← The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
Weekly Review With Clay and Buck H1 - The Best of Clay and Buck
00:35:50
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- [00:00]
Narrator/Announcer
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
- [00:04]
Buck Sexton
As a consumer, you decide which companies succeed with your purchasing power. PureTalk wants to say a heartfelt thank you for choosing them. Because of you, PureTalk had a record breaking year. You've helped them donate over half a million dollars to America's Warrior Partnership to help prevent veteran suicide. You also help provide 1000 hand sewn made in America flags to veterans. And you're supporting US jobs by choosing a proudly American company from the PureTalk family. Thank you for your trust and God Bless America.
- [00:35]
PureTalk Advertiser
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- [01:06]
Clay Travis
Now you can stream your favorite live sports so you can be there live for the biggest moments. Touchdown and catch. History in the making. Fox 1 We live for live streaming now.
- [01:21]
Trainer Games Announcer
10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.
- [01:40]
Narrator/Announcer
This is where mindset comes in.
- [01:41]
Trainer Games Announcer
Someone will be eliminated.
- [01:44]
Clay Travis
Pressure is coming down.
- [01:46]
Trainer Games Promo
Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com did you.
- [01:51]
LG Gram Advertiser
Know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop. Voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 20 thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com iheart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.
- [02:21]
Clay Travis
Clay Travis with the Clay and Buck show wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
- [02:28]
Buck Sexton
Buck Sexton here the entire Clay and Buck show wish you and your family a warm Christmas season and a joy joyful New Year. Thank you for listening. This is the best of with Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. Subscribe to our YouTube everybody. We're going to be doing more and more video and hoping to even get closer and closer to more Exciting video projects that will launch next year. I hope that was vague but exciting. That's right, Clay. That's the way to do it.
- [02:59]
Jack Carr
A little vague.
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Clay Travis
Vague but exciting is a great, great phrase.
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Buck Sexton
That's the move. That's how you got to do it immediately, all the time. It's a little bit like my, my conspiracy podcast that I want to start where I just say the craziest stuff possible. When people ask me for my sources, I'm just like, I just have a feeling. I've heard from somebody who heard from somebody who had a feeling. I'm sorry, I can't reveal my sources to you. Like you just, just take people in wild directions, see what happens. But something else that is on my mind here. As we had the designation of here. This was this. This actually happened today. The State Department, from the official account. Here you go. Anarchist militants have waged terror campaigns in the United States and Europe conspiring to undermine the foundations of Western civilization through their brutal attacks. The State Department will designate these four Antifa groups as FTOs. Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Antifa Aust is a terrorist organization based in Germany wielding hammers on. On unsuspecting victims. They were named a terrorist organization by Hungary after attacks in Budapest. The International Revolutionary Front. In Italy, Coalition of violent anarchists, Armed Proletarian Justice, A Greek anarchist group, Revolutionary Class Self Defense, and also in Greece. So they're.
- [04:20]
Clay Travis
Clay.
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Buck Sexton
They've named all these European antifa wings as foreign terrorist organizations. Fto. That's a. That means once you are at fto, the US government's ability and tools to deal with you are considerable. They are fearsome on the financial side, on the legal side, and even on the kinetic side of things when. When the situation calls for it. So that is a major escalation. And the notion that Antifa. Remember when the FBI director under Biden said Antifa was an idea?
- [04:54]
Clay Travis
Yes.
- [04:55]
Buck Sexton
That was a particularly low moment for a very. Brought low. FBI. FBI under, under. Under Patel and Bongino are. They're fixing things Clay. That's going on. Then there's also this and I think it ties in because ANTIFA is a bunch of anti civilization lunatics. John Fetterman. And this has been true for a while. I'll take a step back and say this. Remember when Elon said that wokeness was really just an excuse for nasty people to be cruel and feel self righteous about it? You know there was some version if you guys can find that quote for me. But it was. I think he was. That was his Babylon BE podcast Appearance with Seth Dillon. I think that's where he said it. And I'm. And that to me was. I was like this Elon guy. He gets it. That was. Yeah, He's a brilliant CEO. Do you remember that exchange?
- [05:48]
Clay Travis
Yeah, I do. I 100%. I 100% remember it. And I do think, look, there are a lot of mean people on the Internet and you and I both made our livings on the Internet, so we.
- [06:02]
Buck Sexton
Are quite nice to be fair. Like, we poke fun and we call it out when we have to, but we don't get.
- [06:08]
Clay Travis
Also, we don't say anything publicly that we would. There is no decision.
- [06:15]
Buck Sexton
You're a little saltier. Clay. Clay likes to mix it. Clay likes to sometimes break the beer bottle on the table and get into it with people. But, you know, yeah, I don't mind.
- [06:23]
Clay Travis
When people are owning what they say under their real name. But one reason the Internet is so toxic is because so many people have anonymous accounts and just pile it all on. Having said that, I do think in the era that we live in now, the left is way meaner because there is a self righteousness that motivates their anger and their antipathy. And their idea is we're so right that we can be super mean to people. And Fetterman has seen it from both sides. And I thought this was a good clip.
- [06:59]
Buck Sexton
This is really interesting. It's CNN's Dana Bash saying that the left. I'm sorry, Fetterman telling CNN's Dana Bash saying that the left is just crueler than people on the right in America that I play eight.
- [07:15]
John Fetterman (clip)
When I asked my digital team, I said, you know, you're. We're on all the platforms, you know, really what's, what's kind of the harshest? What's kind of the most personal? And the answer was immediate. He said, oh, blue sky. It's blue sky. And the difference is, I mean, the right would say really rough things and names, you know, some names I won't, I won't repeat on, on tv. But, but, but the. On the left, it was like they want me to die or that we're cheering for your next stroke or. That's terrible, that depression. Why couldn't it Depression one and I hope your kids find you. And then they even have like the graphic a gift where they have like a stroke, you know, you know, in your head cheering at that.
- [07:56]
Clay Travis
Yeah.
- [07:57]
John Fetterman (clip)
And they said that. I remember one. They claimed the doctor let us down and why did they have to save his life? I mean, just really like, I Just can't imagine people are. Are wishing, you know, I wish he dies or I want him to die, you know, literally cheering for. For a stroke. And I don't know what the kind of a place where that comes from. I mean, that's. That's much different than just calling me a name, you know, and that's. That's really been consistent, you know, in that community online.
- [08:29]
Buck Sexton
Clay the online left embraces and celebrates a demonic viciousness that is reflected in the broader Democrat Party. It is just reality.
- [08:38]
Clay Travis
Yes. And I think it has to do with the belief that they are good. Right. It's really scary sometimes, and I encourage people to think about it. If you become convinced that you are 100% right on everything, then you are willing to dehumanize a lot of people. And I think the left is more like, I question every day I look at facts and I say, boy, did I get that right. I'm open to the idea that I'm wrong. I think partly that's legal training, where you have to be willing to look at the whole argument. You have to contemplate it. You have to think about precedent. I would encourage everybody out there be open to the possibility that you're wrong, because then you will analyze things in a fresh way as opposed to constantly reinforcing yourself. Buck I read. Since we're talking about Fetterman, I want to expand this conversation because I do think this is important. Fetterman said the day after he won the Senate race that he thought about throwing himself off the bridge because he was so depressed as he was walking. And I do think for everybody out there who is, you know, listening to us right now, that was probably what most people would consider to be the apex of John Fetterman's professional life. And on the day that he won Senate reelection, Senate election, he was walking on a bridge, and he significantly contemplated just throwing himself off of it. And he said the only reason he didn't do it was because ultimately he couldn't stop thinking about his kids and that they were important in helping him come through the dark place that he was. There are a lot of people out there in very, very dark places. And I do think the conversation that Fetterman has opened up of, hey, try to get yourself well mentally and physically. We talk a lot about the Maha movement, which is. You've talked about this, Buck yourself like you got a young kid, Hey, I want to be in shape. I want to be able to help raise that kid. I want to make sure that I'm trying to be the best version of myself. And all that stuff works from a physical perspective. Everybody's got to work on the mental, too. And I do think that a lot of people in the social media era, I think we're gonna go back. Everybody always thinks, you know, when you look back and you see people smoking on airplanes, or for those of us who grew up sometimes with a mom or a dad, you know, just smoking in a car with the windows rolled up, or we went into restaurants and they were like, hey, this is the smoking section and this is the non smoking section. Like, my kids look at that stuff and they think about how silly it is. We assume that we're doing things that are not toxic to ourselves because we get used to them. I think social Media, I think 20 years from now, 30 years from now, people are going to be looking back at what social media did to this country and they're going to be saying, how in the world did we let this happen? And I just think if you use Fetterman as an example and this book that he's got, and we've invited him on the program, but imagine you win a Senate race and because of the toxicity surrounding you, your depression is such that you think about throwing yourself off a bridge. I don't think that his perspective in that way was different than a lot of other people might be. Even with success going on in life. Does that make sense?
- [12:05]
Buck Sexton
And how can you not have a deep human sympathy that completely supersedes politics for somebody who's going through that? Anyone who's ever been around someone who was close to them, or they themselves have dealt with real depression, you would think, and I think that's almost. Once you get to a certain age, it's hard not to be in that category of somebody who's at least experienced, someone who is dealing with that. You would think that they would understand that there's a basic human connection, that we all have a sympathy for people, a revulsion at others suffering and pain. And for someone to not like Fetterman's stand on Israel and publicly wish him to have another stroke or to die or whatever these things are that he's pointing out, it goes to a lack of humanity. It's not about political disagreement anymore. It is. You have traded something from your soul. And this is why I went on Blue sky the night after Charlie, or the night of rather, Charlie's assassination. I had to see it for myself. It was a deeply dark and disturbing rummaging through the wreckage of people's souls. It was really Bad clay. It was really ugly. And that was people, a lot of them, under their own names, publicly, some of them, you know, have followings, have platforms to see what happened to Charlie. A father, a husband, a son, an American, a patriot. And this is the. If, if they're. God forbid, if there was a high profile assassination of a prominent Democrat activist or a prominent Democrat politician, and people of any note on the right were saying, you know, celebrating it in some capacity, I assure you, including on this program, their own side, our side, would say, that's disgusting. You're. You're a disgrace to the movement. You know, don't ever do something like that again. Yes. None of that on the left. None of it. They pretend like it doesn't happen or, or they pretend that they're on board. They're on board with it. Not even pretend they're on board with it.
- [14:24]
Clay Travis
And Fetterman himself, I mean, I think I'm glad we played that clip because I flagged that earlier this week. I saw it. You can say, okay. He has uniquely been in the crosshairs of cross criticism in both directions. I mean, look, I've said this on the program. I thought, and I said that he would be a completely ineffective senator and Dr. Oz should have won. I still think Dr. Oz would be a better representative for Pennsylvania, but I think John Fetterman is a reasonable, rational Democrat voice. And when he says even people who Opposed him politically, I.e. republicans, have treated him better than Democrats, I take his word for it. I think it's true. And I do think that for anybody out there, what is it? Buck 21? Veterans kill themselves every day? I think much of the story that Fetterman is telling in this book is about how to deal with depression. Almost all those people are men. You can criticize John Fetterman for a lot. He seems like a normal dude in many respects, and I think that's why he has the appeal that he does in. In Pennsylvania, he almost threw himself off a bridge, according to his own book, the day after he won the Senate race because of the immense cloud of depression that descended upon him. You know, get help. We. We've got a lot of resources out there. I think it's 21 veterans a day, almost all men. And. And look, I mean, there are people out there that will help you. And if you're in that world right now listening to us, get yourself well. There's nothing wrong with it.
- [15:59]
Buck Sexton
One of the sacrifices that our veterans have made that we all as Americans benefit from, obviously our freedom, our civilization, our, our way of life, our day to day lives. But also no community has done more in our generation Clay, to destigmatize mental health problems, getting mental health assistance than the veterans. Yeah, no one has done more because if they need help for what they saw, it's okay. You know, it's okay for everybody to get help. It's okay for anyone to have problems because the bravest and the best of us, even they sometimes can require assistance. So it's one of those things that I know the people have very strong opinions about the gwad and what we did in Afghanistan, Iraq and all the rest of it. But one aspect of that sacrifice our veterans made that was, that has been, I think, very, very powerful and very positive for all of us is that you can say I need help and it's mental and that's okay and you should get it. And it's not weakness and it's not something that. But that brings me back to the Fetterman conversation where that's actually a mental manifestation of, well, talking about the stroke. That's a mental manifestation of a physical ailment.
- [17:18]
Clay Travis
Yeah.
- [17:19]
Buck Sexton
And his own side is saying that, wishing that he was dead. It's madness. Madness.
- [17:27]
Clay Travis
Yeah. And the toxicity out there is real. So just be conscious of that. And look, I give him credit for speaking out as a somewhat voice of sanity in the Democrat party when there are very few of those 10 athletes.
- [17:41]
Trainer Games Announcer
Will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.
- [17:59]
Narrator/Announcer
This is when mindset comes in.
- [18:01]
Trainer Games Announcer
Someone will be eliminated.
- [18:03]
Clay Travis
Pressure is coming down.
- [18:05]
Trainer Games Promo
Trainer games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com did you.
- [18:10]
LG Gram Advertiser
Know Microsoft has officially ended support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop. Voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere. And Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit LGUSA.com iHeart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11 PC Mag Reader's Choice used with permission. All rights reserved.
- [18:40]
Narrator/Announcer
Season two of Unrivaled Basketball is here and the talent is unreal. Paige Beckers, Nafiza Collier, Kelsey Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more are back to redefine the game. Unrivaled basketball season two, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy Tips off January 5th on TNT TruTV and HBO.
- [18:55]
Trainer Games Promo
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- [20:05]
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- [20:36]
Buck Sexton
Buck Sexton here and the entire Clay and Buck show. Wish you and your family a warm Christmas season and a joyful new year. You're listening to the Best of Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. Ken who listens in Lincoln, Nebraska DD on the Talk back Hit it. Don't be hating on people who sports the robe. Yes, it is a lifestyle. I'm retiring. Well, I'm not a retiring pastor. I'm still a pastor, but I'm about to retire. I'm an avid fly fisherman, have built several poles so don't be hating. Good show. Have a blessed one. Thank you. You have a blessed one too. I don't usually think of robe guys as also fly fishermen, but I'm learning.
- [21:20]
Clay Travis
That is a bit of an that is a bit of an upset like if he had been like and I'm also into smoking Pot and. And, you know, wearing Birkenstocks or smoking pot and orgies. That's kind of what I think about for robe guy.
- [21:34]
Buck Sexton
So I've also. I've noticed something probably because of all the. All the young people walking around trick or treating. There is. This is very unk of me, which is. You're wearing an unk T shirt right now.
- [21:44]
Clay Travis
I am. Ali got me an unk T shirt.
- [21:46]
Buck Sexton
Unk and owning it. So that's a word that the youth uses. But I've noticed something that the kids, like, 13 to 16, they're wearing Crocs unironically.
- [21:58]
Clay Travis
Oh, yeah. The shoes are popular.
- [22:01]
Buck Sexton
Crocs. And their hairstyle is this, like, poofy in the front thing. Like, it's like, unkempt, kind of like. Like wavy, curly. You know what I'm talking about? This is the hairstyle.
- [22:13]
Clay Travis
I think my boys have this. I mean, exactly what you're talking about.
- [22:17]
Buck Sexton
If you had them come over to the camera, I could tell you, but I could tell you they're all these kids walking around with the same hair. It's a very unique hairstyle.
- [22:24]
Trainer Games Promo
Yes.
- [22:24]
Clay Travis
And they're rocking. Crocs are, and have been for several years now, insanely popular with young kids. Like, teenage. Teenage kids. I thought you were gonna say. Well, hold on, let's play. Renee in Kentucky, who wanted to react to. To the idea of all this candy being stolen.
- [22:43]
Narrator/Announcer
If my son had ever dumped a bowl of candy in his bag, I would have busted his ass on the spot. He would have had to apologize as well as do community service work for that neighbor. That's how that goes. Anyone else that would do something different is low class.
- [23:08]
Buck Sexton
Renee, you are. You are someone who is holding a line on civilization, and I appreciate you. I'll just say it.
- [23:14]
Clay Travis
Renee is very civilized, Buck. I love that. And yeah, if you happen to see your kid on one of those viral videos, I think you should make a video of the kid apologizing and. And make him go knock on the door and buy candy. Maybe do some yard work to make up for the. The candy that he took.
- [23:33]
Buck Sexton
You're enjoying the best of program with Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. Welcome back in, everybody. We're joined by Jack Carr. He is a former Navy SEAL turned bestselling author of the Terminal List book series and the streaming show, which is an excellent show. Highly, highly recommend. The books and the show usually, Jack, you know, you don't get both to be great. Like, you can write great books, but they don't do a great Show. You are in very rarefied air, my friend. As somebody who has both great books and great show.
- [24:04]
Jack Carr
Thank you. Thank you so much. Yeah, both went to number one on Prime Video, which is not bad. And the first one that aired in 2022, summer of 2022, hops back into that top five, which is unusual as well. So after so many years. So that was pretty, pretty cool. And we'll find out in the next couple weeks if we get a second season of Dark Wolf looking good, though everybody wants to do it, so we shall see. And then we just finished filming True Believer, the second book, over in Morocco and finished up there. Been filming that since February in South Africa, Morocco and Toronto, and that should come out next summer. So there's. There's a lot in the works I really appreciate.
- [24:40]
Buck Sexton
You know, in your. In the first episode, the first episode of Dark Wolf, which obviously I saw recently, it. To me, there's so much really good content that could be done about that G what era and special operations, but really very few people have done it or certainly done it well. And I think you just nailed it. In the opening episode of Dark Wolf. I'm also. Taylor Kitsch and Pratt are like two of my favorite actors. So how did you manage. Did you get to pick? Were you like, you know what? I just want these two awesome guys to be playing important roles in my series.
- [25:16]
Jack Carr
Well, Chris optioned it out of the gate. He's the only person I wanted to. To option it and play the character of James Reese. So he was. He was my pick and set from the beginning. And then in the first season, I wasn't involved in the casting process. I was involved in it for the second season and for Dark Wolf, but first season I wasn't. So it was a. Not a surprise, but I guess a surprise in the fact that I didn't pick him. I didn't pick anybody because I wasn't involved. But they said Taylor Kitsch is playing Ben Edwards. And I said, oh, my gosh, that is the best pick.
- [25:43]
Buck Sexton
You got Riggins to play a Navy.
- [25:45]
Clay Travis
SEAL from your series.
- [25:46]
Buck Sexton
That's awesome.
- [25:47]
Clay Travis
Buck even recognizes the star, the. From Friday Night Lights.
- [25:52]
Buck Sexton
Yeah.
- [25:53]
Clay Travis
And so that's an incredible combo. What is it like to balance writing obligations with making television show obligations? Because I imagine you're on the road all the time. You're promoting the book, the books all the time, but you have to continue to produce new books. How do you balance it all out? Do you have a set regimen and schedule? There's a lot of people out there in creative space. I bet that are curious and how you balance all of that.
- [26:19]
Jack Carr
Yes, well, balance is a bit of a misnomer. I hope to get to some balance one day. But there's a reason we're talking here in October and not in June when the book was supposed to come out. And that is because I was juggling so much with both the TV show, two TV shows, essentially. Dark Wolf and True Believer, and writing this book that I thought was going to be the most efficiently written book yet, meaning I thought I had a good understanding of Vietnam, lessons learned From Vietnam, the 60s, overall, the feel of that period of time. And then I dove into the research for this book, Cry Havoc, that I'm on book tour for right now. And I realized I'd really just scratched the surface because every sentence in this book has to be written through the lens of 1968. I didn't want to have 50 plus years of hindsight applied to any character's perspective on an event, a situation, or part of a conversation. So that took a lot longer than research for a contemporary thriller. And that's why we're here in October. Point being, the balance thing is something I am still working on every morning I get up and it's like being shot out of a cannon with kids, wife, dog, and all the rest of it. So it's just a mass chaos. But I feel extremely fortunate to be working on multiple Hollywood projects, multiple books, and to have Cry Havoc out there, which I think is my best book yet.
- [27:35]
Buck Sexton
Ooh, that's saying something. Yeah. And you know, my father in law is a huge fan, huge fan of the series.
- [27:40]
Jack Carr
So I got it. I think I sent him one. Or if I didn't, I'm doing Rectify that.
- [27:44]
Buck Sexton
No, I think you did. Thank you for that. And he reads it like within, you know, days of getting it. So he's always very up to speed on it. I want to ask you the one thing that we get here a lot, especially when I see people in person, Jack, is they'll say, you know, I'm thinking about doing a podcast. Like, do you have any advice? And I'll, you know, and we really do a radio show that's also a podcast. But I just say, yeah, here's my advice. Do it and just start doing it and just do it a lot. And then go, what if someone comes up to you and says, you know, hey, man, like you, you really, you know, you're the Tom Clancy of our era. Like, you've become this huge phenomenon so much Success in writing. How do I start to write a fiction book in the most general terms, what do you say to them?
- [28:30]
Jack Carr
I say, don't worry about anything else but writing that book. Meaning don't worry about, do I need to find an agent, do I need to find a publisher? How does that happen? Do I need a social media presence? Do I build that up in order to sell books? 20 to get a website going when you start? No, all of that bandwidth is now bandwidth that is not going into making that product, in this case, a book the best that it can possibly be. So focus those efforts on making this book the best it can possibly be. And then once it's done, or you get it to a place where you think, hey, if I worked on this for the next five to 10 years, it would get better, but it would get better by a degree or two. And when you're at that stage, then it's time to start thinking about those other things, thinking about how to find an agent and a publisher and all the rest of it. But the first, first thing you have to do is have that product that I got.
- [29:14]
Buck Sexton
I got one follow up question for you, Jack, and sorry, I may or may not be taking notes here because I think writing a fiction book would be fun. Do you structure the whole thing out or do you start writing based on the story you want to tell and then create structure after you've gotten a chapter out or something?
- [29:32]
Jack Carr
Yeah, I've had the same exact process from the entire time and it's not based on anything that I read or anyone's advice. It was just what I thought was common sense. And I've come up with a title and a theme for every book and I've come up with a title, even if it's going to change. So I'm not wasting bandwidth worried about coming up with a good title. So I do that. I have a theme that's going to guide the writing process. In the case of the first book, it was Revenge without constraint. And I had that on a little yellow sticky on my computer as I typed away just to keep me on track. Then I read a one page executive summary and I read it and I say, is this worth the next year to the year and a half of my life? And if the answer is yes, I read it again and I say, if someone was to walk by a Hudson News at the airport and pull this book off the shelf and read something similar to this that describes the book, would they be willing to invest time in this story that they're never going to get back. And if the answer is yes or most likely, then that's my project, that's the next book. And I take that one page executive summary, turn that into the outline so I know where I'm going. So I have that beginning, that middle, that end, a few scenes that are going to happen along the way, and I at least have a destination. And if there's some things in that line where I'm like, how is he ever going to get out of this situation? Or well, I know I have a year to figure it out. This isn't the battlefield in Iraq and Afghanistan where I have to make a split second decision that's going to affect people to my right and left forever and their families. Now I have time. I can sleep on it, I can wake up, I can edit, and in a year, I am confident that I'm creative enough that I can figure this out. So get that to that stage, and then I turn that outline into the narrative.
- [30:57]
Clay Travis
We're talking to Jack Carr. Cry Havoc is the latest and best book that Jack Carr has ever written, according to Jack Carr himself. I love those answers, by the way, and I would encourage people out there to take that advice and pursue your own writing desires. Let me ask you this. The world is evolving and there's so much crazy happening every day. You write out those plot points and do you ever think, boy, there's no way anything like this could happen. And then there's a plot point that is very similar to what you have thought about before. And to your point, you spend a year writing, but it can end up looking very timely. How much do you pay attention to current events? Buck just came back from Taiwan, for instance. I'm not giving you ideas you probably haven't thought about a lot, but you know, you can kind of think of where the geopolitical flashpoints might be. Are you conscious of that? Are you thinking about it as you're writing? Or are you trying to divorce yourself from the current world in which you sit?
- [31:55]
Jack Carr
I'm always, ever since I was a little kid, I'm always interested in current. Current events, also history, the merging of those two, what lessons we can draw from history and apply to the problem sets of the present as wisdom and. But I'm not thinking about. I need to grab something from the headlines or I need to project into the future. It happens naturally. I'm very aware of what's going on around the world. That's just where my interests lie. But I'm not obsessed with trying to fit it into a story. Instead, I am focused only on the story. And if I'm only focused on this story without worrying about the current event or a headline, or if I'm going to upset somebody with if I say X, Y or Z or hey, or short chapters better than long chapters. Now, I don't consider any of that. I just focus on the story. And in doing so, I honor, I think, the readership and the listenership now that that is going to spend time with me that they're never getting back. So I focus on that. But things have happened that I've written about that I didn't. It looks like I'm projecting something like the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but that was not a hard one. That was. That came out in 20, the one we filmed, True Believer, that we just finished up. And that storyline had to change a little bit because the Russians actually did invade Ukraine. So there's been that. I talked about an AI quantum computer well before anyone had heard of chat GPT. There are certain things like that that have come up in the novels. October 7th, something similar to that I wrote about in Israel not too long ago before it happened. So some of these things look like I'm projecting. I have a crystal ball, but I certainly do not. They are just. They just happen to correspond with some current events. But I do like to weave a lot of things that are topical into the storylines because that one day people are going to go back maybe and read these and it'll be like a time machine. It's me going back and reading Hunt for Red October. Now that's a time machine in 1984. And so I do. I am cognizant of that.
- [33:51]
Buck Sexton
You think Tom Clancy is the biggest inspiration you had? Who would you say, as a writer for what you're doing, if you had to pick one author, would be the biggest.
- [34:01]
Jack Carr
I can't pick one because I read so many growing up and they're all part of my foundation. So it's certainly Clancy, it's David Morrell, it's Nelson DeMille, it's AJ Quinnell, it's JC Pollack, it's Mark golden, it's Louis Lamour, it's John Leca Rae, it's Ian Fleming, it's Robert Ludlum, it's all of those masters that I read from the 80s all the way through the 90s and continue to read today. David Morrell, who created Rambo in 1972 with first blood, kicked off this book tour with me in Phoenix just a few days ago. Honor to be on stage with him. And all of those guys were so instrumental during those very formative time in my life, let's say, for most of us age 10 to 20. And during that time, I am reading all those masters, and they're really becoming my professors in the art of storytelling. But back then, I didn't look at it that way. I just looked at it as escaping into the magic of those pages. But it created this foundation that I then coupled with the academic study of warfare and my experiences downrange in Iraq and Afghanistan, so I can bring the feelings and emotions behind certain events that I was involved with to.
- [34:59]
Buck Sexton
All right, Jack. Jack, you're a bestselling author. You're an American page. You're a fantastic guy. You're being far too diplomatic and humble, though. So I want to put you on the hot seat with three best war movies of all time. Then you don't have to give me your author number one. But the three best war movies for you are what?
- [35:16]
Jack Carr
All right. Band of Brothers. Even though it's a series, I think it, you know, go keep that one to the side. But it's a series. But that is certainly up there. I was just actually right before we came on here, I had to wrap up a podcast with Charlie Sheen, and we were talking about Platoon. Yeah, we're talking about Platoon and his experience on set with Apocalypse now when he was, like, 9 or 10 years old with his dad, because my book is Pro Havoc 1978. And so we're talking about that and his experiences on set with Marlon Brando and Dennis Hopper and Robert Duvall and just a fascinating conversation with him. So I would say Band of Brothers. I would throw a platoon in there for sure. I love Uncommon Valor for those who have. Remember that one, Apocalypse Now, Long, Longest Day? Those ones really stand out to me.
- [36:01]
Clay Travis
Last question for you as we go to break here. I've got one here who is a guy who or gal who has read your book that you were blown away is a fan. Has there been somebody that you met and you just couldn't get over it? Because, look, you come from a background. You're busting your ass, you know, doing what you do in the military before you end up writing these books. Is there anybody that you were just in disbelief was a reader or a big fan of work?
- [36:26]
Buck Sexton
It's.
- [36:27]
Jack Carr
Yeah. David Morrell, who created Rambo. I. I can't believe that he's. He actually gave me a blurb. When that blurb ends with I'm a fan. Just that that one blew me away because discovering him through Rambo First Blood Part 2 A novelization, which is a book based on a screenplay in the Summer of Rambo 1985. Then going back and reading First Blood, then reading Brotherhood of the Rose, Fraternity of the Stone League of Night and Fog, and then having him, one of my heroes in the literary realm, read my books and be a fan. That's a little crazy. And then Charlie Sheen, he, he was a fan of the books before, before he even came on the podcast. I mean that was a little bit crazy too, having grown up watching him in these movies to include Navy SEALs.
- [37:07]
Clay Travis
No.
- [37:07]
Buck Sexton
Very cool. Well, Cry Havoc is the book. It's gonna be a runaway bestseller. Get your copy today. Also check out I'm mid series right now for Dark Wolf. Highly recommend it to all of you. Our friend Jack Carr, as always, congrats on all your success. Come back and hang out with us anytime.
- [37:24]
Jack Carr
Oh man. Thank you guys so much. Love what you're doing.
- [37:26]
Clay Travis
Stay strong.
- [37:27]
Jack Carr
It's. It's important.
- [37:28]
Buck Sexton
Will do.
- [37:29]
Clay Travis
Thank you.
- [37:30]
Trainer Games Announcer
10 athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you, you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.
- [37:49]
Narrator/Announcer
This is where mindset comes in.
- [37:51]
Trainer Games Announcer
Someone will be eliminated.
- [37:53]
Clay Travis
Pressure is coming down.
- [37:55]
Trainer Games Promo
Trainer games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com did you.
- [38:00]
LG Gram Advertiser
Know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop voted PCMag's Reader's Choice Top Laptop Brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com iheart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.
- [38:30]
Narrator/Announcer
Season 2 of unrivaled basketball is here and the talent is unreal. Paige Beckers, Nafiza Collier, Kelsey Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more are back to redefine the game. Unrivaled basketball season two, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy Tips off January 5th on TNT, TruTV and HBO.
- [38:45]
Trainer Games Promo
Max 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 EFTs 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 S I 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 investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available@public.com Disclosures A new year.
- [39:55]
Washington Post Advertiser
Is on the horizon and your 2026 savings start here. Right now. You can access the Washington post for just $2 every four weeks. Head into the new year with six months of savings at the special intro rate. After that, it'll cost $12 every four weeks. Cancel anytime. You'll get unlimited access to trusted journalism that helps you understand the year ahead and the world around you. Now's the perfect time to subscribe because great habits and great savings start together. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart that's washingtonpost.com iheart and start your year informed with the Post.
- [40:31]
Clay Travis
Clay Travis with the Clay and Buck show wishing you and your family a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
- [40:38]
Buck Sexton
You're listening to the Best of Clay Travis and Buck Sexton. We'll start the noise here with Pam Listens on Ken I up in Anchorage, Alaska. I love our Alaska contingent. CC Hit it.
- [40:53]
Washington Post Advertiser
Hey Buck, if Clay is going to tease you about your Tootsie Roll dance and not expecting to see that, you could always counter with, well, I'm sure the construction workers weren't expecting to see you streak across your room and offer the suggestion Cozy Earth does sell men's bathrobes.
- [41:11]
Buck Sexton
Clay there are you. Are you a robe guy? Our friend Jesse Kelly has been tweeting about how he's become a robe guy now, and I feel like a robe is more like a lifestyle. Like it's for the spa. If you start walking around your house in a robe, are you ever going to do anything?
- [41:25]
Clay Travis
Yeah, the hotels always have robes. I know. I'm not a robe guy. I. I don't think I've ever really kind of walked around in a robe. Certainly. Yeah, I guess if you're at a spa or something like that. Maybe it makes sense. But not a, not a big time road guy. By the way, we got a good call. Chip in Brandon, Florida. We were talking about culture and I think we can have some more fun with this when we come back because a lot of these ring doorbell cameras. I get it. It's a relatively new thing that we can always see. But I would tie this in with what do they call them, porch pirates? People who are constantly stealing the packages that are delivered. Probably a lot of you out there in neighborhoods have seen some of these videos. People say, hey, do you know who this person is? They're waiting, they're following the Amazon truck or the UPS or whatever it is, and they're grabbing things. This is a positive story. Chip in Brandon, Florida, tell us your story.
- [42:19]
Jack Carr
Yes, I accidentally left my wallet in a Sam's Club and somebody turned it in. It had $400 cash in it. And when they were, when I went down there the next day, all the cash was in it. I think a red state, you have much better chance of having people do the right thing than in a blue.
- [42:38]
Clay Travis
So this is great. You were just at a Sam's Club store and you just accidentally forgot your wallet and somebody turned it in and all the money was still in it.
- [42:48]
Jack Carr
Correct.
- [42:48]
Clay Travis
That's awesome. Thank you. I do think red states tend to have, as a general rule, better cultures than blue states when it comes to. And look, states is tough because I just mentioned there, even whatever state you're in, 40% of people voted Trump. Even if you're in a blue state and even if you're in a red state, around 40% of people voted Kamala. So you're still talking about in a group of 10 people, there's a huge, substantial percentage that are going to agree with you no matter what. But I do think the culture of look, are you more likely?
- [43:25]
Buck Sexton
It would be fascinating to see an experiment, they used to do things like this of a wallet with, you know, $100 bill peeking out of it, left on a New York City subway and someone operating a lost and found counter, you know, within eyesight. How many people, how many people turn it in? How many people take the hundred it.
- [43:44]
Clay Travis
Would be and what kind of. Unfortunately it would be an interesting dynamic to then cross a tab. It, you know, how do they vote in elections? Are they or are they not religious? What would the percentages show? Who are the most likely to return? Who are the least likely? But again, to your point, high trust societies, Low Trust Societies, 10 athletes will.
- [44:08]
Trainer Games Announcer
Face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.
- [44:25]
Narrator/Announcer
This is where mindset comes in.
- [44:27]
Trainer Games Announcer
Someone will be eliminated.
- [44:29]
Clay Travis
Pressure is coming down.
- [44:31]
Trainer Games Promo
Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th watch the trailer on trainergames.com did you.
- [44:36]
LG Gram Advertiser
Know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop voted PCMag's Reader's Choice Top Laptop Brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit lgusa.com iheart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.
- [45:06]
Narrator/Announcer
Season 2 of unrivaled basketball is here and the talent is unreal. The best women's players on the planet are running it back with with even bigger moments and bigger stakes. Don't miss as Paige Becker, Snafeeza Collier, Kelsey Plumb, Brianna Stewart and more take the court and redefine the game. This isn't your regular season. This is unrivaled, where the pace is faster, the energy is higher and every athlete shines. Unrivaled Basketball Season 2, sponsored by Samsung Galaxy, tips off January 5 on TNT, TruTV and HBO Max.
- [45:36]
Trainer Games Promo
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 EFTs 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 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 investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosures available@public.com Disclosures A new year.
- [46:46]
Washington Post Advertiser
Is on the horizon, and your 2026 savings start here. Right now. You can access the Washington post for just $2 every four weeks. Head into the new year with six months of savings at this special intro rate. After that, it'll cost $12 every four weeks. Cancel anytime. You'll get unlimited access to trusted journalism that helps you understand the year ahead and the world around you. You Now's the perfect time to subscribe, because great habits and great savings start together. Go to washingtonpost. Com iheart. That's washingtonpost. Com iheart and start your year informed with the Post.
- [47:21]
Narrator/Announcer
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.