Donald Trump (3:51)

This is my fifth such speech to Congress. And once again, I look at the Democrats in front of me and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud, Nothing I can do. I could find a cure to the most devastating disease, a disease that would wipe out entire nations, or announce the answers to the greatest economy in history or the stoppage of crime to the lowest levels ever recorded. And these people sitting right here will not clap, will not stand, and certainly will not cheer for these astronomical achievements. They won't do it, no matter what.

Buck Sexton (4:37)

Five.

Donald Trump (4:37)

Five times I've been up here. It's very sad, and it just shouldn't be this way.

Clay Travis (4:47)

Clay. Trump was having fun.

Buck Sexton (4:49)

He was. And I thought it was the best speech of his political career. And I don't think that's hyperbole. Much of it, if you strip away the politics, really boiled down to basic common sense. And I guess my biggest takeaway last night, Buck, was Democrats did what they would have said was impossible. They made Trump look like the adult in the room. I thought they feel they, Their behavior, they looked and sounded like brats. I thought they were behaving like poorly, poorly regulated school children. They were adults emotionally outbursting. Their. It just, it felt like the Democrat Party, to me, was on a suicidal mission to destroy its brand. And to me, Buck, there were a lot of great things Trump did. He's always got a real narrative ability to connect Whether it was with Lake and Riley's mom and sister, whether it was with Jocelyn Nungare's mother and announcing that he's going to name a wildlife refuge after her, whether it was having the kid in the crowd that was getting his United States Military Academy admission. And I thought by far the most compelling moment of the night, the 13 year old kid being named a Secret Service honorary member. Democrats didn't stand for any of that, Buck. And I think the reason why they did not is their brains are broken because they're so concerned about being too conciliatory to Trump on social media and getting dragged by whatever left wing lunatics are popular on social media that they abandon their basic humanity. I don't care who you are. When that 13 year old kid who survived brain cancer stood up and gave a hug to the Secret Service agent, you should have almost wanted to cry or cried. If you are just a basic normal human being with complete control of the normal life, that was a moment where it was hard to, even if you're a guy, where it was hard not to feel a bit emotional. And Buck, what stood out to me maybe most of all you. I watched that awful. You woke up and watched it this morning, which by the way, I think is worse. Start off your morning watching Senator, at.

Clay Travis (7:17)

Least I had some coffee, I had some Crockett to take care of it.

Buck Sexton (7:20)

But what is the number one criticism that you would have of Trump if you were a Democrat? Probably that he oftentimes behaves in an emotional fashion and isn't always acting like an adult. They took the worst criticism they have ever had about Trump, you know, leave aside the Hitler stuff, but just his deportment, right the way he carries himself. And they were far worse. And I thought with Slotkin speech, Buck, we know Trump has men, men, white, black, Asian, Hispanic. The polls are out there, 6040 approval, 57, 43, double digit approval. The younger the men, he's got them even more. I thought Trump actually, Buck, really did a phenomenal job of connecting with women. And I think there were a lot of women out there that if you had heard from MSNBC or New York Times that this guy's Hitler, they were watching and they kept waiting for some awful shoe to drop. And he was phenomenal the whole way. Last thought he waited till the very end to talk about foreign affairs. I think he spoke for the longest ever 100 minutes, I think was the final tally longer than anyone ever spoke. Probably an hour and a half of that was all American focused policies. And then at the very end, he talked to Ukraine, he talked the Middle East. I thought it was a home run. I just, I don't know that, that we have seen a better version of Trump than what we saw last night. And I think Democrats are starting to panic because they have no answer for him.

Clay Travis (8:45)

Well, they looked pathetic last night. And I really mean that. When you have somebody who in the very opening is just being flagrantly disrespectful to the President of the United States. Yes, there is nothing, there's nothing you can say about that other than he's acting like, you know, a street communist, a community organizer. I mean, he was acting like some guy from Code Pink who is shrieking in the back of a congressional hearing, except he's a member of Congress and this is a joint address to Congress. So that's pathetic. The little paddles that they held up in the audience made them look so silly. Made them look effeminate and weak and preposterous. I mean, the whole thing was, was an absurdity. And on the issue of, of women in the narrative right now and who I think is doing a better job or who's in a better position with it, we've discussed this. Democrats got a little extra boost for themselves because of the fear mongering around abortion in the midterms. Right. We know that they were able to use that to greater effect in the midterms in Biden's first, after Biden's first couple of years. But now it's gone to the states and Democrat states have incredibly. I was just in Colorado, which has a just barbaric abortion law for the state of. I mean, it is all nine months, by the way. It's officially all nine months of a pregnancy. But the states have been able to do what they should have done in the first place from a constitutional perspective, which is address this issue. And on the other side of it, Democrats, and this came up last night, specifically Democrats are the ones who keep saying, I want large hairy men to be able to play against your high school or college aged female athlete, daughter or sister. I want that to happen when they have somebody in the audience who is a female athlete who had brain damage. Brain damage from, you know, this would be like Clay if somebody who was 20 was on the, on the football field with a kid who's 12 and paralyzed him. I mean, everyone would think that was a horrible and monstrous thing.

Buck Sexton (10:53)

Right?

Clay Travis (10:53)

Like, what are you doing as a 20 year old playing? Well, the male female differential isn't that far off from that, especially in a contact sport. And Democrats are all in there. We just saw the Senate, Senate Democrats all voting against protection for women in sports. So I think actually the Republicans have the issue that they can club the other side with. They can spike the volleyball in the face of the Democrats on this one. They can go after them in a way that's far more aggressive. And I think that the whole thing is falling apart for Democrats. Alyssa Slotkin. Does anyone think that Alyssa Slotkin is the future of any party? No, she's not. She doesn't have the, any of the political skills. Doesn't have the, the whole thing is appalling, honestly. And I think that we saw last night, you got one side that wants America to be fantastic and the other side just wants to sit and pout and act like children.

Buck Sexton (11:48)

And if you were watching that, and by the way, this is not just our take. 69% of CNN viewers found Trump's speech to be very favorable. 76% of CBS News, all of the numbers rolling in are rave. And I just, Democrats could have been somewhat reasonable. They could have clapped for a 13 year old cancer patient who survived. They could have clapped for Lake and Riley's mom and, and, and sister when they were standing. They could have clap for Jocelyn Nangare or the, or the U.S. military Academy cadet, all which by the way, the, the, the 13 year old walked over and gave him a handshake which was just perfect and authentic and real. And I think really what ultimately this comes down to is Democrats are supremely fake and also the party of super old people. Did you notice, Buck? I think it was, I was watching Fox News, but when they panned from our friend Riley Gaines sitting in the upper deck and they went straight to Nancy Pelosi and the disconnect as they were talking about women in men's sports, the disconnect between Riley games, Riley Gaines, young, effervescent, brave, fearless, and Nancy Pelosi sort of vacantly chewing on her gums, looking lost was, I thought, just a perfect epitomization of how lost Democrats are.

Podcast Host (13:23)

This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. You know when you're really stressed or not feeling so great about your life or about yourself, talking to someone who understands can really help. But who is that person? How do you find them? Where do you even start? Talkspace. Talkspace makes it easy to get the support you need. With Talkspace, you can go online, answer a few questions about your preferences and be matched with a therapist. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule wherever you feel most at ease. If you're depressed, stressed, struggling with a relationship, or if you want some counseling for you and your partner or just need a little extra one on one support, Talkspace is here for you. Plus, Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. No insurance, no problem. Now get $80 off of your first month with promo code space80 when you go to talkspace.com match with a licensed therapist today at talkspace.com $80 with code space80@talkspace.com actuaries use their math skills for good.

Clay Travis (14:26)

They take on the world's greatest challenges, reducing risk and increasing opportunity. And that means the only thing higher than their pay is their job satisfaction.

Buck Sexton (14:38)

You're listening to Team 47 with clay and Buck.

Clay Travis (14:43)

Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff, joins us right now. Stephen, appreciate you making the time breaking from your 21, 22 hour work days at this White House to fill us in on. Well, first, the aftermath of a highly successful speech. Did it all come off as you guys intended? And what should we be expecting here in the days ahead?

Stephen Miller (15:08)

Well, first, it's great to be back on the air with you. I think it's the first time been on the air with you since President Trump was inaugurated back into the White House. So it's great to be on with you. And yes, I enjoyed getting the chance to come on your air many times during the four years between term one and term two. And it's very enjoyable to be here now calling you from the West Wing of the White House. So thank you. The speech last night went more incredibly than we could have ever even hoped. And of course, we always know that these massive internationally watched must see TV events for President Trump are where he truly thrives. But even by those extremely high standards, this speech exceeded our expectations. And of course, at the same time, Democrats humiliated themselves before that same international viewing audience, behaving in a way that really shocks the conscience of the country. I mean, it wasn't just, it wasn't just disturbing, it was really profoundly sinister. I mean, to not stand and honor victims and their families who have been murdered by illegal aliens, to not stand in honor children, a child 13 year old who was battling brain cancer is getting to live out his dream and become to his surprise, an honorary Secret Service agent. And to see all of the inspiring stories and heroes and a border agent who exchanged gunfire with a cartel, a girl who was who suffered a severe brain injury because she was spiked in the face by a male athlete. I mean, story after story of people who overcome hardship, adversity, unimaginable loss. I was there last night. I was stunned. The Democrats didn't stand to honor these Americans in their stories.

Buck Sexton (17:18)

What do you attribute that to, Stephen, do you think? I'm curious. I agree with you. I think it was the best speech that. Trent, thanks for coming on and we're proud of all the work you're doing. I think it was the best speech that Trump has ever given in his career, not only based on how he.

Stephen Miller (17:32)

Did, but I agree with you and I appreciated your, we all appreciate your saying so, posting on X last night. So that's not going notice. Thank you.

Buck Sexton (17:41)

Well, it's well deserved. You guys are busting your ass. And I thought it was a stellar performance by Trump and you guys had weaved so many perfect narratives together to give people attention in the, in the gallery there. Why do you think Democrats have so lost their way? Because leave aside politics, Stephen. It's basic humanity to cheer for a 13 year old who's overcome brain cancer. It's basic humanity to cheer for a 95 year old mother who gets her son back from Russian captivity. These are not political related concerns. I talked some with people afterwards and they said the left wing has so taken control of social media that all of these Democrats are terrified to be seen as in any way applauding anything the President does. And also there's a crazy level of groupthink that has destroyed them. What do you attribute this to? Because it's not normal. It's super weird. And I know Tim Walls tried to say Republicans were weird, but it's also profoundly inhumane to me. Leaving aside the politics.

Stephen Miller (18:49)

Oh, you're right. I mean, it displays a shocking absence of humanity at a very fundamental level. At a human level, you know, you see these, you see these people who have suffered and endured loss and pain that people can't even imagine. How do you not stand and honor them? How do you not show any kind of respect or decency in that moment? It really does defy any attempt to describe it or understand it. President Trump at the beginning of his speech challenged Democrats to for just one night put aside their own petty, impersonal and partisan feelings and celebrate big wins for America. For example, like you mentioned, getting somebody back who was in, who was improperly detained in Russia to be reunited with their family would be an example of a big win for America, that everybody should stand up and applaud or capturing the terrorists behind the Abbey gate murder of 13 U.S. service members. These are things that you would think everybody would riotously applaud because it's such a huge win for the country, such a huge win for our people. It does defy description. I would have to say that I think what's happened is the Democrat Party as an institution has become severely radicalized. I'm not using that term as an insult, although they deserve it. I'm using it clinically. I'm saying they've clinically become radicalized the way that the closed society or a cult or some other social group does. That lacks any kind of outside input, any kind of exposure to alternate points of view. And the more time they spend with each other, and you sort of alluded to it in a close social media circle as well, too, the more extreme, the more radical they become, to the point in which, here's a good example. Mark Werner, Senator Mark Warner was on TV recently. He accidentally said something good the day before about President Trump's work on the border, and then he went on TV the next day to take it back and apologize for ever even implying or suggesting that President Trump had done anything good on the border. Again, this is the same political party, as you know, that has venerated criminals for years and years and years, that has venerated people who have engaged in violent contact like Black Lives Matter rioters for years. And they couldn't even stand for the family of Lakin Riley, who was barbarically murdered by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador. It really, it just, it's a crystallizing moment in terms of where we are as a country. We have one political party, the Republicans, led by Donald Trump, that is broadly fighting for issues that 80, 85% of Americans agree on. Then we have another political party that is just lost in the wilderness and has gone completely mad.

Clay Travis (21:59)

We're speaking to Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff. And Stephen, give us, if you can, I know you can. So give us, if you will, a sense of what is coming next here on the Agenda. We've seen a lot of the executive orders. We didn't get to it earlier today, but a federal judge decided that he could determine on his own that $2 billion must be paid for a USAID contract. Supreme Court 54 has come down and is essentially mandating that payment. So we know that the courts are going to be a battleground. What are you expecting with regard to that? And also, what can we expect when it comes to immigration enforcement and some of the major operations that have certainly been hinted at.

Stephen Miller (22:42)

Well, I mean, the district court judge issue is a very severe one, perhaps one of the most severe. So it's important to understand there's 700 more or less district court judges nationwide, or about 700 like 680 district court judges nationwide, a larger number than many people might imagine. And so when you hear the term federal judge and join something, you're talking about one person from a pool of almost 700. So largely the number of House Democrats by significant margin, for example, a subset of those federal judges are equally as radical as say, Al Green, who was escorted from the chamber last night, or Ilhan Omar or an aoc, et cetera. And so we have a situation now as a country where again, these are people that Biden or Obama forced through on a party line vote. They got zero national attention because, let's be honest, very little national coverage of a district court judge being appointed to say, San Francisco. And so you have a single district court judge that is the, that sort of represents 1% of the American population ideologically that gets to assert the powers of the presidency for themselves and says, I'm going to be president now. I'm going to decide what our foreign policy is. I'm going to decide what foreign aid we're going to fund or not going to fund. I mean, it's breathtakingly unconstitutional. The founding fathers would have been horrified that anything even resembling what I just described could happen. And clearly the Supreme Court is going to need to establish new rules and procedures for district court injunctions because it deprives the American people of their ability to exercise democracy. In other words, you vote for a change policy, you elect a new president. You can't have district court judges preventing that president from executing the policies that he campaigned on.

Buck Sexton (24:49)

We're talking to Stephen, real and a.

Stephen Miller (24:51)

Very serious, very direct threat to democracy and our democratic system of government. And clearly there's going to need to be reforms.

Buck Sexton (25:00)

We know that you are walk working, Stephen Miller with us now. White House Deputy chief of staff hours that are probably extraordinary. I know you have three young kids as well. I know your wife has also been working like crazy. Take it outside of the policy world for us for a moment. What is your average day like right now? There's a lot of parents out there that, that are, have serious jobs. What are you doing on a day to day basis? What is your day like? And then second part of this, and I texted you about this because before in the four years when you were on with us regularly. We established your affinity for Karate Kid and the Cobra Kai, which I sat around on February 13th and watched with my three boys. Have you had any moments of just non work basically since January 20th or frankly, even since November 5th? What's your day to day life like right now?

Stephen Miller (25:55)

Yes, well, so unfortunately I have not had the chance to watch the last installment. So no spoilers here, please. I will. You're safer, Kai, because, because I have not had that kind of time. But maybe I'll be able get a chance to catch an episode here or there in the near future because obviously I've invested a lot into the series personally and emotionally. So I'm definitely going to finish it. But I mean, to answer your other question, look, when you work in the, in the White House, when you work more specifically in the West Wing as a senior age of the president, you know, you're on 247 and so and you're on wherever you are, there's no such thing as being off the clock. The notion of working hours and non working hours doesn't exist. If you're awake, you're working, and frankly, sometimes if you're asleep, you're about to be working because you're going to get a phone call while you're sleeping. But that's exactly what we signed up for. That's what the American people expect of us. That's what the taxpayers expect of us. That's what the president expects of us. The people who work in these jobs is to be on call 247 and do everything possible to advance the agenda. And if you look at the scope and the pace of activity over the last six weeks, President Trump has crammed eight years of action into six weeks. But even that understates it because name any president in the last decades, generations, who's done anything this good in eight years, let alone in six weeks, right? In other words, other presidents come in, they just tinker around the edges or make things dramatically worse. We went in under President Trump's leadership and fundamentally reformed this government at every level in six weeks. But that is just the beginning. As you said last night, we are just getting started. And you're going to continue to see a flurry of transformative actions that are going to change this government forever. The changes that America has been wanting their entire lives, our whole lives. The bureaucracy has been untouched, unbothered, doing whatever they want to do. He's imposing democratic control over the bureaucracy. And you're just seeing the beginning of that effort, completely rewiring our whole US Immigration system to establish a policy of absolutely no unlawful entry into the United States, combined with the mass removal of those who are here illegally right now, and having the military be at the front and center of that mission, as we have seen, and by the way, you and I talked about that, you know, probably a year, maybe more ago about how central the military was going to be in this operation. And now you've seen how true that is. And President Trump is the first president since Eisenhower to use the military to secure the homeland of the United States from illegal immigration. And on issue after issue, you're going to continue to see that level and scope and pace of change. And so I would just say, as excited as you've been these last six weeks, just wait till you see what happens the next six weeks.

Buck Sexton (28:50)

Outstanding stuff, Stephen Miller, Keep up the good work. I hope at some point you get to watch a television show to dial back a bit. But we appreciate everything you and your family are doing.

Stephen Miller (28:59)

Thank you.

Clay Travis (29:00)

God bless.

Stephen Miller (29:00)

Talk to you soon.

Podcast Host (29:01)

This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. You know, when you're really stressed or not feeling so great about your life or about yourself, talking to someone who understands can really help. But who is that person? How do you find them? Where do you even start? Talkspace. Talkspace makes it easy to get the support you need. With Talkspace, you can go online, answer a few questions about your preferences, and be matched with a therapist. And because you'll meet your therapist online, you don't have to take time off work or arrange childcare. You'll meet on your schedule wherever you feel most at ease. If you're depressed, stressed, struggling with a relationship, or if you want some counseling for you and your partner or just need a little extra one on one support, Talkspace is here for you. Plus, Talkspace works with most major insurers and most insured members have a $0 copay. No insurance, no problem. Now get $80 off of your first month with promo code space80 when you go to talkspace.com, match with a licensed therapist today at talkspace.com save $80 with code space80@talkspace.com.