Weekly Review With Clay and Buck H2 - Most Influential Presidency

Summary

Summary of "Weekly Review With Clay and Buck H2 - Most Influential Presidency"

Release Date: August 9, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show | iHeartPodcasts

In the latest episode of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, hosts Clay Travis and Buck Sexton delve into the intricacies of current political landscapes, focusing primarily on two significant topics: the ongoing investigations related to Russian collusion and the Epstein case, as well as an in-depth analysis of President Donald Trump's influential presidency.

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1. Epstein Investigations and Subpoenas

Buck Sexton opens the discussion by highlighting the breadth of Representative James Comer's subpoena efforts related to the Epstein fallout:

“Representative James Comer has subpoenaed the following people... nearly all Attorney Generals of the past 20 years” ([03:02]).

He emphasizes the extensive reach of the investigation, which includes prominent figures from both political parties:

“Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Merrick Garland, James Comey... all being put under oath relating to the Epstein case” ([03:02]).

Jamie Rubin expresses skepticism about the effectiveness and outcome of these subpoenas:

“Not going to happen. Should I start just saying it's going to happen just because people are going to get mad at me?” ([05:20]).

The conversation further explores the potential pardon of Ghislaine Maxwell and its implications:

Buck Sexton: “I feel like we are trending towards a place where it's more likely that Ghislaine Maxwell is pardoned... than there are other people who are charged with crimes.” ([05:46]).

Rubin questions the rationale behind such a pardon, especially in light of Maxwell's previous non-cooperation:

“She wasn't willing to give up the goods to avoid going away for a few decades previously.” ([06:08]).

The hosts collectively express doubt that the subpoenas will yield significant revelations or additional charges, predicting limited outcomes from the testimonies of high-profile individuals.

2. The Most Influential Presidency: Donald Trump

Shifting focus, Buck Sexton and Jamie Rubin engage in a robust discussion about President Donald Trump's impactful tenure:

Buck Sexton: “Trump is remaking the country in terms of tariffs, net migration, and executive orders. It truly is history.” ([30:44]).

They cite specific metrics showcasing Trump's administration's activity, such as the unprecedented number of executive orders:

“Trump is signing 180 executive orders this year, the most since FDR in the 1930s” ([31:21]).

Jamie Rubin underscores the administration's successes, particularly in border control and economic policies:

“The border is the best example of this. But even so far, what we've seen on tariffs and the trade agreements... outpaced what a lot of Trump supporters even thought was possible.” ([32:38]).

The hosts compare Trump's presidency to legendary sports dynasties, highlighting the sustained success despite occasional setbacks:

Buck Sexton: “Trump is like Tom Brady with the New England Patriots... performing at a dynastic level.” ([40:24]).

They argue that Trump's proactive policies and decisive actions have significantly reshaped American socio-political and economic landscapes, making his presidency one of the most influential in modern history.

3. Legal Challenges and Lawfare

The discussion transitions to the concept of "Lawfare"—the use of legal systems to achieve political ends. Buck Sexton expresses frustration over the persistent legal battles against Trump and his administration:

“They're engaged in a lot of legal procedural battles. That is the Resistance 2.0.” ([12:24]).

Jamie Rubin reiterates his skepticism about the effectiveness of these legal maneuvers:

“Lawfare stuff that they did as annoying and underhanded as it was, got absolutely steamrolled.” ([38:02]).

Both hosts maintain that despite numerous legal challenges, Trump's administration remains resilient and continues to advance its policy agenda without significant hindrance from these efforts.

4. Future Outlook and Closing Remarks

As the episode nears its end, Travis and Sexton reflect on the broader implications of their discussions:

Buck Sexton: “Trump is turning America into something remarkable, and it's important not to get bogged down in minor setbacks.” ([32:19]).

They express optimism about the current administration's direction and anticipate continued success in Trump's policy implementations.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Buck Sexton ([03:02]): “Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Merrick Garland, James Comey... all being put under oath relating to the Epstein case.”

• Jamie Rubin ([05:20]): “Not going to happen. Should I start just saying it's going to happen just because people are going to get mad at me?”

• Buck Sexton ([30:44]): “Trump is remaking the country in terms of tariffs, net migration, and executive orders. It truly is history.”

• Jamie Rubin ([32:38]): “The border is the best example of this. But even so far, what we've seen on tariffs and the trade agreements... outpaced what a lot of Trump supporters even thought was possible.”

• Buck Sexton ([40:24]): “Trump is like Tom Brady with the New England Patriots... performing at a dynastic level.”

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Conclusion

In this episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton provide a critical yet supportive analysis of President Trump's administration, juxtaposed against the tumultuous legal landscape surrounding the Epstein case. Their discourse offers listeners a perspective that underscores Trump's policy achievements and downplays the efficacy of ongoing legal challenges against him. The hosts advocate for a focus on forward-moving policies and structural changes, positioning Trump's presidency as a defining era in American politics.

Transcript

[Christiane Amanpour]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Ice Cube]

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[Christiane Amanpour]

I'm Christiane Amanpour and I've been on the front lines and interviewing world leaders for more than 30 years.

[Jamie Rubin]

And I'm Jamie Rubin, a former advisor to both Presidents Clinton and Biden.

[Christiane Amanpour]

We were married for 20 years and divorced for seven. Now we've joined forces on the X Files to make sense of how we ended up with no world order. Listen to Christian Amanpour presents the X files on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[Clay Travis]

Support for today's show comes from Sonos. Watching games with a Sonos home theater setup makes everything feel more immersive. The Arc Ultra soundbar delivers incredible surround sound that puts you right in the middle of the action, bringing that stadium experience right into my home. And now I've been trying out the Sonos Ace headphones and like all Sonos products, they perform as good as they look. Sleek design, crystal clear sound and a super comfortable fit. Check out the full [e-mail] upgrade your.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Jamie Rubin]

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[Buck Sexton]

Welcome back in Clay Travis Buck Sexton show we have been discussing the potential on the grand jury investigation on Russia collusion. Lots of you still weighing in on that. We will continue to break down more on that as we move forward. But there also is additional ridiculous ongoing outcomes associated with the Epstein fallout, the Epstein continued investigation. So I figure we should represent go ahead and give you the latest on this as well. Representative James Comer has subpoenaed the following people, President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State, Hillary, former Secretary of State, obviously Hillary Clinton and others. Let me hit you some of these. Merrick Garland, James Comey, Bill Barr, Alberto Gonzalez, both these are both Republican and Democrat Attorney Generals Robert Mueller, Loretta Lynch, Eric Holder, all of these people being called for deposition through subpoena. Bill Clinton October 14, Hillary Clinton October 9 and then basically every attorney general it looks like nearly of the past 20 years, all of them being put under oath relating to the Epstein case. I guess the one detail that we really haven't talked very much about, we don't know what the only person ever convicted in the Epstein case, Ghislaine Maxwell, told the deputy attorney general when she was interviewed. We do know that they have moved her from Tallahassee to a lower security prison and in Texas, I believe that is the latest on Epstein. I don't know what the expectation is at this point, but they're going to put everybody under oath and probably ask them what they knew about Jeffrey Epstein. And that is now scheduled to be happening in September and October on Capitol Hill. What's your take on this, Buck?

[Jamie Rubin]

Not going to happen.

[Buck Sexton]

Meaning not no additional charges are coming.

[Jamie Rubin]

Yeah, not going to happen. Should I start just saying it's going to happen just because people are going to get mad at me? Maybe I just started. It's all going to the justice will be done. I mean, I just don't think that you're going to get these the kind of people you're talking about, these names. Yeah, this is, it's just I Don't see it.

[Buck Sexton]

My, my concern on Epstein is I feel like we are trending towards a place where it's more likely that Ghislaine Maxwell is pardoned and nobody ever goes to prison for anything related to Epstein than there are other people who are charged with crimes.

[Jamie Rubin]

What is the rationale for even a conversation about her being pardoned?

[Buck Sexton]

So it's a fantastic question. And I think what the pardon would potentially entail is, hey, we're going to pardon you from all crimes and then we will bring you in and put you in front of Congress of a committee and you will answer every question under the sun about Epstein.

[Jamie Rubin]

So, so I have a question about that rationale, which I think you've just established what it is. She didn't do that before. She was facing 25 years in federal prison, everybody. She wasn't willing to give up the goods to avoid going away for a few decades previously. Come on, everybody, let's, you know, let's, let's, let's be real on this one. Now all of a sudden she's got all this stuff and she's going to lay it all out there. The only, now the only way.

[Buck Sexton]

Do you agree with me that that's the rationale for the only reason that there would be any reason to give her a pardon? The other one would be some people would say she did no crimes and she was the fall girl in this context, but she was convicted by a jury after a criminal trial of sex trafficking on behalf of Epstein. So you're then tossing the jury's conviction out the window and saying, oh, the jury got it wrong. If you are saying that she was the fall girl, as it were, for the larger Epstein crimes.

[Jamie Rubin]

Right?

[Buck Sexton]

So this is something, Buck, that I think nobody ever mentions, and I do think it's significant. And we talked about it on this program and I haven't heard anybody else even talk about it. People say, well, what about all the victims? What about all the victims of Jeffrey Epstein? Don't they deserve justice? All those things I think are very true. Around 125 or 130, Jeffrey Epstein alleged victims in civil court sued and got paid almost $500 million. So it's like the civil cases settlements no one ever mentions. So for people out there who say, wait, what about all these people that were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein? They allowed all of them to come forward, tell their stories, and nearly $500 million in settlements from Epstein's estate and other banks that had advised him were paid out. So I just think when you look at this larger mushroom cloud, Epstein is dead.

[Jamie Rubin]

We all agree on that. So then what is.

[Buck Sexton]

I don't think there's very many people who think Epstein still alive, although I do sometimes hear from people, you know, he's not really dead. I don't know what. I haven't heard that, but I've even heard that.

[Jamie Rubin]

The Internet. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. I, you know, I just. The other thing is, if you have Ghislaine Maxwell and she's going to testify in some way, it would just, you know, what is. What is the process here through which she's going to say things about people that will then be considered. So is her word credible enough to indict or destroy a person? I mean, that's really what we're talking about here. And we're going to believe that this person who has been convicted for sex trafficking, who then is pardoned on the idea that she's then going to tell us the whole truth and nothing but the truth. That's a tremendous amount of power you're giving this woman then, to decide who gets destroyed and who doesn't, based on her word that they did something. That someone did something illicit as part of the Epstein ring. You see what I'm saying?

[Buck Sexton]

No, I totally get it.

[Jamie Rubin]

Yeah. So I, I just. To me, we've looked at. We went down this pathway, and there was an opportunity for her to avoid any prison time, I would assume, or at least far substantial farce reduced from what she got if she would just name the names. And then there's the opportunity to go get evidence and bring indictments. But what is supposed to. I don't see how this is supposed to work, that you're going to. Someone's going to. Trump is going to pardon her. Then she's going to come forward and she's going to say, okay, guess what? Epstein's the only person who committed any sex crimes. And then what?

[Buck Sexton]

I just come back and again, I don't know why this. I think probably because it's sealed, but for everybody out there, because I do think this is the most compelling argument. If you're out there and you're saying, hey, what about all these people who were victims of Epstein? Do they not deserve justice?

[Jamie Rubin]

I think that's a very good. They got a lot of money, so that's part one of it.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, they got $500 million. I'm assuming all of that is sealed. But as part of the way that they distributed the $500 million, they had to determine why some people were paid some amounts and others were paid lesser amounts. Right. They didn't all get the same amount. So in theory there was a culpability associated with that. And if there were criminal charges that could have come. They did a court investigation on the civil side that I would think would be accessible and able to be reviewed. And I can't imagine they just didn't charge people. So the reason why I bring all this up is it basically feels to me, you tell me if you disagree on this buck as we are now in the summer of, of Trump 2.0, Democrats really don't have anything to attack him on on the economy. They don't really have anything to attack him on on the border. They can say, hey ICE is, you know, taking too many people out of the country. But that hasn't really worked. Crime is plummeting nationwide. I mean this is a very good thing. And so it seems like we're just engaged in a lot of legal procedural battles. That is the Resistance 2.0. Epstein's part of them. There's punches being thrown on the other side related to Russia collusion. There's the ongoing battles over birthright citizenship and what exactly are the limits of the President's powers when it comes to tariffs. It feels to me, tell me if you're, if you disagree. Like every day when it comes to Trump opposition, it's just some federal district court judge or some older criminal related conspiracy examination that is largely being examined. Almost nothing is present day. Does that make sense? It's like we're relitigating all of the controversies of the Trump era now in real time and much of the actual work that's being done on a day to day basis isn't really being talked or acknowledged in any kind of substantial way.

[Jamie Rubin]

Yeah. I think part of this is because the Trump administration has been so successful so far that they've had to get very creative in the ways that they. Creative is a kind way of saying it attack the administration. I think also the administration stumbled here with the Pete with the public relations aspect and the transparency aspect of promising big rep. And we've gone over this a million times. Ok. Already the public relations component of the full, you know, the binders, the influencers, the big stuff is coming, it's on my desk and everything else and then actually no additional charges and really no additional information is going to be released that there was a, that was a bait and switch and people recognize it as such. Whether, I mean, do you even think that these individuals are going to. Some of them. You're going to subpoena Loretta Lynch. I mean what, what do you think is going to be said by her about this?

[Buck Sexton]

I just, I think they're all going to. Here's what I would advise. I mean I would tell them all to take the Fifth. I don't see how they gain at all by even answering questions, but you.

[Jamie Rubin]

Know what I'm saying. Well, like so, like, but Loretta lynch, like you're going to, you think she's going to sit there and be like, you know what? I was part of a big conspiracy to cover up the Epstein stuff because of the high level Democrats that were, you know, implicated in the, in the sex ring? No, it's not going to happen. So to your point, people are now doing things to do things. They're doing things to say I'm doing a thing. What is the end result of that thing going to be? Unless the people that they're subpoenaing are total morons, Nothing. That's what's going to happen.

[Buck Sexton]

Like do you think that Bill Clinton's going to say under oath I love sleeping with 15 year old girls that Jeffrey Epstein provided for me? I think that's highly unlikely. Do you think that Hillary Clinton's going to say, hey, we knew that there were tons of really powerful people who had relations with Jeffrey Epstein in some way and we covered up all their crimes. I suspect that they will have a written statement prepared by their $4,000 an hour attorney that represents whatever they want to put on the public record. They will read it and then they will say this is all I'm going to say. And maybe they fight whether the subpoena is even valid. By the way, every Attorney General, Bill Barr, you think Bill Barr was covering up Epstein related crimes? I mean they got every attorney general, Democrat and Republican basically of the last 20 years and they're going to call them in and aggressively question them on Epstein. I mean I think Epstein was. To be fair, when you're the Attorney General there are so many cases that you are monitoring on a day to day basis that I bet Bill Barr spent like 0.1% of his time as Attorney general. If that relating to anything having to do with Epstein, that would be my guess. And so anyway, I think the result of the miscommunication is now that there is a flood the zone strategy where you try to get as much information out as you possibly can. But I just don't think there's much there there. But I do want to. I mean this is getting a lot of attention today. Comer has subpoenaed all these people and they're all going to be brought in over the next couple of months. And I imagine every day that they talk there will be in some way big stories about the fact that they're going to talk. And then I think that there's likely to be very little that is actually newsworthy that comes out of their under oath testimony. That's my prediction. Maybe I'm wrong.

[Jamie Rubin]

And we shall see. Perhaps something big breaks.

[Buck Sexton]

This is where I do think I never would have believed Buck that I would go to law school. And basically every case that now we just talk about is, well, that depends on what the courts are going to do. That depends on what the judges are going to do. This is basically Trump 2.0. There is no overarching opposition to him outside of the existing court systems. Indeed, I want to tell you as we go to to break here, by the way, you guys are welcome to weigh in. I don't think there's anything else out there that we are missing. But I did want to hit both of these big stories because again it is the DOJ grand jury relating to Russia collusion and the subpoenas going out relating to Epstein are receiving massive amounts of attention out there. But I don't know that there's some huge revolution revelatory moment that's going to come. But you guys are alleged to. You guys can dive in and figure out whether or not you think there's something that we're missing here. So 800 282. 282. In the meantime, I want to tell you all about LifeLock. Someone wanted to steal your identity. They wouldn't have to lift your wallet. They can get everything they need by hacking a database. Think of all the things you register for by online, like having a hundred wallets out there. As convenient as technology has made life, it's also got vulnerabilities. And it's important to understand how cybercrime and identity theft are affecting our lives. Just like it's important to remember Lifelocks online identity theft protection is your best defense. They will detect and alert you to potential identity threats. You may not spot on your own, like loans taken out in your name. If you become a victim of identity theft and you're a Lifelock member, you can rely on a dedicated US based restoration specialist to work to fix it, guaranteed or your money back. Become a Lifelock member if you aren't already join now. Say 40% off your first year with promo code Clay. Call 1-800-LIFELOCK or head to lifelock.com use my name Clay as the promo code for 40% off. That's lifelock.com promo code. Clay Want to be in the know when you're on The Go the Team 47 podcast Trump highlights from the week.

[Clay Travis]

Sundays at noon Eastern in the Clay.

[Buck Sexton]

And Buck podcast feed. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Ice Cube]

The reviews and ratings are in and Ice Cube's Big Three is the surprise hit of the summer. This Saturday, 4pm Eastern on CBS, with playoff elimination on the line, the stars will be flocking to Los Angeles to witness the most physical, fiercest and competitive basketball in the world. Miami's Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson must win over Houston to make the playoffs, reeling from last week's savage beating at the hands of Chicago's possessed Montrez Harold. Last time these teams met, Miami beat Houston, but they are a dangerous team having their manhood at stake. Then breakout star Dwight Howard of the LA Riot will battle Gary Payton's Boston squad in a do or die match for both teams. Will LA avenge their previous shocking loss to perennial basketball Boston rivals to survive, six teams are allowed for four spots and all must win. Don't miss the Big Three, the three on three basketball league everyone is talking about. There's no crying in the big three and the no hold sport action starts Saturday at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific followed by two games on Vice starting at 6:30 Eastern. Presented by iHeart.

[Christiane Amanpour]

I'm Christiana Manpour and I've been on the front lines and interviewing world leaders for more than 30 years.

[Jamie Rubin]

And I'm Jamie Rubin, a former advisor to both Presidents Clinton and Biden.

[Christiane Amanpour]

We were married for 20 years and divorced for seven. Now we've joined forces on the X Files to make sense of how we ended up with no world order. Listen to Christiana Manpour presents the X files on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[David Fromm]

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[Jamie Rubin]

Welcome back into Clan Buck. Taking slings and arrows from the disappointment over the predictions that have been made on accountability today. Sorry, I don't know, maybe. Maybe I just go all in like they're all going down. Obama, Brennan, Clapper, they're. They're getting sent to prison. And all the Epstein people are. They're also gonna, you know, whoever's involved, they're all gonna. I wish this would be great, but I think, unfortunately that's setting up a lot of people for. For disappointment. But. Well, let's take a look at this and we'll see. I just, I would ask this. We should. We should establish a ground rule here. If you're going to write in an email or call and say that I or Clay are just outrageously wrong on this issue in 2026 when nothing has happened, it's like the start of the new year and this has gone nowhere. If that is what happens, you have to call in or email in and be like, wow, you guys are right. Thank you for being intellectually honest with us and respecting all of us and caring about, you know, setting the table with what you think to be the facts and the likelihood and not doing any of that other nonsense. I see, you know, the online right people are saying crazy stuff all the time to get attention, and then there's no accountability when what they say doesn't. Doesn't come through, you know.

[Buck Sexton]

So what's the biggest whiff we've had in four years? I whiffed on really thought midterms that we term elections.

[Jamie Rubin]

That's the only really big, really big whiff. I mean, you know, that was the only one that I. And we explained that one. And actually there was a red wave. It just didn't hit where it needed to hit in order for it to give the control of the House back and the things we wanted. But that was a whiff. And we said it was a whip. Other than that we haven't whipped.

[Buck Sexton]

Right. And for.

[Jamie Rubin]

Big one.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah. And so look, I would. And I think people can ask questions because I do.

[Jamie Rubin]

We nailed this last election, by the way.

[Buck Sexton]

My. My concern here, people say, okay, what's the concern? It feels to me like you remember, and I know you remember this well, the summer before 911 happened, and I hope I'm wrong, everybody was obsessed with things that in the grand scheme of things were not hugely important stories. It was in D.C. because I was there. What happened to Chandra Levy? Some of you will remember her. She was an intern. It was an obsession in Washington D.C. it was. It was sort of sideshow carnival theater. And then 911 happened and suddenly everything got really serious.

[Jamie Rubin]

Wasn't she assaulted by an illegal. Assaulted and killed by an illegal. Or am I misremembering?

[Buck Sexton]

They found that out. You're right. Like a decade later, they found her body in Rock Creek Park. It was, yeah, let's, let's come back to that because I think it's interesting. My concern is we're headed for something serious.

[Jamie Rubin]

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[Buck Sexton]

Welcome back in Clay. TRAVIS buc SEXTON SHOW we're going to break. I was talking about how I remember. It's been a long time now, summer of 2001, everything was rolling. There was a lot of scandal. You had coming off of the Bill Clinton affair with an intern. You had the Chandra Levy drama. She was another intern allegedly having an affair with a politician. I think it was a Republican politician, if I remember, Gary Condit. And it turned out she just got murdered randomly in Rock Creek Park. It was the obsession of D.C. in the summer of 2001. Then 9, 11 happened and it turned out that there were a lot of people asleep at the wheel not paying attention to what the real danger was. My concern right now is a lot of this looking back and I get that it's significant on Epstein.

[Jamie Rubin]

Yeah, it was in fact an illegal immigrant, an illegal alien who killed Chandra Levy.

[Buck Sexton]

Just, she was just jogging. My recollection, Buck is in Rock Creek Park. They never found her body for like a decade. And then years later, they suddenly discovered, oh, she had been murdered. They eventually found the guy who had killed her. My point on that is just hold on.

[Jamie Rubin]

His, his conviction was actually overturned and Charges were later dropped and then he was deported to El Salvador.

[Buck Sexton]

No, I didn't follow that. I didn't follow that aspect of this.

[Jamie Rubin]

That just happened in 2017. I didn't, I did not know about that. Okay. Huh. Anyway, sorry. Just updating that.

[Buck Sexton]

It is. Some of you will remember that story. It got a lot of attention. And then 9, 11 happened and basically nobody cared about Chandra Levy and Gary Condit or any of that drama or for that matter, hardly anything else that was going on. And obviously that was coming out of a lot of consequential issues. The 2000 election, the battle that we saw there, all of those things. My point on this is my concern is that there are a lot of people who want to do us ill and want to take advantage of us. My hope is that in focusing on all of these external factors that oftentimes are dating back a decade or more, we aren't missing a new looming danger that is out there that is far more consequential that we'll look back on and say, boy, I wish we had had the intelligence agencies focused on the future instead of the past. Now. Positive, positive here. This is pretty extraordinary what Trump is doing. We have talked about economy, border crime. Economy, border crime. He is delivering on a high level. And it's not just us telling you this. I was watching this over the weekend. I believe Harry Enton came in and said the Trump administration is the most influential this century and maybe going back decades and decades into last century in terms of the changes that they are implementing and the policy perspectives they're Putting in place. Cut 26, this is CNN.

[Clay Travis]

The Donald Trump administration is arguably the most influential this century and probably as well, dating back a good portion of the last century as well. Trump is remaking in the United States of America. Let's talk about tariffs first. Right. There's all this talk that Donald Trump always chickens out when it comes to tariffs. No tacos for Trump. The effective tariff rate, get this, 18%, the highest, the highest since the FDR administration in the 1930s, up from, get this, just 2% last year. From just 2% last year. We're talking about a level, an effective tariff rate level. Get this, nine times as high this year than last year, but is not just on tariffs, which, of course, Donald Trump ran on, in which you're seeing a tremendously influential presidency. What about immigration? Of course, Trump ran and has always run on a very hawkish immigration platform. Get this, 2025, net migration in the United States, down at least 60% from last year. In fact, we may be heading for the first time in at least 50 years in which we have net negative, net negative migration into the United States.

[Buck Sexton]

He's doing so much buck, that I feel oftentimes we're getting bogged down in the, in the muck and not recognizing some of the massive, substantial changes. Here's one more clip. Trump is remaking the country via executive orders. More I think you can go back now a hundred years to fdr. I think you can argue that Trump is the most consequential president since FDR. Not saying I 100% agree with that. I think you can make that historic argument. That's the one CNN is making, cut 27.

[Clay Travis]

We're talking about immigration, net migration. We're talking about the effective tariff rate. But get this, how is Donald Trump doing it? Well, he is signing a ton of executive orders. Get this, 180, the most in a year since Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Oh, my goodness, you have to go back to the first half of the 20th century, the last century. And to make a comparison, Joe Biden signed, get this, just 77 during his entire first year. And we're only a little bit in August so far. And Donald Trump making history with 180, 180 executive orders signed so far this year. So that's why I said that in my mind, Donald Trump is the most influential president of this century and probably dating back a good portion of the last century. That is because he is remaking the country in terms of tariffs, he is remaking the country in terms of net migration, and he is remaking the country in terms of how much policy changes he's putting through in executive orders. As I said, it truly is history.

[Buck Sexton]

Making when CNN saying it, Buck, I think it is representative of just how much he's delivering on so far in the first six months of his presidency, the likes of which, frankly, we may not have seen in anybody's life who's out there listening to us right now. Sometimes I think that gets missed.

[Jamie Rubin]

Yeah, I think that the presidency of Donald Trump so far has been remarkably successful, as we've discussed many times, and has already racked up some wins that I think outpaced what a lot of Trump supporters even thought was possible. The border is the best example of this. But even so far, what we've seen on tariffs and the trade agreements that he's been able to hammer out, this has beat. It's one thing to beat expectations of the Trump is Hitler. The sky is falling like we expect that, that he's of course, better than they say he's going to be, cuz they say he's the worst president in history. But people who say Trump is great, for them to say, wow, he's even going beyond what I thought was possible in the first seven months of his presidency is an indicator of just how well it is going on. Things that really matter to people in their day to day lives. And that's including a whole range of things. Now, I understand the jobs report was a little weak. Trump is very fired up saying that he doesn't think that that's a fair assessment. One thing that doesn't get talked about enough is that jobs are going to Americans. That's something that I think everybody should, meaning a lot of the job growth that is happening in this country. It is going to people who are supposed to be in America and not illegals. That's a good thing. And that's something that is happening more and more because of this presidency. So while there are some areas of frustration, as there always will be with any administration, and there are some things that people want to see move faster or even move a little bit differently, so far, I think it has been a very successful presidency. And the best way to maybe put a, put a bow in the cap here, I don't know, I was trying to think of some analogy there, but the best way to finish this off would just be to say if there was some gaping wound in the Trump administration thus far, some huge failure of policy. If we were in World War 3 or something like it because of Iraq, it's all you would be hearing about. If we had gotten entangled in some foreign war and we were having Americans come home in body bags, it is all you would be hearing about every single day. What are you hearing about when it comes to attacking Trump?

[Buck Sexton]

You know, I don't think they've been able. I don't think they've been able to even land a punch on him. I. Look, they've tried to say, hey, he's responsible for what's going on in Gaza. I think that's hard to put on Trump. They tried to say he hasn't ended the war in Ukraine and Russia yet. Again, I think that's hard to put on Trump. The only real thing is the Resistance 2.0 through the Judiciary. Um, I mean, I will play some of these cuts for you, but calling him Hitler, the attacks, I just, I think Democrats increasingly are kind of throwing up their hands now. If they win the House, will they impeach him? Probably. Will that have Any impact at all? No.

[Jamie Rubin]

What would be funny, though, is watching, like watching MSNBC and the New York Times act like Impeachment three. This time it's real. You know, it's going to, it's going to be like a really bad sequel to a movie that never should have been made in the first place. Like, now the walls are really closing in.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, I don't even know what the ground they'll impeach him for is right. I mean, and it is true that it doesn't matter.

[Jamie Rubin]

Can I point, can I, can I bring, actually, Clay, I want to bring a VIP email into the mix here on this because we're getting a lot of VIP emails from this. And again, I'm just telling you what we think. And Clay and I don't, we don't even coordinate on these things before, like the show. We'll talk about topics, but we're not having long conversations about where we're going to, you know, we're both just being honest with you about. I don't even think the subpoenas at Homer's putting out. Those aren't even going to, those testimonies aren't even going to happen for the most part. Ok. That's just the truth. It's just the truth. So you can get mad at me or whatever, but if you're mad at me today, in six months when you know that I'm right, please say thank you, Buck, for telling us what you knew was true. The other stuff, some of the other stuff, I'm not, you know, the grand jury, I said on Will show yesterday, Will Kane show yesterday on Fox. That's a big step that, that indicates maybe something is going to happen there. But Joseph, our VIP sent us this and I think this is, this is an important point to keep in mind with all of this stuff here. He writes, please stop saying that nothing is going to work. How many charges were brought against Trump? How many were legit? How, how much for Trump in legal fees? You guys are so bad at Lawfare. Start suing Obama into the poor house. Ok, let's just take a step back. What happened after all the stuff they did to Trump? Okay, let's, let's take a moment here. They did all this stuff to Trump and what happened? He won the election. He smoked everybody in the primary. He crushed the opposition in the general election and is the most powerful president of our lifetimes. And the Democrat Party is still licking their wounds. So keep in mind that this Lawfare stuff that they did as annoying and underhanded as it was, got absolutely steamrolled. All of it. Absolutely steamrolled. So the notion that this is some secret weapon that Trump is refusing to use for his part, ignores the recent history of it. Got completely crushed. Trump stomped this thing under his heel like a little squishy bug. Ok, remember that? Everybody remember what just happened?

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah. It actually benefited him. And in fact, if you could go into a multiverse world, what would the election in 2024 have looked like if Democrats had just said, hey, we're going to run against Trump but we're not going to put Lawfare in play.

[Jamie Rubin]

Right.

[Buck Sexton]

They hadn't ever raided Mar A Lago, they hadn't ever brought charges on the bookkeeping in New York City. They hadn't filed charges in Atlanta and the ridiculous Fanny Willis case. None of that had happened. Jack Smith never took in, came in as a special counsel and tried to prosecute. I think it would have hurt Trump and I think it's actually a good lesson that to Buck's point here, Trump actually has made billions of dollars. In retrospect, the other thing is you're not going to bankrupt Barack Obama.

[Jamie Rubin]

He's worth $100 million.

[Buck Sexton]

Every lawyer in America, just about who is on the east coast wants to Rep. Barack Obama for free.

[Jamie Rubin]

Yes.

[Buck Sexton]

I mean, and most of these guys are super wealthy and will get incredible representation. It'll all be paid for by donors. I just, again, I think the historical record matters, but I think the idea of people going to prison is going to be very difficult to pull off.

[Jamie Rubin]

I think that Trump is going through this process with his hand picked team in his second administration. You know, it's interesting. There's some, there's some on the right Clay. You know, they very much disagree with you and me, but on some of this stuff, they're actually disagreeing with Trump. Keep that in mind. Ok. He's making these calls, he's making these decisions and look at how often he has been right and has seen his way through and everything else. So when I'm saying, hey, I think Pam Bond is handling this way, this is how this is going to go and someone is writing in and telling us, hey, here's what you guys should be saying, they should do the following. Keep in mind Trump and his team are not doing the following, whatever it may be, they're doing it this way. Maybe there's a reason for that. Maybe they have some understanding, and I think we all know they do, of what the political dynamics are here and what benefits the administration. So, and nobody wants justice and Vengeance more than Trump for what was done to him. But I think he understands the big picture here.

[Buck Sexton]

Let me give you a sports analogy as we go to break because I think it's a good one. Basically, Trump is Tom Brady with the New England Patriots or Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls. In the midst of an impress unbelievable dynasty. Can you quibble with some of the decisions that Tom Brady or Michael Jordan make on a play by play basis? Sure. Should you also at times just sit back and be like, damn, I'm glad I get to watch this? Mostly, yes. That's kind of the way I feel right now about Trump 2.0 is if you were a Patriots fan during the Brady dynasty or you were a Bulls fan during the Jordan dynasty. I don't want to nitpick because Jordan should have passed instead of taking a jumper. He's still Jordan. Yeah, Brady might miss a deep ball every now and then, but he's still the greatest to ever do it. What we're seeing right now, in my opinion from a sports analogy perspective, is Brady and Jordan, like, from the Trump team, they're performing at a dynastic level. So I think a lot of people who are nitpicking are missing the larger success. And you're going to be, 20 years from now, you're going to be sitting back like, man, I would give anything to have Trump 2.0 underway. That's my thoughts. That's kind of the way I feel about analyzing things right now.

[Jamie Rubin]

Well, I don't know if we can discount JD Vance's second term so quickly, Clay, but nonetheless, I hope, I hope.

[Buck Sexton]

By the way, we have unbelievable president still to come. I wake up every day still with a smile on my face because I know Trump is doing exactly what he said he was going to do. And I don't know that we've ever had a president like this.

[Jamie Rubin]

There's also a lot of stuff that he does that I haven't even thought should be done by a president that I really like. And that has never happened before. You know, I remember the Bush years. I was like, can you just do the obvious smart thing, you imbecile. Can you just do this? And sometimes they just disagreed. All right, I gotta, I gotta tell you for a second here, I gotta talk about trust and wills. The last thing you want to do is leave your family with confusion or legal problems after you're gone. Because all of us are heading there one day. That's why having a trust or will is essential. It is the responsible thing to do. Make sure your wishes are clearly understood. Your loved one shouldn't be left to deal with unnecessary complications during a time of grief. Without a will, your assets might be distributed in ways you never intended. Probate is long, complicated and expensive, but it's avoidable with a simple trust in place. A trust or a will sets a clear plan for how you want your estate to be handled. With trustandwill.com, creating what is simple, affordable and brings real peace of mind. I've got a plan in place and knowing my family is set up the right way is absolutely the way forward. Protect your legacy and protect your loved ones. Visit trustandwill.com buck and you'll get 20% off today. That website is trustandwill.com buck do the right thing. Get this done. Cross this off your list. You want to think about it again. Trustinwill.com Buck for 20% off. Peace of mind starts with a plan, news you can count on, and some laughs too.

[Clay Travis]

Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.

[Buck Sexton]

Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Ice Cube]

The reviews and ratings are in and Ice Cube's Big Three is the surprise hit of the summer. This Saturday, 4pm Eastern on CBS, with playoff elimination on the line, the stars will be flocking to Los Angeles list to witness the most physical, fiercest and competitive basketball in the world. Miami's Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson must win over Houston to make the playoffs. Reeling from last week's savage beating at the hands of Chicago's possessed Montrez Harrell. Last time these teams met, Miami beat Houston, but they are a dangerous team having their manhood at stake. Then breakout star Dwight Howard of the LA Riot will battle Gary Payton's Boston squad in a do or die match for both teams. Will LA avenge their previous shocking loss to perennial basketball Boston rivals? To survive, six teams are allowed for four spots and all must win. Don't miss the Big three, the three out of three basketball league everyone is talking about. There's no crying in the big three and the no hold sport action starts Saturday at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific, followed by two games on Vice starting at 6:30 Eastern.

[Christiane Amanpour]

Presented by iheart I'm Christiane Amanpour and I've been on the front lines and interviewing world leaders for more than 3030 years.

[Jamie Rubin]

And I'm Jamie Rubin, a former advisor to both Presidents Clinton and Biden.

[Christiane Amanpour]

We were married for 20 years and divorced for seven. Now we've joined forces on the X Files to make sense of how we ended up with no world Order. Listen to Christiana Manpour presents the X files on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you listen to podcasts.

[David Fromm]

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[Rodney Williams]

The country, everyday Americans are standing up to expand freedom and opportunity not just for themselves, but for their neighbors and community. They're small business owners, parents, farmers and local leaders, people who are pushing back against government overreach and showing what's possible when liberty is protected and individuals get involved. I'm David Fromm, host of the American potential podcast where we bring these stories to life. We don't just talk about policy solutions. Each week we share the impact of how these solutions benefit everyday Americans. Because behind every issue is an individual, a family or a community that's been impacted reminding us that policy becomes personal. So whether you're passionate about keeping more of your hard earned money, expanding school choice, or cutting red tape, you'll hear from the people making a difference as they share their stories. Listen now to American potential on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube or wherever you get your podcast.

[Jamie Rubin]

All right, welcome back into Clay and Buck. We got a very quick turnaround here, so let me just say we'll take calls and emails and talk backs top of the next hour because a lot of you want to weigh in on today's main topic of conversation. What is the way forward against the Lawfare, the Lawfare participants who went after Trump and Trump's advisors? We'll get into some of that. Also, we have Alex Marlowe of Breitbart will be joining us talking about his new book, which is on Lawfare. So that's a, that's a good topical, topical topic that doesn't, you know what I mean? It's a good topic for us.

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, I agree. That's good timing.

[Jamie Rubin]

So we'll take those calls, we'll take those talk facts. Light up those lines. 800-282-2882. I'm gonna go get some Crockett coffee. I got my overmountain club mug right here. Go to crockettcoffee.com please subscribe. People who subscribe today, new subscribers Today you will make my day, which is very nice. So please go do that. Crocketcoffee.com Ice Cube's Big Three is the.

[Ice Cube]

Surprise hit of the summer. This Saturday, 4pm Eastern on CBS with playoff elimination on the line, the most physical, fiercest and competitive basketball in the world. Miami's Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson must win to make the playoffs. And breakout star Dwight Howard of the LA Riot will battle Gary Payton's Boston squad in a do or die match for both teams. Six teams are allowed for four spots and all must win. There's no crying in the big three. And the no holds barred action starts Saturday at 4pm Eastern, 1pm Pacific. Presented by iheartra.

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[Christiane Amanpour]

I'm Christiane Amanpour and I've been on the front lines and interviewing world leaders for more than 30 years.

[Jamie Rubin]

And I'm Jamie Rubin, a former advisor to both Presidents Clinton and Biden.

[Christiane Amanpour]

We were married for 20 years and divorced for seven. Now we've joined forces on the X Files to make sense of how we ended up with no world order. Listen to Christiana Manpour presents the X files on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to podcasts sharing a true story.

[Jamie Rubin]

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[Buck Sexton]

And I'm Travis Holloway.

[Ice Cube]

Welcome to the wealthbreak Podcast, a real conversation about finance. Let's be honest, building weft doesn't look the same for everyone.

[Christiane Amanpour]

I feel like sometimes being broke is.

[Buck Sexton]

A cycle and that we might have.

[Jamie Rubin]

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

[Annabe]

What happens when it doesn't go right? How do you cope with it?

[Ice Cube]

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.

[Christiane Amanpour]

This is an iHeart podcast.