-by-Segment Highlights with Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |:----------:|:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:15-06:50| Stock market highs, economic optimism, and skepticism about media narratives | | 06:52-10:35| Trump on 2028, JD Vance and Marco Rubio as future GOP ticket, pandemic aftermath | | 11:13-13:48| Trump “cognitive test” jabs at Jasmine Crockett and AOC, Clay and Buck's reactions | | 14:48-15:49| Competence in Congress, public disappointment with politicians | | 19:52-23:33| Listener’s wedding contract story, advice on budgeting for weddings/housing | | 24:11-37:33| Attacks on Riley Gaines, discussion on culture wars, trans sports controversies | | 41:35-44:09| More wedding budgeting, prudence about wedding debt, personal anecdotes |

Tone and Style

• Conversational and humorous: Even during sharp political critique, Clay and Buck keep the tone light with jokes and personal stories.
• Candid and direct: Especially when discussing political adversaries and hot-button cultural issues.
• Occasional irreverence: Particularly in Clay’s characterization of left-leaning personalities and their rhetoric.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This hour exemplifies Clay and Buck’s blend of hard-hitting political analysis, pop culture commentary, and relatable humor. Major takeaways include a celebration of the surging stock markets, speculation about Trump’s future in politics, ongoing jousting between Trump and progressive politicians, and a window into the increasingly caustic culture war surrounding transgender participation in sports, exemplified by support for Riley Gaines. The episode also contains charming asides on family budgeting and football. Listeners will come away entertained, informed, and aware of the current pulse on both politics and culture from Clay and Buck’s perspective.