Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: It's a Numbers Game: The Numbers Behind Trump v. Courts with Ann Coulter
Host: Ryan Gradusky (subbing in this episode)
Guest: Ann Coulter
Date: November 27, 2025
Podcast Provider: iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the unprecedented number of judicial interventions—specifically, nationwide federal court injunctions—against Trump administration policies, particularly on immigration. Host Ryan Gradusky is joined by noted conservative commentator and writer Ann Coulter. Together, they break down the power struggles between the executive branch and the judiciary, discuss the real numbers behind federal judges' impact on policy, and reflect critically on both the media and the internal dynamics of conservative politics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Judicial Overreach & Executive Power (02:55–12:31)

• Explosion in Nationwide Injunctions:
  Ryan Gradusky cites figures showing that Trump faced more nationwide injunctions from district court judges than any previous president—64 during his first term, more than all his predecessors combined.

  “This is unprecedented to have this many nationwide injunctions against a single president.”—Ryan Gradusky (08:00)

• District Court Authorities:
  The mechanics of federal courts—district judges’ lifetime appointments and appellate courts—are outlined. The rising trend of “judge shopping” by activists is described as seeking sympathetic judges to block the administration’s policies.

• Impact of Recent Appointments:
  Gradusky details the rapid appointment of hundreds of federal judges by the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations, noting that many are sympathetic to progressive causes.

  “That means if you’re a liberal organization… you have over 100 appellate court judges and 455 district court judges appointed by the last two Democratic administrations…”—Ryan Gradusky (05:00)

• Examples of Judicial Interventions:

  • Judge Jon Tigar’s 2018/2019 injunctions on immigration policy
  • Judge Derek Watson’s halting of Trump’s “travel ban” in Hawaii
  • 2025 examples: 13 district court judges (6 Biden, 3 Bush, 3 Obama, 1 Reagan appointee) issuing holds on various Trump executive orders

• The Problem with Nationwide Injunctions:
  Both host and guest emphasize that this level of intervention, particularly from judges appointed outside of the legislative process, is an affront to executive prerogatives—especially on immigration, traditionally seen as a core presidential power.

2. Ann Coulter’s Perspective: Power, Precedent & the Courts (12:31–24:58)

• Presidential Control Over Immigration:
  Ann Coulter describes how, historically, the president’s “plenary power” over immigration has been upheld, and recent judicial behavior is, in her words, “shocking.”

  “The president has exclusive plenary power over immigration… So this isn’t a matter of Trump defying court orders. This is a matter of the courts defying presidential powers in a really obvious and egregious way.”—Ann Coulter (13:25–15:35)

• Bias in Judicial Assignment:
  Coulter and Gradusky point to the overwhelming number of Democratic-appointed judges issuing rulings against Trump, raising questions of political partisanship.

• Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court, And Judicial Restraint:
  Both reference Justice Thomas’s critique of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Hawaii:

  “District court judges do not have this insane right to sit there and actually make decrees… for the sake of the entire nation.”—Ryan Gradusky paraphrasing Justice Thomas (16:52)

3. Judges’ Backgrounds and Political Perceptions (18:20–20:48)

• Discussion of ‘Foreign-born’ Judges:
  Both host and guest vent frustrations regarding judges who are recent immigrants themselves being in charge of presidential-level decisions.
  Coulter brings up Trump’s previous criticism of a “Mexican” judge, contrasting media reaction then to years of precedent regarding the importance of jury and judicial demographics:

  “For my entire life I have been told that a criminal conviction has to be thrown out if it’s all white people on the jury… but Trump mentions that this guy’s a Mexican...”—Ann Coulter (19:29)

4. Separation of Powers: Theory and Practice (20:48–27:32)

• Co-Equal Branches, Not Judicial Supremacy:
  Coulter asserts that executive power should not be overruled by a single district judge—“It makes it feel like there is a judicial supremacy versus a co-equal branch.” (22:03)
  She goes on to explain that courts are intended to decide “cases and controversies” between parties, not to set national policy.

  “All courts… decide cases and controversies... They aren’t binding anyone else to these cases. That’s making a law—that isn’t deciding a case or controversy between two parties.”—Ann Coulter (23:30)

• Gradusky highlights how even a slow process (district to Supreme Court can take 16 months), repeated multiple times, can easily neuter a presidential administration’s agenda.

5. Media and Conservative Movement Reflections (29:52–41:44)

• Reflecting on Past and Present Conservative Media:
  Coulter discusses the herding instinct in legacy and even conservative media, how opinions become standardized to remain within the “sphere of influence,” and how genuinely dissenting views are marginalized—often until proven correct after the fact.

  “Everyone will say the same thing… For protection...And I didn’t realize what the rules were. So the first, like, 10 times this happened, I thought, wow, I must be misunderstanding something, because I think that’s totally wrong.”—Ann Coulter (31:48)

• Book Publishing & Conservative Censorship:
  Coulter shares struggles publishing bestsellers with mainstream publishers, who would refuse conservative titles regardless of sales potential, to “move the dialogue forward” instead.

6. Changes in Conservative Politics & Policy (36:27–39:44)

• Shifts in Immigration Policy:
  Coulter and Gradusky remember the isolation of being anti-amnesty conservatives pre-2016, how media and party structures shut down diverse viewpoints, and how much the party has changed since then.

• Influence of Special Interests and Media Narratives:
  They both express disbelief at how policy “autopsies” post-2012 pushed for amnesty even when it wasn’t popular with voters, just with elites.

7. Ann Coulter’s Career and Media Battles (41:44–43:52)

• Coulter recalls difficulties with publishers, but also some of her most memorable TV spats and professional highlights, emphasizing authentic argument over opportunism.

“Alan Combs, obviously, Bill Maher, Joy Behar… Rick Sanchez on CNN who hilariously was canceled…”—Ann Coulter (43:14)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Judicial Overreach:

  “District court judges do not have this insane right to sit there and actually make decrees…for the sake of the entire nation.”
  — Clarence Thomas (paraphrased by Ryan Gradusky, 16:52)

• On Presidential Power in Immigration:

  “Because the president has exclusive power over immigration. So this isn’t a matter of Trump defying court orders. This is a matter of the courts defying presidential powers in a really obvious and egregious way.”
  — Ann Coulter (15:00)

• On Media Herding:

  “Everyone will say the same thing. And for protection, I don’t know who the first person is… And I didn’t realize what the rules were. So the first, like, 10 times this happened, I thought, wow, I must be misunderstanding something, because I think that’s totally wrong.”
  — Ann Coulter (31:48)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Judicial Injunctions Against Trump: 02:55–09:36
• Ann Coulter on Judicial Power/Immigration: 12:31–18:20
• Critique of Courts’ National Role: 20:48–24:58
• Media Herding & Conservative Influence: 31:48–36:27
• Publisher Bias and Book Publishing: 39:20–42:33
• Ann Coulter on Her TV Fights: 43:14–43:52

Language & Tone

The conversation is direct, partisan, laced with sarcasm, and at times humorous. Coulter’s signature bravado and Gradusky’s data-driven approach dominate the tone, with an undercurrent of exasperation regarding both the judiciary's activism and the stifling of authentic debate within conservative circles.

Conclusion

This episode offers a deep dive into the “numbers game” of judicial power in contemporary politics, illustrating how the interaction of executive order, district court activism, and media narratives shape real-world policy outcomes. Ann Coulter provides both a seasoned, historically rooted perspective and candid anecdotes that animate the theoretical stakes for listeners interested in power, law, and political media.

For more from Ann Coulter, find her columns and podcast at anncoulter.substack.com.