Verdict with Ted Cruz — Bonus: Daily Review with Clay and Buck - October 28, 2025
Episode Overview
In this bonus crossover episode, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton host a lively “daily review” of breaking political news, social trends, and headlines with their signature blend of irreverence and sharp analysis. They focus heavily on New York City’s upcoming mayoral election, controversy around candidate Zoran Mamdani, progressive influence in urban politics, “woke” narratives, and media manipulation of issues such as Islamophobia, law enforcement, and public safety. Later, they’re joined by swimming advocate Riley Gaines for a candid discussion of motherhood, fair competition in women’s sports, and a high-profile spat with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC).
Key Topics and Insights
1. Election Season & Political Landscape
(00:33-02:50)
- Context: A week out from the 2025 elections, the hosts urge listeners in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York City to vote.
- Anecdotes: Clay shares voting for alderman in Franklin, TN and a casual encounter with a long-distance swimming team member. Buck talks about narrowly missing a shark attack while swimming in Biscayne Bay, segueing into fears around open water swims.
2. The Zoran Mamdani Controversy: Lies, Radicalism, and Policing
(02:58-13:38, 23:37-32:16)
- Mamdani’s Background: Criticism that Mamdani has “never really done anything of significance” but is poised to win high office in NYC.
- Controversy Over Islamophobia Claim:
- Mamdani told a dubious story about his “aunt” who allegedly feared riding the NYC subway in hijab after 9/11. Timeline and logic don’t add up—Clay labels him “a transparent liar.”
- Hosts resonate with Christopher Hitchens' take: “Islamophobia is a nonsense term... to create a word that shuts down criticism...” (Buck, 06:30)
- “To America’s extreme credit... there was so little actual Islamic bigotry after 9/11 given the scope... Still, they have to make up stories like this.” (Buck, 08:15)
- Radical Statements:
- “When the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF.” (Mamdani, [09:51]) — The hosts criticize this as radical anti-cop, anti-Israel rhetoric.
- Defund NYPD:
“We do not need police... they do not create safety. We need to take this money, defund the NYPD and refund the people.” (Mamdani, [11:07]) - Clay: “The guy has told you what he thought was popular at the time... an actor more than anything else.” ([11:34])
- Electoral Strategy:
- Attacks on Mamdani’s lack of experience aren’t sticking with voters.
- “A lot of them think that he’s just fooling some of the normies and is still every bit the radical. And they like that.” (Buck, [13:28])
- Quotes on Cuomo:
- “Cuomo’s run a garbage campaign... He was a horrible governor... not a talented politician.” (Buck, [11:47])
3. Progressive Rhetoric and Historical Revisionism
(13:38-32:16)
- Kathy Hochul ‘Tax the Rich’ Slogan:
- Recently wavered on whether she supported the slogan at a rally, pretending, “I thought they were saying ‘Let’s go Bills.’” (Hochul, [19:08])
- Clay: “Liar here, sometimes often a moron. But she did not think they were saying let’s go Bills.” ([19:45])
- The Democrat “Brand Problem”:
- “If AOC and Mamdani are the face of the Democrat Party, they’re in trouble ... New York City liberal and California liberal is going to be a huge part of the 2026 campaign.” (Clay, [20:23])
- Mahmoud Mamdani (Zoran’s Father) and Settler Colonialism:
- Audio: Professor Mahmoud Mamdani argues “America is the genesis of what we call settler colonialism,” and that Hitler learned “everything he knows from Abraham Lincoln.” ([25:14])
- “Only a truly historically ignorant person who hates white men would say such a thing.” (Buck, [32:16])
- Discussion of how woke ideology distorts context, with Buck proposing an unwritten history in much of the world makes Western civilization easy to target.
- “If anything in the history, we're the heroes of the colonial worldview because we took independence from the places that had colonized us.” (Clay, [26:58])
4. Stock Market and Trump’s Foreign Visits
(34:44-42:42)
- All-Time Market Highs:
- Clay notes S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq are posting record highs ([34:44-38:10]):
- “The S&P 500 is up 2000 points since April... you're up around 40% now on those stock purchases.”
- Recognizes disconnect between Wall Street highs and Main Street economic struggles.
- Clay notes S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq are posting record highs ([34:44-38:10]):
- Trump’s Asia Tour:
- Trump in Japan, about to visit S. Korea and possibly meet with Kim Jong Un.
- Leadership succession: Hints about possible JD Vance/Marco Rubio 2028 ticket supported by Trump:
- “Do you buy the idea that those guys might just say, hey, let's keep the band together and have a unity ticket?... I'm starting to think it's more and more of a possibility.” (Clay, [39:00])
- Buck: “It all sounds great... but a lot can happen in two and a half years. The way we think the story should go...means it’s unlikely.” ([40:11])
5. The Trump vs. Jasmine Crockett/AOC IQ Challenge
(42:42-47:19)
- Trump on Air Force One proposes a cognitive test showdown with Jasmine Crockett and AOC, mocking their intellect.
- “You give her an IQ test, have her pass... Let AOC go against Trump. Let Jasmine go against Trump. The first couple of questions are easy. A tiger, an elephant, a giraffe...they couldn't come close to answering any.” (Trump, [42:42])
- Crockett’s rebuttal:
- “He's never been known to be an Einstein. This is not a guy who got in on merit when it came to going to college. This is someone who, but for him, being born with a silver spoon, probably wouldn't have got into anybody's institution, unlike me.” (Crockett, [45:34])
- The hosts discuss the prevalence of lightweights in Congress and how Trump succeeded by exploiting this:
- “There are a lot of lightweights that he is knocking out and pushing around candidly when it comes to arguments.” (Clay, [46:19])
6. Interview with Riley Gaines: Motherhood and Women’s Sports
(50:55-65:12)
Motherhood Reflections
- Riley Gaines, new mom, says her experience has been surprisingly positive:
- “Honestly, how easy it is... All the horror stories... none of the bad things happened to me. I had a fantastic pregnancy... delivery... slept like a dream.” ([51:35])
- Buck agrees—finds parenthood enjoyable and not as grueling as often advertised:
- “There’s this, you know, ‘Oh, congratulations on the baby, you’re never going to sleep again and your life is going to be so hard.’ That wasn’t even true for us... Our baby slept like a baby, it was fine and it’s been amazing.” ([52:35])
- Riley: “There’s an attempt to... scare [young women] out of it, honestly.” ([53:26])
AOC’s Attack on Riley Gaines
- Clay recounts AOC’s unprovoked attack—claiming if Gaines “channeled all of [her] anger toward swimming, maybe [she] would have been faster,” casting her 5th-place NCAA finish as mediocre.
- Riley: “Would she call the fifth best college football player in the nation mediocre?... It proves they know nothing about sports. And honestly, it's pretty utterly misogynistic...” ([56:29])
- Riley’s key message: The sides are clear—
- “One side is... standing for women who merely want fair competition... The other side is the side of the 6-foot-4 man who was 462nd...” ([57:29])
Social Media Polarization
- Riley reflects on the backlash:
- “Her initial post got what, like, 45 million views. So you can imagine... what my message is on all platforms when you're having to field 45 million AOC cronies... But I don't know. It's not politically expedient at all. And I think that the terrifying point here is that this is the leader of their party.” ([62:20])
Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)
- “Islamophobia is a nonsense term... the whole point... is to shut down criticism of aspects of a faith that... people should be allowed to discuss.”
– Buck Sexton ([06:30]) - “When the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF.”
– Zoran Mamdani ([09:51]) - “We do not need police...They do not create safety. We need to take this money, defund the NYPD and refund the people.”
– Zoran Mamdani ([11:07]) - “Only a truly historically ignorant person who hates white men would say such a thing.”
– Buck Sexton, on Mamdani’s father ([32:16]) - “There’s an attempt...to scare [young women] out of [motherhood], honestly.”
– Riley Gaines ([53:26]) - “Would she call the fifth best college football player in the nation mediocre?...It's pretty utterly misogynistic...”
– Riley Gaines ([56:29]) - “A lot can happen in two and a half years, my friend...The way we think the story should go...means it’s unlikely.”
– Buck Sexton, on a unified GOP ticket ([40:11]) - “We are not represented...by the most accomplished and intellectually sound and great communicators out there.”
– Clay Travis ([46:19])
Memorable Moments
- Buck worrying about Clay’s open water shark risk and recounting New York swimming stories with churchgoers ([01:53-02:50]).
- Playful ribbing: Buck’s 100mph tennis serve challenge and Riley predicting Buck’s serve is more likely than Clay completing the Alcatraz swim ([58:27-59:52]).
- Laughter over Trump’s animal-based cognitive test description and mock challenge to AOC and Jasmine Crockett ([42:42-44:54]).
- Riley Gaines ridiculing AOC’s unfamiliarity with sports achievement metrics and highlighting the lack of moderate Democrats ([56:29, 62:20]).
Segment Timestamps Quick Reference
- [00:33] Voting reminders and pre-election context
- [02:58] Zoran Mamdani story scrutiny
- [05:27] Mamdani’s shifting “aunt” story clip
- [09:51] Mamdani: “IDF lacing NYPD boot” comment
- [11:07] Mamdani defunding NYPD audio
- [13:38] NYC turnout, Democratic Party brand risks
- [19:08] Kathy Hochul on “Tax the Rich” rally slogan
- [25:14] Mahmoud Mamdani on "settler colonialism" and Hitler
- [34:44] Stock market highs, Trump global travel
- [38:23] Trump on 2028 and possible GOP unity ticket
- [42:42] Trump challenges Crockett and AOC to cognitive test
- [45:34] Crockett responds to Trump
- [50:55] Riley Gaines interview begins (motherhood, AOC feud)
- [56:29] Riley on AOC, misogyny, and sports
- [62:20] Social media fallout for Riley and the left’s leadership void
Tone & Style
- Conversational, irreverent, satirical, pointedly critical of the progressive left
- Guests and hosts share personal anecdotes, self-deprecating humor, and plenty of sarcasm
- Willingness to challenge “woke” orthodoxy and poke fun at political foes
This episode of Verdict with Ted Cruz (featuring the Clay and Buck team) blended sharp political criticism, inside-baseball election commentary, and personal stories, offering both ideological analysis and lively talk radio banter. For those tracking American urban politics, the progressive movement, and the intersection of sports and gender debates, this episode serves as a capsule of late 2025’s hottest controversies and personalities.