Hour 3 - Trump and Zelensky

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – Hour 3: Trump and Zelensky (Released March 3, 2025)

In this engaging and comprehensive third-hour episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, hosted by Premiere Networks, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton delve into pressing national and international issues, featuring insightful discussions with their guest, Riley Gaines of Outkick and Fox News. The episode navigates through topics such as legislation protecting women in sports, the dynamics of the recent Trump-Zelensky meeting, and shifting public perceptions surrounding global leadership.

---

1. The Fight for Women in Athletics

Riley Gaines on Legislative Advances and Challenges
Timestamp: [00:30] - [05:11]

Riley Gaines spearheads the conversation by addressing the ongoing battle to ensure women’s sports remain exclusive to female athletes. She highlights significant legislative strides, including President Trump's executive order aimed at banning men from participating in women's sports. Gaines emphasizes the progress made at the federal level, noting,

“We have the ability to, especially at the federal level. We've seen President Trump sign a beautifully and thoroughly written executive order banning men from participating in women's Sports.”
[01:15]

She further discusses HR28's passage in the House and anticipates a challenging cloture vote in the Senate, reflecting the partisan hurdles ahead. Gaines underscores the necessity for states to enact their own protective measures, citing Minnesota as a pivotal battleground. She recounts a successful rally in Minnesota, praising local leaders like Governor Tim Walz (“Tampon Tim”) and activist Jack Brewer for their relentless efforts to safeguard women's athletics.

2. Legislative Roadblocks and Partisan Divide

House and Senate Dynamics
Timestamp: [03:25] - [05:11]

Clay Travis probes deeper into the legislative process, pointing out the substantial Republican support contrasted by minimal Democratic backing. He notes:

“This bill to protect women and ensure that women's sports are only played by women only got two Democrat votes in the House. I believe Republicans uniformly supported it, but only two Democrats did in the Senate.”
[03:25]

Gaines responds by acknowledging the lack of Democratic support in the Senate, with Senator Manchin being the sole member showing tentative approval. She expresses skepticism about securing the necessary 60 votes to overcome the filibuster, especially given the firm party lines.

3. Riley Gaines' NASCAR Prayer and Public Reactions

Integrating Faith and Politics
Timestamp: [06:36] - [08:43]

The hosts shift focus to a personal anecdote from Riley Gaines about her experience delivering a prayer at a NASCAR event. Gaines shares her intention behind the prayer—to bless President Trump and other leaders with divine guidance—only to encounter unexpected backlash from the liberal audience. She states:

“The backlash is just amazing to me. And NASCAR... the response that I received from the audience was... roars of applause, clapping, all the things.”
[07:05]

Despite the mixed reactions, Gaines defends her actions by referencing the biblical mandate for Christians to pray for those in authority, clarifying that her intentions were purely spiritual rather than political.

4. NCAA's Response to Executive Orders

Assessing Institutional Compliance and Policy Loopholes
Timestamp: [08:43] - [10:42]

Clay Travis challenges Gaines on the NCAA's stance following President Trump's executive order. Gaines critiques the NCAA for being "spineless" and points out critical inadequacies in their new policy, such as undefined terms like "male" and "female," which allow bureaucratic reinterpretation. She explains:

“The big problem here is it also it resorts to birth certificates as a way to determine sex, which, again, you can change your birth certificate in all but six states in this nation and across the world, for that matter.”
[09:03]

Gaines asserts that the NCAA's policy is incompatible with the executive order and anticipates further criticism from the White House, urging for more robust measures to genuinely protect women in sports.

5. Democratic Party's Commitment to Gender Policies

Future Implications and Party Strategies
Timestamp: [10:42] - [14:30]

The discussion shifts to the Democratic Party's stance on gender ideology in sports. Gaines expresses disappointment with the party's unwavering commitment, suggesting that it stems from deeply held beliefs rather than political maneuvering. She warns of intense Republican campaign strategies against Democrats who oppose protecting women's sports, stating:

“Senator Warnock... voted no on the Lake and Riley act... there are some eyes on Ossoff for sure.”
[05:11]

Gaines also touches upon the political landscape in Minnesota, anticipating that the bill may pass the House by a narrow margin but likely stall in the Senate, reflecting the state's diverse and polarized political environment.

6. Analyzing the Trump-Zelensky Meeting

President Trump's Engagement with Ukrainian Leadership
Timestamp: [16:17] - [38:15]

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to dissecting the high-profile meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Buck Sexton introduces questions from listeners, leading to an in-depth analysis of the interaction.

Hosts' Perspectives on the Meeting
Clay Travis and Buck Sexton express skepticism about Zelensky's approach during the press conference. They critique his informal attire and perceived confrontational demeanor, suggesting it undermines diplomatic decorum. Clay remarkingly questions:

“How are you not going in hat in hand, begging for what you have to receive in order to continue to be able to fight for your country?”
[21:52]

Public Perception and Support for Zelensky
Referencing a CNN poll, Buck highlights a dramatic decline in American confidence in Zelensky:

“Back in 2022, it was the clear majority, 72%... and by 2024, just 48% of Americans say that they're confident that Zelensky will do the right thing when it comes to world affairs.”
[25:57]

This shift indicates waning support and raises questions about Ukraine's leadership effectiveness in the eyes of the American public.

Historical Context and Leadership Comparisons
Clay draws parallels between Zelensky and historical leaders like Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln, pondering how language barriers and leadership styles impact international diplomacy. He reflects on the importance of clear communication and maintaining respect during critical negotiations, emphasizing:

“I think that Zelensky... should have known enough about Trump to know that Trump didn't want him showing up the way that he did. So that's misstep number one.”
[23:47]

War Strategy and Ceasefire Negotiations
The hosts debate the feasibility of a negotiated settlement in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, asserting that a ceasefire is the only viable path forward given Ukraine's untenable position militarily. Buck contends:

“This is a war that he can't win. There's no future in which he can win this war and expel the Russian Federation... So it has to be a negotiated settlement.”
[30:01]

They critique Zelensky's reluctance to commit to a ceasefire without additional guarantees, highlighting the impracticality of absolute assurances in warfare.

Trust in International Media vs. Leaders
Clay poses a provocative question about trust in Vladimir Putin versus the American media's portrayal of Russian interference in the 2016 election. He asserts:

“I trust Putin more. I think that Putin was accurate... The idea that somehow he rigged the 2016 election... they gave themselves all Pulitzers for it. The made up Steele dossier... all of it was a lie.”
[28:20]

Buck reinforces this sentiment by emphasizing doubts about the media's credibility in covering geopolitical events.

---

7. Concluding Highlights

The episode concludes with lighter segments, including listener interactions and anecdotes, such as Kieran Culkin's humorous recounting of winning an Oscar and fulfilling a personal bet. Clay and Buck maintain a balance between serious discourse and entertaining banter, ensuring listeners remain engaged till the end.

---

Notable Quotes

• Riley Gaines on Executive Orders:
  “We've seen President Trump sign a beautifully and thoroughly written executive order banning men from participating in women's Sports.”
  [01:15]

• Clay Travis on Democratic Support:
  “There are 53 Republicans that are going to vote for this. But in order for it to actually become a law due to the filibuster, we need 60 total votes. Right. So that would mean seven Democrats senators would need to step forward and support it.”
  [03:25]

• Riley Gaines on NASCAR Prayer:
  “The backlash is just amazing to me. And nascar, of course, when I said that, you can imagine the response of the crowd, roaring, applause, clapping, all the things...”
  [07:05]

• Clay Travis on Trusting Putin Over Media:
  “I trust Putin more. I think that Putin was accurate... The made up Steele dossier, Hillary Clinton's campaign, all of it was a lie.”
  [28:20]

---

Conclusion

This episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show offers a robust exploration of contemporary issues intersecting sports, politics, and international relations. Through Riley Gaines' passionate advocacy and the hosts' incisive analysis, listeners gain a nuanced understanding of the complexities surrounding gender policies in athletics and the geopolitical tensions exemplified by the Trump-Zelensky engagement. The discussion underscores the persistent challenges in achieving bipartisan consensus and the influential role of public perception in shaping policy and leadership narratives.

Transcript

[Ryan]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Riley Gaines]

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[Buck Sexton]

All right, third hour. Clay Anne Buck kicks off now, joined by our friend Riley Gaines. Very fast swimmer, very fast and also a great lady out there fighting for sanity when it comes to women in sports. She's of FOX News and outkick. Riley. Appreciate you being back with us here once again. The fight continues even after this election and it feels like a lot of people on the left realize that this is an 8020 issue against them. You are still coming up against at least opposition when it comes to the Democrats, the laws they want, the policies. What's the latest in the fight for women in athletics not having to compete against men?

[Riley Gaines]

Well, it is so good to be back on with you. Look, we know the American people know we are finally in a position which is in total contrast to the last four years. We are finally in a position to get things done. We have the ability to, especially at the federal level. We've seen President Trump sign a beautifully and thoroughly written executive order banning men from participating in women's Sports. We've seen HR28 pass the house. We will see a cloture vote tonight in the US Senate, which transparently is not looking too good. Of course, this is something that you can imagine will fall on party lines. They need to cross that 60 vote hurdle. So we shall see there. But all that to say this executive order and what's happening at the federal level, it certainly does not absolve states from doing what they need to do and passing legislation to protect women. So I'm thrilled today to be in Minnesota, of course, governed by Tim Walls. You remember that guy Tampon Tim. So we had a fantastic rally today, myself alongside people, amazing leaders like Jack Brewer, who has just fantastic in this fight. Other initiatives he's taken on is, you know, the fatherlessness epidemic, especially among those who are incarcerated. He's amazing. So it was awesome. We had so many People, you know, concerned parents. We had young athletes there, hundreds of Minnesotans who had had enough, who are ready to lend their voices to the fight. Similar to what we've seen in Maine over the past few days, of course, following that interaction between Governor Mills and President Trump just a few weeks ago.

[Clay Travis]

Riley, appreciate you being on with us and all the battles that you're fighting. I just kind of want to bring this home for everybody out there listening. And you can correct me if I'm wrong, because you've been far more involved in all these details. This bill to protect women and ensure that women's sports are only played by women only got two Democrat votes in the House. I believe Republicans uniformly supported it, but only two Democrats did in the Senate.

[Riley Gaines]

There.

[Clay Travis]

There are 53 Republicans that are going to vote for this. But in order for it to actually become a law due to the filibuster, we need 60 total votes. Right. So that would mean seven Democrats senators would need to step forward and support it. You can explain that a little bit more. But have any Democrats senators yet publicly said that they will vote? I can't believe this is real. I still can't believe this is political. That they will vote to ensure that men don't compete in women's sports. Have any Democrat senator said, hey, I'm for this?

[Riley Gaines]

That's funny, Clay. The only one that did was Senator Manchin. So, of course is not there any longer. So, no, we have not seen any support from Democrats. You mentioned the House. We saw two Democrats vote in favor of protecting women and girls in sports. And of course, these were two Texas Democrats who probably don't want to lose their seat in 2026 or 2028, but nothing from the Senate, which is amazing to me because you have all these swing states, especially where, you know, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, where President Trump won, but the Republican Senate nominee did not. So all that to say we are watching, especially people in these swing states, people like Tammy Baldwin. Hopefully we can see some common sense from Fetterman. That is someone who, you know, of course, I would not count on him, that's for sure. But we've been surprised by Fetterman before. Elise Slotkin, potentially Senator Ossoff in Georgia, maybe Senator Warnock in Georgia. These are states where we're watching. The people are watching as well.

[Clay Travis]

That's where I was going to hammer. Here is Riley, the state of Georgia, double Democrat senators. Trump won by several points. Brian Kemp, the governor has won by seven or eight. I saw Tommy Tuberville share that 73% of Georgians, and I bet it's higher than that, actually. But 73% of Georgians don't believe that women should be able to compete again, that men should be able to compete against women. That would be wild. If Georgia's Democrat senators aren't willing to get online, particularly Ossoff, who is up for reelection. And there's talk that Brian Kemp may be running against him. I would think that that might be a pretty big deal next year in Georgia.

[Riley Gaines]

You know, I think so, too. And I want it to be look loud and let me make myself very, very clear here. If these Democrats, or I really will say, win, especially those in very blue states, when these Democrats vote no, they can expect 24. 7 Republican ads during the campaign cycle to consistently hammer home the fact that they do not believe girls deserve fair sports. Senator Warnock, again, another Georgia senator. You know, I would have maybe had a little hope. But again, this is the same senator who just a few weeks ago voted no on the Lake and Riley act. And that happened in his home state of Georgia. So I don't know if there's a lot of hope for Warnock, but there are some eyes on Ossoff for sure.

[Buck Sexton]

We're speaking to Riley Gaines of Outkick and Fox News. Riley, we have fantastic VIPs on this show who write into the special VIP email and one of them has a question for you, or rather, I guess a comment that I'm supposed to make to you. Be sure and ask Riley. This is from Mark. Be sure and ask Riley about her prayer at NASCAR yesterday where she included President Trump in it. Awesome. Tell me, tell us about this one because I didn't see it.

[Riley Gaines]

I'm so used to the liberal backlash that I receive. But yesterday I was so honored to pray, say the pre race invocation at the NASCAR race in Austin, Texas. And so in my prayer, of course, I pray for the safety of the drivers and their protection and the families and the staff and all of that. But in my prayer I mentioned, you know, I said something to the effect of bless our president, bless his cabinet, bless all of our leaders that they may seek the Lord and his guidance and all decisions that they make. Because if that is done, we will never be steered wrong and America will be made great again. But for saying that, it is amazing the response that I've gotten, which I will say is the support is tenfold. Anything negative. But people who have reached out to me saying, you know, why would you make this prayer political? Let me be clear. The Bible calls Christians to Pray for those in authority. That's made very clear in first Timothy. So that's what I was doing again, to seek the Lord's guidance in every decision that they make. Of course. And that's something I prayed for when President Biden was in office as well. I prayed that his eyes would be open to the truth, but I also prayed that he seeks the Lord. So the backlash is just amazing to me. And nascar, of course, when I said that, you can imagine the response of the crowd, roaring, applause, clapping, all the things, because NASCAR is a sport where that is the base, which is not why I do anything. Of course, I did not say that to appease the base, but the response that I received from the audience was.

[Clay Travis]

Telling Riley, you were in the White House when the president signed his protecting women sports decree. And it was an incredible. With all the young girls in particular all gathered around. What has the NCAA response been so far? And do you think it's adequate?

[Riley Gaines]

Well, the ncaa, and true NCAA fashion has remained spineless. I find it very obscure to believe that the NCAA essentially grew a backbone overnight and decided to protect their. Their athletes, especially their female athletes, that they did release a statement following President Trump's executive order, Charlie Baker did, saying that he will do everything to comply with this EO and with the federal law. But, you know, they released their new policy. And this policy has glaring loopholes. First and foremost, it does not define male, female, or the word sex itself. It does define gender identity, and it does define man and woman. And it says that these two words are just gender identities. So we see the problem when you don't have these terms defined. We see unelected bureaucrats go through the back door and reinterpret these words to mean what they want them to mean. But the big problem here is it also it resorts to birth certificates as a way to determine sex, which, again, you can change your birth certificate in all but six states in this nation and across the world, for that matter. So, again, this is not adequate. I believe it's in direct contrast, totally conflicting with President Trump's thoroughly and beautifully written executive order. But the White House has been pretty quick to praise the NCAA in this policy. And so it's been a mission of mine to make sure they know, look, this policy is not good. And if something happens at this point, I believe President Trump will have egg on his face because he supported this policy. So there's still, of course, time for him to come back and say, you know what, Charlie Baker, ncaa, this is not adequate. And this does not follow this executive order. So that's really what we're hoping for.

[Buck Sexton]

Riley, as you're out there pushing for sanity here and trying to defend women's sports, I'm wondering what your take is on this. Clay, and I just talked about it a few moments ago before you came on and joined us. The Democrats right now perhaps I think in retreat on this issue, maybe in remission on this issue are what in your mind, what is it going to take for them to change their minds? Or rather if they won the next election, based on what you see out there, do you think that they would try to enforce all of the gender ideology stuff all over again? I mean, are they still committed to walking down this pathway of, you know, macho man Randy Savage competing against the women in the triathlon, et cetera? Is that still a dyed in the wool Democrat plan? Or do you think they are looking for an exit off this whole situation?

[Riley Gaines]

You know what, if you would have asked me this before November 5th, I would have told you that of course the Democrats will recant. They will distance themselves from their voting record. Kamala Harris desperately tried to do such in her campaign cycle. So that's what I would have told you. But what we have seen following the election is not at all what I expected. We have seen these elected officials, essentially the entire political party as well as you know, left leaning media, double, triple, quadruple down on this topic, which can only lead you to believe that, that really it's their religion. They are so committed. I mean again, take the governor of Maine. She's willing to put her state in a position where they risk losing over $5 billion in federal funding. As a small state population of 1.4, 1.5 million, a very poor state, they can't survive without federal funding. But you have a governor who is willing to risk every single Mainer's, I mean federal funding for all to insist that boys have a spot to trample and violate women on women's teams and in women's locker rooms. It is total lunacy. So I believe, look, tomorrow if the Democrats were to win, let's say in four years, God forbid someone like AOC, I saw this morning actually where Governor Wallace is considering running for president in 2028. God forbid either of these people get in office. I believe at this point a lot can happen in four years. But I believe they to push this nonsense that the nonsense that the American people reject.

[Clay Travis]

Good stuff, Riley. Keep the fight going. We appreciate it. What do you think by the way is going to happen In Minnesota, is Tampon Thames home state going to protect women playing sports or do you think they're going to sign up and want more boys in girls sports?

[Riley Gaines]

Well, Minnesota is very unique because they have a one vote majority in the House and the Democrats have a one vote majority in the Senate. So it's a, a very politically diverse, confusing state. So most everything falls on party lines. So it's not hopeful. It's hopeful it will pass the House by one vote, but it won't be heard in the Senate. And of course if this were to get on Governor Walz's desk, he would certainly not sign. They don't have the majority to override this. So look, it's not likely, but again, it's important these people are on record. Do they believe women are worthy of calling themselves champions or not? It's, it's simple. This, this how they vote on this bill gives the Minnesotans, and again the American people everything they need to know to, to be able to answer that question.

[Buck Sexton]

Riley Gaines, stay in the fight. Keep swimming upstream. Thanks for being with us.

[Riley Gaines]

Thanks you guys.

[Buck Sexton]

Right, swimming.

[Clay Travis]

I was not expecting the swimming upstream, but good for you. Like a nice little play on words there.

[Buck Sexton]

I do what I can. All right, let's talk about cyber criminals here. They can stitch pieces of personal information together from different people to create entirely new identities. They'll often target the identity of kids or the elderly to steal Social Security numbers and then fabricate other data. Once they have that, they open accounts, buy as much stuff as possible and then let you sort out the mess when the bills hit your mailbox. It's just one of the many ways cybercrime is affecting all of us. Lots of places can accidentally expose your personal information, giving these cyber hackers a big head start. That's why it's so important to have LifeLock online identity theft protection. Lifelock detects and alerts you to potential identity threats you may not spot on your own, like loans taken out in your name. If you do become a victim of identity theft, a dedicated US based restoration specialist will fix it, guaranteed. Or your money back terms apply. It's easy to help protect yourself with LifeLock. Join now and save 40% off your first year. With my name Buck as your promo code, call 1-800-LIFELOCK or go online to lifelock.com and use promo code Buck for 40 off news you can count on and some laughs too. Clay Travis at Buck Sexton.

[Clay Travis]

Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Kieran Culkin]

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[Ryan]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck Sexton show. I did not watch it, but I did see some of the. Well, I didn't watch the Academy Awards. We got a good clip. We'll play for you at the end of the show of that. Actually a positive one. I did not watch Saturday Night Live either. But Shane Gillis who is a Trump voting comedian out there.

[Buck Sexton]

Did he say he voted for Trump? I didn't know that. Is that, is that real?

[Clay Travis]

I hope I didn't just blow him up, but ok. He was on as the guest host of SNL and they had a skit. This is a local news coverage skit and you have two black local news hosts. Obviously it's a skit. Two white ones and they're competing to see whether or not the criminals are going to be white or black. It's actually very funny. I shared it on my Twitter feed. We got a cut for you. SNL actually bringing a little bit of humor to the Saturday Night Live airways.

[Ethan Kapowski]

Listen, police are looking for looters.

[Buck Sexton]

Huh?

[Ethan Kapowski]

You hear that? These looters were spotted after wildfires devastated homes in Hunt Valley Township. Looters.

[Riley Gaines]

Okay, just read the story.

[Ethan Kapowski]

Police are on the lookout for the alleged ringleader, local man named Ethan Kapowski. Dammit.

[Lakeisha Williams]

Okay, that's three.

[Clay Travis]

Nothing.

[Lakeisha Williams]

Let's see about this one. Mayhem at the barbershop.

[Clay Travis]

Oh, damn.

[Buck Sexton]

Oh no.

[Lakeisha Williams]

After a customer was shot.

[Buck Sexton]

Oh Lord.

[Lakeisha Williams]

During an argument over Drake and Kendrick.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, yeah, that's us. Yeah, that's us. Okay.

[Lakeisha Williams]

A Florida middle school teacher has resigned after falling in love with an eighth grade student.

[Buck Sexton]

Four, two.

[Ethan Kapowski]

Suzanne.

[Clay Travis]

Suzanne, whose team are you on?

[Lakeisha Williams]

Okay, wait.

[Ethan Kapowski]

Pick a different one.

[Lakeisha Williams]

Wait, I haven't finished reading yet. Authorities have charged 38 year old Lakeisha Williams.

[Ethan Kapowski]

Three, three, three. Thank you. Sweet baby. Lakeisha.

[Clay Travis]

All right, so the premise here, Buck, is that the white people are reacting and the black people reacting based on the race of the alleged criminals, which basically is social media. Every time there is A crime we wait to see. Oh, what exactly is the outcome here?

[Buck Sexton]

If there's anything that's like a terrorist attack.

[Clay Travis]

Yes.

[Buck Sexton]

You can just tell left and right getting ready. And you know, generally it's not what the left wants, but once in a while they find somebody on the right that they'll, you know, it's, it's, it does happen on social media. It's a real Shane Gillis is very funny. His Beautiful dogs thing where he does.

[Clay Travis]

A trump of Mark Twain's novel on American literature. All sorts of stuff out there. Roman Empire, the history of so much that you may have missed when you were in school. No grades on your own time frame. You can stream these while you're in the gym. You can stream these while you're driving. Go check out clayandbuckforhillsdale.com high quality instruction, learning for learning sake. Clay and buck4hillsdale.com one more time clayand buck4hillsdale.com on the front lines of truth.

[Buck Sexton]

Welcome back everybody to Clay and Buck. A lot of you writing in and we obviously read those emails and we listen to those talkbacks, by the way. We love the talkbacks. You got to have the iHeart app to do it though. It's free. It's a great thing on that talk back on the iHeart app. You just go to the Clay and Buck page, you press the microphone button, you record a little message get sent right into us and, and we can listen to it and we'll play some of them on air. But we he, we hear all of them or at least we read the transcripts of all of them. So a lot of you want to know what we thought about Friday now that happened while we were on the air, that fiery press conference with. Well, yeah, it was a press conference. Like there was supposed to be more of a formal press conference afterwards, but that sit down in the Oval Office with zelensky, Trump and J.D. vance and Clay, I would say, I would say this first off, I went back and I had my wife's baby shower over the weekend. So I had, I had in laws and my laws, my family, whatever, you know what I mean? I had the family, my family carries family here. So I was running around doing things Friday, chauffeuring, preparing all that stuff. But baby shower went great. I went back though over the weekend and listened to the entire exchange that happened in the Oval Office, everybody and this happened with us. And I don't know Clay, if you got it, I mean, well, you couldn't play all 45 minutes on air. I don't know if you were able to go back afterwards and listen to the whole thing when you. I assume, yeah, you did, because when you go back and listen to the whole thing, Trump and Vance were being entirely reasonable, respectful. Now, just as a little side note, because there was a. There was. Trump said something right at the beginning about this. I think Zelensky should put on a suit when he comes to the Oval Office. I don't think that's asking too much. I don't know why that's such an issue. He's a very rich guy. I don't care if he borrows a suit from one of the Secret Service agents or something. Just put on a suit, buddy. Ok. This weird showing up like you're going to yoga class, I don't get it. Ok. I don't think we need this. I think it's a little. Now it's not. That's not. That alone is not a huge deal. But Clay, just like if you're going in for a job interview, and in a sense, Zelensky's interviewing for America to help save his country's bacon, you don't want to go into the job interview wearing flip flops and having the first person, the first thing that the person you're trying to impress see is you don't really care that much. So just. Do you want to. You want to hit on this quick?

[Clay Travis]

I agree with that on some level. Here's my other point. Do you want to get into an argument about major geopolitical tensions in your third language, like a part of it? I thought when he was saying we're not talking about playing cards, it's hard to know what is metaphor, what is analogy, what is literal. A lot of people don't speak English that well and it's your first language. I can't imagine getting into an argument when my country's fate is on the line in my second or third language in front of a huge media apparatus that seems to pick a fight. And I thought to your point, he picked a fight here. He didn't show up. Leave aside the outfit, but how are you not going in hat in hand, begging for what you have to receive in order to continue to be able to fight for your country? The entire. I thought Vance and Trump were actually willing to take a lot of condescension from him during the first 45 minutes or so of this interaction.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, it's clear from. It was clear from the. Again, watching the. And I if you have the time, I'd recommend watch the whole thing. Because the last 10 minutes, when things got heated, that seems to come upon. You seem to come upon that pretty quickly. If you watch the whole. Sit down. They're talking about the mineral rights. They're talking about the, you know, a whole. It's 45 minutes long. It's a whole range of stuff. A lot of Q and A with some members of the press who were there. Nothing hostile. But then Zelensky decided to try to challenge Vance and Trump, really initially was Vance and then Trump together on some things, and it just wasn't the time. It wasn't the time of the place for it. I think that Zelensky is somebody who has gotten used to being treated like a combination of George Washington and Bono. You know, he's some kind of global celebrity.

[Clay Travis]

He thinks he's Winston Churchill.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, sure, yeah. I mean, but he thinks that he's Churchill was. Was never disrespectful to FDR in public. I can. I can assure you of that, having read multiple Churchill biographies. He was never like, look, buddy, you know, we call the shots here. He was like, please give us the stuff we need so that we can actually keep this fight going. So, Clay, it show. It showed. I think some aspects of this that have been hidden from the public largely, which is that there is an intransigence to the Zelensky side of this, or rather to the Ukrainian regime, the democracy that doesn't have elections right now. I know they're not allowed to under their constitution or whatever, but isn't that interesting? Right? So there's. There's a huge incentive for Zelensky to continue to be pushing for exactly what he wants because he doesn't have to worry about the will of the people during this war. We held. As we talked about, the United States held election really at a peak of the Civil War. It wasn't just during the Civil War. It was win or lose time, and we still held an election. And Abraham Lincoln won that reelection, and.

[Clay Travis]

He ran against the former head of the Union Army, George McClellan. I mean, it's an extraordinary story, the 1864 presidential election, which again, goes to the historical illiteracy, that illiteracy that exists in this country, that people don't know that.

[Buck Sexton]

I mean, I think that Lincoln knew that he could thank Grant and Sherman for his reelection without those two guys, I don't think he gets. Meaning their. Their victories on the battlefield. I don't.

[Clay Travis]

Sherman taking Atlanta delivered the White House to Lincoln for a second term.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah. I mean, and Grant having Sherman in place and supporting him as his, you know, immediate inferior. General, I think, anyway, not to get too into the Civil War part of this, but it is, it is interesting how that played out. But here's what happened. Zelensky came out of this and it was not good. CNN's Harry Entin, they're, they're, they're bootleg Ryan Gardusky, if you will, their numbers guy. Here he is saying that for Zelensky, the numbers in the, in the eyes of the American people, not looking good. This is cut 18.

[Harry Entin]

Obviously, if you would expect changes amongst the public on feelings towards Ukraine, feelings towards Zelensky have changed also dramatically. Look at this confidence. Zelensky will do the right thing when it comes to world affairs. Back in 2022, it was the clear majority, 72% through the floor, through the floor. And by 2024, just 48% of Americans say that they're confident that Zelensky will do the right thing when it comes to world affairs. And GOP confidence has also plummeted dramatically. Now the clear majority of Republicans are not confident, not confident that Zelensky will do the right thing when it comes to world affairs.

[Buck Sexton]

Now, that's a big shift in a very short period of time. Clay. I think that a lot of the propaganda around both Trump's bizarre or, you know, fealty to Russia and Zelensky as this beyond reproach, heroic leader. I think there was a big shift in perceptions that occurred this meeting. Why is Zelensky trying to litigate the terms of a cease fire with the press there? He should. The truth is that when he's sitting there with the press there and he's talking to Trump in Vance, it should be. Thank you. Thank you so much, guys. We would, you know, and also Zelensky got a little surly when Trump said, without us, you wouldn't, you know, you wouldn't have been able to continue. He's like, he's like, I heard the same thing from Putin. I heard the same thing from Russia. It's like, buddy, slow your roll here, ok? Without America, we're doing a lot of stuff without getting too deep into this that people don't even know about to help these guys, all right? We have helped Ukraine, not just with hundreds of billions and with a lot of munitions, but with training, with intelligence support. We're doing all kinds of stuff to keep them in this fight. You don't turn around and bite the hand that feeds you here the way that he did. But I just think that he's a little bit delusional. And I think he's in a bad spot and doesn't want to admit it.

[Clay Travis]

Here's a provocative question for you, Buck, and I'll answer it beforehand. So I get blown up by this when they clip it. Who do you trust more, Vladimir Putin or the media that covered alleged Russia collusion in 2016, 2017, 2018? I'll give you my answer. I trust Putin more. I think that Putin was accurate.

[Ethan Kapowski]

Yes.

[Clay Travis]

Did they buy a couple of hundred thousand dollars maybe of Facebook ads? But the idea that somehow he rigged the 2016 election, which is what was alleged by the New York Times, by the Washington Post, they gave themselves all Pulitzers for it. The made up Steele dossier, Hillary Clinton's campaign, all of it was a lie. And so if you're Trump and you're looking at this conflict now between Ukraine and Russia, I think Trump, I'm not saying he thinks Vladimir Putin's a great guy. I'm not saying that I want to go to dinner and like hang out with Putin, but I think Putin was more honest about what he did during the 2016 election than the American media was about the way that they covered Putin in the 2016 election.

[Buck Sexton]

I just want to address this. One of our VIPs, Troy in Michigan, says he disagrees with me about Zelensky's attire because Arab leaders don't wear suits at the White House. If you're wearing the traditional garb that you would wear at a press conference as a leader in your own country, that's different from showing up in a tracksuit. Zelensky doesn't. Zelensky in tracksuit is not like the traditional formal attire of the Ukrainian people. He just decides that because he's a wartime, wartime leader, wartime president, he's going to dress this way. Look, Trump obviously didn't like it, so it doesn't really even matter what the protocol is. He should know enough about Trump to know that Trump didn't want him showing up the way that he did. So that's misstep number one. Whether someone agrees with it or not doesn't really matter because Zelensky should be able to anticipate that.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah. And if you do do that, because there are photos out there of Winston Churchill basically showing up in non suit attire to meet with fdr, I think if you are, your idea is we're at war, so I'm going to wear a war type uniform, which I think is what Zelensky would argue. Then to your point earlier, Churchill worked as hard as he could to express his respect, admiration and deep gratitude for the support of the American people, and fought as hard as he could to get them to get in on his side with the war. Remember, we probably don't get into World War II if the Japanese don't make the decision to attack us in Pearl Harbor. I mean, I don't know exactly how the history of the world plays out if that attack doesn't happen. But if you know, and there is word that Trump said, hey, it would be appreciated if Zelensky would address. Would dress in a suit as a Western leader typically would. If you know that you're doing something to provoke the ire based on the wardrobe at you start. If you are smart guy, you probably don't feud with him. Other thing that you pointed out, Buck and I went back and I listened to most of that entire press conference too. That was the final question. They actually said, last question. If you go back and listen to it, Zelensky knew, hey, I basically made it through the whole public media availability. Just don't blow it up at the very end. And you would have gotten your signed mineral rights agreement. I think Buck, I really do. I don't think he wants a ceasefire. I don't think he wants peace. I just don't.

[Buck Sexton]

Then this forces us to look at, well, then what if that were true, what does he want right now? He says he wants a cease fire with all kinds of guarantee, with all kinds of guarantees. I would note that he says, well, we can't trust a ceasefire with Putin. He needs an additional guarantee beyond that. But the truth is that there ain't no guarantees in this world, period. Ok? You make the best deal you can with the realities that you have them. You hope there are some enforcement mechanisms, there are some carrots and sticks, and you go forward with that, it's not going to be perfect. But here's fundamentally the problem. This is a war that he can't win. There's no future in which he can win this war and expel the Russian Federation, the Russian forces from the territory of Ukraine. So it has to be a negotiated settlement. Everybody agrees about that. The only disagreement so far, at least that's what we're led to believe, is what are the terms of the negotiated settlement? You don't play games with the only arbiter that you really have in this process who has the kind of leverage to get something done, which is Donald Trump. You don't play games with him in front of the press on his home turf, in his. In the White House in your foreign language? Yeah, well, you know, I mean, he speaks English well enough to know what was going on there. But I still think, I think that it was, it was a mess from the perspective of what the Ukrainian people are trying to achieve and what would be best for them. And I think it. The people that are so opposed to this, what is their plan exactly?

[Clay Travis]

They have.

[Buck Sexton]

All Biden did was sit around and send taxpayer dollars to Ukraine with no accountability whatsoever for them to be fighting a war that's never going, that's, that doesn't seem like it's going to end until they've killed off every single military aged and able bodied man in Ukraine. I mean, that's, that's where this is heading.

[Clay Travis]

To be fair, at least in the first couple of years, you could argue there was an uncertainty about where it might go. Even if the overall favoritism of the odds favored Russia all along. Now there is no argument. I haven't heard a single person say, hey, Ukraine is going to kick Russia out of the territory they invaded and restore their pre2022 border. So if you know that that's impossible, and I think everybody does, why are you still allowing tens of thousands of people to die? It feels like everyone, including 78% of Americans, according to the most recent CNN poll, support a ceasefire and into the war. Look, talking about a ceasefire and into a war situation in the Middle east is still tumultuous. A man was killed, four others wounded in a stabbing attack at a transit hub in northern Israel today. Hamas praised the attack, stopped short of claiming responsibility. Israelis want a normal life again. But with the ceasefire on shaky ground, Israeli city citizens are justifiably apprehensive. And all this has an impact on the emotional well being of the population. As Israelis work to return to normalcy. The international fellowship of Christians and Jews, that's the ifcj, has continued to support those in the Holy Land still facing the lingering horrors of war and those who are in desperate need right now. Your ongoing monthly gift of $45 will provide critically needed aid to communities in the north and south devastated by the ongoing war. I visited both parts of the country, the north and the south. Saw firsthand the impact your donations are having and the devastation that has to be rebuilt. You can provide hope during a time of great uncertainty with your gift. Bless Israel and her people by visiting supportifcj.org that's one word. Supportifcj.org you can also call 888-488-IFCJ. That's 888488, IFCJ want to be in the know when you're on the go the Team 47 podcast Trump highlights from the week, Sundays at noon Eastern in the Clay and Buck podcast feed. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can now win up to a thousand times your money on prize picks. It's the best way to get real money. Sports action join over 10 million users and sign up today. Win real money this basketball season when you run your game on Prize picks. And they invented the Flex Play, which means you can still cash out if your lineup isn't perfect. You can double your money even if one of your picks doesn't hit. Prize Picks puts their members first so all withdrawals are fast, safe and secure. When my picks hit, I can get my money in as quick as 15 minutes and they now offer MasterCard for quick and easy deposits into your account this sports season. Prize Picks Best way to win real money this basketball season Download the app today. Use my name Clay to get $50 instantly after you play your first $5 lineup. Again, that's code CLAY to get $50 instantly after you Play your first $5 lineup. Price picks Run your game. Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck Sexton Show I mentioned I didn't watch the Oscars. I barely saw any of the movies that were nominated for anything. I'm betting, Buck, you did not watch the Oscars either. But I did see this come across my Twitter timeline during the Oscars last night and it's pretty awesome. Kieran Culkin, who is the brother of Macaulay Culkin, was a star in the show succession most recently and I believe won an award last night. And Oscar got up on the stage and he had a message for his wife who made a bet that she probably didn't expect to get cashed this quickly. Listen, after the show, we're walking through.

[Kieran Culkin]

A parking lot, she's holding the Emmy. We're trying to find our car. Emily, you were there, so you're a witness. And she goes, oh God, I did say that. I guess I owe you a third kid. And I turned to her and I said, really?

[Clay Travis]

I want four.

[Kieran Culkin]

And she turned to me. I swear to God this happened. It was just over a year ago. She said, I will give you four when you win an Oscar. I held my hand out, she shook it and I have not brought it up once until just now. You remember that, honey. You do. Okay, then I just have this to say to you. Jazz love of my life. Ye of little faith. No pressure. I love you. I'm really sorry I did this again. And let's get cracking on those kids. What do you say?

[Clay Travis]

So this is great. Buck, you've got your first coming soon. He won a third kid with his wife, betting he would win an Emmy. She said, okay, I'll give you four if you win an Oscar. Back to back years. He won Best Supporting Actor last night. I thought that was pretty great.

[Buck Sexton]

It was indeed. More coming tomorrow, everybody.