The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Episode Title: Hour 3 - They Really Said That?
Date: October 1, 2025
Hosts: Clay Travis
Guest: Tudor Dixon (Michigan-based host, Clay & Buck Podcast Network)
Producer Segments, Talkbacks, and Callers: Dr. Mark, Lisa from Logan, Utah
Episode Overview
In this energetic third hour, Clay Travis (while Buck Sexton is in Taiwan) is joined by Michigan conservative media figure Tudor Dixon. The episode revolves around the importance of Michigan as a political battleground, cultural dynamics influencing young Americans (especially Gen Z), pressing national political issues (such as government funding), and the interplay of cultural shifts and electoral politics. The hour features spirited commentary, political strategy, generational reflections, memorable personal stories, and several listener/caller insights.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Northern Michigan: Beauty and Battleground
[00:04–04:55]
- Clay welcomes Tudor Dixon, recalls their recent trip to scenic Mackinac Island, and highlights Northern Michigan's unexpectedly Caribbean-like beauty.
- Tudor elaborates:
- "If you have never seen the Great Lakes before, Lake Michigan is incredible ... Torch Lake is just incredible. It’s like the Caribbean. It’s bright green. It’s very clear. It’s just unreal that this actually exists in the northern part of the country." (Tudor Dixon, 01:15)
Michigan’s Political Stakes
- Clay and Tudor agree Michigan is possibly the top battleground state for upcoming Senate and gubernatorial races.
- Tudor urges out-of-state conservatives to support Michigan's candidates, highlighting the importance of ousting “radical Democrats” and supporting GOP contenders like Mike Rogers for Senate.
- "We have great Republicans. Our Democrats are insane. Do not let this happen." (Tudor Dixon, 04:00)
2. Culture Wars: Young Americans, Family Values, & Pushing Back
[04:55–11:14]
- Clay shifts to cultural influence on young people—citing American Eagle's successful Sydney Sweeney ad campaign—and queries Tudor’s views as a mom of four daughters.
- Tudor expresses optimism that conservative, family-oriented values are resurging with Gen Z:
- "We are punching back when it comes to family values...the change that we’ve seen from the millennial generation to this next generation…Gen Z is very conservative." (Tudor Dixon, 07:20)
Turning Point USA Experience
- Tudor recounts meeting with Turning Point activists at Northern Michigan University:
- The campus is "pretty liberal," but their conservative chapter is booming, even amid “table” confrontations ("You’re fascist!") and shocking faculty behavior (a professor poured coffee on a club leader).
- "[This] generation is standing up against it... they want to meet someone young... have kids... honor those traditional American values. But the interesting part is that the professors haven’t let this go yet." (Tudor Dixon, 07:50)
Evolving Gender Dynamics
- Clay, raising sons, wonders if young men’s cultural leadership is influencing young women.
- Tudor observes Christian schools exploding and young people embracing both career aspirations and traditional relationships, countering messages from previous generations:
- “There's this permission again for girls to say ... sometimes you want your husband to say, 'I've got you.' And there are days when your husband's also going to need you to take care of him. ... It’s okay to say you have a partner who adores you. You should be adored.” (Tudor Dixon, 09:48)
3. National Politics: Viral Memes, Budget Battles, & Media Double Standards
[13:57–26:03]
Viral Political Memes
[13:57–17:20]
- Clay dissects social media “sombrero memes” mocking Democrat Hakeem Jeffries’ immigration stances. Senator JD Vance finds these memes funny, suggesting levity and political ribbing are compatible with good-faith negotiations.
Government Funding & Democrat Strategy
- Clay details how emergency COVID funding is morphing into a permanent entitlement, criticizing the Democrat strategy of labeling spending rollbacks as “cuts that will kill people.”
- "Their game plan: Get it funded once and then if you ever take it back, it's a cut that is going to lead to everybody dying in America. That's basically what they argue." (Clay Travis, 16:50)
Charlie Kirk’s Influence After Assassination Attempt
[18:26–18:52]
- A touching talkback from Lisa in Utah describing the turnout at a Charlie Kirk event: “Over 6,500 people. It was loud, it was electric ... my 87-year-old mother ... cried the whole time because she loves America, she loves Trump, she loves JD.”
Media Hypocrisy on Cognitive Decline
[21:25–21:34; 21:34–23:43]
- Clay mocks MSNBC's sudden concern with Trump’s cognitive health while ignoring Biden’s, playing a clip of Rachel Maddow describing Trump’s “very dramatic mental decline.” Clay notes the absurd double standard: “Trump does all day long, basically rolling press conferences... Biden couldn't even be out after dark because his cognitive decline was so real.”
Persuasion and Political Conversion
- Clay shares his interview with Paul Feinbaum, who grew up in a “dyed-in-the-wool liberal” Jewish New York family and transitioned to Republican politics.
- “My mother... hung up the phone [when I said I voted Republican]. My mother hanging up on me still stings.” (Paul Feinbaum, 24:40)
- Clay argues people “change their minds” through strong, rational persuasion, not just team loyalty: “Politics is downstream from culture.”
4. Listener Engagement and College Culture Clash
[34:04–39:01]
Not All Professors Are the Same—A Call from Dr. Mark
- Dr. Mark, an associate dean, calls in to say, “Not all professors are that bad... I love it when parents come to campus... They’re going to learn how to think, not what to think.” (Dr. Mark, 34:29–35:22)
- Clay shares a story about a college tour beginning with a "land acknowledgment," leading his son to cross that college off the list—an accusation of cultural performativity over substance.
Why Sports (and Culture) Matter
- Responding to a listener puzzled by sports references, Clay articulates how cultural force—sports, media, celebrity—influences politics more than arguments about “tax policy":
- "Politics is downstream from culture... Culture dictates who wins elections." (Clay Travis, 38:30)
- “You can't win elections without winning in larger cultural battles.”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- Michigan’s Stakes: "Whoever wins Michigan is going to be the next president of the United States in 2028." —Clay Travis [01:53]
- On Generation Z: “Gen Z is very conservative... they're up against it ... professors haven't let this go yet. So this kid... one of the professors came and poured coffee on him. That's what we're fighting.” —Tudor Dixon [07:50]
- On Double Standards: “Trump does all day long, basically rolling press conferences... Biden couldn't even be out after dark because his cognitive decline was so real. They never talked about it on MSNBC. Now they're suddenly saying ... Trump, his behavior is unacceptable in public.” —Clay Travis [21:34]
- Persuasion: “There are tons of you out there right now with friends and family that still think this is Bill Clinton’s Democrat Party. ... The Democrat Party’s gone insane and we weren’t willing to hop on the train to crazy town.” —Clay Travis [26:03]
- Culture’s Primacy: "You can't win elections without winning in larger cultural battles. So, yes, I love the military, but you know how to make the military even more badass? Elect people like Donald Trump..." —Clay Travis [38:30]
Key Timestamps
- 00:04 — Welcome & Michigan’s natural beauty with Tudor Dixon
- 02:38 — The high stakes of Michigan’s coming elections
- 05:44 — Gen Z, American Eagle, & the resurgence of family values
- 07:30 — Turning Point activism & faculty hostility
- 09:18 — Girls, boys, and shifting gender norms in culture
- 13:57 — Viral “sombrero” memes & Senate funding debate
- 18:26 — Lisa from Logan, UT: Charlie Kirk event story
- 21:25 — MSNBC’s focus on Trump’s “mental decline”
- 24:08 — Paul Feinbaum’s conversion from Democrat to Republican
- 34:15 — Dr. Mark: Not all professors are indoctrinators
- 35:22 — Clay’s story: college tour land acknowledgment culture clash
- 38:30 — “Politics is downstream from culture”
Tone and Style
- Conversational, irreverent, often humorous debate mixed with passionate calls to political activism.
- Personal, family, and local anecdotes underline larger political themes.
- Frequent direct appeals to listeners—inviting civic participation and engagement in both political and cultural arenas.
This hour provides a blend of political analysis, generational commentary, grassroots stories, media critique, and pragmatic advice—always rooted in the sense that, for the show’s hosts and guests, the battle for America’s future is as much about changing culture as it is about winning elections.