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Lisa Booth
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Clay Travis
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Clay Travis
Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck SEXTON Show. Appreciate all of you hanging out with us. We are rolling through the Monday edition of the program and it is a super newsworthy one. We just got finished with an Oval Office meeting between Trump and Zelensky and I would say as we work towards the idea of a trilateral meeting, Trump is effectively playing the role of mediator. There are also probably more European leaders in the White House at one moment than we've almost ever seen before. I mean, you've got the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, England, the head of NATO, basically everyone arrayed there for a meeting to discuss the future of the Ukraine, Russia conflict. And I do think the meeting that we just saw between Trump and Zelensky was light years, light years different than the last time we saw Zelensky in the Oval Office when they were negotiating the so called mineral rights agreement. And all of this is moving in rapid speed. One bit of news that came out at the end of the press conference and I don't think we've hardly even mentioned it, if at all on this program. Melania Trump wrote a letter that Trump hand delivered to Vladimir Putin calling on Putin to end the war and stop the murder suffering that is going on in Europe. That matters on some level because Melania Trump, Buck, you may remember the exact country was it? She was from the Czech Republic area, if I remember.
Buck Sexton
Where is Melania is from Slovenia.
Clay Travis
Slovenia. So she is familiar as someone who was born and raised in, in that region in some way with the influence of Russia and all of those, all of those angles associated with it. Just now, Zelensky's wife has written a letter to Melania thanking her reportedly for trying to do whatever she can to stop the war. Uh, and Zelensky is going to deliver that letter from his wife to Melania Trump. I mentioned that only in the context of personal relationships is everything to Trump. And you can argue, hey, that shouldn't be the case. There's huge state departments. Trump wants to look in the eye of someone else and have a handshake agreement or a relationship. It seems to me, Buck, that the relationship between Trump and Zelensky is actually much stronger now than it was back in. Was it February when they had the Oval Office blow up, if I remember correctly? I think it was February. They had that iconic head to head meeting after the Pope died in, in, in Rome, in the Vatican City. And it seems like their relationships have been improving since Slovenia. By the way, for those of you who are not geographic experts, and I would put myself firmly in this category, Slovenia was a part of Yugoslavia prior to becoming an independent nation in 1991. Just FYI. Okay, let me play some of these cuts that all just came out in the last hour or so. Let's see. Trump says there could be a trilateral meeting right off the top here. Cut 32. Let's listen.
Donald Trump
We're going to have a meeting. I think if everything works out well today, we'll have a trilat and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that.
Clay Travis
Is this the end of the road for American support for Ukraine? Is today's meeting deal or no deal?
Donald Trump
I can never say that. It's never the end of the road. People are being killed and we want to stop that. So I would not say it's the end of the road. No, I think we have a good chance of doing it. It's been almost four years now that a lot of people were killed last week. A lot of people last week. I mean, millions of people killed, but a lot of people last week for whatever reason, a big number, a lot of soldiers, both on both sides. And I know the President, I know myself, and I believe Vladimir Putin wants to see it ended.
Clay Travis
And as you met with Putin on Friday, today you've got President Zelensky here as you listen to Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine, which side has the better cars?
Donald Trump
Well, I don't want to say that. I'm just going to, I'm just here to be, look, this isn't my war. This is Joe Biden's war. He's the one that had a lot to do with this happening and we want to get it ended and we want it to end good for everybody. We want it to end good. The people of Ukraine have suffered incredibly.
Clay Travis
Okay, let me hit you with a couple of others here, Buck, and then we'll break down what we think the significance is here. Cut 37. Trump says we want a long term peace. We're not looking for a short term deal. I think that's important. Cut 37.
Donald Trump
We're going to work with Ukraine, we're going to work with everybody and we're going to make sure that if there's peace, the peace is going to stay long term. This is very long term. We're not talking about a two year peace and then we end up in this mess again. We're going to make sure that everything's good. We'll work with Russia, we're going to work with Ukraine and we're going to make sure it works. And I think if we can get to peace, it's going to work. I have no doubt about it.
Clay Travis
Okay, so Buck, and let me play one more time because I think this is probably the most newsworthy element, Trump not ruling out sending American troops to Ukraine. This is cut 34. I think that was the biggest news that came out of this press availability in the Oval Office. Cut 34, your team has talked about security guarantees.
Buck Sexton
Could that involve U.S. troops? Would you roll that in the future?
Donald Trump
We'll let you know that maybe later today we're meeting with seven great leaders of great countries also and we'll be talking about that. They'll all be involved, but there'll be a lot of, there'll be a lot of help when it comes to security. There's going to be a lot of help. It's going to be good. They are first line of defense because they're there. They're Europe. But we're going to help them out also. We'll be involved.
Clay Travis
Okay.
Buck Sexton
Yeah, that's the big, that's the biggest thing of all here. The land issue, the swaps, the. You get this. I get that it's going to be painful for Ukraine because they don't think they should lose anything to Russian aggression. But the realities are what they are right now and that I think you can get to a negotiated settlement. Right now the challenge is how does that settlement endure and how does it endure specifically without us either guarantee of security, meaning we would send in actual military to help repulse another Russian. I'm just laying it out, everybody. This is where we are. I'm not advocating for it. I'm talking about what it would mean. I think we can all see what it would mean. Or as Clay was laying it out before, the possibility of a US Military presence in Ukraine as the ultimate guarantor of peace in the region. Because, you know, if you have Russian tanks rolling over and shooting at Americans, that's going to mean immediately we're involved. But I understand what that also means. Russia, thousands of nukes, major military, first world, first world military, if not a first world economy. And it's, it's a challenge. I wonder how. Now Trump has to be clear. Trump hasn't said that's happening. Maybe that doesn't happen. But we are trying to think here through Clay. What is a, you know, guarantee is a very powerful word. What is a guarantee acceptable to Ukraine at this point that does not involve a clear U.S. maybe an EU contingent instead. But I don't see how you get around that.
Clay Travis
I think there's so many ways to tiptoe up. First of all, when we did the mineral rights agreement, it is a backdoor acknowledgment that will defend American interests in Ukraine. That's why Ukraine wanted to do the deal. Talked about a lot. But when you say, hey, America owns 50% of this mine effectively, then you are saying, we're not going to let somebody come in and take away American property. So it is a backdoor defense. Part of me wonders whether they're going to get really skillful in the way that this is drafted. Maybe Europe is providing some secondary and maybe. Let me use my vocabulary. Well, here the Americans are the tertiary troops. And so you have, think about this. And again, this is just me kind of sketching out. You have the Ukrainian troops on the front line and Ukraine is staring right across at Russia in some sort of newly designed battlefield setup that is not dissimilar to what we have in Korea. In secondary support, you have so called European peace treaty peacekeeping troops that are basically a secondary line of defense further back, maybe it's 50 miles, 60 miles, whatever you want to do, but do have the ability to move to the front rapidly as needed. Then in a third tier, in a tertiary level, you have American troops on the ground protecting, securing all of the economic interests of the United States. But that is all the way back, maybe in Kyiv, right. Very far from the front lines. Is that an acceptable backdoor? Ish NATO Article 5 protection without officially being it, meaning Russia has to invade in order for those troops to get called in from line two and line three. And then the other part of this buck that I wonder about is how much does Trump just trust that Putin's not going to test him. That matters, but only for the next three years. Because if you suddenly had President Kamala Harris, do you feel comfortable that Putin, who knows? Again, Putin can play the long game a bit here because he's got 20 years in theory, to still be president. And he knows at some point, sadly, in those 20 years, maybe the United States has Joe Biden 2.0 and he takes advantage of that.
Buck Sexton
Yes. I mean, we all know Kamala is not going to run again, Clay. But beside that point, if it's President Newsom or President Kamala Harris, that will change the calculation for Vladimir Putin. No question about it. I do think, though, that we're in a situation where Trump is. He's going to be negotiating to end this thing and he might have to come out and tell the MAGA base, hey, guys, this is the only way to get this done or else this thing grinds on forever. And then there's a greater risk of possible American, Russian direct conflict. And then, of course, there's always that specter in the background of a. Some kind of a tactical nuclear exchange on the front lines. Now, nobody wants that. I hope it doesn't come to US Troops as the guarantee. I'm just trying to think of what this was, why we talked about, the sanctions thing. Anything that is, oh, we're going to make Russia's economy beg for mercy is not a guarantee of Ukrainian security. That's what we've already seen. Ok? There is nothing that they can promise on the economic warfare front against Russia that would make any savvy Ukrainian think that that's actually a guarantee. It's a stumbling block to Russian aggression at best. So with that, it's gotta be military. I'm also reminded here, Clay, of how right Trump was all along, even in his first term, about how NATO needs to step up. NATO needs to spend more on its defense. Europe needs to stop being a bunch of free riders. EU is the largest economy in the world, everybody. The EU is the largest economy in the world. The, you know, the Eurozone. Now, obviously it's a lot of different countries put together, but why is America by far the Biggest contributor to this in materiel. And why isn't, you know, why isn't Europe stepping up and realizing, you know, all those fancy social welfare states you got running guys, it's only because of the American security guarantee you've been able to get that going.
Clay Travis
And I thought part of the press conference that was actually interesting and illuminating in that aspect was Trump pointing out NATO spending has gotten to basically 5% or they have that target now. The way that this is structured since Trump came into office is we sell weapons to NATO and then NATO then provides those weapons to Ukraine in some way. It sounded like that was the way that he was describing it.
Buck Sexton
This is the role of Pakistan, by the way, in the Soviet Afghan war and the Pakistani ISI Inter Services Intelligence Agency, they were the cutouts for us to get the Stingers and the other weaponry. You know, you guys remember Charlie Wilson's war to bring that up again. But it was the Pakistani intelligence services because they could operate in that region. Obviously the Europeans are already in country and can pass along whatever we need them to pass along.
Clay Travis
I would also point this out. President Trump has got such a connection with his base and with the Republican Party in general. I think that a lot of people just trust him to get a deal done. And I think that gives him the flexibility to do some things that other Republican leaders couldn't. I think people trust Trump to keep us out of war. I really do. And I do think that that gives him negotiating leverage to try to get a deal done. The thing that Russia wants, again, I think it's always so important. What do the people want? Russia wants land, Ukraine wants security. That's their number one goal. We can provide some of that security, but how is it structured is the key, and that's the devil in the details, so to speak.
Buck Sexton
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Clay Travis
On, and some laughs too. Clay Travis at Buck Sexton Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Buck Sexton
All right, welcome back into Clay and Buck. So the biggest thing right now in this huge summit at the White House with European leaders and Vladimir Zelensky of Volodymyr, Zelensky of Ukraine is the possibility of a US Security guarantee for a, an end of the Ukraine war. This, we're not just talking ceasefire here, we're talking durable peace. That's the goal. That's the goal. Will they get there? We don't know. But Clay, another part of this is Zelensky. So the security guarantee, I think, is the biggest question. We'll talk to Frank Gaffney about that here momentarily. He was a high stakes negotiator for the Reagan administration. I know many are familiar with Frank, but we'll talk to him about this. Clay. The other thing, though, is Zelensky saying in the Oval Office, yeah, I'll sit down with Putin, let's go, let's have this conversation. Let's see where we are. So we're at least getting more data. We're at least moving this thing. The process is moving. The result is what is uncertain. But you've got to have that process to get to the result you want.
Clay Travis
Until you get these individuals sitting down in some sort of agreement that they might in any way end the conflict. You can't end the conflict, so you have to meet with them sooner or later. And it does seem like there's a good chance that we're going to get Trump in the role of mediator, maybe by the end of the week for Zelensky and Putin face to face. Uh, so we will give you the absolute latest on that. How does this end? And again, the security guarantees versus the land being given up seems to be the primary concern of both sides, Ukraine and Russia in that respect. We'll break more of that down for you in a sec. But Good Ranchers gets their proteins from American ranchers and farmers. No antibiotics, no hormones, no seed oil. It's the kind of food you want to serve to your family. The founders of Good Ranchers, husband and wife, Ben and Corley, started their business because they wanted to feed their kids the best of the best. All product from right here in the good old usa. It comes to your home as a subscription package to ensure freshness. You're gonna love it. We're both subscribers. We eat this food. We feed it to our families. You can get 25 bucks off each month when you sign up right now, plus a $40 discount right off the top. That's $65 off on your initial order when you use Code Clay again, free meat for life as well, whether it's chicken nuggets, bacon, wagyu burgers, you're gonna love it. You can pick your own meats. Go to goodranchers.com code clay right now. Go check it out. You're gonna love it. Like my family does. $65 off goodranchers.com code clay.
Buck Sexton
Welcome back into Clay and Buck. Guys, just a quick cleanup on. I'll buck here. Sorry, I got a stat wrong, and it's an important one. So Maya Culpa, give me a code red. At one point in the 21st century, the EU had a larger economy than the US I think was around 2008. The team just pulled up all the numbers. But we have absolutely smoked the EU over the last 15 years or so in terms of GDP growth. So we're at about. What is it like? We're the. They. They. All the European countries combined are about 20 trillion. We're about 30 trillion. So. Sorry, but. Sorry, sorry. Their population is larger than ours. They've got about 450 million. We've got about 330, depending on how you want to count the illegals. But, you know, it's a whole other thing.
Clay Travis
But.
Buck Sexton
So they have a bigger population manpower. But in terms of, you know, we're talking about the Ukraine situation, but in terms of materiel, monetary resources, what. What an astonishing stat in favor of the US Approach of things. By the way, it's not even close. Over the last 15 years we have absolutely, it turns out working 20 hours a week and like three days a week and, you know, having eight weeks off a year doesn't make you as rich as what Americans do, so. Maya culpa, all VIPs. I'm sorry, Buck is, is fallible on both serving and stats, although the serve game is not over yet. Let's take our friend Frank Gaffney here. Frank Gaffney was President Reagan's Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security policy. Also served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for nuclear forces and arms control policy. Frank, appreciate you being here. I'm sure you saw what's going on in that Trump White House in that meeting. Can we just dive into the security guarantee part? Because that's the, that's the sticky situation that seems to be emerging right now. What do you make of it?
Frank Gaffney
Well, it's sticky all the way around, as best I can tell. On the one hand, I'm incredulous that Vladimir Putin will actually accept it. I'm also somewhat surprised that President Trump apparently has in some form or another, and you know, whether it's enough to persuade the Ukrainians to relinquished territory that they've lost, to be frank, but nonetheless seek to recover, remains very much to be seen. So it's, it is what the Brits would call, I think, a sticky wicket in the cricket game.
Clay Travis
Frank, it seems that basically this is boiled down to Russia's going to demand territory, Ukraine's going to demand security guarantees. I mean, that seems to be the primary goal of each side at this point. How does this resolve itself? Is there any parallel in the Cold War? The analogy we've been using is Korea. You have a demilitarized zone. It's been a tenuous piece, but it now has lasted for 75 some odd years. Ish. Is there any precedent there? How would you solve this, the situation, if you were given the ability to act as mediator?
Frank Gaffney
Well, I would do one thing that as far as I can tell, is not on the table or even being discussed, and that is I would hold the Chinese Communist Party accountable for the fix that we're in at the moment. I believe that Xi Jinping specifically greenlighted the invasion of Iran, excuse me, of Ukraine, and in so doing has been ever since the enabler of this war. I think they did it for selfish reasons. I believe that it is to distract the United States and the Europeans, to tie us down, to bleed us in terms of military equipment and financial means. And that all serves the purpose. China, for its own agenda out in the Pacific. So I would start by saying those guys have to be held accountable for what's being done here. And without that, I honestly am not sure that the Russians will agree to anything. I think as long as the Chinese believe, as they've indicated, that this war should continue, the much junior partner in this so called new no limits partnership, namely Vladimir Putin, is probably going to be heeding his, his bosses in Beijing. So it's, it's a, it's a challenge that is not currently being addressed, as I said. And I think that until it does, it's not clear to me that any of these negotiations amount to much.
Buck Sexton
So we're still hoping for break breakthroughs here, Frank, and we're going to get more details about where the Ukrainian side comes down on this. It seems like there's a willingness for Zelensky to sit down with Putin, which is certainly a necessary precondition for the trilateral, trilateral discussion, if not trilateral agreement to come out of this. What though, do you think, what can Trump do to pressure the Russians to actually be willing to end this thing? Because that's one thing that's getting a lot of attention right now as this is going on, as these discussions are happening and Trump was saying it in the Oval Office, the Russians are escalating their offensive. The Russians are trying to run up more casualties on the Ukrainian side as we're supposed to see conversations about peace. So do you think all the economic levers have been pulled? How can Trump get through to Putin that he won't just continue to get more if he keeps fighting?
Frank Gaffney
Well, again, Trump has placed secondary sanctions on India for buying Russian oil at discounted prices. The Chinese are also doing that. And I think if Trump wants to bring real pressure to bear on Putin, put those secondary sanctions on China. And I think you'll see that there is probably a willingness to get to an agreement that doesn't exist at the moment. That's what I would do.
Clay Travis
How do you preserve. Okay, let's pretend that Ukraine, because this is where I do think Zelensky has a, maybe the most important argument. Let's say that he says, okay, we're going to give you some of the territory that you have invaded that we don't think you deserve, but you took this land and we're going to draw a new border. But based on the way Putin has behaved over the last 10 years, how do you, if you're Zelensky, knowing that Trump only has three and a half years left in office, keep any kind of security apparatus or faith in this deal. When Putin has shown that he will not abide by any sort of agreement not to invade again, meaning as soon as Trump leaves and you end up with another weak Democrat in office, Putin tries to take another bite at the apple. In other words, I'm actually sympathetic to Zelensky. The security guarantees seem to be, to me, the most important thing for Ukraine. I don't understand how you change that dynamic.
Frank Gaffney
Dynamic? I'm not sure you can. Again, unless there is some disincentive to Putin that is not evident at the moment. To the contrary, I think that what he is signaling in his behavior to date, for sure, and arguably in some of his posturing at the moment, is he's leaving his options open. And that means that a security guarantee is necessary. I'm just not sure that the United States has the appetite for it. And if it does, whether it will be broadly, you know, supported by the American people. We've talked ourselves into a position where a lot of folks, particularly in the MAGA community, are persuaded that Ukraine's not our problem and we certainly don't want to put American boots or lives on the line to protect it. I, like you, I think, have some sympathy for the argument that the Ukrainians are making, especially because back in 94, we gave them security guarantees if they gave up nuclear weapons, and that went over the side, and they're rightfully, I think, very reluctant to buy that pig in a poke.
Buck Sexton
Again, what do you make of the argument that has been out there among some of the more hawkish Ukraine supporters in this country, that if Putin isn't stopped definitively in Ukraine, he will go into other countries in Europe? Because that. You're hearing less of that right now, Because I think everyone's focused on this current negotiation. But that has certainly been something that people have been saying about Russia's intentions.
Frank Gaffney
I think that is Putin's intention. He's made no secret that he thinks the greatest disaster of the 20th century was the fall of the old Soviet Union. I think he seeks to, if not reestablish it fully, then some fashion of the Russian empire, and that means bites of parts of Europe again. And I hate to belabor this point, but I think in some measure it's a function of whether he's going to have the backing and support of China to do such a thing. And unless we get serious about dissuading the Chinese from thinking that more chaos, what I call strategic arson, is something that they can pursue with impunity, you're going to Find I think Putin believing that he can in fact similarly act with impunity if not immediately down the road.
Clay Travis
Okay, so let's say we don't get any settlement at all. We're coming up on the winter. Typically, things kind of grind to a halt just based on the difficulties in moving men and material, based on the weather there. How long would this go on in your mind if both sides just continue basically on the trajectory we're on right now?
Frank Gaffney
Well, something that's changed in the course of this war is that it's not all about, you know, the movement of mechanized divisions. That gets, that gets very tricky in the wintertime, especially the muddy periods at the beginning and end of it. But what I think you're going to be seeing more of is more attacks of rockets and drones, especially the war can continue. That is a question of resources on the part of the Ukrainians, particularly human resources. And seemingly the Russians being bankrolled by, you know, the Chinese again and getting all kinds of equipment for the war from Iran. If it's mullahs are still in power there, I hope that that will be something else that we attend to and bring to a close.
Buck Sexton
Frank, at DOD with Reagan, you, you were privy to high level discussions of this nature. You know, what the feel is like, what the tone is like when things are progressing versus when things are stalling. How would you gauge your optimism at what we've seen so far today added to what we saw Friday in Alaska?
Frank Gaffney
I think it's a work in progress. And my guess is that what we're going to see more of is posturing and a decision that there's more meetings to be had. So I think that this is not yet ripe for a conclusion. Hope I'm wrong, but I think there are pieces of this that haven't yet been addressed, as I say, and that means this will continue at the talking stage, I suppose, as well as the warring stage while the talking goes on.
Clay Travis
Thank you, Frank. We appreciate the time and you coming on and sharing your expertise with us.
Frank Gaffney
Happy to do it. Thanks for having me.
Clay Travis
Look, it's football season and I know people maybe need a little bit of an uplift as there's been some, some dower things out there on the global stage. And one of the best things to just kind of kick back, have a beer is football. And I know my son's football season kicks off on Thursday. That is high school football. But a lot of you out there gearing up too, whether it's the NFL, whether it's college football, and our friends at Prize Picks right now in 40 plus states including California, including Texas, including Florida. We're going to make you hopefully a lot have a lot more fun with football than you otherwise would. Every week. We're going to give you picks once the season gets rolling. Prizepix.com code clay you put in $5 right now, you get $50 to just make football a little bit more fun than it already is. This is America sport. All of you pretty much are going to be watching at some point in time. Go get hooked up now. 40/states 13 million players prizepix.com my name Clay that's Clay for $50 when you play $5 that's pricepicks.com my name Clay Making America great again isn't just one man, it's many. The Team 47 podcast Sundays at noon Eastern in the Clay and Buck Podcast feed. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast podcasts there's.
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Clay Travis
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Buck Sexton
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Clay Travis
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Buck Sexton
We're closing up shop here. We'll continue to assess the progress of these high stakes negotiations. So we will get into all of that with you tomorrow. We'll also go back to the D.C. crime issue and something we didn't get, we didn't get to today just because it's fun, but not. Well, it's kind of important. Msnbc, Clay, we'll have fun with this tomorrow.
Clay Travis
I want to, I want to die.
Buck Sexton
You want to just save the whole thing?
Clay Travis
Well, no, I think we can tell people, but just say, hey, put a pin. We're gonna have some fun. There's been so much breaking news today, but msnbc, go ahead and tell people if they happen to miss it, it is dead.
Buck Sexton
They are changing the name. There is no more msnbc. They are changing the name of MSNBC because the brand is so trash and everything and Trump has. This is just absolute victory of Trump over the left wing media lunatic brigade. I mean, it's astonishing. And as I said on Twitter, I think this alone should get Trump added to Mount Rushmore. The destruction of msnbc, the destruction of the CNN propaganda machine, and we have Trump to thank for this. So we'll get into this more tomorrow.
Clay Travis
We'll have fun.
Buck Sexton
On a light note. On a light note, from the world of high stakes negotiations, Trump, Zelensky fashion. Clay and I are sympathetic to those who get abused for their sartorial choices. Clay, I can't. Depending on who you ask. My tennis shorts too long or too short? I'm just, I'm wondering, you know, like, how, how am I supposed to win here? Like, why are your shorts so short? They're just shorts. Why are your shorts so long? What am I supposed to do? I don't understand.
Clay Travis
This is perfect. This is perfect. I've joked with my wife that there is truly nothing I can do in clothing. And by the way, it's never women. I'm kind of stunned. I don't know if social media wildly over indexes the number of men that care about what other men wear. You like, you have a pretty wife. I've got a pretty wife. I can be standing next to my gorgeous wife dressed in a perfect, you know, evening gown. And people are like, why. Why are you wearing that color shoe? Where's your. Why is your belt buckle focused that way? I'm like, who looks at the guy? I. I don't ever look at a dude. When there's a pretty girl next to a guy, I don't care about the dude at all. All my eyes go to the pretty girl. On social media, there's a lot of dudes out there that want to look at the guy. But this is Zelensky. This is pretty funny. Remember, Zelinsky used to be a comedian, right? I mean, this was how he became famous. And he. Last time he was in the Oval Office, there was a question about why he wasn't in a suit. The same guy followed up with the same question. Pretty funny. This happened just a little while ago in the Oval Office. President Zelensky, you look fabulous in that suit.
Donald Trump
I share the suit. Yeah, look, look good. I said the same thing. Yeah, that's the one that attacked you last time.
Clay Travis
I remember that. I apologize to you.
Donald Trump
Look, you look wonderful.
Buck Sexton
No, my first question for you, President Zelensky in the same suit.
Clay Travis
I changed. That's pretty funny. If you had trouble hearing, Zelensky said, but you're in the same suit. After the same reporter asked him about his outfit, he also said, I changed.
Buck Sexton
I changed. But you have not, was his final line.
Clay Travis
Did you hear how Zelinsky's outfit was described by that White House reporter? Fabulous. That White House reporter said he looked fabulous. Not me. The White House reporter.
Buck Sexton
I do think the word fabulous, when you're discussing. When you're discussing fashion, I think the word fabulous is particularly appropriate.
Frank Gaffney
Clay.
Clay Travis
Thank you.
Big 3 Basketball Promo Announcer
Thank you.
Clay Travis
It's just that I have such a buoyant, optimistic worldview that I want to layer out compliments on everyone across the entire culture. When we come back tomorrow, we'll find out. We're going to have a press conference that is starting right about now. So I imagine for those of you listening to Sean Hannity, there will be updates on exactly what is said. And tomorrow we will break down the ongoing fallout. And the number one question will be, has this set the table for some sort of trilateral meeting, and are we moving closer to peace potentially in Ukraine? All that tomorrow we will break down for you. Thanks for hanging on, Clay. And Buck.
Big 3 Basketball Promo Announcer
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Lisa Booth
This is an iHeart podcast.
Episode: Hour 3 - Trust but Verify
Date: August 18, 2025
Hosts: Clay Travis & Buck Sexton
Notable Guest: Frank Gaffney (Former Assistant Secretary of Defense)
In this third hour, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton break down an exceptionally newsworthy day in world politics, focusing on a series of high-stakes meetings at the White House between Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European leaders. The hosts analyze Trump’s role as a mediator in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, highlight developments in US and international security guarantees, and host a detailed interview with Reagan-era defense expert Frank Gaffney. Humor and candid banter run throughout as they tackle topics ranging from geopolitical negotiation to NATO burden-sharing and even presidential fashion.
“Trump is effectively playing the role of mediator...There are also probably more European leaders in the White House at one moment than we've almost ever seen before.”
— Clay Travis ([03:44])
“We're going to make sure that if there's peace, the peace is going to stay long term...We're not talking about a two year peace and then we end up in this mess again.”
— Donald Trump ([09:04])
“The possibility of a US Military presence in Ukraine as the ultimate guarantor of peace in the region…”
— Buck Sexton ([10:17])
“I believe that Xi Jinping specifically greenlighted the invasion of Ukraine, and in so doing has been ever since the enabler of this war.”
— Frank Gaffney ([30:55])
“They are changing the name of MSNBC because the brand is so trash...This alone should get Trump added to Mount Rushmore.”
— Buck Sexton ([46:35])
The episode is a mix of sharp political analysis and irreverent, affable humor, with both hosts unsparing in their critiques of US foreign policy, European “free-riding,” and media organizations. Trumpian bravado features prominently, and the mood shifts fluidly from serious assessments of war and peace to playful banter about fashion and TV news branding.
If you missed this episode, you’ll gain a clear understanding of the current state of US-Ukraine-Russia negotiations—with expert guest insight—along with a sense of the complicated trade-offs regarding territory, security, and America’s role on the world stage. The show’s trademark humor and skepticism toward both bureaucracy and media orthodoxy are on full display, offering a lively, wide-ranging take on the news of the day.