Hour 1 - The Smoke Monster
The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show
iHeartPodcasts
4.5 • 11.4K Ratings
🗓️ 11 November 2025
⏱️ 37 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Hour 1 of the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show delivers a dynamic and wide-ranging discussion centered around Veterans Day, current political upheaval, and national defense, making it a must-listen for conservative talk radio fans and political news followers. The hour opens with a tribute to America’s veterans, featuring upcoming interviews with decorated military heroes David "Rut" Rutherford, a former Navy SEAL, and Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer. The hosts also highlight President Donald Trump's live remarks from Arlington National Cemetery, where he honored the U.S. military and announced the symbolic renaming of the Department of Defense back to the “Department of War,” emphasizing a renewed focus on military strength and victory.
A major theme throughout the hour is the fallout from the recent government shutdown, which lasted 40 days and ended with bipartisan Senate action. Clay and Buck dissect the political consequences, particularly the backlash against Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. They explore Schumer’s declining popularity, citing polling data and commentary from CNN and David Axelrod, and speculate on the possibility of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez challenging him in 2028. The hosts also discuss the broader implications of internal Democratic Party tensions, including potential challenges to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The show pivots to international affairs with a segment on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant defending U.S. financial support for Argentina’s economic stabilization under President Javier Milei. Buck praises Bessant’s clarity and effectiveness in countering media narratives, framing the move as a strategic investment rather than a bailout.
Military recruitment trends are also discussed, with Clay noting a surge in enlistment under the Trump administration, attributing it to a shift away from “woke” policies and toward a warrior ethos. The hosts reflect on the importance of morale, historical military hardships like Valley Forge and the Battle of the Bulge, and the enduring legacy of American service members. They recommend war novels like Killer Angels and Gates of Fire to deepen appreciation for military history.
Listeners are invited to share personal stories, including a compelling call from a North Carolina man recounting his high school teacher’s role as General Patton’s Jeep driver during WWII.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:04.9 | Welcome in, happy and thankful Veterans Day to so many people out there as we begin the |
| 0:11.8 | Tuesday edition of the program. |
| 0:14.7 | President Trump live at Arlington National Cemetery right now, speaking in honor of so many of the veterans out there. |
| 0:23.6 | We have a couple of veterans that are going to be on the program with us today. |
| 0:27.3 | David Rutherford, who is a part of the podcast network and Dakota Meyer, should be really |
| 0:34.8 | great stories from those guys. |
| 0:43.4 | Dave Rutherford, a former Navy SEAL with Combat Tours, and Dakota Meyer, a Medal of Honor recipient. |
| 0:45.2 | So, yeah, Veterans Day. |
| 0:48.2 | Yeah, kind of badasses. |
| 0:52.3 | So we will talk about that quite a lot. |
| 0:55.7 | We'll take some of your calls, some of your stories as well. |
| 1:03.6 | The shutdown is officially over, Buck. To the extent that, well, I say officially over, we've got to have the House also ratify the fact that the shutdown is over. But officially the Senate yesterday, |
| 1:10.3 | 60 senators said this is ludicrous, including |
| 1:13.7 | eight different Democrats. And the meltdown is pretty fun to watch. We will dive into that |
| 1:21.3 | meltdown with all of you as Chuck Schumer is now taking fire in basically every direction because so many people are |
| 1:29.6 | asking what was actually achieved here and what was the decision that was made. |
| 1:34.4 | The House is going to vote to lift the shutdown as well. |
| 1:39.1 | Buck, we had last night I was one of the guests at a big fundraiser for Senator Haggerty, who's |
| 1:47.7 | going to be reelected to the Senate next year from Tennessee. |
| 1:51.3 | And he wasn't able to attend his own fundraiser because he was back in Washington, D.C., getting |
| 1:59.3 | the government back open on the side of the Senate. |
... |
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