Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Normally Podcast: Media Bias, Miami Elections & Erika Kirk’s Strength
Date: December 11, 2025
Hosts: Mary Coppingham & Carol Markowitz
Podcast Description: Clay Travis and Buck Sexton tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and current events with intelligence and humor.

Overview

This episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, hosted by Mary Coppingham and Carol Markowitz, explores three primary hot-button issues:

1. The implications of Miami’s mayoral election and broader trends in Republican/Democrat voter turnout,
2. Media coverage and responsibility for pandemic-era school closures and the ongoing debate over youth mental health,
3. The evolving media narrative around the ages and capacities of presidential candidates,
4. A defense of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk, against public criticism following her return to public life after her husband’s death.

The hosts bring a mixture of personal reflection, pointed criticism, and humor as they analyze the week’s events.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Miami Elections & Republican Voter Turnout

Timestamps: 03:18 – 05:44

• Carol breaks down the significance of Miami’s mayoral race, emphasizing that the city mayor post is often misunderstood, and clarifies the geography and political divisions within greater Miami-Dade.
  • “It's not great that a seat that had been Republican for a very long time... has now gone to a Democrat... Republicans have to get the voters more motivated.” (Carol, 03:18)
• Both hosts note Republican underperformance in special and off-year elections, referencing a recent Georgia House race where Republicans lost a solidly red district:
  • “There are obvious issues for Republicans that if they are not on top of addressing... you'll get more of this.” (Mary, 04:54)
• Mary and Carol agree that messaging and motivating the base consistently, not just during presidential years, is a crucial strategic need.

2. Pandemic School Closures & Youth Mental Health

Timestamps: 06:03 – 16:04

• The hosts voice long-standing frustration at the impact of school closures on youth mental health, referencing new research showing marked improvement after schools reopened.
  • “It turns out that youth mental health suffered because schools stayed closed and improved when schools reopened. No way.” (Mary, 06:17)
  • Carol notes the hypocrisy of certain experts and institutions reversing previously established research to suit pandemic narratives.
    • “It was just a big lie. And when you have a result that you want and you change the evidence to get to that result, that is not science.” (Carol, 06:59)
• They revisit the socio-economic disparity in pandemic education, noting how private schools and affluent parents found ways to resume schooling while poor and marginalized children faced extended closures.
• Randy Weingarten and teacher’s unions come under intense criticism for prioritizing political leverage and setting reopening standards that could not feasibly be met, even as data and international comparisons suggested reopening was safe for children.
  • “She does this dance every time where she, as they all did, she's like, I wanted to open. I just wanted to open safely, right? And the safely meant give me many, many, many billions of dollars.” (Mary, 12:02)
• The hosts highlight ongoing "gaslighting" by the press and political actors about the historical record, and express enduring anger at the lasting damage to students:
  • “The gaslighting continues to this day about what they did, which is say, say we want schools open, make it impossible for them to open.” (Mary, 15:02)
• Carol points to the direct correlation between these perceived betrayals by institutions and a growing public distrust:
  • “Those lies are still reverberating now because nobody believes anything anymore. Nobody believes anyone anymore.” (Carol, 22:19)

3. Media Bias and Presidential Age Narratives

Timestamps: 19:04 – 25:31

• The episode criticizes the media for launching a new scrutiny campaign around Donald Trump’s age and stamina while having downplayed or dismissed the same concerns about Joe Biden throughout his presidency.
  • “Unbelievable balls by media orgs to push this stuff. After four years of gaslighting the public over Joe Biden.” (Quoting Tom Bevin via Carol, 19:26)
• Carol and Mary cite recent Atlantic and New York Times pieces as examples, lampooning the idea that Trump lacks energy.
  • “The one about his energy level... that’s not it. He actually has more vigor than I do.” (Mary & Carol, 20:35)
• The hosts argue that the media's selective outrage erodes public trust and feeds conspiracy culture:
  • “Many conservatives get understandably, extremely frustrated with this double standard, because the media will suddenly pretend that this very big issue... is a very big and important issue that they cannot ignore. And it's like, where were you?” (Mary, 21:29)
  • “The conspiracy, nutty culture that we're in right now is a direct result of that... nobody believes anything anymore.” (Carol, 22:19)

4. Defending Erika Kirk & The Problem of Public Grief

Timestamps: 28:40 – 34:37

• The segment opens with Mary discussing how Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk, has been subjected to criticism for resuming public life, and addresses the unhealthy social expectation that widows remain visibly crushed by grief.
  • “Widows, as I know very well, having been widowed myself, function. They raise their children, they smile, they go out, they do things. And they should...” (Mary, 28:40)
• Carol condemns public figures and commentators, particularly referencing John Pavlovitz, for attacking Erika Kirk’s chosen way of mourning and moving forward.
  • “What an a hole. What a jerk.” (Carol, 29:53)
• Mary shares her perspective as a widow and expresses deep empathy and admiration for Erika Kirk’s faith and strength.
  • “…She’s being given power to do this from a God who loves her. And people don’t understand that…” (Mary, 30:38)
• They criticize infighting and rumors being spread within the political and cultural right, noting that some use conspiracy theories or public shaming for personal attention.
  • “Asking really stupid questions is not actually the way to get to the bottom of anything.” (Carol, 33:24)
• The hosts remind listeners about the perils of the attention economy and urge for discernment and empathy, especially when judging the private pain and public actions of others.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It's the business of convincing people over and over and over again.” (Mary, 05:44)
• “It was all about what Randy Weingarten wanted and that’s what went wrong here...” (Carol, 10:02)
• “Congratulations, Randy. I would say she's done far more than I have for the cause [school choice] and I guess in that way I appreciate her.” (Mary, 15:02)
• “I had a 2021 column called: There's something wrong with the President. We all knew.” (Carol, 25:18)
• “The bar is so low not to publicly castigate a widow with two young children, right?” (Mary, 29:54)
• “The trust deficit that we talked about earlier... combined with the attention economy has created some of the worst incentives and actors I have ever seen in my life.” (Mary, 32:33)

Important Timestamps by Segment

| Segment | Time | |--------------------------------------------|-------------| | Miami election and Republican turnout | 03:18–05:44 | | School closures, youth mental health | 06:03–16:04 | | Media on Trump / Biden | 19:04–25:31 | | Erika Kirk, widow defense | 28:40–34:37 |

Tone & Style

The hosts maintain a conversational, often humorous, tone while also expressing genuine frustration at institutional and media failures. They intertwine personal experience, particularly regarding widowhood and pandemic parenting, with cultural criticism and policy analysis.

Summary for New Listeners

If you missed this episode, you’ll walk away with an incisive rundown of current American political controversy – from overlooked local election trends and partisan media spins to the human cost of COVID policy and the pitfalls of online outrage culture. The hosts combine sharp analysis, barbed humor, and deep empathy, especially in their discussion of grief and public shaming. The takeaway: distrust in institutions has deep roots, and the solution, at least in part, is clearer-eyed honesty and human decency.