Team 47 - Our State of the Union

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Team 47 – Our State of the Union

Date: March 1, 2026
Hosts: Clay Travis & Buck Sexton
Guest: Senator Marsha Blackburn

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Overview

In this episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton break down President Donald Trump's recent State of the Union address—an event they consider a standout moment not only for his presidency but in U.S. political history. The episode focuses on the tone, content, and cultural impact of the speech, with special emphasis on immigration, crime reduction, American pride, and the contrasting responses from Democrats. The latter half features an in-depth interview with Senator Marsha Blackburn, discussing both the State of the Union and pressing issues like social media regulation, school technology policy, and election integrity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reaction to Trump’s State of the Union Address

• Buck Sexton opens with uncontained praise for the speech, calling it "the best State of the Union speech I've ever seen" (02:51), noting its “soaring, majestic, pageantry” and emotional resonance.
• Clay Travis acknowledges the two-hour length as a potential drawback but calls it "the most optimistic, patriotic speech that Trump may have ever given" (07:28).
• Hosts agree that Trump’s tone was markedly optimistic, with a focus on American pride and victory—deliberately in contrast to what they describe as Democratic pessimism.

2. The Red Pill, Political Identity, and National Optimism

• Buck references the “red pill” analogy from The Matrix to typify growing political awareness, highlighting contemporary divisions—optimism (white/red pill) vs. cynicism or despair (black pill) on the right (04:30).
• Both hosts encourage conservatives to take a “victory lap” for Trump’s achievements: securing the border, lowering the national crime rate, and fostering a booming economy (06:15, 15:38).

3. Memorable Moments from the State of the Union

• Notable Highlight #1: USA Hockey Team Honored
  • Buck describes the moment: "It was, you know, Ronald Reagan high fiving Hulk Hogan on the back of a triceratops with, with American flags fluttering in the background, you know, flanked by eagles" (11:00).
  • This tribute, paired with patriotic chanting, is held up as encapsulation of the speech’s national pride.
• Notable Highlight #2: Honoring Heroism
  • Story of Chief Warrant Officer Slover, a Chinook pilot wounded in Venezuela, received a Medal of Honor. Buck: "That guy's just an American hero, an American badass" (12:36).
  • Clay expands: "He looks like a guy who had committed his heart and soul to defending America to such an extent that, that he was there to get the utmost of his body and give the utmost of his body on behalf of the country" (13:26).

4. Policy Highlights & Culture Wars

• Immigration & Citizenship:
  • Critique of Democrats not standing for “putting citizens above foreigners.” Buck: "Democrats just fundamentally don't believe that… as long as that person is gonna be on the government dole and vote Democrat, that is truly how they feel and how they think of this country" (09:39).
• Crime:
  • Hosts strongly highlight the sharp decline in murders since Trump’s return (24:41), citing statistics like “Murders are down 67% in Washington D.C. since last year” (24:41). Clay details the impact on minority communities: “Overwhelmingly minority lives, because murder rates are not evenly distributed per capita. Black and Hispanic people are far more likely to kill each other than white and Asian people are. And Trump is saving tons of lives.” (24:41).
• Patriotic Optimism vs. Democratic Pessimism:
  • Clay: “There is one party that is proud of this country and proud of the United States and feels intense patriotic loyalty… that is Republicans. And then there is a party that is ashamed… and that is Democrats.” (14:20)
• Transgender Youth Policy:
  • Buck critiques “trans care for kids,” highlighting recent media critiques and medical uncertainty: “The science was not settled. The science was ideological.” (29:05).

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Buck Sexton on SOTU:
  “It was soaring, it was majestic, it was pageantry, it was fantastic… I laughed, I cried, I felt my heart soar. It was fantastic.” (02:51)

• Clay Travis on Democratic Response:
  “There’s about 35% of the population that would hate it just because Trump has broken their brains.” (07:28)

• Buck Sexton on Immigration:
  “Democrats view anyone from anywhere in the world… as well, maybe that could be a voter...That's how they view anyone from anywhere.” (09:39)

• On Honoring American Heroes:
  “How can they not love that? How can you be an American and not say, you know, this is one of the best of ours right here.” (12:53)

• On Crime Stats:
  “Murders are at 125 year low. And I went and did research this morning… Murders are down 67% in Washington, D.C. since last year, Buck.” (24:41)

• Buck Sexton on Democrats:
  “They’re crazy. They are unmoored from reality.” (29:21, 34:52)

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In-Depth: Senator Marsha Blackburn Interview (35:05–48:33)

Quick Takes

• On Trump’s State of the Union
  “Two hours absolutely flew by because the President just kept rolling right on through all the objections that the left side of the aisle was throwing their way...” (35:44)
• On Democratic Behavior During SOTU
  “Their behavior was appalling.... the current Democrat Party... would rather take care of illegal immigrants than the people that voted for them.” (37:28)
• On Social Media & Kids' Online Safety
  • Zuckerberg “lost in the court of public opinion,” denying social media’s role in adolescent mental health crises, despite internal research indicating otherwise (39:24).
  • Championing the Kids Online Safety Act (KOA), she notes Senate support (“91 to 3,” “75 co-sponsors”) and underscores tech companies’ financial lobbying to derail reforms.
  • On technology bans in schools: “Bell to bell, no cell....test scores go up, their achievement goes up, their participation in class increases.” (41:58)
• On Election Integrity
  • Expresses astonishment that photo ID for voting is controversial: “It’s an 80% issue with the American people across all different demographic groups... They’re trying to make it easy to cheat and hard to vote. We want to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat.” (46:43)
• On Balanced Budget
  • Advocates for a Balanced Budget Amendment, citing Tennessee’s success as a model.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:51 – Buck’s effusive opening praise for Trump’s SOTU
• 07:28 – Clay critiques speech length but praises optimism & patriotism
• 09:39 – Discussion: Democrats’ response to citizen-focused policy
• 11:00 – Iconic USA Hockey team moment (Buck’s “cinematic gold” analogy)
• 13:26 – Reflection on heroism: Chief Warrant Officer Slover’s story
• 15:38 – Clay on American pride vs. Democratic shame
• 24:41 – Crime rates and murder statistics (“Murders at 125 year low…”)
• 29:05–29:32 – Critique of “trans care for kids”
• 35:05–48:33 – Senator Marsha Blackburn interview
  • 35:44 – Blackburn's take on Trump’s SOTU
  • 37:24 – On Democratic refusal to stand and clap
  • 39:24 – Zuckerberg, social media, and online safety
  • 41:58 – Advocacy for "no cell" policy in schools
  • 46:43 – Push for voter ID and balanced budget

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Tone & Takeaways

• Hosts maintain a light, humorous but unapologetically pro-Trump and critical-of-left tone throughout.
• The episode is imbued with patriotic fervor, with criticism directed at Democrats for not participating in moments of national unity and hero recognition.
• Policy discussion revolves around illustrating Trump-era successes—especially in crime and the economy—while repeatedly characterizing Democratic resistance as ideological, “crazy,” and detached from reality.
• Senator Blackburn’s perspectives reinforce the show’s themes—emphasizing policy consistency, American cultural values, and skepticism of both Big Tech and left-wing policies.

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Summary

This episode serves as a jubilant reaction to Trump’s State of the Union, painting it as a high point of his administration and a rallying call for nationalism and unity—attributes the hosts see as antithetical to the current Democratic platform. Heavy emphasis is placed on dramatic decreases in crime rates, heroism, and national pride, with a corresponding focus on practical, bipartisan policy (like voter ID and kids’ digital wellbeing) in the closing interview. Throughout, Clay and Buck animate even data-driven topics with humor and combative energy, ensuring the episode is both informative and engaging.

Transcript

[Buck Sexton]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Clay Travis]

Guaranteed Human support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures [e-mail]

[Sam Malone]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Sam Malone]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

team 47 with clay and Buck starts now.

[Buck Sexton]

My friends, it was the best State of the Union speech I've ever seen. I'm just going to come right out and say it. A little bit of a mea culpa, actually, because I'm a little salty about State of the Unions. Most of them are boring because they go too long. I watched every minute of this one, as I tend to always do because this is our job. But it was not boring. It was. It was soaring, it was majestic, it was pageantry, it was fantastic. Honestly, I feel like a movie reviewer. I laughed, I cried, I felt my heart soar. It was fantastic. I mean, it was the best. I could not say enough good things about Trump's State of the Union. He was absolutely dialed in, locked in en fuego, all of the above. Now we will dive into some of the policy, of course, as well as the very well deserved victory lap that was the bulk of the opening, certainly of the speech. And the Democrat responses. Oh, my gosh, this Democrat party is nuts. In fact, I think one of the most powerful moments, Clay, of the entire. Now, look, before I get into the Democrats, actually, I want to focus on the positive here because many of you are probably familiar with Internet terminology and for example, the red pill, which comes from the Matrix, which I've been saying for a long time, actually I used to say this on my show, Clay, when I was doing a Saturday show for like five people on the Internet. I would say, guys, you know, we gotta take the red pill here. And it became very popular because of the movie the Matrix. And it means to see things as they truly are. But now there are different pills with corresponding colors. And there are people on the right, there's. There are people that will say, you're taking a. A white pill means you're seeing things in a very sort of benevolent light. Red pill is you're seeing things as they are. Blue pill is you're part of the normies or you still have the. The world sort of shrouded and presented to you without seeing with clarity and which is from the Matrix. And then the black pill is. I'm just, everything is bad. We're never going to win. Everything is terrible. There's some black pilling that happens sometimes on the right where people just want to get down. And I saw a little this in the commentary of. But what about this? And Trump didn't do that. Clay, I just want to set this marker because, I don't know, I don't say that every State of the Union address is great. In fact, most of them, I think are a waste of time. Most of them I do because it's my job. Not only was this the best State of the Union speech, that was a marker, a high point, I think, for looking back at what has been in its totality an unbelievable first year of Trump's second term. And I'm somebody who was there in the trenches with the fighting back against the Russia collusion stuff, which was totally messing Trump up in the first term and, and sandbagging and, and you know, undermining everything he was doing and dealing with the bad picks that he had in that first administration. I'm not a, oh, rose colored glasses guy. Everything is awesome. Clay, before we get anything else, I just, I think it's worth taking this moment of this administration has delivered on, on an enormously, on securing the border, on bringing down the crime rate nationally, on a booming economy. We can go through this piece by piece. The data speaks to it. Everyone needs to take a moment, enjoy the win, enjoy the victory, because unfortunately, this too shall pass. He will not be president forever. He might not even have the House for more than another year. And the Democrats will get into this. Clay, they're insane. They are a wacko party.

[Sam Malone]

Well, I mean, I think that to me is. Everything comes down to a couple of moments. Even more so in a social media age. Most people did not watch a two hour speech and you loved it. I gotta be honest with you, it would have been better if it were an hour 15 instead of nearly two hours. So I was watching. I was also doing what a lot of other people are doing probably. I was watching a basketball game simultaneously on a second.

[Buck Sexton]

This is the most Clay thing ever. You're watching a basketball, Sam, we're switching roles here. Usually you're the one that loved the movie, so to speak, and I trash it. You're not trashing it, but you're saying it was too long, which is what I was worried was going to happen. I actually sat through the whole thing and thought that he really pulled the whole thing off without it. I mean, I, look, I think all State of the union should be 30 minutes, but that's me, I'm crazy.

[Sam Malone]

I thought that it went on too long with that in as my criticism because I, I, I think it just dragged to me. I thought it was the most optimistic, patriotic speech that Trump may have ever given. And if you were just a reasonable person. Right. Not someone who is a Trump deranged psychopath. And you just watch that. I think the results would be somewhat similar to what CNN actually showed, which was 64% of the speech. Viewers really liked it. I would say there's about 35% of people TRUMP could have come out last night and said I cured cancer. All of your grandmas and grandpas are now going to be resurrected because of massive technological advantages and you're going to get to hang out with your family again. And they still would complain. Right. Whatever the greatest thing. And I balance the budget and whatever the greatest accomplishment that you think a president could render. There's about 35% of the population that would hate it just because Trump has broken their brains. And I thought there were two things that really stood out Buck. One was when Trump said they're insane. And the second one was when they're not willing to stand for things that are completely non political in nature. And I think this is going to bounce back in Democrats disfavor in a fairly substantial way because being retro, sort of retroactively opposed to whatever Trump is in favor of, it is working against them. And I thought Trump did a good job of making a case. If I were giving advice, I would have said do it in 1:15 instead of 1:45. I think 30 minutes of that speech could have been cleaned up. But so much of it was just a spectacularly optimistic story about America and how our lives intersect with the 250-year-old history of the country. And in that way I thought it was very well done and the most optimistic, probable speech that Trump has maybe ever given in his presidency.

[Buck Sexton]

You noted two of the most important policy, which I think pretty universally people felt like the Democrats not standing for. We want to put citizens above foreigners. Basically. Like Americans matter more to the American government. Their, their, their future and their well being matters more to the American government than other people. Democrats just fundamentally don't believe that actually Democrats view anyone from anywhere in the world, no matter what their, their, their background, their language, their politics, their, their credo, whatever as well. Maybe that could be a voter. You know, I'll just start giving them welfare and turn them into a voter. That's how they view anyone from anywhere. Anyone is as American as any of you. As long as that person is gonna be on the government dole and vote Democrat, that is truly how they feel and how they think of this country, which I think is a huge vulnerability for them. Politically, it should be, or else we're just on a slow glide path into the side of the mountain and our sovereignty is done. But Clay, the two moments for me that were particularly just powerful, the USA Hockey team thing, that I'm not, I'm not a hockey guy.

[Sam Malone]

So many, I got so many thoughts on this too, that we can dive into eventually, but that moment was pure cinematic gold.

[Buck Sexton]

It, it was, it was, you know, Ronald Reagan high fiving Hulk Hogan on the back of a triceratops with, with American flags fluttering in the background, you know, flanked by eagles, like, I mean, it was, it was amazing.

[Sam Malone]

All right.

[Buck Sexton]

It was an absolutely beautiful moment for, for the country. And it was just so cool. Those young guys there, you know, the big win and it really is about America. And I think I would hope that even somebody that despises every aspect of Trump's policy at least had their, had their moment. You know, they smiled and looked at those guys and said, they are, there are boys. And they did a great job. And our gals, they weren't, they weren't there last night, but you know, the gals team did a great job too. And I just think that that national pride is something that I want to see in everybody, irrespective of who they vote for. Unfortunately, Democrats, a lot of them, not all of them, it's not fair to say all of them, but a lot of them don't. And Clay, the other moment for me was when he told the story of the pilot, Chief Warrant Officer Slover, going into Venezuela, getting his legs. I mean, I'm assuming it was probably getting hit by seven, six, two rounds. I mean, I don't know. They didn't talk about this, but getting hit by, you know, getting hit in the legs and in the hip and continuing as a Chinook pilot to make sure that, that that bird came down and the mission was completed. And that guy, you could tell he's still recovering. There's still probably a lot of pain he's dealing with and, and immobility issues from, you know, you get hit with those kind of rounds, especially talking about hip stuff. That's very. Point is, man, that guy's just an American hero, an American badass, and be able to give him the Medal of Honor. I know there are other Medal of Honor winners too, and they had amazing stories, but this guy, it just happened. I just. That that wasn't about Trump.

[Sam Malone]

Right?

[Buck Sexton]

This is the thing.

[Sam Malone]

Totally.

[Buck Sexton]

It's about the country, truly. So how can they not love that? How can, how can you be an American and not say, you know, this is one of the best of ours right here. This guy who put it on the line and got the mission done.

[Sam Malone]

Eric Slover is his name. And what. First of all, he looked uncomfortable being there because I guarantee you, if they had given him a mic, he would say, well, I was just one of insert number of guys doing my job.

[Buck Sexton]

That's how those guys are at the highest level, the operators. That's how they are.

[Sam Malone]

But as he stood there and he was still, as you said, recovering, he had aid, I think crutches basically to help him walk. He looked like an American badass monster. In a good way, right? Just huge. I don't know how many reps on 315 that guy could do, but I would go for a high number. I mean, he looks like a guy who had committed his heart and soul to defending America to such an extent that, that he was there to get the utmost of his body and give the utmost of his body on behalf of the country. And that to your point, they had 200 year old, a World War II veteran, a guy who flew missions, I think they said, in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. I mean, both of whom were getting the awards. I thought it was the most patriotic, pro American speech that Trump may have ever given. And here's what stood out to me, Buck. And I think this ties in with the US Men. And I've got so many thoughts on a deep level about this. You can argue, as we have said on this program, about what the tax rate should be on corporations, and you can argue about what policy should be in place when it comes to ice raids and all these other different things. But really, what I think President Trump distilled with this address is there is one party that is proud of this country and proud of the United States and feels intense patriotic loyalty to America, and that is Republicans. And then there is a party that is ashamed of America and everything that it represents, and that is Democrats. And that is a big, major issue writ large that doesn't have anything to do direct with policy. And I thought Trump's address was delivered right at that intersection of conflict over the existential and supported and super important question of is America a good and just country or not? Republicans say yes, Democrats say no. And I think that goes to the very essence of our political battles in this day and age. And I thought that address really focused on it also.

[Buck Sexton]

Trump just taking a moment for him here because there was a lot of stuff that really was about the country and that was it was beautiful. And all of the victory laps that he started out with are just, they're just factual, too. This isn't. When Biden says things like American jobs, we brought back the economy, it's like, you mean you Democrat maniacs allowed people to go back to work because they had already gotten a nasty cold that they weren't going to die from in the first place because they weren't, you know, at high risk. Like, that's your great economic contribution to stop ruining everything and spending us into oblivion. The accomplishments that Trump was laying out last night are just that they're accomplishments, no matter how you slice it. The reality is he's done incredible things. But the other part of this, Clay, is he's just a showman, man. I mean, when he goes on, when the Democrats are, you know, oh, they're, they're, they're shrieking and howling and they're all so upset and they're acting like, really acting like the, you know, the unruly children in the school auditorium that the dean has to go and give a talking to. You know, Trump is just like, yeah, you're crazy. You know, he's shouting them down. The guy just puts on a show. It's, there's nothing else like it. We have seen nothing else like it. And I thought it, I thought it was phenomenal. Do I always think that a speech could be short or. Sure, but I actually, last night was the first time that I wasn't like, this has gotten brutal. That was, that was kind of my meaning. Got got way too long. So overall I thought it was his best State of the Union speech. And I go into these things pretty with low expectations. So we'll talk about some of the Democrat stuff, some of the big policy moments. Also, Clay, I think worth discussing this. Setting aside money for American children in accounts, understand, like basically putting everybody in a place where they will benefit from the American economy and the financial system. There's some big things about this that I think really matter and we should discuss because this is, this is a way you want to deal with like the wealth gap and you want to deal with quality of life and all these things. There's, there's a lot to this, by the way.

[Sam Malone]

We should have taken George W. Bush's advice a long time ago and indexed Social Security to S&P 500 index funds. If we had, the country would be on much sounder financial shape. Instead of you giving all your money and getting back 3% returns or whatever the heck it is 40 years later, it's a Social Security. The way it's set up is just

[Clay Travis]

it's a support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screenshot thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S P500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Investment Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosure is [e-mail] Disclosures Flag football is exploding and IFLAG is leading the way as the Guinness World Record Holder.

[Buck Sexton]

Iflag hosts premier flag football tournaments nationwide for boys, girls, high school girls and adults.

[Clay Travis]

From first time players to elite competitors, iflag delivers top level level competition, unforgettable

[Sam Malone]

experiences and a community built around the game. Ready to be part of it? Join the movement, find your tournament and

[Buck Sexton]

learn [e-mail] that's iflag.org these days it

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[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

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[Sam Malone]

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

[Buck Sexton]

Here with us tonight is a group of winners who just made the entire nation proud. The men's gold medal Olympic hockey team.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Come on in,

[Buck Sexton]

Clay. I think the chant of usa, USA was in, in essence what the speech was last night. Yes. That really, you know, if you're looking for an encapsulation, it's just a room full of people cheering, American heroes shouting usa, usa. I mean, let's really take a moment. I know that there were people on the Democrat side there who look like they were sucking on lemons. The whole, you know, who was particularly actually. Well, I mean, it's tough to compare to Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib who truly, if they were in like a college auditorium, they would have been, you know, they would have been removed by security. Ok, they're completely, they're, they're classless, they're grotesque, they're, they're horrible. Ok, But Mark Kelly, the idea that this guy is a presidential contender, he's such a surly little fuddy duddy, you know, I don't get that. Oh, we're all supposed to be so impressed by him. I'm not impressed by him at all. I don't care. He sits there with this scowl on his face and you say, what is there? Like, like look around in America today. I know the Democrats, some of their favorite toys have been taken away. I know that all DEI is taking a big hit and we don't have to use the preferred pronouns and we don't have to leave the borders wide open and pretend that somebody who came here illegally yesterday is just as American as people who have been here for, you know, hundreds of years with their families. You know, just the same, it's all the same. We don't have to do that anymore. But really, look at the day to day in the country right now. Unemployment, inflation, overall economic growth, GDP per capita wages. Now I know prices are high. Yes. I'm not saying everything's perfect. Yes, there's still a housing issue. But you look at the borders being secure, you look at the murder rate nationally coming down to effectively an all time low. And then you add to this, where's the are we in some horrible war right now with our bravest American men and women coming back in body bags and the solemnity of having no, we are, thank God, we are not. Are we in the midst of some terrible war. We are not. Are we? In the midst of some economic depression or great recession? No, we are not. Are we? What is the. What is there to be so upset about, Clay? This is really the thing I think is so funny. They just, oh, it's so bad. I mean, Spamberger, who's a total Trojan horse, she is absolutely out of the Democrat playbook of like, oh, I'm sort of just a boring mom, just like all of you. And then the lunatic communists just, you know, with their purple hair and their earplugs and their nose rings in the background, like Marxism. Rawr. You know, like that's what she's. She's going to unleash them on America the second she's in power, which she's done to Virginia already. What are these people? I really like that this is why when Trump called them crazy, they're crazy. They're actually nuts. Like, I don't have to sit here and get into some in depth conversation about their view of Keynesian economics. They can't even spell Keynesian economics. Do you think Rashida Tlaib knows who Keynes was? Do you think she knows what country he's from or what? I mean, these people are imbeciles and all they do is just, just show what malcontents they are. They just spew rage and envy and all over the country. That's what I felt like last night.

[Sam Malone]

I love what Trump has done on crime and I hope that he punched through on this. We should be talking all the time about the fact that murders are at 125 year low. And I went and did research this morning. Buck, you can go look it up. Washington D.C. in particular, where Trump spoke last night. 250th anniversary of the country. No one is talking about this. I feel sometimes like I'm screaming into a void. But I think it is so incredibly important. Murders are down 67% in Washington D.C. since last year. Buck. 27 murders between January and February occurred in 2025 last year, which was already beginning a dramatic decline from the past with Trump coming into office. There's only been nine murders in Washington D.C. in January and February of 2026. So far. 67%. Okay, we talked about this when it happened. We said, okay, maybe Trump's going to surge resources in Washington D.C. and it's just not going to work. That would stink because we would prefer that there was less violent crime. Murders instead are down 67%. What if we have just. And I think it's becoming clear grown to accept a certain level of crime that is absolutely unnecessary to accept. And by surging resources in crime ridden communities, we can actually make everybody infinitely safer. Wouldn't that be a great thing that's happening right now in Washington D.C. it's happening in my home state, Buck Memphis, Tennessee and it's happening in New Orleans, Louisiana, which I think is such an incredible story that it's impossible to attack Trump for and it should be screamed louder. I'm glad he addressed it last night, but I think a lot of people still have no clue how much safer. And by the way, do you know whose lives are being saved? Overwhelmingly minority lives, because murder rates are not evenly distributed per capita. Black and Hispanic people are far more likely to kill each other than white and Asian people are. And Trump is saving tons of lives. I mean, this is a real tangible thing.

[Buck Sexton]

It is. And it reminds me, Clay, of there are a number of things where there was a binary like should we deport illegals or not for the future of this country? Is something that is, I think it should be obvious to anybody. But there's a deep and long running philosophical ok, is it better, you know, if we deported X amount in the next five years? What's it like in 10 years? What these, these are things where you can keep arguing about it, is my point. I think it's very clear what's best for the country, but you keep arguing about it. There are other things though, where there's just, there's a final declaration of what is, who is right and who is wrong. I mean, you're, you love betting, you like predictions, you're into this stuff. Yeah. And, and sometimes it's, you get it wrong, you get it right. You know, this is, you know, tell.

[Sam Malone]

Sometimes the outcome is unclear and you just argue, hey, what, what could have happened here? What sure is this, that's fair.

[Buck Sexton]

But with Democrats on a number of important issues with Trump, the experiment has been run and we have seen the result and they were wrong and they don't care. They don't change their tune, they don't change their mind. They certainly don't say I'm sorry. And this is what we're dealing with now, Clay, there was an article in the New York Times by not a right winger and it's something we may want to talk about. I know you had a detransitioner on last week just saying ideology was pushing this trans care for kids stuff. There was no, there were no studies, there was no benefit analysis really. It was just gotta Trans them. Gotta trans them as fast. I gotta trans as many of them as we can. As fast as we can put them. Clay, Testosterone is a controlled substance that is hard for adult males to get without. You have to get a doctor's prescription in some places. They want to know, you know. You know, I have a ton of friends here in Miami who are they call it, you know, pinning trt ton of friends here. And if you go in and you're like a teenage girl, they're going to give you testosterone as quickly as they can in a lot of these places. Right? So it's controlled substance for men. But for my. My point on this point, that's the

[Sam Malone]

story that she told us, which was a lot of people still reacting to it. At 17 years old, they just start pumping this, you know, little girl, young girl, completely full of testosterone.

[Buck Sexton]

It's in Clay. And what they have to understand is there's no if you're a man and they're doing that for you, there is a completely clear medical basis, which is what is the optimum range for a man to be in. And they have to check. They'll check your hematocrit, they'll check your blood range. They'll check. You know, again, as part of my fitness journey, I've been doing. I've done peptides, and I'll talk about this another time. The only reason I don't talk about it more, by the way, is just because I don't want to be accused of, like, giving medical advice, right? So that's why I'm a little. But I'm a huge believer in get to a. Get to a performance doc. Talk to that performance doc about Maryland medical doctor about peptides, and maybe one day we can have one on the show. Clay. I mean, I actually probably talk to Marty Makary about this tomorrow because I think this is critical for health and a lot of things. My point is, what is the proper testosterone level for a girl who thinks she's a boy? There is no proper like. This doesn't exist. This is like, you know, you're crossing, you know, a hyena with a giraffe. Like, this is not supposed to happen. You're not supposed to do this. And they're finally now admitting that the science was not settled. The science was ideological. And that's just one incredibly important issue. But, Clay, on the issue of crime, which you just brought up, we were having this debate over at Morning Joe. They were coming off the croquet course, Mika and Joe with the sweaters around their shoulders to laugh at all the peasants about how they thought that they'd be safer. If, you know, Donald Trump actually put federal resources to work to make people safer. He was right. The numbers show it. They were wrong. Why aren't there articles in the New York Times? Why aren't there Democrats who are saying, you know, I don't like Trump on this, I disagree with how he does that. I wish he didn't make such funny jokes about Ilhan Omar or whatever, but he was right on crime. Clay, you know what happens if you do that? They, Eric Adams, you, you get pushed out of the good graces of the party and maybe you get a federal prosecution thrown at you if they're in power just to show you who the real boss is. These people. I keep coming back to it, these Democrats are nuts. They're nuts. They are unmoored from reality.

[Sam Malone]

I just look at it and say, murders going down, anything we could do to make that happen. And that, you know, this. There are so many, you know, downstream impacts from murders declining. Obviously, public safety is number one, because everybody feels more, feels safer in their communities. But the impact of, psychologically, of people who lose loved ones to violent crime, you never recover from it. Right now, there are thousands of people who will never experience that feeling because Trump and the people who work with him, the law enforcement, the National Guard, everybody out there that serves resources. Ice. Yes, ice. All of those people have made it such that thousands of people are walking the streets today who would have been dead. I don't know how. You cannot make that a signature achievement. Buck. If you and I had, come on, if we had said, hey, what's your prediction for 2024, 2025, what is year one of Trump gonna. Gonna make happen? If you or I had said, in January of 2025, I think we're gonna hit 125 year low in murders, somebody would have clipped that and they would have said, this is the most crazy, pro Trump outlandish prediction, that they would

[Buck Sexton]

have laughed at us. They would have. They wouldn't even, I think, and analyze it. They would have mocked us. Yes, absolutely happened.

[Sam Malone]

It happened. You and I wouldn't have even thought to predict it because it's such an unexpected outcome. And it's like we're not even going to check the scoreboard. We're not even going to analyze basic data.

[Buck Sexton]

I would put it on the other side, too, where remember Joe Biden astutely, unfortunately, because he knew, because he's been in the game a long time, or at least his senior advisors knew he never went full BLM because he with defund the police. He knew. Defund the police. Defund the police is a moron. Is a moron slogan. And you're gonna. Politically, it's toxic. You can't defund the police. He knew that and so he stayed away from it. If Joe Biden had come into office and said, you know what, I know this is gonna upset some communities, but the numbers are gonna speak for themselves and actually particularly minority communities will benefit from the lives saved more than anybody else. We're going to go all in on crime and Joe Biden delivered 120 year low in the murder rate. We would be on here and I'd be saying, it'd be saying, wow. I didn't think he had it in him, but pretty remarkable. Maybe he's getting more credit for it than he deserves. But it's a good thing. And if we had opposed it, I would have, I mean, I don't know how that would have happened.

[Sam Malone]

Right.

[Buck Sexton]

But I'm just saying if we had doubted it, I would have been like, he proved us wrong. It's a good thing. Some people in the audience will be mad at us because they're mad whenever I say anything nice about anything a Democrat does. And that's fine, but that's where we'd be. Democrats don't do that. They jeer Trump saving lives because it's Trump. That's where they are. It's pretty crazy. I mean, again, I keep coming back to that word. They're crazy. Guys, this is what we're up against. Why we can't let these people back near the levers of power.

[Sam Malone]

The Team 47 podcast is brought to you by Cozy Earth.

[Buck Sexton]

Comfort, style and quality. You can count on Cozy Earth.

[Sam Malone]

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

[Buck Sexton]

We are joined by Senator Marsha Blackburn of the great state of Tennessee, which has given us both a fantastic Senator and a fantastic Clay Travis. So we have so much to be thankful for, Tennessee. And thank you for being here, Senator.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Well, I'm always so delighted to join you all. Thanks for having me back.

[Buck Sexton]

It really was an incredible State of the Union. And that comes Senator Blackburn from somebody who thinks even his own team. State of the Unions are usually kind of boring and go too long. I thought last night was remarkable. I just wanted to get your top line thoughts on it and how was.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Was remarkable. And the two hours absolutely flew by because the President just kept rolling right on through all the objections that the left side of the aisle was throwing their way. I was so pleased. He laid out where we were a year and a half ago with 9% inflation, with chaos in the world. And then he drew it to today, where we're at 2.4% inflation. The price of gas coming down, the price of groceries beginning to normalize, wages going up and job opportunities increasing, and our state standing in the world is restored. Our allies are working with us. Our adversaries and enemies fear us. They know that President Trump means business and that he has the backing of Republicans in the House and the Senate.

[Sam Malone]

Were you stunned, even as someone who has been involved in politics for a long time, that when they had the mom of a murdered innocent woman and they had her stand, and when they had Charlie Kirk's wife Erica stand, and when even on a much less serious front, they brought in the U.S. men's Olympic team, that every Democrat didn't stand up and clap? I wish there had been even more of a camera on the larger viewing area so you could see it. But I got to admit, I was kind of staggered. I don't know who gave Democrats that advice, but including, hey, do you think your job is to take care of citizens or illegal immigrants?

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

That's right.

[Sam Malone]

I couldn't believe the way they behaved.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Their behavior was appalling. And the fact that they would stay sitting in their seats and not stand to honor these who have lost loved ones, to honor those that have served our country, to honor the oath that they took to protect and defend and honor the people who voted for them and elected them, to make certain that they were there to serve the people. It was absolutely astounding. But you know what? This is where the line of distinction is. What we have seen is the current Democrat Party, which is led by the far left wing of the Democrat Party, the Democrat Socialists. They would rather take care of illegal immigrants than they would take care of the people that voted for them. They would rather provide for illegal immigrants than provide for for the citizens of their states and the citizens of this nation? It is astounding.

[Buck Sexton]

Senator Blackburn, you also wanted to talk to us today about this case currently with the courts involving social media and there's the Kids Online Safety Act. There's a whole range of issues coming together here. Can you just tell us first what is going on right now? We've got Mark Zuckerberg, recently had to show up in Los Angeles County Superior Court. He testified he's a CEO of Meta. There's this whole court case going on. It's with the jury right now. What Are the items at issue and what do you want to see from this case?

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Yes, indeed, this case, which I will say this, Mark Zuckerberg being on the stand, stand in this case, I don't know what the outcome, the legal ramifications of the case are going to end up being. No one can tell us exactly because there's a jury involved. What I do know is this, that Mark Zuckerberg lost in the court of public opinion because he continued to say that social media had nothing to do with the exception accelerated levels of anxiety and depression, eating disorders, teen suicide and this bucket of mental health issues. When the research that Meta has and whistleblowers have given that research to us and of course it was presented in court and you know that they know what they are doing to kids. You know that they are designing programming to capture younger kids. We all know that the valuation of Meta and Google in all of these big tech companies, it is based on the number of eyeballs they draw to the page and the amount of time they can keep those eyeballs focused on their platform. So I think he lost in the court of public opinion. It has brought forward the need to pass the Kids Online Safety act that came out of the Senate 91 to 3. We have 75 Senate co sponsors on it. It is significant. It would put in place a duty of care, a product by design safety standard for the virtual space. That is something at this point point

[Sam Malone]

we do not have your grandkids, Mike. My sons go to a similar school in the Nashville area that has a good technology policy which is. And I know they probably may be cheating right now, but they're not supposed to have their phones, they're not supposed to be able to text message during school. And if they're caught with cell phones during school hours, there are consequences. Shouldn't this be the standard for every school? Basically in America you're a grandma, before that you were a mom as a dad. I think it's a no brainer and I think it's super bipartisan. Are you in favor of this? More and more schools not allowing kids to be on phones during the day?

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Oh yes, indeed. Bell to bell, no cell. That is a very good policy for kids. And you know, there is an, there's a growing body of research that shows that children who do not have a cell phone in on their desk, in their backpack, within reach, their test scores go up, their achievement goes up, their participation in class increases. And the more you see this research, the more you know that it does matter. And you realize What a massive distraction it is to have that cell phone at the ready. I think one of the things that is so interesting about this, also talking to parents, teachers and principals. Most of the behavioral issues that take place on school campuses find their nexus at the cell phone. And the bullying is 24 7. It never stops. So putting those phones away for that period of the academic day forces kids to focus on what they are studying. It means that kids that go to study hall are actually doing research work. They're writing papers, they're pulling books out of the library shelves. And hearing from librarians about the change in behavior during those study halls is something that has not been lost on me.

[Buck Sexton]

Speaking to Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. When you talk about. I just want to bring us back to this for a second. The social media issues for kids and online duty of care. Are the social media companies, are they just saying that that's impossible, it's too expensive, it's not necessary? I mean, what's the counter argument? Because usually when it comes to any political issue about children, everyone at least pretends that they care about the kids, right? I mean, even the big companies pretend. So what are they saying in response to this? Why, why would they, you know, will they go along with it? I mean, why does it even require an act by Congress?

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

They have proven they cannot police themselves. They have also proven that when kids are on those phones, kids are the product. And you know, one of the interesting things is that every industrial sector in this country has product safety standards. Whether it's an automobile, a toaster, a mattress, a curling iron, everything has a safety standard. Everything except the virtual space. And the reason for that, Big Tech has spent millions of dollars lobbying. Last year, fourth quarter of the year, in order to take down the Kids Online safety Act, Meta hired one lobbyist for every six members of Congress and spent $20 million. I'm somebody that knows what it feels like to have Big Tech come barreling after them with lots of lobbyists, lawyers, and millions of dollars because they do not want to change their business model. They would have to change that business model. If you put in place a safety by design standard. If you delink the algorithm so that the algorithm can be controlled by the parents and the kids and not controlled by the platform. They don't want that.

[Sam Malone]

Senator Blackburn, last night I was at a In the black is what it's called event about trying to balance a budget. Bunch of people, you know, were there. It was awesome. I know you're running for governor, but the federal government inability to remotely make decisions that have to do. Let, let, let's use as an example right now basic election integrity. You're going to be on the ballot in November. Tennessee, thankfully has really great election integrity. But the fact that white, black, Asian, Hispanic people overwhelmingly believe that you should have to show a photo ID in order to vote to prove you're who you are, what's going to happen with that in the Senate? I think there might be a filibuster. How's that process going to play out? I still can't believe this is unpassable. Basically based on the Democrat response.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

You know, it's an 80% issue with the American people across, across all different demographic groups. And that's the thing that is so interesting, the fact that it has such broad bipartisan support. I mean, Zoran Mandami wants you to show two forms of ID in order to go shovel snow in New York, but he doesn't want you to show an ID to vote. What they're trying to do is make it easy to cheat and hard to vote. We want to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. And we have got to have photo ID in the Senate. We are going to push the Save America act forward. I look forward to having a vote on the floor. It should be common sense, standard practice that you have to be a citizen of the United States in order to vote in our elections and you have to show an ID and prove who you are. When it comes to the issue of the balanced budget, I have supported a balanced budget amendment for the United States. We have that in Tennessee. We have to balance our budget. We can't borrow money or print money. We have to be very careful about that and be a good fiscal steward. It means that some years, the leaner years, you cannot do some projects you want to do. And then it means when you do have years where you have a surplus, you have to be wise about where you place those dollars. The federal government should do likewise and they would be well served to do likewise.

[Buck Sexton]

Senator Blackburn, appreciate you being with us.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

You got it. Take care.

[Clay Travis]

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