Verdict with Ted Cruz – Bonus: Daily Review with Clay and Buck

Episode Date: March 3, 2026
Hosts: Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
Guests: Congressman Wesley Hunt (TX Senate candidate), Senator Markwayne Mullin (OK)

Episode Overview

This episode delivers a real-time snapshot of the political, military, and cultural issues at the forefront of March 2026. Primary voting is underway in Texas, Arkansas, and North Carolina. Clay Travis and Buck Sexton pivot between urgent international developments (notably the crisis in Iran) and the Republican primaries, punctuating both with interviews with major candidates and lively conversation about culture, masculinity, fitness, technology, and modern American life.

Clay and Buck host informative conversations with Rep. Wesley Hunt, a Texas Senate candidate, and Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, both of whom outline their visions for leadership and weigh in on current events, especially the Iran conflict. The episode is charged with optimism about American assertiveness abroad, a sense of generational change in U.S. politics, and ongoing cultural battles at home.

Episode Highlights & Key Discussion Points

1. 2026 Primary Elections & Candidate Interviews

• [02:37] Texas Primaries: The significance of primary day for Texas, Arkansas, and North Carolina is emphasized, with special focus on the marquee Texas Senate race between John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, and Wesley Hunt (R), and Jasmine Crockett and James Talarico (D). Both hosts repeatedly urge listeners to get out and vote.

• Rep. Wesley Hunt Interview [22:16 – 35:59]

  • Presents himself as the “next generation” of Texas leadership, arguing for term limits in the Senate and stressing his military family’s deep roots in public service.
  • Sharp critique of Democratic “soft bigotry of low expectations” and cultural pander politics.
    • “Benevolent white liberals are some of the most racist people I’ve ever seen in my life. I call that the soft bigotry of low expectations.” (Wesley Hunt, [24:40])
  • Emphasizes combat experience and advocates for “peace through strength” in military policy, lauding Trump’s confrontational stance toward Iran.
  • Strong stance on “toxic masculinity” and American identity:
    • “Toxic masculinity is why this country exists. ... Brave men that stormed the beaches of Normandy ... ensured the entire world isn’t speaking German. ... We need men to be men. We need women to be women.” (Wesley Hunt, [29:34])
  • Staunchly supports cultural conservatism on gender, race, and religious assimilation.
  • Asserts he is the Democrats’ “nightmare matchup”—a Black, conservative West Point graduate and military vet, “judged not by the color of his skin, but by the content of his character.” ([24:40], [32:43])
  • On the Senate race: “I want to give the people of Texas a choice between two real conservatives. ... I do believe that I’m going to finish in second place to have a runoff with Ken Paxton.” (Wesley Hunt, [35:14])

2. Iran Crisis: Strikes and Regime Instability

• [03:00 – 17:14] Iran Segment
  • Clay and Buck react to breaking Israeli strikes on high-level Iranian leadership as they attempt to select a new supreme leader.
    • “If I were in Iran right now… I think I might have a stomachache or I might say, hey, maybe we could do this by phone. ... It feels suicidal in nature.”—Clay Travis ([05:30])
  • Buck unpacks the regime’s vulnerability: “Do you feel in charge? ... Despotic, tyrannical police state regimes... are really good at being police state despotisms that stay in power.” ([06:36])
  • Discussion of U.S. and Israeli intelligence penetration of Iran (traffic cameras, surveillance) and speculation on a future Iran more compliant with American and Israeli interests.
    • “I kind of feel like whoever ends up in charge of Iran may be a Mossad guy...” – Clay Travis ([08:26]); “That’s a little extreme, Clay. All of a sudden the next Ayatollah’s name is Shlomo.” – Buck Sexton ([08:53])
  • Steve Witkoff’s first-hand account of Iranian nuclear ambition: “They controlled 460 kilograms of 60%. ... They were proud that they had evaded all sorts of oversight protocols to get to a place where they could deliver 11 nuclear bombs.” ([12:05])
  • Clay’s forecast: “I think we are accelerating rapidly towards a resolution under which there is a new leader of Iran that the United States and Israel approve of.” ([13:03])
  • References to historical analogues (Assad in Syria, Afghanistan, Venezuela) and warnings that regime change rarely goes as planned.
    • “We didn’t win in Afghanistan. So there’s no guarantees with any of this.” – Buck Sexton ([16:50])

3. Senator Markwayne Mullin Interview [37:59 – 54:00]

• Offers context and justification for aggressive U.S./Israeli action in Iran. Charts the consistent threat Iran poses to the U.S. since 1979.
  • “We’re not at war with the Iranian people. We want a relationship with them. This is to eliminate the threat that continued to come after us for 47 years.” ([38:45])
• Praises Trump’s decision to act decisively, rather than “kick the can down the road.”
  • “President Trump doesn’t have a next election. ... He’s going to do everything in his power ... to solve issues for the next 20, 40, 60 years. Isn’t that incredibly commendable and actually rare for an American president?” (Clay Travis, [41:36])
  • “Seven presidents passed on a problem they knew they were going to deal with at some point.” ([44:43])
• Defends overseas actions (Venezuela, Cuba, Iran) as America First, linking them directly to national interest (e.g., drug cartels, global oil markets).
• Lighthearted discussion on fitness competitions among politicians, referencing the viral video of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth benching 315 lbs.
  • “I have a ridiculous bench. ... My max is probably ... 405 [lbs] ... This morning I weighed 187.” — Senator Mullin ([49:08])
  • Both hosts and Mullin discuss the importance of physical fitness for self-confidence and mental health.

4. Cultural Commentary and Lifestyle

• Rise of Sparkling Water in America [60:07–63:43]

  • Humorous marital banter over Costco runs and “addiction” to Pellegrino; commentary on American beverage habits and why restaurants now upcharge for “fancy” water.
  • “I was just wondering aloud, is there some kind of 12 step program for wives who have a Costco addiction?” – Buck Sexton ([60:32])

• Autonomous Vehicles and the Future [63:43–71:34]

  • Clay describes trying out a Tesla with full self-driving and predicts the rapid end of human driving.
    • “I think the days of people driving cars are rapidly vanishing.” – Clay Travis ([65:13])
    • “Your grandkids’ lives—they’re going to look at you when you talk about driving a car like you might have back in the day when suddenly grandma and grandpa gave up the horse.” ([71:34])
  • Both hosts agree that autonomous driving will drastically improve safety and accessibility, especially for the elderly and as a remedy for drunk driving.
  • Lighthearted self-deprecation: “We don’t pretend—we’re not like, ‘oh, I love, I like to take a sprocket out of the carburetor’ … I know nothing about cars.” (Buck Sexton, [69:11])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Regime Change and Intelligence:
  • “If you can’t gather and you can’t decide who’s in charge, how can you be in charge?... Do you feel in charge? ... Because they’re not.” — Buck Sexton ([05:59–06:36])
• On Cultural Issues:
  • “[Democrats] think so little of people of color and black and brown people that they have to pander to us. ... That is not the Republican Party that I’m a part of today.” — Wesley Hunt ([24:40])
• On Masculinity:
  • “Toxic masculinity is why this country exists. ... We need men to be men. We need women to be women.” — Wesley Hunt ([29:34])
• On American Interests Abroad:
  • “Venezuela became the number one hub for drug exports into the United States ... Cuba has been a constant staging ground for Russia and now China ... When you start looking at Iran ... With Iran becoming a nuclear power, they would destabilize that entire area.” — Senator Mullin ([44:43])
• On Fitness Culture in DC:
  • “I have a ridiculous bench... my max is probably ... 405 [lbs] ... This morning I weighed 187.” — Senator Mullin ([49:08])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:37] — Primary day overview, candidate rundown
• [03:00–17:14] — Discussion of Israeli strike on Iran, regime instability, U.S.-Iran policy
• [22:16–35:59] — Rep. Wesley Hunt interview (biography, vision for Texas, cultural critique)
• [37:59–54:00] — Sen. Markwayne Mullin interview (Iran, Venezuela, fitness, masculinity in politics)
• [60:07–63:43] — Sparkling water, generational lifestyle change
• [63:43–71:34] — Autonomous vehicles, future of driving, car culture

Tone & Style

• The hosts blend serious national security analysis with personal anecdotes and approachable, everyman humor.
• Both guests speak in direct, passionate, and unapologetically conservative language, stressing generational change and American exceptionalism.

Takeaway

This episode intertwines breaking international conflict, the high stakes of early 2026 primaries, ambitious visions for modern conservative leadership, and the cultural touchstones shaping the right-wing electorate. From the fate of Iranian leadership to the future of mobility in America, Clay and Buck offer listeners a mix of insight, banter, and political advocacy true to their audience.