Weekly Review With Clay and Buck H3 - National Guard to Memphis?

Summary

The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show — "Weekly Review With Clay and Buck H3: National Guard to Memphis?"

Date: September 20, 2025
Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (iHeartPodcasts)
Episode Theme:
A conversation with Senator Marsha Blackburn on President Trump’s proposal to deploy the National Guard to Memphis to tackle violent crime, reflections on the assassination of Charlie Kirk, the cultural response, and broader commentary on the influence of social media, youth, and American values in turbulent times.

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Episode Overview

This episode features a substantive interview with Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), focusing on two major topics:

• The Biden administration’s ongoing struggle with violent crime, specifically in Memphis, Tennessee, and the potential deployment of the National Guard as per former President Trump’s announcement.
• The aftermath of activist Charlie Kirk's assassination, reactions in conservative and college communities, and discussion of how to combat the perceived "rot" in American culture.

The hosts also weave in listener calls and reactions, touch on media coverage (specifically the TMZ controversy), and profile public statements by notable figures, all while maintaining their signature mix of seriousness and humor.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Sen. Marsha Blackburn on Charlie Kirk’s Impact and Youth Response

[04:40–08:01]

• College & Community Mourning:
  Senator Blackburn and Clay Travis recount the overwhelming emotional response at the University of Tennessee following Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Many students, fans of Kirk’s outspoken style, openly grieved and expressed support for family and value-driven discourse.
  • "We could hardly get through the crowd... without people saying, ‘We stand with Charlie Kirk, family values and Tennessee values, and morals, and we stand with the president.’" — Sen. Blackburn [06:25]
• Personal Family Story:
  Blackburn shares how her grandson helped organize a memorial and personally lowered the flag in accordance with Presidential orders.
  • "Honoring someone who was assassinated, honoring those that lost their lives... and doing what the president said was the order." — Sen. Blackburn [05:35]
• Moral & Cultural Turning Point:
  Blackburn views this tragic moment as a possible "turning point" for a culture that she sees as needing to "push back and fight against evil."

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2. National Guard and Federal Involvement in Memphis Crime Crisis

[08:01–12:38]

• State of Memphis Crime:
  Memphis is considered the "most dangerous city in the country" with a "per capita murder rate of 2,500 per 100,000" and over 100 active gangs.
  • "We know Memphis has 100 gangs. They have a per capita murder rate of 2,500 per 100,000." — Sen. Blackburn [09:20]
• Federal Initiatives (Operation Legend & Operation Viper):
  • Operation Legend under Trump had a positive impact, later discontinued by Biden’s administration.
  • Operation Viper (2025) led to over 500 arrests and significant drops in crime for August, credited as the “best in years.”
• Proposed Role for National Guard:
  The National Guard would handle logistical and support tasks so Memphis PD could focus on targeting gangs and violent criminals.
  • "They can do paperwork, logistics... traffic... This will allow Memphis police... to apprehend these gang leaders and gang members." — Sen. Blackburn [10:25]
• Broader Vision:
  She hopes these steps restore safety and economic potential to Memphis.

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3. Cultural Decay, Social Media’s Dangers & How to Fight 'Rot'

[12:38–16:32]

• Question of Cultural Decline:
  Travis and Blackburn discuss celebrations of Kirk’s assassination online, viewing it as evidence of a "dark soul of the left."
• Social Media’s Role:
  • Blackburn discusses the isolating and radicalizing influence of digital platforms on youth, referencing her work on the Kids Online Safety Act.
  • "Teenagers are spending as much as eight hours a day on the phone... they're being exposed to things that young minds are not equipped to see." — Sen. Blackburn [14:01]
• Importance of Families & Communities:
  • Stresses responsibility of families, churches, and governance of social media to push back against corrosive influences.
  • Advocates for strong families, less device time, and collective action by adults.

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4. Listener Calls & Media Responsibility

[21:47–23:13]

• TMZ Cheering Controversy:
  The hosts address audience claims that TMZ staff celebrated Kirk’s death on-air, noting conflicting accounts and emphasizing media accountability.
  • "If that had happened when I ran a media company, I would be deeply concerned about the culture... I would fire everyone." — Clay Travis [22:17]
• Listener Perspective:
  Caller Gretchen from Georgia urges a focus on Kirk’s positive Christian impact as a way to combat evil.

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5. Standing Up for Truth—Leadership Lessons from Sports

[24:38–30:52]

• University of Tennessee Faculty Incident:
  Clay Travis reads and condemns a fired professor’s social media comments celebrating Kirk’s death, arguing such views are unacceptable for public employees.
• University of Oregon Coach’s Statement:
  Coach Dan Lanning’s public acknowledgment of Kirk after a game is played in full.
  • Notable quote:
    "If you disagree with me, if you hate me, if you don’t like me… just know this: I love you. And life matters. That’s no way that Charlie should experience that, his family should experience that." — Dan Lanning [27:18–27:46]
• Courage in Public Discourse:
  Hosts praise Lanning for taking a risk by making a public moral statement, especially in a “blue state,” and urge listeners to support such courage.

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6. Youth Activism & the Next Generation

[31:30–36:13]

• Turning Point USA Chapters:
  Callers and the hosts discuss the surge of students founding conservative clubs in Kirk’s honor, framing it as a “best positive result” from tragedy.
• Media & Messaging Adaptation:
  Travis reflects on the need to reach young audiences where they are (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram), echoing Kirk’s strategy and relevance.
• Sports as Meritocracy:
  Travis defends sports as a remaining “meritocratic” space in American culture.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "And the minister said something I think is so important... while we turn the other cheek... we cannot turn a blind eye... we have to push back and fight against evil."
  — Sen. Marsha Blackburn, on the moral imperative after Kirk's assassination [07:13]
• "It is pure evil that caused someone to try to silence Charlie Kirk. And as we have seen, his message now will be more powerful than ever."
  — Sen. Blackburn [07:45]
• "A culture that celebrates death, legitimately celebrates death, is not a culture that I want to be affiliated with."
  — Clay Travis, on media culture [22:17]
• "Teenagers are spending as much as eight hours a day on the phone... they become desensitized."
  — Sen. Blackburn [14:01]
• "Use your social media for good... Say thank you. Sometimes people ask, ‘Hey, how do we win in a world of culture?’ You just heard Dan Lanning there. He’s getting ripped by a lot of people who are saying, how dare he say something positive about Charlie Kirk and his family. Use your social media for good."
  — Clay Travis [28:16]
• "When you go where the audience is, a lot of people, Buck, are very, very responsive to these arguments and they're not seeing them elsewhere."
  — Clay Travis, on adapting the message for younger generations [35:12]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:40] – Sen. Marsha Blackburn on public mourning for Charlie Kirk
• [08:01] – Senator discusses National Guard and crime in Memphis
• [12:38] – Clay asks about culture’s "rot" and fixing it
• [13:24] – Sen. Blackburn on social media & culture
• [21:47] – TMZ and media criticism, listener call
• [24:38] – Clay critiques fired UT professor, then plays Coach Dan Lanning’s statement
• [27:08] – Dan Lanning: “I love you… and life matters.”
• [31:30] – Caller Ginny, youth activism, Turning Point surge
• [35:12] – Clay, on using new media for culture war
• [36:13+] – End segment; light banter and show close

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Tone & Language

• Serious, urgent, and at times somber—in reaction to the assassination and crime crisis.
• Supportive and encouraging—in celebrating Kirk’s influence and youth activism.
• Wry humor and personal familiarity—hosts’ banter about dress codes, sports picks, and video efforts.

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Summary Takeaways

This episode underscores the conservative call for community resilience, robust policing (or even Military support) in crime-plagued American cities, and culture-wide resistance to what the hosts cast as moral decline—exacerbated by social media and academic radicalism. With passionate endorsements of youth involvement and visible public courage (from coaches to students), along with a sharp critique of left-leaning media and public academia, the episode offers a vivid reflection of the right’s response to a moment of national upheaval.

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For more information, visit the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show’s pages on iHeart or your podcast platform of choice.

Transcript

[Clay Travis]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Asma Khalid]

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[Clay Travis]

Over 300 channels, zero bills, that's TiVo plus live news, reality movies, and more. No credit card, no signups available on smart TVs powered by TiVo. Grab the remote, press play and start watching TiVo Free Bingeworthy always on. Learn more at Thibaut.com America is changing, and so is the world. But what's happening in America isn't just a cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption. That's happening everywhere.

[Asma Khalid]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. i'm.

[Clay Travis]

Tristan Redman in London, and this is the GLOBAL story.

[Asma Khalid]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Clay Travis]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back in Clay Travis BUCK SEXTON SHOW we are joined now by Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. We're going to dive into President Trump's announcement last week that he's going to be bringing the National Guard into Memphis, which, according to many measures of violent crime on a per capita basis, may well be the most dangerous city in the entire country. But I want to start with this. Senator Blackburn, first of all, I missed you in Knoxville, where you and I were both attending the Georgia Tennessee game, which did not end well for the good guys, in this case, the team wearing orange. But I know that you were all over the place there. And it's a sporting event. But I bet you had a similar experience as I did, Senator Blackburn, which is the number of people who came up to me that wanted to talk about what happened to Charlie Kirk, even at a sporting event, was unlike anything I've ever seen before. No one usually people want to come up and it's almost exclusively, hey, who's going to win the game? What do you think's going to happen? Almost everybody that came up to me at the sporting event wanted to talk about the Charlie Kirk situation. I've not asked you this, but I bet you found it to be similar as well. And I know you have a grandson that attends the same school as my sons, and the impact on young men in particular of this assassination has been extraordinarily awful. But their response has been, I have seen, very profoundly courageous. I've been very encouraged. So that's a big prelude. But I'm curious what you found in both those situations.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Yes, indeed. I will tell you, I have been just so honored by the conduct of my grandsons and their classmates and how they held a memorial for Charlie Kirk and for the remembrance of 9, 11. And our grandson even noticed that the flags had not been moved to half staff before, before class started. So he walked out to the flagpole and he lowered the flag to half staff. And I think one of the teachers kind of got in behind him a little bit about it, but he said he was following president's order for all flags to fly at half staff until 6pm on Sunday. And I said, you know, if that's what you get in trouble for, that's a pretty good thing. Honoring someone who was assassinated, honoring those that lost their lives in our military, who fought after 9, 11, and all of those brave first responders and doing what the president said was the order of the day, which was lowering the flags. And you're right about being at University of Tennessee. We could hardly get through the crowd, like you said, without people saying, look, we stand with Charlie Kirk. We stand with family values and Tennessee values and morals, and we stand with the president. And it was just such an outpouring, I think, for so many college students, whether you were there in Circle park or at one of the fraternity houses or wherever. Clay it was astounding to me that these kids were such a fan of Charlie Kirk. They listened to him, they followed him, they enjoyed his podcast and they wanted to. They loved the way he speaks truth and have so gravitated and to that. And they love President Trump and they just wanted to register their shock and their disappointment with what had happened and their grief in many respects. And we had a great sermon yesterday at our church, and the minister said something I think is so important, is that while we turn the other cheek, and we know to turn the other cheek to evil, we cannot turn a blind eye. And that is incumbent on us to remember that we have to push back and fight against evil. And it is pure evil that caused someone to try to silence Charlie Kirk. And as we have seen, his message now will be more powerful than ever. The outpouring of support for Charlie and his work for Erica and their children. It is not singular, but it is global in nature. And indeed, I think this is truly a turning point.

[Buck Sexton]

Senator Blackburn, appreciate you being with us. Something that's also getting some attention in the news cycle today is the move by President Trump to perhaps bring National Guard and bring federal resources to your home state and specifically to help tackle the out of control murder rate in the city of Memphis. What can you tell us you know about this so far? What stage is the planning? And do you believe that this would be able to have a marked impact and effect to bring that murder rate down?

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Yes, indeed, I do think it is going to be helpful. And what we know is this. Cash Patel gave me a commitment when he came to meet with me before his hearing for his FBI confirmation. And I'm on Senate Judiciary Committee. I asked him in my office and then again publicly at the hearing to help me with Memphis and getting an FBI surge in Memphis under President Trump's first term. We had a program there called Legend. It had great results. Biden ended it. Crime surged we needed something back. So this summer, for two months, we had Operation Viper. There have been over 500 arrests. There have already been over 100 indictments. We know Memphis has 100 gangs. They have a per capita murder rate of 2,500 per 100,000. That is why it's the most dangerous city in the country. We know that during the surge, Memphis had the best August it has had in years. Whether it's murders or rapes or thefts, burglaries, assaults, all the numbers have been down and significantly down. Some the best in 20 years, some the best in over five years. So this has made a difference. Now the surge with the FBI is over. They've worked closely with Memphis police, with the mayor of Memphis, and they need to continue this multiphase approach, and it has been an interdisciplinary strategy with different agencies. So in order to back up the Memphis Police Department, you will have the National Guard. Now, they can go in, they can do paperwork, they can do logistics, they can do traffic. There are so many things they can do. And this will allow Memphis police, who do have arrest powers, to go in and apprehend others in these gangs and get them off the streets. And that's where Memphis PD needs to be focused, is continuing to apprehend these gang leaders and gang members that are selling drugs, that are doing sex trafficking, human trafficking, that are carrying out these thefts. You know, in Memphis, it's a logistics hub. And we have the port at Memphis. We have all five Class A railroads, i40, that goes from the east coast to the west coast, and you also have FedEx. So when you've got all of this with the river, the rail, the highways, the air, cargo theft is a big issue. And these gangs have created processes to go in and rip these containers and carry out cargo theft. So being able to have the police work with these companies, whether it's rail or water or high, and get a handle around this cargo theft is vitally important also. So the National Guard is going to be appreciated. They are going to be welcomed in Memphis. We want Memphis to be safe. We want it to be prosperous. It is a wonderful city. It has a brilliant. It has a promising future. And a big part of that is getting the crime under control.

[Clay Travis]

Senator Blackburn, I just. Buck and I started off the show talking about the dark soul of the left in this country that so many people have felt compelled publicly to celebrate the assassination of Charlie Kirk. This is a big question, and it's one that I've been thinking about a lot. How do we fix this because if your soul is so dark that when you see a father murdered in cold blood simply for sitting in front of an open mic and saying, tell me whatever you believe too, the soul of so many people is profoundly evil here. How do we fix the rot in our culture? What can we do?

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Well, this is something that talking with people through the process of legislation that I have worked on with the Kids Online Safety act and trying to get that passed. And you look at what, what these young people are picking up on social media, they become isolated, they get onto these platforms like Reddit and Discord, and they get into these discussion groups and instead of it being a tool that opens their mind and something for good, it narrows their thought process and they become very angry. So I think the church has a role to play in this. I think parents have a role to play in this. Governance for social media platforms have a role to play in this. Looking at the mental health of kids, that is something that has to be done. It's not going to be fixed by one thing or another thing. But I do believe that strong families can help. I do believe that getting kids off of these social media platforms, that will help. I do think that, and I will say this, I think the governor of Utah has done an exemplary job in this getting kids off these devices. You know, right now, the studies that we have seen as we've worked on keeping kids safe and trying to hold social media to account, you know, kids are spending, teenagers are spending as much as eight hours a day on the phone. Yeah, eight hours. Middle school kids are spending about five. And when they're doing this, they're being exposed to things that young minds are not equipped to see. This. I mean, this is why we have ratings on movies in theaters. You can't take a child to an X rated movie. You can't sell them alcohol or tobacco or firearms. You can't take them to a pornographic show or a strip club or sell them magazines. But on the virtual space, they're exposed to it 24,7 and they become desensitized. I am, and some of my friends, we are just praying deeply, praying that scales will fall from eyes and that people will awaken and they will realize what is happening to our children in our society, that they will encourage our children to boldly stand for values and for right and to stand against some of this evil presence to come off of these devices. And that means that adults, parents, teachers, preachers, everyone's going to have to do their part.

[Buck Sexton]

Senator Blackbird, always appreciate you. Thanks for joining us.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

You got it. Take care.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

Can count on and some laughs too.

[Buck Sexton]

Clay Travis and Buck Sexton.

[Clay Travis]

Find them on the free iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Stop settling for weak sound. It's time to level up your game and bring the boom. Hit the town with the ultra durable LG X Boom portable speaker and enjoy vibrant sound wherever you go. Elevate your listening experience to new heights because let's be real, your music deserves it. The future of sound is now with LG X Boom and for a limited time save [e-mail] with code fall 25 bring the boom xboom.

[Asma Khalid]

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[Clay Travis]

Over 300 channels, zero bills. That's TiVo plus curated movies, new series and sports highlights. No credit card, no logins, just TV that gets straight to the good stuff. Grab the remote, press play and start watching TiVo plus free binge worthy always on. Check us [e-mail] America is changing and so is the world. But what's happening in America isn't just a cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Asma Khalid]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. i'm.

[Clay Travis]

Tristan Redman in London and this is the Global story.

[Asma Khalid]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Clay Travis]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

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[Clay Travis]

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[Buck Sexton]

Up ready for every kickoff. And big play fan like a pro and shop [e-mail] all right, welcome back in to Clay and Buck and we're getting a lot of talk back just about this one point that a caller made about tmz. We said we only want to focus on those who we are sure were making the horrific decision to celebrate what happened to our friend Charlie Kirk. A lot of you are telling me you've done the sleuthing on this one though. We're getting a lot of talk backs about this. Remember, I didn't say one or the other. I'm just saying that TMZ claims no, that's not what happened. I have not dug into the tape. A bunch of you were saying you have dug into the tape, meaning you put simultaneously the car chase and tmz. Up here we've got Chris from Tampa who listens on wfla. Play it. Hey guys, that TMZ thing is real. They people have broke down that video and got the actual car chase. The announcers on the car chase at like whatever time it was 1:42 or something like that matches this clock that's next behind Harvey when he's doing the interview when the people start cheering is the announcers on the car chase said that Trump just said that Charlie Kirk died. That's when they started cheering.

[Clay Travis]

I don't. I. I don't have to go back.

[Buck Sexton]

And watch this and link this up.

[Clay Travis]

I don't know. I haven't. I've only seen the. Hey, that's not what was going on. If it was going on, then we.

[Buck Sexton]

Obviously condemn it if it was what's going on. But I just. I think it's only fair to note that they claimed quickly that that wasn't what was going on. So now we're relying on. But a lot of people are calling and saying that, you know, they've done the analysis. So they say, no, you know, we're reporting. We're not. I'm not claiming one way or the other. We're reporting that this is what they said. And others are saying, no, that's not what happened.

[Clay Travis]

All I can say is this. I ran a media company. If that had happened when I ran a media company, I would be deeply concerned about the culture that I had created, and I would fire everyone. This is one of the good things about being the boss. You get to make decisions about the culture that you're going to allow to exist. A culture that celebrates death, legitimately celebrates death, is not a culture that I want to be affiliated with. And so I would. I would fire. And I don't think that's a very difficult decision to make, Buck. And if I were Harvey Levin and that were true, I wouldn't cover for employees. I would fire him, and I would do so publicly. Because you are the culture that you create inside of any business, inside of any organization. And if you've got sharing going on there, I can't trust the opinion of anybody inside of tmz.

[Buck Sexton]

Yes, I totally agree with all of that. Let's take Gretchen in Georgia.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Hello?

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah, Gretchen, we got about 20 seconds, but we wanted to get you in. Go ahead.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

There's always going to be evil. There's always going to be evil, and there's always going to be good. And you can't get rid of evil, unfortunately. However, I believe one of the ways to fight it with these people that are saying these bad things about Charlie. I think we need to process all the wonderful things that Charlie has done since the age of 18, and we need to keep talking to all those people that he saved and brought to Christianity, and we need to keep talking about Christianity.

[Clay Travis]

That's how we fight evil.

[Buck Sexton]

Totally agree. Thank you so much for the call. Excellent.

[Clay Travis]

Look.

[Buck Sexton]

It was nearly two years ago that terrorists murdered more than 1200 innocent Israelis and took 250 hostage. This wasn't the only attack in Israel, but the first of dozens of subsequent attacks from three more hostile forces. There's a movement in this nation to remember that first brutal attack. It's one of love and support for the people of Israel called Flags of Fellowship and it's organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. It's happening just a few weeks from now. On October 5th, millions across America will prayerfully plant an Israeli flag in honor and solidarity with the victims of October 7th. You can be part of this movement, too. To get more information about how you can join the Flags of Fellowship movement, visit the fellowship [e-mail] that's ifcj.org welcome.

[Clay Travis]

Back in Clay Travis BUCK Sexton show I want to give you kind of an indication of what some faculty members are saying. This is who the University of Tennessee just fired. She went on social media, this professor did, Tamar Sherinian and she said his kids are better off living in a world without a disgusting psychopath like him and his wife is a sick blank for marrying him. So I don't care about her feelings. The world is better off without him in it. Even those who are claiming to be sad for his wife and kids, like his kids are better off living in a world without a disgusting psychopath like him and his wife, well, she's a sick blank for marrying him, so I don't care about her feelings. That seems pretty. If you're a taxpayer funded employee of the University of Tennessee, I don't think you should be employed and post those things on public after a political assassination. There are lots of things she can do for a living. Work being funded by partly my tax dollars. That seems like a really easy call to me. I don't know. I mean, I think anybody who's like, hey, you know what? This is unacceptable. You're a public employee and you have decided to post that. I don't think you should be teaching kids at the University of Tennessee. I don't think that's a difficult standard, Buck. I also wanted to play this. Dan Lanning is the coach of the University of Oregon. I'm not going to say that this is the greatest, most perfect statement that's ever been made. But Charlie Kirk was a big University of Oregon fan and Dan Lanning wanted to acknowledge him after the game that they played against Northwestern. So this is what Dan Lanning said. He's the Coach of the University of Oregon. Oregon, pretty blue state. But Dan Lanning felt that he wanted to speak out about this. It would have been easy for him to say nothing at all. I thought this was very well said. Not saying it's perfect, but I did want to play this because Charlie Kirk would have been very impressed that this happened. He was a huge University of Oregon fan. He never met Dan Lanning, but this is what Dan Lanning had to say. Listen, I recently found out, like, Charlie.

[Buck Sexton]

Kurt was a Oregon fan, right?

[Clay Travis]

I didn't know that. I heard for his wife, Erica and.

[Buck Sexton]

Their kids like, that that sort of.

[Clay Travis]

Evil should never exist in our country. And that's what it is, evil.

[Buck Sexton]

I wish the world could learn a.

[Clay Travis]

Little bit of something from our locker.

[Buck Sexton]

Room because we got a bunch of people with differences. And what you got in there is a bunch of people love there. And there's some people that'll be disappointed about how much I said about this.

[Clay Travis]

Right? There'll be some people that are disappointed that I didn't say enough.

[Buck Sexton]

Right.

[Clay Travis]

And I really don't care.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Right.

[Clay Travis]

What I do care about is if.

[Buck Sexton]

You disagree with me, if you hate me, if you don't like me, just know this. I love you. I absolutely love you.

[Clay Travis]

Right?

[Buck Sexton]

And life matters. And that's no way that Charlie should experience that, his family should experience that.

[Clay Travis]

There's no way that that evil should.

[Buck Sexton]

Exist in this world.

[Clay Travis]

Okay? I reached out to Dan to let him know that Charlie was a University of Oregon fan and he wanted to say something after the game. Now, I've been to a lot of post game press conferences. A lot of coaches avoid saying anything because especially a guy in a blue state. I'm sure if you go online and you look that Dan Lanning is getting ripped, I would encourage all of you say, thank you. Sometimes people ask, hey, how do we win in a world of culture? You just heard Dan Lanning there. He's getting ripped by a lot of people who are saying, how dare he say something positive about Charlie Kirk and his family. Use your social media for good. Just a suggestion. If you hear and see somebody standing up for just speaking out and taking slings and arrows, one thing for B and Bach, we appreciate and love that you guys have our back. And it means. It means a ton, trust me. But in the larger culture, there are people that the left is going to try to slap down that are influential, that aren't talking to you every day for three hours. Go give them support. Stand up for them.

[Buck Sexton]

Clay and I are shock troops. Like we're, we're used to all the, the slings and arrows are meant for us. We take them and that's the deal. A lot of other people, though, in positions where they have a platform, but this is not their job, that support really does matter because they're not used to it. Clay, I come across people sometimes who have a public facing job, not what we do, right, not media. And they'll say, you know, how is it, you know, does it, do you get upset or does it bother you when people say these things you say? And I've had to tell them, honestly, you get numb to the psychos and just love the good people. And that's how you go forward every day. You know who the good people are, you know who the lunatics are. And the lunatics, their, their words, you know, sticks and stones.

[Clay Travis]

I think that's true. And, and your boy is, and, and probably, hopefully future kids will grow up in a world. And I think you, you know, you just got to talk to the kids. I mean, I think it's somewhat helpful for my boys that they are able to see the difference between what people say about me and what day to day existence with dad is. And I think that in all facets of life, it's important to remember that a lot of what you see online is not true. And teaching kids, that is important. But for people who are not necessarily in the fight every day, like, like Buck and I are, who are used to taking the slings and arrows, I do think it's been very easy for Dan Lanning to say nothing at all. It would have been incredibly easy. Most coaches are going to choose not to say anything at all.

[Buck Sexton]

He.

[Clay Travis]

When he found out that Charlie Kirk was a big Oregon fan, he wanted to make sure that he acknowledged him, that he spoke out, even though he's in a blue state, even though he's in a prominent position. And I do think that as a culture, we can embrace people who are willing to do what's right, even though there may be a cost to them and even though arguably their job is not in that arena. I thought that what Dan Lanning said was really impressive.

[Buck Sexton]

I hadn't heard of this coach, not surprising to anybody until you brought this up and told me about this, Clay. And you can just tell this is a man who wants to sleep well at night and doesn't want to think, you know what, I could have spoken out and been a part of the solution, or I could have been quiet and maybe felt a little bit like I was being A wimp. And he decided that he wanted to sleep knowing that he took a stand for what's right. And I think there are a lot of people out there who have. Who have that. That impulse right now. And, you know, they should all be. They should all be commended, and we should hopefully see a lot more of that. Ginny in South Carolina. Ginny, you wanted to weigh in? Let's talk.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Yeah. Hey, I just want to let you know that I heard where Clay Son is 15 today, and he started the chapter. And I just want to let you know that my daughter is. Also has a birthday today. She's 17, and she also started the initiative at her high school to start a Turning Point USA chapter. So we're excited about that.

[Clay Travis]

Happy birthday to your daughter. She's 17. My son's turning 15. He did not start. He went to the. I just want to be clear. He went to all of the events on campus, and there are tons of young men at his school who were dressing up and supportive. And to Jenny, to your point, this is actually awesome. There is an overflow, reportedly, of kids at different high schools all over the country, of kids at different colleges all over the country who want to start their own Turning Point organizations in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination. So we get a lot of questions about young people, and your daughter's doing exactly what she should be doing. Happy birthday to her. Jenny, thank you for calling in. This is what your kids can do if you've got young boys. And they were particularly troubled by what they saw, and I know a lot of you do, young girls. And they were particularly troubled by what they saw. Have them start Turning Point organizations. Have them speak out and be courageous and brave on Charlie's behalf. It's turning one of the most awful stories that any of us have ever seen in our lives, a political assassination like this, into the best positive result that could be is that we have more people speaking out and creating opportunities for others all over the country.

[Buck Sexton]

Chris in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, you're up, Chris.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Hi there.

[Clay Travis]

Yeah, I would like.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

I just heard the Dan Lanning.

[Clay Travis]

Interview.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

That you guys played.

[Clay Travis]

You know, that's what Charlie was.

[Buck Sexton]

Charlie was somebody that was in the.

[Clay Travis]

Daylight exampling his faith that he loved everybody that was around him, even the.

[Buck Sexton]

Ones as much that came against him.

[Clay Travis]

As the ones that came for him.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

And that is. And that is key to faith.

[Clay Travis]

That is key to what Jesus Christ teaches us, to love everybody.

[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

It isn't that you love this one.

[Clay Travis]

Or that one, because the people across the Aisle Want to play games with loving, with terms. Terms and love are incompatible. Look, I think that what you are and a lot of people are recognizing is Charlie's impact was seismic at finding kids where they are. And this is what we're trying to do with this show. This is why I've talked about YouTube, this is why I've talked about TikTok. This is why, heck, there is a video version of the show is because so many people out there consume media in different ways now than they did traditionally. Rush is an alleged, absolute, incredible voice for Freedom Radio in 1995 was a way that was the best way to reach the audience. 2025, we got to be everywhere. The number of media that existed in 1995 compared to now, you had basically television, cable and you had radio. Most young people don't listen to traditional radio. Most young people don't even watch traditional television anymore. And the reason why there's a video version of this show is we're trying to go where the audience is. We want to find them on YouTube, we want to find them on TikTok, we want to find them on Instagram, wherever they are. Twitter, certainly, where Buck and I are very active. You got to go where the audience is. And I think Charlie saw it. And when you go where the audience is, a lot of people, Buck, are very, very responsive to these arguments and they're not seeing them any elsewhere. The heck, this is why to me, I still am not going to give up sports. Because a lot of sanity is in the world of sports. You just heard what Dan Lanning said. A lot of young men in particular are impacted, a lot of young women by the coaches around them. And I love sports and I always will. And I'm going to fight for sports to represent the meritocracy and the best of America. And that's what the NFL on the field tries to do. It's a meritocracy. College football on the field, it's a meritocracy. The major league baseball, whatever sport is out there, it's the best man or the best woman, not the best woman pretending to be a man. And if you love sports, you can play along with us at prize picks. Use code Clay. Right now, when you put in a $5 pick, you get $50. Unfortunately, Derek Henry didn't score for us yesterday. We would have had a 5 to 1 payout. He let us down.

[Buck Sexton]

Buck, how did Saquon do?

[Clay Travis]

Sequan had a good game.

[Buck Sexton]

Just making sure because we know my mantra. Always bet on Saquon.

[Clay Travis]

And your boy Pickles got into an overtime game. I mean, your guys had big games out there. You can go. I'll give you a pick on Thursday. In fact, I'm traveling on Thursday, I believe. Oh boy. Bach may have to give you the.

[Buck Sexton]

Pick or you have to give them me handwritten. But, but Val, you know, do your best to write in English. We'll see how this goes.

[Clay Travis]

I will take a picture of the pick. Just, you never know how this is going to go. Buck will be giving out the pick on Thursday.

[Buck Sexton]

It adds an element of, of danger, adds an element of mystery to the situation.

[Clay Travis]

I, I will clip it. I have no idea how it's going to go, but you can play along with us. If you go to prizepix.com use code clay. You get $50 when you play. 5. Look, you can play in California, you can play in Texas, Georgia, 40 plus states. It's a lot of fun. We'll give you a pick on Thursday. I can't guarantee that Buck will accurately read my writing and give it to you.

[Buck Sexton]

You'll be close enough.

[Clay Travis]

But we will do our best. Prizepix.com Code Clay go get signed up today. That's pricepix.com Code Clay making America great again isn't just one man, it's many. The Team 47 podcast Sundays at noon Eastern in the Clay and Buck podcast features. Find it on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Stop settling for weak sound. It's time to level up your game and bring the boom. Hit the town with the ultra durable LG X Boom portable speaker and enjoy vibrant sound wherever you go. Elevate your listening experience to new heights because, let's be real, your music deserves it. The future of sound is now with LG XBoom and for a limited time, save [e-mail] with code Fall25 Bring the Boom X Boom.

[Asma Khalid]

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[Senator Marsha Blackburn]

Years.

[Asma Khalid]

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[Buck Sexton]

TiVo plus gives you 300 plus channels.

[Clay Travis]

Of movies, shows, sports, even kids favorites. All free.

[Buck Sexton]

And no, we don't want your credit card.

[Clay Travis]

Watch live, Watch on demand. Watching your PJs eating pizza. It's all right there on your Tebow home screen. With so much variety from comedy and action to live news and family programming, you'll never run out of options. TiVo plus free binge worthy and always on. Check us [e-mail] America is changing and so is the world. But what's happening in America isn't just a cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Asma Khalid]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. i'm.

[Clay Travis]

Tristan Redman in London and this is the Global Story.

[Asma Khalid]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Clay Travis]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Buck Sexton]

A new NFL season means a fresh.

[Clay Travis]

Start and fresh styles.

[Buck Sexton]

@Nflshop.Com you'll find the latest jerseys, hats and sideline gear to rep your team all season long. From rookies making their debut to legends, NFLShop.com has it all score exclusive styles.

[Clay Travis]

You won't find anywhere else.

[Buck Sexton]

And show up ready for every kickoff and big play fan like a pro. And shop [e-mail] we're closing up shop today on Clay and Buck. We so much appreciate all of you and I'm here in studio with Clay so we're getting the chance to to hang out today together and after the show we're actually going to be doing some some video stuff because we're going to be really upping our video efforts going forward. One of the big focuses, a lot of you have asked for it so we're going to be doing that. But Clay was told because we have to specify these things. Ever since little incident at the White House where Clay showed up in like a Tommy Bahamas shirt and cargo shorts and was like I'm here to see the President. They were like excuse me. Or he didn't have his passport with him because he doesn't have real ID one or the Other. You can choose which version of the story. You can choose which version of the story you believe. I like my version better that he showed up in Tommy Bahama, but Clay was told today not to wear sandals or shorts.

[Clay Travis]

And he.

[Buck Sexton]

And he came through with that. I'm not going to lie.

[Clay Travis]

I thought I was so.

[Buck Sexton]

Well, he wore a shirt that technically has a collar. There is technically a collar, but the collar is sort of. It's like it's blended into the rest of the shirt. Like, what do you do to your polo shirts? Do you. Do you beat them with a baseball bat? Is this something you do?

[Clay Travis]

I think that I look. I think that I look. I intentionally dressed well today.

[Buck Sexton]

I mean, the neck is so big. Like, Fabio would blush if he could see how.

[Clay Travis]

Well, it's not cleavage we've got. But. But I thought I looked good. I walked in all confident this morning into the studio, and producer Ali was like, immediately, and we're not married, but this is the equivalent of your wife saying, are you sure you're going to wear that?

[Buck Sexton]

Yeah.

[Clay Travis]

Is that what you're wearing?

[Buck Sexton]

Reminds me of my electric blue golf polo that I was so excited to wear before. My wife was like, you look like you work at Best Buy. And that shirt was donated to somebody who perhaps wants to work at Best Buy.

[Clay Travis]

I. I bought this shirt when we were in D.C. and I thought I looked really good at it. I'm like, it's Carolina blue. It's like a good look. And I walk.

[Buck Sexton]

It's just the structure of it that I think is more the. It has. It's giving moomoo a little bit. I think that's why, you know, it's a little. A little baggy, a little big around.

[Clay Travis]

Some of the areas that I looked good in it. And then they bring in another shirt that one of the producers gave me, and it actually.

[Buck Sexton]

That looks like something Tony Soprano would be wearing. I'm just telling you the truth. That's very. Like a Bada Bing, you know, I don't know if that's gonna work for you either, but we'll post some of these videos online. So you guys can see I'm just wearing a hooded sweatshirt, which they have approved, it seems, for video purposes, because they weren't expecting much from me either. So I feel like I, you know, I managed to get off easy this time.

[Clay Travis]

I wore pants and a polo, and I thought I looked fantastic when I walked out of the hotel this morning, and I am being told that I look awful. So I.

[Buck Sexton]

It's just very Casual, very casual. You know, you look like somebody who as a flirty and I feel like I can say this, has just sort of ended up living in one of the keys and not really sure what he's going to do today, tomorrow or next month. But like, he's there, you know, that's what that polo is giving off.

[Clay Travis]

I'm just going to start. I'm just going to start wearing tuxedos everywhere I go and then no one can ever complain about anything that I wear.

[Buck Sexton]

Actually, there was a kid in my high school who got in trouble for being in violation of dress code a few times and he did start showing up in black tie with the ruffles just as like. And he got in more trouble when.

[Clay Travis]

I respect that, kids, I respect his intent.

[Buck Sexton]

I feel like you could pull that out. Like if I see you tonight on, on Hannity or whichever Fox show you're going to do and you're in full blown black tie. You know, it used to be what gentlemen wore. Gentlemen wore, you know, as a more casual thing. Black tie was, the more casual it was. It was white tails. That was the more formal. So there you go.

[Clay Travis]

But, so anyway, there's a video version. I thought I looked great. Evidently I do not. And we will see how this all plays out. We're in New York City tomorrow, Buck, and we'll talk about this probably a little bit more tomorrow. And the timing on this ends up being, I think, actually somewhat important. I am debating Stephen A. Smith and it's going to be an event. It'll be streamed alive.

[Buck Sexton]

I'm Clay's cut man. I may, I may be rubbing his shoulders, but it's for the fight, everybody. It's for the fight.

[Clay Travis]

We're going to be going to that event tomorrow as soon, basically as we finish the radio show tomorrow in New York City, it'll be streaming. But, you know, free speech, I think has never mattered more than it does right now. And so you should be able to argue for anything under the sun that stops short of, hey, it's great to kill people. And we will break down all that. We'll have a lot of fun. We're in New York City together for the next several days. And in all seriousness, we do appreciate all of you and how incredibly phenomenal you have been as we dealt with, I think, probably is it fair to say, Buck, last week was the toughest week that we have ever had as a show?

[Buck Sexton]

Yes, for sure.

[Clay Travis]

And so I hope we have helped make your last week as, as much more, much more bearable because of us and you certainly have made things much better for us. We'll see you tomorrow. Stop settling for weak sound. It's time to level up your game and bring the boom. Hit the town with the ultra durable LG X XBOOM portable speaker and enjoy vibrant sound wherever you go. Elevate your listening experience to new heights because let's be real, your music deserves it. The future of sound is now with LG XBoom and for a limited time, save [e-mail] with code Fall25. Bring the Boom XBoom.

[Asma Khalid]

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[Clay Travis]

Over 300 channels, zero bills, that's TiVo. Plus curated movies, new series and sports highlights. No credit card, no logins, just TV that gets straight to the good stuff. Grab the remote, press play and start watching. TiVo free binge worthy. Always on. Check us [e-mail] America is changing and so is the world. But what's happening in America isn't just the cause of global upheaval. It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Asma Khalid]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, dc.

[Clay Travis]

I'm Tristan Redman in London and this is the Global story.

[Asma Khalid]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Clay Travis]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Buck Sexton]

A new NFL season means a fresh.

[Clay Travis]

Start and fresh styles.

[Buck Sexton]

@Nflshop.Com you'll find the latest jerseys, hats and sideline gear to rep your team all season long. From rookies making their debut to legends, NFLShop.com has it all score exclusive styles.

[Clay Travis]

You won't find anywhere else and show.

[Buck Sexton]

Up ready for every kickoff and big play fan like a pro. And shop [e-mail] this is an iHeart podcast.