Team 47 - Trump ‘28?

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show – "Team 47: Trump '28?"

Date: November 2, 2025
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts
Hosts: Clay Travis & Buck Sexton
Summary by Podcast Summarizer

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Overview

This episode dives into current political headlines, focusing on post-2024 Trumpism, the likelihood and potential of a "unity ticket" in 2028 with J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio, the consequences of the Trump administration's aggressive anti-drug strategy (including military action against Venezuela), and a unique segment on Trump's controversial White House ballroom expansion. Through their trademark blend of humor and political insight, Clay and Buck dissect the intrigue, drama, and substance of recent developments.

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Main Discussion Topics & Insights

1. Trump 2028? The Case for a Vance-Rubio Unity Ticket

[02:45–04:33]

• Trump floats the idea of a powerful J.D. Vance/Marco Rubio ticket in 2028, suggesting unity and stability beyond his tenure.
  • Clay Travis expresses longing for a Trump run, noting the President’s age (79) but acknowledges the mounting buzz behind a Vance/Rubio continuation.
  • Clay: “I wish he could run again. I mean, I know he's 79, but he's not going to run. I wish he could. I do think the idea of a JD Marco ticket...is starting to get some momentum.” [03:18]
• Discussion centers on whether such a unity ticket could forestall GOP in-fighting and serve as a "Trump 3.0".
  • Buck Sexton tempers optimism: “A lot can happen in two and a half years, my friend.” [04:33]
  • Buck is wary of political predictions, referencing unexpected events like COVID: “In 2019...I was saying, guys, the country, things are great...And then, boom, few months later, you're doing TikTok dances by yourself in your apartment.” [05:13]

Memorable quote:

Buck: “This is the way we think the story should go. And that, to me, means it's unlikely that that is the way the story will play out.” [04:43]

2. Pandemic Life: Red State vs. Blue State Trauma

[05:17–06:27]

• Clay and Buck reminisce about the contrasts in pandemic experiences between New York City (strict lockdowns) and Franklin, TN (comparably relaxed measures).
  • Clay: “We didn't really do covet here in Franklin, Tennessee...it was kind of over.”
  • Buck: “New York turned into a prison camp with masking. It was insane.” [06:25]
• Clay jokes about Buck’s solitary TikTok dances and NYC’s pandemic stress.

3. Trump vs. "Low IQ Democrats": Cognitive Tests and Political Jabs

[06:27–10:41]

• Trump calls out Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, challenging them to take cognitive tests, and disparages their intelligence.
  • Trump (via clip): “They have Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ person. They have AOC's low IQ. You give her an IQ test, have her pass…Let AOC go against Trump, let Jasmine go against Trump.” [07:05]
  • Describes cognitive tests with animal picture questions, lampooning his rivals’ intellects.
• Clay and Buck recognize Trump’s unique comedic style and media reactions.
  • Clay: “His comedic timing and the fact that people don't get his sense of humor...so many people who have Trump derangement syndrome...have an inability to process tone and context.” [09:16]
• Jasmine Crockett’s rebuttal is played; she accuses Trump of being out of touch and obsessed with women of color.
  • Crockett: “He is constantly talking about he doesn't even know what a low IQ is. He don't even know which scores are low...I am not worried about that. And I wish people would look at the fact that you have a President...who consistently is obsessing over two women of color that are members of the House.” [09:56]

Hosts’ assessment:

• Both hosts voice disappointment in the general intellectual quality of congressional representatives, not only Crockett.
  • Clay: “There are a lot of people who represent us in Congress and in the Senate that are not high intellect. That's not ideal.” [10:41]

4. Trump’s War on Fentanyl and Military Escalation: Venezuela in the Crosshairs

[15:10–32:33]

• Buck and Clay discuss the Trump administration’s unprecedented use of force to combat fentanyl trafficking, including (controversial) kinetic military actions targeting drug boats and—potentially—direct strikes inside Venezuela.
  • Buck: “Fentanyl is far more dangerous, far more addictive and far more dangerous…They’re poisoning people and it's a lethal issue. And we're responding with lethal force.” [15:47]
  • Marco Rubio (audio): “If people want to stop seeing drug boats blow up, stop sending drugs to the United States.” [16:21]
• Buck frames this as both necessary and effective, explaining the rationale for executive military actions in countries where the US is not officially at war, comparing it to counterterrorism policy (e.g., strikes in Pakistan, Yemen).
  • Buck: “No stupid wars under Trump has not meant no military action against our enemies. These are different things.” [29:08]
• Strategic context: Venezuela is characterized as a failing narco-state, its regime weakened by socialism—setting the stage for US intervention.
  • Buck: “Venezuela has larger proven oil reserves than Saudi Arabia…But people took over who said, your life...will be great if you just put us, the left wing radical socialists in charge. Now…it’s a mess.” [30:48]
• Raises broader questions about regime change, US foreign policy, and the cycle of socialist dictatorships in Latin America.

Notable Quote:

Buck: “Trump going after it…feels a little bit like life imitating art here because I think this is where we're going, where we're going to have…military action to bring down a narco regime in South America.” [31:27]

5. Trump’s White House Ballroom: From Controversy to Consensus

[36:35–48:46]

• Recent expansion of the White House via a new ballroom designed by Trump draws ire from critics, but both hosts and even political opponents quietly admit it’s a sensible, overdue improvement.
  • Buck (reading WaPo editorial): “In classic Trump fashion, the president is pursuing a reasonable idea in the most jarring manner possible...It is absurd that tents need to be erected on the South Lawn for state dinners…Trump says the ballroom…will accommodate 999 guests. The next Democratic President will be happy to have this.”
  • Editorial board concedes that normal review would have delayed or killed the project.
• Clay explains how Trump, as a builder, has advocated for such a ballroom for years, even offering his services to Obama.
  • Clay: “This is something that he's been obsessed with now for 15 years...Trump is making decisions to a large extent for things that he will never benefit for personally because he thinks it's better for the country.” [41:00]
  • Compares Trump’s “builder’s perspective” to planting trees that benefit future generations.
• The hosts mock Democrats’ knee-jerk opposition to anything Trump does, highlighting Rep. Swalwell’s call to “take a wrecking ball to the Trump Ballroom on day one.”
  • Clay: “This is an incredible gift that Trump is giving to the country. And again, every president for the rest of our lives will be able to use it, no matter what political party they're in…” [46:05]
  • Buck: “Maybe, just maybe they should grow up and pick and choose their battles and say, hmm, nice. The guy who's famous for building incredible towers...maybe he knows what he's doing on this one.” [47:20]
• Broader point: Many things Trump has done have been attacked reflexively, only to be lauded years later.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Clay Travis:
  • “I wish he could run again. I mean, I know he's 79, but he's not going to run. ...Let's not have all the drama of this huge fight. Let's just keep things rolling.” [03:18]
• Buck Sexton:
  • "A lot can happen in two and a half years, my friend." [04:33]
  • “In 2019...I was saying, guys, the country, things are great...And then, boom, few months later, you're doing TikTok dances by yourself in your apartment.” [05:13]
  • “Fentanyl is different…It’s very easy to overdose…and we're responding with lethal force.” [15:47]
  • “No stupid wars under Trump has not meant no military action against our enemies. These are different things.” [29:08]
  • “Trump going after it…feels a little bit like life imitating art here because I think this is where we're going, where we're going to have…military action to bring down a narco regime in South America.” [31:27]
• J.D. Vance (playing Trump):
  • “They have Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ person. They have AOC's low IQ...Let AOC go against Trump. Let Jasmine go against Trump.” [07:05]
• Jasmine Crockett:
  • "I am not worried about that. And I wish people would look at the fact that you have a President...who consistently is obsessing over two women of color that are members of the House." [09:56]

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Key Timestamps

• [02:45] – Trump hints at a Vance/Rubio 2028 ticket
• [05:13] – Pandemic retrospectives—blue vs. red state experiences
• [07:05] – Trump mocks Crockett and AOC's intelligence
• [09:56] – Jasmine Crockett responds to Trump
• [15:10] – Discussion of anti-fentanyl strategy and military escalation
• [16:21] – Marco Rubio defends blowing up drug boats
• [29:08+ ] – In-depth analysis of Venezuela’s collapse and U.S. policy
• [36:35] – White House ballroom controversy, bipartisan acceptance
• [41:00] – Trump’s “builder’s legacy” approach explained
• [46:05] – Clay on the ballroom as a gift to all future presidents

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Tone and Style

• The episode blends policy analysis, partisan critique, humor, and storytelling.
• Clay and Buck bring a conversational, irreverent style—poking fun at both political opponents and themselves, while not shying away from strong conservative perspectives.

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Takeaways

• Post-Trump Republican future: A Vance-Rubio ticket could offer unity and continuity, though the hosts are realistic about unpredictability.
• Fentanyl crisis: Trump administration's military-response to foreign drug trafficking is controversial but has broad support among the hosts and, they argue, the public.
• Trump’s legacy-building: The White House ballroom saga is used as a microcosm of “Trump derangement syndrome” and ultimate bipartisan acceptance of sensible policy.
• Media and political reflexes: The show critiques the automatic opposition to Trump’s initiatives, noting history ultimately often vindicates his proposals.

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This comprehensive summary should equip non-listeners with clear insights into the episode’s themes, arguments, and memorable moments, preserving the hosts' lively tone and viewpoint.

Transcript

[Buck Sexton]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[J.D. Vance]

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Then in week 11, Jaden Daniels and the Commanders touchdown once again. Face Tua and the Dolphins in Madrid. Snooze off. Game on. It's Sunday morning Football continues November 9th at 9:30 in Eastern only on NFL Network.

[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

Start your 7 day free trial today. Offers are subject to change. Go to Fox one for complete terms and conditions. Fox one we live for live streaming now.

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[Clay Travis]

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[Clay Travis]

Team 47 with Clay and Buck starts now.

[J.D. Vance]

We have three people. I don't have to get into them. But we have one of them standing right here. We have J.D. obviously, the Vice president is great. I think Marco is great. I think. I'm not sure if anybody would run against us. I think if they ever formed a group, it would be unstoppable. I really do. I believe that I would. I would. I would love to do it. And I have my best numbers ever. It's very terrible. I have my best numbers. If you read it, am I not ruling it out? You'll have to tell me.

[Clay Travis]

Okay, so Trump talking again. The obsession. Trump 2028. I'm gonna be honest with you, Buck. I wish he could run again. I mean, I know he's 79, but he's not going to run. I wish he could. I do think the idea of a JD Marco ticket, unity from the start, is starting to get some momentum. Do you buy the idea that that duo, Marco Rubio obviously has 768 different jobs inside of the Trump administration right now, primarily Secretary of State J.D. vance, VP. Do you buy the idea that those guys might just say, hey, let's keep the band together and have a unity ticket, and we might not even see that much drama in 2028 that Trump might just say, hey, these are my guys. I'm not going to run. I'm 83 years old. But they have my complete and total endorsement. I could see a world where people just say, yeah, you know, I like this team. I like how things are going. You buy this, I mean, because I'm starting to think it's more and more of a possibility that they just say, hey, we're a unity ticket. We're Trump. 3.2.0, 3.0, however you want to say it. And let's not have all the drama of this huge fight. Let's just keep things rolling. What do you think? Is it too clean?

[Buck Sexton]

It all sounds great, and it would be phenomenal in so many ways. A lot can happen in two and a half years, my friend.

[Clay Travis]

Certainly, this is.

[Buck Sexton]

This is the thing. This is the way we think the story should go. And that, to me means it's unlikely that that is the way the story will play out. That's how I view this. Yes, it should go this way. There is a pathway. But remember, I was doing shows, Clay in 2019. You know, I was doing. Doing solo buck shows in 2019, where I was saying, guys, the country, things are great. Enjoy it. Trump's kicking ass, Economy's phenomenal.

[Clay Travis]

We're at peace.

[Buck Sexton]

You know, things are great. And then, boom, few months later, you're.

[Clay Travis]

Doing TikTok dances by yourself in your apartment. New York City, we don't have, we.

[Buck Sexton]

Don'T have to go back to that trauma every time. You know, it was very difficult.

[Clay Travis]

I still want to see the TikTok dances.

[Buck Sexton]

My hair was getting longer and my waist was getting bigger every day of the COVID pandemic, and I'm doing these TikTok dances alone in my tiny apartment in New York, surrounded by lunatics who don't think you can go outside.

[Clay Travis]

I would have, I, I, I mean, this, I walked into your apartment, the first thing I said was, I was like, I would have gone insane. You know, we didn't really do covet here in Franklin, Tennessee. Just basically like March and April and maybe a little bit of May, people were like, ah, you know, a little bit. And then it was kind of over. And then every time I see people, you, some of you guys still have a lot of post traumatic stress, you laugh. You, New York, Chicago residents who really had to go through the chaos and the insanity.

[Buck Sexton]

LA people most, A lot of them had yards more weather more so.

[Clay Travis]

But I mean, Gavin Newsom was arresting paddleboarders.

[Buck Sexton]

I mean, that's true.

[Clay Travis]

I mean, this was, they wouldn't even let him walk on the rails. New York turned into a, turned into.

[Buck Sexton]

A prison camp with masking. It was insane.

[Clay Travis]

The only reason to live in New York City is to be able to experience the city. Anybody who has ever had to be cloistered in tiny little apart, um, that I, I do think New York had it the worst of everybody. I would have lost my mind. I certainly wouldn't have been able to stay, uh, Trump being Trump, by the way, in addition to saying, hey, JD and Marco could be an incredible team, he also decided to tee off on Jasmine Crockett, and he challenged them to a cognitive test. Aoc. We're going to talk about AOC coming after our friend Riley Gaines here in a moment. Uh, but Trump also challenged AOC and Jasmine Crockett to a cognitive test. And you'll want to hear this. Cut 22.

[J.D. Vance]

All I can tell you is that we have a great group of people, which they don't. They have Jasmine Crockett, a low IQ person. They have AOC's low IQ. You give her an IQ test, have her pass. Like, the exams that I decided to take when I was at Walter Reed, I took. Those are very hard. They're really aptitude tests, I guess, at a certain point, but they're cognitive tests. Let AOC go against Trump Let Jasmine go against Trump.

[Buck Sexton]

I don't know.

[J.D. Vance]

Think, Jasmine. The first couple of questions are easy. A tiger, an elephant, a giraffe. You know, when you get up to about 5 or 6, and then when you get up to 10 and 20 and 25, they couldn't come close to answering any of those questions.

[Buck Sexton]

I mean, he is just, you know, what's on. You know, what's really unfair is if Trump doesn't run again. And I think that he does just like to say that he's going to run again because it upsets the libs so much. But if he doesn't run again, Clay, our jobs will never be as entertaining as they have been in the Trump era, because he makes you guys even remember what it was like back in the days when, oh, everything Obama said was genius and perfect. It was boring and generally useless and often lies and wrong. In the Bush era, whatever, you know, people just said stuff. You know, Clinton. I mean, Clinton stuff got a little spicy toward the end, as we know. But in general, we did not have a president who just says hilarious things all the time.

[Clay Travis]

Can we play the end of that clip? I mean, the part where. I mean, it's not scripted, right? Where he just talks about. I presume that they're showing you pictures of animals as a part of the cognition test, but just. Can we play like, the last 10 seconds of that again? Because, I mean that his comedic timing and the fact that people don't get his sense of humor, I really. I feel like so many people who have Trump derangement syndrome, really, what they have is an inability to process tone and context. Because, I mean, how could you not laugh at this at the end of this answer? Maybe we don't have the ability to pull it out.

[J.D. Vance]

They're really aptitude tests, I guess, in a certain way, with their cognitive tests. Let AOC go against Trump. Let Jasmine go against Trump. I don't think. Jasmine. The first couple of questions are easy. A tiger, an elephant, a giraffe. You know, when you get up to about 5 or 6, and then when you get up to 10 and 20 and 25, they couldn't come close to answering any of those questions.

[Clay Travis]

All right, so Jasmine Crockett has fired back Buck. Jasmine Crockett says, I got into college on my own. Trump didn't. This is Jasmine Crockett responding to Trump saying she has a low IQ. Cut 23.

[Jasmine Crockett]

I'm waiting on a reporter, and maybe it'll be Uklyn that finally asked him what is his iq, because he is constantly talking about he doesn't even know what a low IQ is. He don't even know which scores are low. And I can guarantee you that whatever score, if he's taken one anytime recently, I'm sure that his qualifies as low. Listen, he's never been known to be an Einstein. This is not a guy who got in on merit when it came to going to college. This is someone who, but for him being born with a silver spoon, probably wouldn't have got into anybody's institution, unlike me. So, you know, I am not worried about that. And I wish people would look at the fact that you have a President of the United States who consistently is obsessing over two women of color that are members of the House.

[Clay Travis]

Okay, so the whole women of color thing is Jasmine Crockett, in your opinion, an elite intellect? Buck? I'll answer first. No. And it's not just Jasmine Crockett. I'm disappointed. I bet you are on some level too. You know who's really disappointed by it is Laura Travis, my wife. There are a lot of people who represent us in Congress and in the Senate that are not high intellect. That's not ideal. They're also not great communicators. That is really not ideal. Like we are not represented in general, Republicans, Democrats, independents, by the most accomplished and intellectually sound and great communicators out there. I think one thing that Trump diagnosed in politics was that he could have the success he had with no background in politics because there are a lot of lightweights that he is knocking out and pushing around. Candidly, when it comes to arguments and it comes to the political direction of.

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[NFL Network Announcer]

The NFL International games continue on NFL Network and here our stars come out in the morning.

[Clay Travis]

Let's go.

[NFL Network Announcer]

Week 10 Bajon Robinson and the Falcons touchdown Atlanta take on Daniel Jones and the Colts in Berlin.

[J.D. Vance]

Fireworks in the fourth quarter.

[NFL Network Announcer]

Then in Week 11, Jaden Daniels and the Commanders touchdown once again face Tua and the Dolphins in Madrid. Snooze off. Game on. It's Sunday morning Football continues November 9th at 9:30 Eastern only on NFL Network.

[Clay Travis]

Now you can stream Fox News live on the Fox One app. Stay on top of breaking news and the biggest stories live as they happen, all from the Fox voices you trust, bringing you the coverage you won't find anywhere else.

[Buck Sexton]

Start your 7 day free trial today. Offers are subject to change. Go to Fox one for complete terms and conditions. Fox one we live for live streaming now.

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[Clay Travis]

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

[Buck Sexton]

The blowing up of the drug boat by this administration. I don't think that the Democrat left was prepared for how much most Americans and it comes after decades now of far too many fentanyl overdoses. And fentanyl is different than cocaine. It's different than marijuana. Obviously it is far more dangerous, far more addictive and far more dangerous. It's very easy to overdose on fentanyl. And there's a whole bunch of ways.

[Clay Travis]

And let me just say this too, because I bet a lot of people out there, a lot of. It's not even overdosing, Buck. It's poisoning.

[Buck Sexton]

Yes.

[Clay Travis]

You don't even know that you're taking it. Right. They're.

[Buck Sexton]

They're making it so that it looks like pharmaceutical pills which have been assuming they're actually made in a major farm, you know, in a major drug company lab at least. You know the dosing, you know what's actually in it, nevermind just the dosing. The cartels. So they're poisoning people and it's a lethal issue. And we're responding with lethal force. This is Marco Rubio. We didn't play this last week, Clay, but I wanted everyone to hear it. When the press was pushing him on this issue, this is how the Secretary of State responded. Play 20.

[Marco Rubio]

Well, I mean, the question is, bottom line, these are drug boats. If people want to stop seeing drug boats blow up, stop sending drugs to the United States.

[Buck Sexton]

But does it matter if it's in the United States?

[Marco Rubio]

Well, these are all in international waters.

[Buck Sexton]

The boat US strike in the United States or if.

[Marco Rubio]

Well, that's a different matter. You're talking about a law enforcement. In this particular case, there are people traveling on international waters headed towards the United States with hostilities in mind, which includes flooding our country with dangerous, deadly drugs. And they're going to be stopped. And that's what's happening. And in the case last week, you saw there was a submarine. It was a submarine. It was a submersible. That's a drug boat all the way through. We know what these boats are. The president just said it. We tracked them from the very beginning. We know who's on them, who they are, where they're coming from, what they have on them. And you know, if you're running drug boats, you're in, you're in grave danger.

[Buck Sexton]

This is changing the calculation for the cartels. If this continues, Clay, and I don't see the administration stopping. If anything, I think a lot of just everyday Americans are saying, yeah, I don't want any more. I don't want any more. Like star athletes in my high school dying because they thought they took a Xanax and it was something else. Or I don't want anybody who's suffering from fentanyl, you know, poisoning anywhere.

[Clay Travis]

Amen. And I will just say this. You, Marco Rubio, J.D. vance, you're talking about elite. I really believe this intellect and communicators. You can just almost see and hear the eye roll from Marco Rubio as he's having to answer that stupid question about, hey, well, these are international waters. That's different than the United States waters. Right. Like the difference between an elite communicator when it comes to. To these kind of questions and the media that are asking the questions. I'm not sure we've ever seen it exposed more than with the team that Trump has put around him in 2.0, which are elite communicators. You know, people come after Trump and they say, oh, well, he picked Pete Hegseth from Fox News or he picked, you know, Sean Duffy from Fox News. Right. People who are on television, typically people who are on television are pretty good at communicating. And so they can take complex issues and they can distill it down so that it can be easily understood. JD And Marco are also elite communicators. And we know Trump certainly is. Is fantastic when it comes to communication. You're listening to Team 47 with clay and Buck.

[Buck Sexton]

There is something that is percolating out there that I think we should talk about, my friends, a little bit of a departure from the political stories of the day for a second here. Although this certainly has a lot of politics involved, the possibility, which is now starting to look more and more like a probability that there will be strikes by our military inside of Venezuela. This would be something. As you know, we have already had about a dozen kinetic strikes, missile attacks, really, on drug vehicles of one kind or boats, but also submarines. Right. So different kinds of nautical vessels. So that's going on already. And international waters are getting blown up. Senator Rand Paul is very upset about this. It is quite aggressive. But you have to look at this as we don't want people dying from fentanyl overdoses anymore. That fentanyl gets to US Shores, people take it, they die in large numbers. Enough is enough. I am not seeing a lot of outrage from the American people over this. And we have set a precedent in the past where executive action for counterterrorism has resulted in strikes, including in countries, sovereign nations with whom we are not at war, Pakistan being the most of, but also Yemen and Somalia. So we have been striking enemies in countries without a declaration of war for a long time. And those are essentially terrorists involved in ongoing plotting, and that's enough to take them out. So in this case, you look at the transportation of massive amounts of a very lethal drug. I understand that People can take it for a while and not die, but they can take it one time and die. And a lot of people are going to be addicted to it and take it until they die. And it's horrendous and it's a scourge. It's destroying families and communities and it's awful. And so I have not seen very much in the way of pushback by the American people. I've seen Senator Rand Paul and a handful of others. Well, the Trump haters don't like it in Congress because they don't like anything Trump does. Like we say Trump could cure cancer and all of a sudden Democrats would be pro cancer. But this would be an expansion beyond just the strikes against vessels in international waters to attacks in Venezuela. Miami Herald, a left wing paper here in my hometown, but does some good reporting on occasion. Here's what they write. At a military base in eastern Venezuela's Caribbean coast, radar screens sit mostly dark. Generators hum sporadically. Parts are stripped from grounded aircraft and officers communicate on personal cell phones because the army's radios no longer work. Just a few hundred miles north, the Caribbean Sea is bristling with U.S. warships, stealth jets and high tech drones. In what analysts describe as the region's largest show of force in half a century, Washington has deployed one of the most powerful naval forces the region has seen in decades. An aircraft carrier, several destroyers, a submarine, F35 fighter jets, and swarms of armed drones. On the other side, Maduro's war machine struggles to stay alive, undermined by corruption, neglect and fear. So here you have, lining up across the battlefield from each other, the most formidable military on the planet under the auspices of the Department of War, no longer the Department of Defense. It's gonna take me a while to be able to make that switch, so you don't have to keep reminding me. I promise I'll try. I guess Secretary of War is, is now the title as well. I did see a funny meme going around that, that Hegseth didn't want to be called secretary because that's too wimpy. But that was a joke, is my understanding. So here we have the Maduro regime in the weakest military position it has been in perhaps in the 20th century. The socialist destruction of their economy and the elite's reliance on illegal drugs just to keep it all, you know, the importation of legal drugs in the United States. Essentially Venezuela is a failed state and anarcho state. And this administration, the Trump administration, has had enough. And there's a lot of reporting coming out now that the Trump administration has identified targets in Venezuela that smuggle drugs, that these are part of the international cartel activities that lead to the deaths of large numbers of Americans through overdoses, through poisoning, and the Trump administration is preparing to take action against them. There is very little that Venezuela would be able to do to even defend its most important military facilities. Essentially, Venezuela is hollowed out as a regime already, so this would not be difficult. And now it's interesting because we've had a Trump administration that on the one hand has always stayed very clear in its philosophy of non intervention. In Trumpian terms, no stupid wars. No stupid wars. But no stupid wars under Trump has not meant no military action against our enemies. These are different things. It is in fact possible, say, to take part in the destruction of Iran's nuclear facilities without starting World War 3, as some were saying. It is in fact possible to take out a terrorist mastermind in Qasem Soleimani, among many others, to take him out with a strike by the Trump administration in Baghdad, in Iraq, and not have Iran erupt into some broader Middle Eastern conflict. These are things the Trump administration has done and has done effectively and successfully and for which there has not been some price that we have paid. So now we look at the case of Venezuela. It is one thing to go after these military, these Venezuelan military facilities. Remember, the military and the regime are part of the drug trafficking. This is now a state enterprise for Venezuela. And it is such a reminder for the American people right now of what socialism really does, what social justice, economics and politics results in. What the obsession with class envy. When you put bad faith, left wing populists in charge, what do they do? They destroy like a plague of locusts. They destroy your society. Venezuela has crazy inflation. It has empty store shelves, it has horrific crime. There's essentially no meaningful law enforcement. It places a mess. This was the third wealthiest country in the Western Hemisphere after the US and Canada into the 90s. This is a country that has. Venezuela has larger proven oil reserves than Saudi Arabia. I know that sounds impossible, but you can, you can just grok it. I'm going to start saying grock it instead of Google it. I got to make that switch. No more. No more Google Grockett. They have largest proven oil reserves are larger than Saudi Arabia. So this should be, for all intents and purposes, this should be a wealthy, prosperous country. And it has been that in the past, relatively speaking. But people took over who said, your life, you the peasants, you the have nots, you the poor, your life will be great. If you just put us, the left wing radical socialists in charge, we will take from them and give to you. Now, to do that, we have to be able to violate our own laws, we have to violate property rights, we have to violate contracts. So you're really you, meaning the Venezuelan landless and the peasants. You have to be willing to create a monster. Chavez, then Maduro, you create a monster, but the monster promises it will be your monster. You're going to empower this government in the case of Venezuela, to be able to run roughshod over decency, fairness, its word contracts, the law, morality. It'll do whatever it has to do, but it's going to take care of you. Just create that monster. Give it power that one time. This is the story we've seen play out in all of these socialist dictatorships. This is the story we've seen play out everywhere. That's really communist in its ethos. Guess what happens? The monster is in charge. And then the monster doesn't care about the silly poor people who voted for it. In fact, it makes them poorer, it makes their lives worse. It enriches itself and then it eats and tears down and destroys everything else to keep itself in power. It is only self interested. The socialist, the revolutionary elite, all of these places, including Venezuela, they become entirely self interested. It's supposed to be all about other people. And guess what? As soon as they have the power, the elites, the new elite, after railing against the old elite, all they care about is staying in power and their own perks is exactly what has happened in Venezuela. And I also want to remind you because I've been following this story. As you can tell, I get passionate about it. I've been following for a long time. I had, my daddy had a family friend of ours who found out that his family was being dispossessed and all their property was being seized by watching Chavez do his TV show. The dictator Chavez, now the dictator Maduro would do this, I think it was called like hello Mr. Presidente or something. And they would do this long, like almost like a, like a long form radio show, but it was on tv. They would take callers and my dad did this guy who was watching like, yeah, oh, that family. We're going to take all their stuff. You know, they're, they're capitalists, they're pigs. We're going to take all their stuff. They had to flee the country. Like I said, create the monster. Because it's going to be your monster, right? The people who are upset, the people who want more stuff Never works. Never works. In fact, it makes, that makes them worse off. And they've traded their own decency, they've traded their own ethics to get something that they never end up getting. And then the populace just become even more desperate and angry. And this is the story. It plays out over and over again because it's really, it's not about socialism, it's not a social or political science. It's really about manipulating human emotion and human envy. And that's why they've destroyed Venezuela. Now, what's Trump going to do about this? Well, it looks like we're about to take out anything that's involved with the drug trade. Can the regime stay in power with all of that gone and destroyed? And won't it also show everybody, hey, not only is the Maduro regime corrupt and criminal, but they're inept, they're weak, they're not even good at being dictator, they're not even good at trampling on all of your rights. They're pathetic. And then does something rise up and replace them? Is it better?

[Clay Travis]

Who is it?

[Buck Sexton]

I don't know, but it certainly seems possible. By the way, the story I told of Venezuela as I'm here in South Florida, it's the same story with Cuba under Castro. Same story? Same story. Although in that case, I think you could even say it was just more about brute force. It was just they overthrew the government through the force of arms and pretended they were going to help the poor and just made everybody poor except the people in charge in the Castro regime. So this is the truth of how it works. Unfortunately, far too often in Latin America, Trump going after it's very much if you have not seen clear and present danger. You know, I'm a big Tom Clancy fan. If you haven't seen the movie or read the book, it feels a little bit like life imitating art here because I think this is where we're going, where we're going to have really serious. And it's going to be more than what you see, even in clear and present danger. It's going to be military action to bring down a narco regime in South America, the Venezuelan regime. I don't think it's going to last that much longer. We'll see.

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The NFL International Games continue on NFL Network and here our stars come out in the morning. Week 10 Bajan Robinson and the Falcons take on Daniel Jones and the Colts in Berlin.

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Then in week 11, Jadon, Daniel and the Commanders face Tua and the Dolphins in Madrid. Snooze off. Game on it's Sunday morning football continues November 9th at 9:30 Eastern only on NFL Network.

[Clay Travis]

Now you can stream Fox News Live on the Fox One app. Stay on top of breaking news and the biggest stories live as they happen, all from the FOX voices you trust, bringing you the coverage you won't find anywhere else.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Clay Travis]

You're listening to team 47 with Clay and Buck.

[Buck Sexton]

So we tell you things here because they're true and because we believe them. And then it's fun to see how even our ideological enemies will often have to say, you know, that thing that Clay and Buck, among others, have been telling you, particularly about anything Trump related. That thing that they've been telling you is true. It actually is true. Like they're not just saying it because they're saying it because it reflects reality. It is accurate, it is honest, it is necessary. And a great example of this is how we've been saying this Trump Ballroom East Wing demolition situation, which if you, if you were to veer over to msnbc, they act like Trump is like silk screening his hair onto the Mona Lisa or something. I mean, they are so freaked out about this. Like, oh my gosh, the history, the history of America, they're all so upset. But the reality is this is a good idea and the design looks good. And this is for future presidencies and they will be happy to have it. This from the Washington Post, which is occasionally, I think so that Jeff Bezos doesn't just turn it into like a big, you know, cooking channel or something. Occasionally tries to be rational. Clay, I'm going to read from some of this is from the editorial board. This is not from one person. This is the editorial board. Read you some of this editorial. Then, Clay, I want you to react, okay? Quote, in classic Trump fashion, the president is pursuing a reasonable idea in the most jarring manner possible. Privately, many alumni of the Biden and Obama White Houses acknowledge the long overdue need for an event space like what Trump is creating. It is absurd that tents need to be erected on the South Lawn for state dinners. And VIPs are forced to use porta Potties. The State dining room seats 140, the East Room 200. Trump says the ballroom at the center of his 90,000 square foot addition will accommodate 999 guests. The next Democratic President will be happy to have this. One more thing. Preservationists express horror that Trump did not submit his plans to their scrutiny. But the truth is that this project would not have gotten done, certainly not during his term, if he had gone through a traditional review process. The blueprints would have been faced by death by a thousand paper cuts. End quote. Clay, as we have been saying, this is sensible. It looks like it is being well designed and well executed. And the people that are saying, but, but the process, the process, the process to get this done would be insane. It would take a decade to build this freaking ballroom. And Trump is getting it done in Trump fashion, which means right away there.

[Clay Travis]

Is a big article and I maybe the team can look up to make sure which newspaper it is, because I again read them every morning so you don't have to in either the Wall Street Journal or the New York Times, which goes into in earnest how this came to be. And basically the biggest takeaway is there essentially is no zoning restriction on the White House. So for all of you out there that have ever built anything, typically there are community boards, there are cities, there are states. I mean, sadly, California is a perfect example of this, because almost no one whose home was burned down in the LA fires has yet been able to get a permit to be able to start rebuilding. And what the article points out is that I believe it's the White House, the Supreme Court, and it's the Capitol Building are essentially zoning free and the President can just decide that he wants to remodel. And Trump saw all this, couldn't believe it and said, ok, well, let's do it. I mean, he's a builder. And the article says that as all the way back at 2010 Buck, he called unsolicited David Axelrod. They said that Mina Brzezinski gave Trump David Axelrod's phone number. He was the Obama chief of staff, I think. And Trump called in 2010 and told David Axelrod this ballroom situation. Well, imagine when he was just a reality television star before he had gotten into politics. He said, look, the ballroom situation is a disgrace. There's no way you should have to be tenting the South Lawn to be able to host big events. He said, I want to build a ballroom for Obama back then, he just said, for the country. He said, I build beautiful ballrooms. You can come down and check it out at Mar a Lago. And this is something that he's been obsessed with now for 15 years. And to me, what is interesting from a metaphorical perspective, and this is what drives people crazy, is Trump is making decisions to a large extent for things that he will never benefit for personally because he thinks it's better for the country. And this is what oftentimes builders do. I wrote about it quite a lot in my. In my new book, but when I was at Bedminster, most recently when I went with Trump to the NCAA wrestling tournament, Trump was right around his golf cart, picking locations for new trees on Bedminster. It's a beautiful golf course out there. Some of you have had the opportunity to play it in New Jersey. He's not going. The thing I love about trees, my wife makes fun of me for how much I like trees, is if you ever have been on a property which has beautifully laid out trees, perfect lane, or an entrance to a home, trees are left for the next generations, typically not for the individuals who plant them, because it takes so long for the trees to grow. It's an effort to try to make the world more beautiful after you're gone. And Trump with this ballroom, also with Air Force One, frankly, he's not really going to benefit much himself. He just wants for the United States to have a majestic venue that befits the majesty of this country. And he's basically bequeathing it to the nation, even though for most of the time, he's going to be gone when it's being used by Democrat Republicans or parties we don't even know of in the years ahead.

[Buck Sexton]

This is just another. I know it's the thousandth, the millionth example of this, but it's so childish and just so exhausting to be on the other side of the childishness that whatever Trump does, we have to say it's horrible. You know, whatever Trump does, the Washington Democrat media and the Democrat machinery in politics and the left and the progressives and the. They all. Oh, my God, it's so terrible what Trump is doing. He's doing something with private money that will look great, that will be great for the White House currently and future. That makes sense to anybody who understands the current situation of the White House. And all you'd have to do is sit there and think this through for a second. You know, if you want to freak out about Trump, there's a lot of things that you could find where at least I get, you know, how they're making an argument about it, or I get why it bothers them so much. But for this, it's just another instance of Trump derangement syndrome on full display. The Washington Post editorial, I think it's because at some level they recognize that people who know about this White House are starting to make this argument. And you know, when you have former Obama staffers who are saying, yeah, it's a pretty good idea if that gets out, A lot of people on msnbc, the people on Morning Joe who are acting like Trump is, is bulldozing the Louvre. They got the guys, by the way.

[Clay Travis]

We should probably update that maybe. Well, I haven't seen that they officially, officially got the guys yet. I mean, I know they made arrests, but they haven't.

[Buck Sexton]

Do we think it was the guy in the photo who looks like the fancy French detective? You know, that photo that got really.

[Clay Travis]

Inspector Clouseau?

[Buck Sexton]

No, but there's a. That's not really Inspector Clouseau. There's a guy who, when they. In the. You know what I'm talking about. There was a. Taken outside the Louvre. Oh, there's some guy who's a French detective who looks like. If you were casting a French detective. Oh, yeah. Unless this is AI Guys, see, I don't know.

[Clay Travis]

I don't know what the.

[Buck Sexton]

You cannot get mad at us about AI because these, some of these photos now with the AI, you're gonna have a really good eye and you'll miss it. So maybe that's what I'm thinking of on the ballroom.

[Clay Travis]

Did you see that? Swalwell tweeted. This is Congressman Swalwell from California. He of the Fang Fang dalliance. Chinese spy. Don't even think of seeking the Democrat nomination for president unless you pledge to take a wrecking ball to the Trump Ballroom on all caps, day one. I just. Is he actually this dumb? Well, I mean, the ballroom is going to be a phenomenal edifice for all parties to be able to host. I might mention also buck in. I would imagine a much safer way. I can't imagine that having tents on the South Lawn is an ideal security mechanism for all of the heads of state, to say nothing of the difficulty associated with it. And again, Trump has been trying to get this done since before he was a politician. Fifteen years ago, he called up when Obama was in office and said, hey, let me build a really great ballroom for the country. And now this just comes back to he's just trying to solve as many problems as he possibly can in what is going to be a relatively short four year term. And he's a builder. I think you can criticize him for a lot. You've been in the Mar A Lago Ballroom. I've been. We did shows from basically there. It's a spectacular hosting event, location. This is an incredible gift that Trump is giving to the country. And again, every president for the rest of our lives will be able to use it, no matter what political party they're in, for the betterment of the, of the overall hosting facilities at the White House. It's just a no brainer.

[Buck Sexton]

Yes, you would think the Democrats would be so excited that now they will have a massive White House venue to host Drag Queen Story Hour. You know, like you would think that they would see that this will soon be the shoe, so to speak, will be on the other foot and that they would be in a position to use this for their own purposes and that it makes a lot of sense and it's a smart thing to do and it's good for security as well, which you and I have pointed out. Much better than having a tent on the lawn. That's not something that you really want to continue to mess around with. So it makes sense in every respect. But Democrats hated it because Trump was doing it. But now they're having to figure out that like so many things that Trump has done that they hated, they just hated it because Trump was doing it. And maybe, just maybe they should grow up and pick and choose their battles and say, hmm, nice. The guy who's famous for building incredible towers, incredible buildings all over the world, the golf courses, all this stuff, maybe he knows what he's doing on this one like he does on a whole bunch of other things, you know, that they could take a deep breath, but they're not there yet. Eventually, Clay, when we get it, when we get past the midterms and we start seeing them, we start talking about whether it's going to be the Vance Rubio ticket. This is where they'll start to say things, they'll mutter under their breath and then louder and louder over time. Wow, that thing Trump did was actually pretty good. You know, it kind of made some sense, you know, then, then the truth will be able to be said about some of these things, like the ballroom, which is coming along very well.

[NFL Network Announcer]

The NFL International games continue on NFL Network. And here our stars come out in the morning. Week 10. Bajan Robinson and the Falcons take on Daniel Jones and the Colts in Berlin. Fireworks in the fourth quarter, then in week 11. Jaden Daniels and the Commanders touchdown once again. Face Tua and the Dolphins in Madrid. Snooze off. Game on It's Sunday morning Football continues November 9th at 9:30 Eastern only on NFL Network.

[Clay Travis]

Now you can stream Fox News Live on the Fox One app. Stay on top of breaking news and the biggest stories live as they happen, all from the Fox voices you trust, bringing you the coverage you won't find anywhere else.

[Buck Sexton]

Start your 7 day free trial today. Offers are subject to change. Go to Fox one for complete terms and conditions. Fox one we live for live streaming now.

[Clay Travis]

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[Clay Travis]

Visit PureTalk.com Clay to make the switch today. PureTalk.com Clay I'm Rodney Williams.

[Buck Sexton]

And I'm Travis Holloway. Welcome to the wealthbreak Podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building wealth doesn't look the same for everyone.

[Jasmine Crockett]

I feel like sometimes being broke is a cycle and that we might have.

[Buck Sexton]

To revisit that and we're not stopping at success stories.

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What happens when it doesn't go right?

[Jasmine Crockett]

How do you cope with it?

[Buck Sexton]

Because wealth isn't just about money. It's about creating a life where you thrive and help others do the same. Listen to the Wealth Break podcast on the iHeartradio app. This is an iHeart podcast.