Normally Podcast: From Late-Night Lows to Hunter Biden's Highs

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show - "Normally Podcast: From Late-Night Lows to Hunter Biden's Highs"

Release Date: July 22, 2025

Hosts:

• Clay Travis
• Buck Sexton
• Guest: Matt Whitlock (Host of the 10 Minute Drill podcast)

---

Introduction

In this episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, titled "Normally Podcast: From Late-Night Lows to Hunter Biden's Highs," hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton delve into the tumultuous landscape of American politics and cultural shifts post the 2024 election. With special guest Matt Whitlock, a seasoned Republican communicator and strategist, the discussion navigates through election analyses, controversial interviews, and the evolving realm of late-night comedy.

---

1. Election Autopsy and Democratic Strategies

Timestamp: 03:44 - 07:31

The conversation kicks off with the New York Times' report on the Democratic Party conducting an "autopsy" of the 2024 election—a comprehensive analysis aimed at understanding the factors behind their loss. Clay Travis explains the concept to listeners, likening it to examining a "dead campaign" to identify mistakes.

Matt Whitlock critiques the autopsy, asserting that the fundamental issues are glaring and perhaps unnecessary to dissect in detail:

"The biggest problem for them was that Kamala Harris is probably the worst candidate in modern history that's led a ticket, but the Biden part of it is unavoidable." (04:34)

Whitlock emphasizes that the real cause of the Democratic defeat, as reported by the New York Times, centers on Joe Biden's prolonged presidency and the late endorsement of Kamala Harris, undermining the party's cohesion and message.

Clay Travis adds that Democratic analyses often miss the core issues by focusing on minor missteps rather than addressing the larger problem:

"Their message was bad, their messenger was terrible, but their entire message was just atrocious on every issue." (06:01)

The hosts agree that the Democratic Party's failure to resonate with the broader electorate—only catering to a narrow base—significantly contributed to their loss, contrasting sharply with President Trump's ability to address issues relevant to a larger portion of the population.

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2. Hunter Biden's Outburst and Its Implications

Timestamp: 08:54 - 13:41

A substantial portion of the episode focuses on Hunter Biden's explosive interview with YouTube personality Andrew Callahan of Channel 5. The discussion highlights Hunter's vehement criticism of his father's political allies and his broader dissatisfaction with the Democratic establishment.

Hunter Biden delivers a tirade filled with profanity, targeting figures like George Clooney, James Carville, David Axelrod, and others:

"Fuck him and everybody around him. Oh, not to be fucking nice, number one, I agree with Quentin Tarantino." (08:54)

Matt Whitlock interprets this outburst as a sign of internal strife within the Biden family and the Democratic Party:

"The Biden family is not happy with the way they were treated, which isn't a surprise. We've seen that in stories mentioned a lot over the last six months that they thought he got a raw deal." (10:20)

Whitlock suggests that Hunter Biden's behavior reflects deeper issues within the Democratic leadership, potentially hindering their ability to present a unified and effective front. He also speculates on Hunter's influence over President Biden, hinting at possible internal conflicts:

"The Biden family is not happy with the way they were treated... Hunter is not going to let [the Democratic Party] move on." (10:20)

Clay Travis echoes concerns about the party's communication struggles, exacerbated by unpredictable elements like Hunter Biden's public outbursts:

"Every time it seems like they might get closer to [a coherent message], Joe Biden pops up with a New York Times Interview. And that was bad enough, and now you have this, ooh, Hunter coming through." (11:03)

The segment underscores the Democratic Party's challenges in maintaining a consistent and effective message amidst internal discord and public controversies.

---

3. Cultural Vibe Shift in 2025

Timestamp: 17:45 - 27:24

The hosts transition to discussing the broader cultural shifts that have emerged in 2025, focusing particularly on the landscape of late-night comedy and its intersection with politics.

a. Late-Night Comedy: Stephen Colbert's Decline

Clay Travis addresses Stephen Colbert's recent loss of his late-night hosting gig, attributing it to a shift from comedy to political lecture:

"His message was bad, his messenger was terrible, but their entire message was just atrocious on every issue." (20:10)

Matt Whitlock elaborates on how Colbert's move away from humor towards "righteous indignation" alienated his audience:

"He shifted from laughs to trying to get applause for righteous indignation, which has not been comedy." (19:57)

The hosts discuss the economic and audience-related challenges facing late-night shows, noting an aging viewership and declining advertiser interest. They contrast Colbert's struggles with other hosts who have adapted differently.

b. The Rise of Shane Gillis

Shane Gillis's recent performance at the ESPYs serves as a focal point for showcasing the evolving nature of political satire and comedy.

Clay Travis praises Gillis for his risk-taking and ability to challenge the status quo:

"He's a guy who takes risks in a room where people are gonna get mad at him for doing that." (24:28)

Matt Whitlock highlights how Gillis's humor resonates with audiences seeking genuine comedy that challenges political correctness:

"Having Shane Gillis in part for the room, but also for everyone else to, like, really enjoy someone actually, like, bring some of these athletes down to earth just a little bit." (25:40)

The hosts appreciate Gillis's approach, likening his performance to Ricky Gervais's at the Golden Globes, where making people uncomfortable can result in compelling television.

Clay Travis concludes that the shift in late-night comedy reflects a broader cultural desire for authenticity and humor over politically driven content:

"It's easy to see why [Colbert's show] failed... You turn on late night comedy to try and unplug from the stress of the day. And that's all that Stephen Colbert wanted to talk about." (20:50)

---

4. In Case You Missed It

Timestamp: 31:12 - 34:12

The episode wraps up with a segment titled "In Case You Missed It," where Clay and Matt highlight recent political developments.

a. Pete Buttigieg's DEI Grants vs. Air Traffic Control Upgrades

Matt Whitlock reports on a New York Post story revealing that Pete Buttigieg, a leading Democratic presidential candidate, allocated $80 billion to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) grants while delaying critical air traffic control upgrades:

"Pete Buttigieg... spent $80 billion on DEI grants while delaying air traffic control upgrades." (31:24)

Whitlock criticizes Buttigieg’s priorities, suggesting that his actions demonstrate misplaced focus within the administration:

"Buttigieg gives us so much to work with and it's awesome." (32:13)

Clay Travis underscores Buttigieg's misguided efforts to showcase transportation improvements, highlighting the irony of promoting efficiency while neglecting essential infrastructure:

"He has never been at the switch ever." (32:27)

b. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Reforms

Clay Travis discusses a Wall Street Journal report on reforms to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), initiated during the Trump administration to streamline permitting processes:

"A 2020 federal study found that at that point it took 4.5 years average to complete an environmental impact statement." (32:35)

Matt Whitlock praises the Trump administration's efforts to reduce bureaucratic red tape, aligning with broader goals of promoting development and reducing litigation:

"Incredibly valuable. Huge, huge coup for the Trump administration." (33:43)

The hosts suggest that these reforms signify a positive shift towards facilitating construction and development projects, aligning with economic growth objectives.

---

Conclusion

In this episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton, alongside guest Matt Whitlock, provide a critical examination of the Democratic Party's shortcomings in the 2024 election, the disruptive influence of Hunter Biden's public statements, and the significant cultural shifts affecting late-night comedy. The discussion underscores a broader theme of political and cultural realignment in the United States, highlighting the challenges and transformations shaping the current landscape.

Notable Quotes:

• Matt Whitlock on Democratic autopsy:

  "The message was bad, their messenger was terrible... their entire message was just atrocious on every issue." (06:01)

• Hunter Biden during his interview:

  "Fuck him and everybody around him... He's a brand. Fuck you." (08:54)

• Matt Whitlock on Hunter Biden:

  "Hunter is not going to let that happen." (10:20)

• Clay Travis on Stephen Colbert:

  "You turn on late night comedy to try and unplug from the stress of the day. And that's all that Stephen Colbert wanted to talk about." (20:50)

• Shane Gillis ESPYs comment:

  "We're just gonna pretend she's a good time." (24:20)

---

Final Thoughts:

This episode offers listeners a comprehensive look into the interplay between political maneuvers, internal party dynamics, and cultural changes influencing media and public discourse. By dissecting the factors contributing to electoral outcomes and examining the evolution of comedy as a reflection of societal sentiments, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton provide valuable insights into the ever-changing American socio-political landscape.

Transcript

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[Host 1]

Hey guys, we are back on Normal, the show with normalish takes for when the news gets weird, and it's always weird. And in the absence of my dear friend Carol Markowitz, who is actually going to enjoy her trip and vacation, I have called in a ringer, my friend Matt Whitlock. He has been with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a couple of Senate offices, longtime Republican communicator and strategist, and host of the 10 Minute Drill podcast, which is exactly what it sounds like. If you want your information in 10 minutes, you go get it from Matt Whitlock. How are you doing, Matt?

[Matt Whitlock]

Great to be with you. This is very exciting. Huge fan of the show. I will do my best to fill in, but my takes will not be quite as. As saucy. I don't have the accent, you know, of Carol, but I will do my best. Sometimes when she gets really heated, she gets like, extra accenting. I really like that. So I'm gonna do my best here.

[Host 1]

This is contrary. This is your first hot take because Carol will tell you she doesn't have an accent.

[Matt Whitlock]

Well, I think we can roll the tape. Luckily, there's lots of record of her talking and we can.

[Host 1]

It's like me. I don't have an accent either. I don't know what I'm talking about.

[Matt Whitlock]

There you go.

[Host 1]

Okay, so let us start today with the New York Times reporting on the autopsy that Democrats are doing on the 2024 election. Now, for those who are not super political junkies and maybe don't know this term, an autopsy is basically what it sounds like, which is there's a dead campaign that lost, and you have to look back at its mistakes and examine what killed it.

[Matt Whitlock]

The sounds like. Right?

[Host 1]

Yeah. The Republicans most famously did this in 2012 after Mitt Romney lost to Barack Obama. And then also famously, Trump tossed out every conclusion from that autopsy and did the exact opposite. And here we are with him in his second term.

[Matt Whitlock]

It seemed to work out.

[Host 1]

Yeah. Who knows, man? So they're. They're an imperfect analysis, but they're a way for parties to get their heads around this. What's going on with the one for 2024?

[Matt Whitlock]

I love this story. I love the genre. I love the idea of trying to pick apart what went wrong. But in this case, I think a lot of us who watch this election play out would argue an autopsy is not really necessary. We know a lot of went wrong. But if you're going to do an autopsy, you can't cut out the biggest reason or what the New York Times called the Actual cause of death, which was Joe Biden trying to stay in too long and then handing it over too late to Kamala Harris. Personally, I would argue that the biggest problem for them was that Kamala Harris is probably the worst candidate in modern history that's led a ticket, but the Biden part of it is unavoidable. And so to cut him out of there kind of defangs the entire thing. Like, what do you even do in there?

[Host 1]

Well, as I joked, I was like, Democrats never miss an opportunity to miss the point. And in this case, they're like, you know what the problem was the pac. The PAC didn't coordinate properly. Let's forget that, like, coordinating is not actually what it's allowed to do. Or.

[Matt Whitlock]

Sure.

[Host 1]

And look, the PAC Future forward spent $560 million and got very little for it. Right. In the way of electoral victories. So there's a critique to be made, but I think we're missing the larger issue. And as you note, the larger issue is part Biden. It's also the other thing they don't want to wrestle with, which is that they signaled throughout the campaign that they're completely out of touch with Americans and what they care about, and they cannot figure out how to reconcile that.

[Matt Whitlock]

Well, and that's so much of these autopsies have come back to, what could we say slightly differently? How could we message slightly differently? What podcast could we go on that could have won this for us? What different message could we have put on the sphere in Las Vegas for the most expensive ad of all time that could have shifted this for us when the bottom line is their message was bad, their messenger was terrible, but their entire message was just atrocious on every issue. They were in the narrow 20% of the country who wanted something radical and absurd, while President Trump had every opportunity to just Crip walk through the 80% issues one after another? The idea of Donald Trump Crip walking is something I know thought about until I just said that.

[Host 1]

We will see it in my lifetime, I have no doubt. Yes. Okay. I think you're correct that, you know, when they say, like, she could have. She should have gone on Rogan at this time for this many minutes, and it's like you had no message and you had no messenger. You can't end up on Rogan with no message and no messenger because you got three hours to fill, and Donald Trump, as you know, can fill it.

[Matt Whitlock]

And as Dana Prino always says, you didn't have a, you know, comms problem. You had a substance problem. And you can't dress up the lack of a message or a terrible messenger and win, you know, 80 million people over. It just doesn't work. And that's what they kept running headlong into.

[Host 1]

Well, and I think when the. Even the New York Times is reporting, quote, party officials describe the draft document as focusing on the 2024 election as a whole, but not on the presidential campaign, which is something like eating at a steakhouse and then reviewing the salad. Like, ooh, you're not in a great.

[Matt Whitlock]

Place when you've lost the New York Times. You know, things are not going well for you. But I think they're exactly right about that. You're missing the forest for the trees. You're missing the steak for the sal. All those different analogies to come to the fact that they're going to spend a lot of money on this. Just like they spent that $20 million to try and understand how to communicate with men based on their syntax. And the best they got out of it was, let's put up David Hogg and these effeminate influencers a little bit.

[Host 1]

Yeah, I have a hack for that. Don't hate dudes. That's. That's the hack for talking to men.

[Matt Whitlock]

It shouldn't be that hard.

[Host 1]

No, it shouldn't. Okay, so that's the more traditional type of autopsy. The parties go through a lot after they lose. You and I have been through these cycles. There's some venting, there's some bargaining, there's some anger. I think we saw all of that in an interview that Hunter Biden has now given to a YouTube personality named Andrew Callahan. And he does a sort of spoofy interview show called Channel 5. And Hunter Biden showed up on this show and he has a lot to say. So here is Hunter Biden teeing off to this YouTube host. And just a content warning for the parents if you got the kiddies around or if you just don't want to hear it. There's a lot of bleeping going on in this conversation. Just play his clip. Running through the enemies of the Biden camp.

[Hunter Biden]

Fuck him. Fuck him. Fuck him and everybody around him. Oh, not to be fucking nice, number one, I agree with Quentin Tarantino. Fucking George Clooney is not a fucking actor. He is a fucking. Like, I don't know what he is. He. He. He's a brand. Fuck you. What do you have to do with fucking anything? Why do I have to fucking listen to you? We, me and James Carville, who hasn't run a race in 40 fucking years. And David Axelrod, who had one success in his political life, and that was Barack Obama. And that was because of Barack Obama, not because of fucking David Axelrod and David Plouffe and all of these guys in the pod Save America guys, junior fucking speechwriters in, you know, on Barack Obama's Senate staff who have been dining out on the relationship with him for years, making millions of dollars. The Anita Dunns of the world, who's made 40, 50 million dollars off of the Democratic Party, they're all going to insert their judgment over a man who has figured out unlike anybody else, how to get elected to the United States Senate over seven times and how to garner more votes than any president that has ever won. What influence does Jake Tapper have over anything? He has the smallest audience on ca. And beyond that, I think that the book is right now on Amazon that he put out. I mean, his ratings just went to shit after he put the book out. You know, they did a two week infomercial for it. I mean, it was such a money grab.

[Host 1]

All right, Matt, there's Hunter. It sounds like he has some stuff that he's working out still.

[Matt Whitlock]

I don't want to sound insensitive, but I think there's a chance Hunter might be off the wagon. That was wild. So he's got some access to grind. As I listen to this, there's parts of it where I'm like, yeah, get him, get him. And then there's parts where I'm like, man, he does not sound good. But I think the biggest takeaway from here is the Biden family is not happy with the way they were treated, which isn't a surprise. We've seen that in stories mentioned a lot over the last six months that they thought he got a raw deal. He was mistreated, but man alive, I. So, I mean, I hope Republicans will find a way to pay for some kind of Hunter Biden media tour. Because I think if there was one lesson from a Democrat autopsy, it would be, you need to move on and never talk about this again. And Hunter is not going to let that happen.

[Host 1]

No, this is the thing that occurred to me as well. And from a communications standpoint, this party is desperately trying to coalesce around a message. It's desperately trying to find a new leader. It's desperately trying to move on from this really, really bad thing they did to Americans and to voters and lied to them throughout. And every time it seems like they might get closer to it, Joe Biden pops up with a New York Times Interview. And that was bad enough, and now you have this, ooh, Hunter coming through.

[Matt Whitlock]

The wall like the Kool Aid man.

[Host 1]

Amazing stuff. I'm gonna add another clip just so you can really get the sense of this interview. And they're seated. It's very Hunter Biden, actually. They're seated in this beautiful, like, outdoor area with a little picket fence and the sun is shining. He's just like tossing F bombs like, it's a perfect encapsulation of the Biden family. Actually, here he is talking about illegal immigration once again with the content warning for someone.

[Hunter Biden]

Am I gonna be like all these Democrats say you have to talk about and realize that people are really upset about illegal immigration. Fuck you. How do you think your hotel room gets cleaned? How do you think you have food on your fucking table? Who do you think washes your dishes? Who do you think does your fucking garden? Who do you think is here by the fucking sheer fucking just grit and will, that they figured out a way to get here because they thought that they could give themselves and their family a better chance. And he's somehow convinced all of us that these people are the fucking criminals.

[Host 1]

I think it's a strange and frequent argument for Democrats that they're like, these are the people who do all my work for me and we can't lose them because I'm paying them under the table. I think Hunter almost like references the garden around him when he's talking about the gardeners.

[Host 2]

Not a good look.

[Matt Whitlock]

You can almost imagine like a Gavin Newsom or a Karen Bass, like off camera being like, hey, cut it out, man. That's not helpful to us. That's not helpful. Having the former president's incredibly corrupt, drug addicted son who has mysterious amounts of money through various foreign money laundering, arguing that we need more illegal immigrants to serve him is not going to be Democrats best case on this fight. And I just. It's easy to see why for four years we almost never saw Hunter. He is just a nail and a hammer. And this entire interview is must watch content in part because, like this window into what Joe Biden's been hearing. There's one reason he's so mad at Jake Tapper is Jake Tapper described Hunter as the de facto chief of staff. Now look at Hunter losing his mind and consider that's been the person in Joe Biden's ear for the last year of his presidency. That's pretty crazy.

[Host 1]

It is pretty crazy. He was attending state dinners. He was there the whole time. We don't know exactly the influence I would imagine if we watched that whole interview, which I will be doing, there might be some tidbits in there that might teach us a little bit about how much influence he had. Anyway, that's how they're working that out. We will be back on normally in a minute with more on the Vibe shift, which we always like to cover here.

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[Host 1]

With the Vibe Shift and with my friend Matt Whitlock. We always like to cover on this show the cultural vibe shift in 2025, which has come off of the election year and really seems to be flexing at this point. So let's talk about comedy. Let's start with Stephen Colbert, who lost his gig as a late night host. I've put comedy in quotes. Late night comedy show host yes, his job won't end until the end of the season next year, so I believe it's like May 2026 before he's off the air. But he announced it to get ahead of the story and now there's all sturm and drang and much, much outcry about this from the left that apparently just believes that lefties who want to live their dreams in media should have everyone else's money all the time to do so.

[Matt Whitlock]

Exactly. And I should preface my comments with I'm one of the few conservative Republicans who loves Saturday Night Live. I love late night comedy, even though I spend most of it thinking, oh, there's another Trump joke, there's another anti Republican joke, but some of it I actually think is kind of funny. I think the current SNL Trump impression is one of the most incredible pieces of comedy we've seen in a long time. But Colbert moved away from comedy a long time ago. And it's a theme that people talk about quite a bit on social media, where they shifted from laughs to trying to get applause for righteous indignation, which has not been comedy. And it started all the way back in 2017. And there's been so many clips of Stephen Colbert doing what he really loves, which is cozying up to Democrats, not making jokes and not doing comedy. And so, for me, when I see every Democrat talk about how he spoke truth to power, you have to remember that to them, that only means talking bad about President Trump. He had an opportunity to speak truth to power because Stephen Colbert, you might remember, hosted a huge $26 million fundraiser with Joe Biden just two or three months before the George Clooney fundraiser that ended the Biden presidency. Colbert didn't have anything to say about it because he prioritized cozying up to Barack Obama. People like that much more than actually holding anyone accountable. And to be fair, his job was comedy. So holding people accountable wasn't supposed to be his first job, but he failed at that, too.

[Host 1]

Yes. I love that every picture, every post that says he held he spoke truth to power is just a picture of him goofing off and laughing with a Democratic politician. Because you're right, that's all they mean is just Trump.

[Matt Whitlock]

Exactly.

[Host 1]

Now, I think you're right that, like, you don't want to be spending a variety show in late night holding everyone accountable all the time. I don't think that's the point of it. That's why, you know, Letterman did well with, like, stupid pet tricks, and Carson never tried to be a messenger in that way. Also, the late night format is hitting a tough road. You know, the money's not there for it. The advertisers aren't there for it. The viewers are getting much older. And I think Colbert did the best he could for those first couple years of the Trump administration. Seeing, like, oh, I can add a little bit on the margins by really getting the libs to watch me. And then it just ran out of steam.

[Matt Whitlock]

It did. And it's funny. I saw a study that showed that his average audience when he started his show, the age was 60. And at the end of the time was when he was canceled, the average audience had gone up to 68. Some of that, as you're talking about, is just the general sort of media shift and dynamics. People are watching less late night, but I also just think people got so tired of it, you turn on late night comedy to try and unplug from the stress of the day. And that's all that Stephen Colbert wanted to talk about, is the grievances. There's one video in particular after Trump won where Stephen gets like right up to the camera and talks about this isn't normal. And you're like, wait a sec, I tuned in to this to laugh. And all you're doing is reminding me of all the annoying things throughout the day that I had to get through to get to this point in my day before I go to bed. And so it's easy to see why it failed. Also, like, he's making $20 million a year for a show that's losing $40 million a year. Like the economy, the economics of it just aren't there.

[Host 1]

Apparently it took $100 million to make that show. How many writers do you have? I do think there's. This is an era too. Now the left will argue that this was all about a merger and acquisition that the Trump administration can or cannot approve. And therefore CBS is sending this message that, that they're on Trump's side. And like, I just think it was probably a good time to cut bait because we're living in an era where, particularly with TikTok and Reels, which have their up, their good sides and their bad sides. But I think one of the upsides is that you look around and you go, wow, a lot of people have perhaps more comedic chops than you were exposed to in the past. And they. You get exposure to all this comedy all day long. You don't need to sign up for a hundred million dollar stable of writers to watch Stephen Colbert lecture you on politics.

[Matt Whitlock]

Exactly, exactly. It's easy to see that they're just, we've moved away from this, you know, And I do think that there's some models of Late Night that seem to be working like, you know, Greg Gutfeld is killing it. There's an audience for that. And I think in part because it's a little bit more lighthearted. You're not feeling lectured while you're watching it like you do with Colbert, Kimmel, even Fallon sometimes. I think Fallon is the one who's found a way to sort of inject games and funny, more lighthearted things into it. But his show's struggling too. And I think to your point, the economics are shifting away. The audience is just shifting away in other formats and other mediums.

[Host 1]

He is the, he's my favorite of the late night guys. Fallon is, for that reason, because I'm just like oh, you seem, like, kind of nice and fun.

[Matt Whitlock]

I don't feel like you hate me when I watch you.

[Host 1]

Yes, that is an important part of it. Speaking of snl, this is part of the vibe shift. So Shane Gillis is another comic who was rejected by SNL after being hired by snl. I can't remember the year. I'd have to look it up, but it was in the years.

[Matt Whitlock]

I think it was maybe 21 or 22.

[Host 1]

I think it was maybe 21s. At any rate, it was when everyone was insane and he told problematic jokes. And so after they found his problematic jokes, they rescind his offer to be a writer and cast member on snl. They later came back and said, oh, you are very successful. Will you host snl? And I like SNL too. I've been a long time SNL watcher since I was a kid, and when they shine, they really shine, but, man, they can produce some. Some bad stuff too. But Shane's one of the bright parts, so I was excited to watch him come back and do his monologue. I think he's hosted twice since then, and he has now been given the reins to the ESPYS this week. And I just want to play one joke which I think characterizes his monologue, and it's a very short one. Here's Shane Gillis at the ESPYs. Megan Rapinoe could not make it tonight.

[Advertiser 3]

Nice. No, we're gonna pretend she's a good time.

[Host 2]

All right.

[Matt Whitlock]

I'm so glad you picked that clip, because I saw that one, like, a few days later. My entire Instagram feed has been clips of Shane Gillis at the ESPYs, because I follow a lot of sports and I follow a lot of comedy, and that's dominating. I had missed that one until yesterday, and I loved it so much. We're just gonna pretend she's a good time. Okay. Because he's kind of a fish out of water in that room, you know?

[Host 1]

Yeah, well. And it punctures exactly what people want Shane Gillis to puncture, which is this, like, self righteous, tired, like, harping on everyone all the time vibe that is perfectly encapsulated by Megan Rapinoe. And the whole room knows she's not a good time. That's like. That's the perfect part about it. I love to see it. He's a guy who takes risks. He's a guy who takes risks in a room where people are gonna get mad at him for doing that. There's another great gag where he's. He Uses the beautiful African American wife of his friend to say that there's a NBA MVP in the room or hall of Famer in the room. And the camera cuts to her and everyone cheers because they don't know who plays in the wnba. And he knows that. And then he just sells them all out. And he's like, yeah, that's my. That's my buddy's wife.

[Matt Whitlock]

That was so good. Because people forget that the WNBA is actually probably the most political of all the sports leagues. These women are doing marches. They. When the Georgia election law passed, they were. Who are out attacking every Republican. They are the most politically active out there, but they also have the least ground to do it because they have the smallest audience, the least amount of money and things like that. And when you bring Shane Gillis in, you know you're going to get some of that. And I thought he delivered. It reminded me a lot when they had Ricky Gervais do the Golden Globes and he spent the entire night lampooning everyone in the room. People were super uncomfortable. But, like, there's a reason they did it. It's great tv. And there were some, like, really quiet moments after Shane Gillis's jokes where people were like, I don't know. That's makes me uncomfortable. The TV audience loved it and it crushed on social media. So I kind of feel like they brought him in in part for the room, but also for everyone else to, like, really enjoy someone actually, like, bring some of these athletes down to earth just a little bit. And the Megan Rapinoe joke was so perfect because she's so insufferable. And you have to imagine, like, other athletes are like, this lady again. Oh, my God.

[Host 2]

Yes.

[Host 1]

Yes. No, you're right about the wnba. They seem allergic to success. Like, as if they just want to push it away from themselves.

[Matt Whitlock]

Yep.

[Host 1]

And they find new and creative ways to do it all the time. But, yeah, I just enjoyed the contrast this week of the left telling us that we must just throw money not just at NPR and pbs, but also gajillionaire Stephen Colbert, who just needs other people's money.

[Matt Whitlock]

Relies on it.

[Host 1]

It's like, absolutely. If you can't make fun of the president, do we really have a democracy? Like, yeah, come on.

[Matt Whitlock]

Turn on channel ever.

[Host 1]

By the way, Shane Gillis also made fun of the president. He did some Epstein jokes. Like, this is. It's fine, guys.

[Matt Whitlock]

Something for everyone.

[Host 1]

The Republic will survive. Okay, yes. We're gonna take a break. We will be back in a minute with an. In case you missed it from both Matt and me.

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[Host 1]

We are back on normally with my buddy Matt Whitlock. Thank you so much for being here. You have a little in case you missed it story I believe about one of our favorite former secretaries in the cabinet.

[Matt Whitlock]

Yes, this is a great story. New York Post broke this morning a story that Pete Buttigieg, presidential hopeful leading in a number of Democrat primary polls, spent $80 billion on DEI grants while delaying air traffic control upgrades. Part of the reason I love this is throughout the Biden administration, we'd regularly get a new story of Pete Buttigieg doing something insane like forcing you to host neighborhood block parties if you wanted to build an EV charging station or transit equity day or pretending to ride his bike to events so that he could show up in his helmet. But it turns out he just pulled it out of the back of the Secret Service suv. So when Democrats talk about how this guy's like their rising star, I just like, I would love for that to be our next presidential campaign, whether it's JD versus Pete or whoever. Like, Buttigieg gives us so much to work with and it's awesome.

[Host 1]

Yeah, that is a travesty that he was doing that night. I just like, he's always like playing like, oh, the Trump administration isn't on top of these transportation issues. Like, sir, you have never been at the switch ever.

[Matt Whitlock]

We need to find the guy who did this.

[Host 1]

It's amazing stuff. Okay, I have a little bit of a wonky one. Wall Street Journal had a piece on the National Environmental Policy act of 1970, which actually we have talked about on this show before because it was one of Trump's executive orders that I was excited about. It reforms, permitting. It gets a bunch of environmental nonsense and red tape out of the process so that people can build that then cuts down on how much litigation environmentalist groups can do on these projects. And what Trump did was he asked all the agencies to say, well, how can you streamline this? Let's only apply it to the most important things. Because as all regulation, the NEPA became this huge morass of requirements. And what Happened is a 2020 federal study found that at that point it took 4.5 years average to complete an environmental impact statement required not the project, the environmental statement. So a bunch of the agencies have now gotten together and said, okay, here's how we're simplifying. The Supreme Court has spoken on this and said that NEPA should not be a roadblock to getting anything done. It's just a way to severe like serious issues. And so it looks like a brighter day for building things.

[Matt Whitlock]

Incredibly valuable. Huge, huge coup for the Trump administration.

[Host 1]

All right, well those are our in case you missed it, guys. Matt, where can we find you and where should we look for you?

[Matt Whitlock]

I'm 10 minute drill. You can find it on Twitter, Instagram, but primarily YouTube and Apple. Podcasts I think are the best places for every Tuesday and Thursday. And it's a lot of fun. It's just as you said. And if you want your politics in 10 minutes or less because you've got so much going on or you are listening to other longer, smarter podcasts, this is like your Cliff Notes. So check it out.

[Host 1]

Love it. Thank you so much for joining us on Normally. Thank you to all of you guys for joining us on Normally. Normally airs Tuesdays and Thursdays and you can subscribe anywhere you get your podcast. Get in touch with us@ normallythepodmail.com thanks for listening. And when things get weird, act normally.

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