The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Team 47 - MAHA Uncensored
Date: February 22, 2026
Main Guests: Jeff Hayes (Filmmaker), Stephen Yates (Heritage Foundation, former White House National Security official)

Overview

In this episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton dive into two major themes:

• The state of American healthcare, over-prescription, and the emergence of the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement, featuring documentary filmmaker Jeff Hayes.
• U.S. foreign policy focus, with a detailed segment on escalating tensions with Iran, prospects for regime change, and adjacent regional affairs, joined by Stephen Yates.

The episode is peppered with both light-hearted exchanges and high-stakes policy discussions, capturing Clay and Buck’s signature blend of political insight and relatable humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. American Medicine & Over-Prescription

(Guest: Jeff Hayes, 03:29–10:09)

• Jeff Hayes discusses his new documentary, “MAHA Uncensored,” which takes a critical look at the business model driving American medicine.
  • “We ended up doing 16 chapters in this documentary where we cover pharmacy benefit managers, diabetes, cancer, longevity, functional medicine.” (Jeff Hayes, 06:13)
• Severe over-prescription, especially of antidepressants (SSRIs):
  • “25% of the country is on SSRI. And we had one psychiatrist who just flat out said it. Not one human being should be on an SSRI. They don't work and they have potent side effects.” (Jeff Hayes, 04:19)
• Over-medication of children:
  • Cases of very young children (as young as three or four) being prescribed SSRIs and ADHD medication, with little understanding of the long-term effects on developing brains.
  • “We have no clue what this is doing to a developing brain. And we're not addressing the real problems.” (Jeff Hayes, 05:11)
• Key Solution Proposed:
  • “The number one thing we can do for our drugs and drug prescriptions is fix our food supply, because that’s where it starts.” (Jeff Hayes, 06:03)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “If we just cut half of all prescriptions in this country, would we have any change in the actual longevity outlook? ...In your mind, how overmedicated do you think we are?” (Buck Sexton, 03:29)
• “We could get rid of way more than half of the prescriptions in this country.” (Jeff Hayes, 04:19)

2. The “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) Movement and Political Alliances

(03:29–10:09)

• The rise of “MAHA Moms,” a crossover group from traditional RFK Jr. supporters to backing Trump, spurred by skepticism over children’s health and medical guidance.
  • “That was where Bobby coined the phrase make America healthy again, impromptu. And the MAHA movement was born.” (Jeff Hayes, 07:13)
• Controversy over Trump’s executive order designating glyphosate a matter of national security, which has alienated some within the movement (07:13).
• Hayes predicts lasting change if the movement can stay nonpartisan and focus on the core mission of children’s health.
  • “You never bet against fierce mothers... That's how things are changed.” (Jeff Hayes, 09:06)

Memorable Moment

• On the fusion of grassroots health activism with mainstream politics:
  • “When President Trump introduced Bobby [RFK Jr.], that stadium went wild... President Trump was stunned. Bobby was stunned.” (Jeff Hayes, 07:13)

3. How to See the Film

• The documentary “MAHA Uncensored” is streaming for free, with registration at mahamovie.com. It premiers on February 24 and features serialized chapters. (Jeff Hayes, 09:47)

4. Geopolitics: Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and U.S. Strategic Objectives

(Guest: Stephen Yates, 13:45–27:39)

Iran: Negotiation or War?

• Current U.S. posture: Significant military buildup in the Middle East and “dual track” approach of negotiations and preparations for possible air strikes.
  • “It is stopping the illegal support for the Iranian regime financially... And the President has proven a willingness to do that... I think the odds of a strike that would be an active war, but not a total war, very high over the next two weeks.” (Stephen Yates, 14:43)
• Goals of Potential Strikes: Focused on degrading nuclear and military capabilities, not direct regime change.
  • “I think that the targets... would look more military, so it would be nuclear, but also some of the ballistic missile and other capabilities to demonstrate that we can do this.” (Stephen Yates, 16:29)
• The real issue: If the regime were to fall, what comes next?
  • Drawing lessons from Iraq and Venezuela, Yates cautions about “installing” U.S.-favored opposition and advises a more organic transition.
• Viability of Iranian royal family as a transitional government: Some diaspora favor nostalgia, but perception as a U.S.-backed choice is a potential liability.

Regional Dynamics & U.S. Allies

• Gulf allies’ attitude to Iran:
  • “They have blood feud with the theocratic regime... They would much prefer to have a reform oriented government there and they would invest heavily.” (Stephen Yates, 24:21)
• Cuba & Venezuela: U.S. using non-military levers (economic pressure, oil cutoff) to foster regime transitions without instability.
  • “We’re really seeing a very sophisticated approach to easing these transitions without America going in to push it too far...” (Stephen Yates, 22:29)

Congressional Foreign Policy Gaffes

• Amusing reference to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (AOC) flubbed answer on China-Taiwan at a security conference, with mock advice on improving her prep.

Notable Quotes

• “If the opposition was seen as chosen by the United States and our president, then there could be maybe grounds for greater resistance. So a more organic and sort of stepping stones across the river approach seems to be the way they've gone.” (Stephen Yates, 20:59)
• “For a lot of the world that suffers from pretty high dose TDS [Trump Derangement Syndrome], if it's perceived as being Trump's choice, there could be a problem...” (Stephen Yates, 20:59)

5. Viral Moment: Pro-Trump Grandma at Black History Event

(28:09–29:01)

• Clip played of a grandma voicing passionate support for Trump’s new crime bill at a White House Black History event:
  • “If you kill somebody, okay, you take a life, you do life, just that simple. ...And grandma said it.” (Pro-Trump Grandma, 28:09)

6. Economic Update: Mortgage Rates

(29:01–31:07)

• Mortgage rates at a four-year low (around 6%) — potentially good news for spring homebuyers and the housing market.
  • “We get them back down to 5%, it's going to make a tremendous difference.” (Buck Sexton, 29:01)

7. Light Banter and Listener Engagement

(31:07–32:06)

• Buck’s book “Manufacturing Delusion” surges on bestseller lists — but alert listeners flag a typo (“contact tracing” printed as “contract tracing”).
  • “The toughest thing about doing an audiobook is you see things that you want to fix and it’s too late because they’re off to the printer already.” (Buck Sexton, 31:58)
  • “I read the manuscript, the final manuscript, 30 times through... and I didn't catch that one.” (Clay Travis, 32:06)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:29 – Introduction to Jeff Hayes and discussion of over-prescription in America
• 04:19 – Data and expert views on SSRIs and child medication
• 06:03 – Fixing the food supply as a solution
• 07:13 – Birth of the MAHA movement and “MAHA Moms”
• 09:47 – How to watch the “MAHA Uncensored” documentary
• 13:45 – Stephen Yates on U.S.-Iran tensions
• 14:43 – Odds and objectives of possible military strikes in Iran
• 16:29 – U.S. strategic goals and regime change debate
• 18:42 – Comparisons to regime transitions in Venezuela
• 20:14 – Iranian diaspora and royal family debate
• 22:29 – Cuba and Venezuela, non-military pressure
• 24:21 – Gulf allies’ perspective on Iran
• 25:31 – AOC in Munich and Taiwan gaffe
• 28:09 – Viral pro-Trump grandma speaks at White House event
• 29:01 – Mortgage rates hit four-year low; housing economy discussion

Notable Quotes

• Jeff Hayes on over-prescription:
  “Not one human being should be on an SSRI. They don't work and they have potent side effects.” (04:19)

• Stephen Yates on Iran strategy:
  “I think the odds of a strike that would be an active war, but not a total war, very high over the next two weeks.” (14:43)

• MAHA movement genesis:
  “When President Trump introduced Bobby, that stadium went wild... and Bobby coined the phrase Make America Healthy Again, impromptu. And the MAHA movement was born.” (07:13)

• Pro-Trump Grandma at the White House:
  “If you kill somebody, okay, you take a life, you do life, just that simple... And grandma said it.” (28:09)

Tone and Takeaways

The tone switches between sharp policy critique, grassroots populism, and bursts of humor. The MAHA movement segment lifts health activism above partisan lines, while foreign policy discourse remains grounded and cautious—a reflection on recent U.S. military history and its consequences. The episode wraps with viral culture, an economic pulse-check, and a dash of self-deprecating humor, making it accessible and engaging for both regular and new listeners.