07-16-24 Interview - Buck Sexton from the Clay and Buck show on the RNC

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Buck Sexton coming over here in whatI thought what I thought was a car
heart sweatshirt yesterday, but now Iknow clearly it says Crockett Coffee. It's
clear clearly it's a coffee shirt.But I couldn't see because you're too famous
in your bright blinding light kept mefrom seeing that. But good to see
you right next to me instead ofover there next to me. Yeah,

(00:22):
good to see you. How youdoing. Is this your first convention?
Yes, me too. It's it'skind of like a tent pole revival for
politics in a way. I amnot a I guess we're on the air,
so everyone's seeing this, right,I'm not an events guy generally.
Yeah, I'm just gonna tell youbecause I I mean, I'm a curmudgeon

(00:43):
and this is not so. Thisis very Everyone knows this about me.
I don't like loud noise. Idon't like people. You know, I
like people. I just I justlike to be in control of how much
exposure to you know, people.No, I mean, I look,
it's amazing to be here because thehistory of it. I mean, on
a serious note, for a second, I think that this is if I

(01:07):
could have been at an RNC orany national convention to be here now,
given what's going on with Donald Trump, where I think will go on on
the positive side, with this incrediblemoment in our politics, where I think
that we are I mean, Iwill say it. I think that this
is Trump's election to lose. Ithink that Donald Trump is going to do
amazing things in a second term.I love the pick up JD Vans.

(01:32):
This is a lot of times inpolitics you feel like you have to manufacture
enthusiasm or or a story, butyou have to manufacture your enthusiasm for the
moment, right right. Okay,I love the GOP, but like this
Mitt Romney' speech in twenty twelve,this is pretty boring. But look I
love the GOP, so I'm gonnatry. This is different. Donald Trump
right now is he is a manwalking with destiny. I want to ask

(01:55):
you what you thought about his appearancelast night, because I'm getting feedback from
my listeners on the text line.I thought we saw a change man last
night. He looked he looked grateful, he looked humble, he looked emotional
almost as he came out, andeverybody's cheering, and it was such a
big night, but he was veryreserved, and that's not the man that
we generally see in these situations.Well, I think that when you have

(02:20):
a five five six round clip yourear, it changes your perspective on everything,
at least for a period of time, or it gives you perhaps a
new perspective. And you know,I think that Trump obviously was president before
he was commander in chief. Heunderstands the seriousness of the role that he's
stepping into. But there is nothere's no way that he couldn't view what

(02:46):
happened as somehow indicative of the gravityof the fight that's ahead and the seriousness
of the mission that he is on, and also the reminder that you know,
he is he is making sacrifices todo this too. And I think
that that's not always something you seein polot. It's not always true for

(03:06):
people in politics. Here are somepeople it's like, oh, politics,
I get to be kind of knownand eventually I'll make money. You know,
Donald Trump's a billionaire, He's alreadybeen president. Why does he want
to do this? Well, now, he's a billionaire who's already been president,
who had someone who came an inchaway from ending his life with a
bullet and he still wants to dothis. You can't tell me, And
I don't think you can tell anyfair minded person that's for any reason other
than he thinks that this is hismission to help the country. And I

(03:30):
think that a lot of people,more than ever, a lot maybe have
thought so before, view it asa mission that has a touch of the
divine. Now you just said youreally like the JD. Vans pick,
and we talked about it yesterday becauseit happened when I was on the air,
And for me, I look atthis, and a lot of people
are saying, Look, this guy'sbeen in the Senate for two years,
he's been her a hot minute,he's all of these things. But doesn't

(03:52):
it seem like JD. Vance.If you're Donald Trump and you want you're
going to be a one more term, right, you can't do another term,
So one more term, it seemsto me like JD Vance is the
natural choice to potentially be the Trumppolicy standard bear going fullwork. How much
do you think that plays into itor is it just a personality issue or
I don't think it makes that muchof an impact in Ohio. So so

(04:13):
I'm gonna I'll take a little victorylap moment here on your show, if
I can please, I told Clayon our show, The Clay Buck Show.
I think it was six months agowhen they're, oh, it was
all about Tim Scott and that wasall about Christine Noman. You know you
can follow this in the betting marketsand stuffer dog and that was off the
table. I mean, that wasnever gonna happen. I love dogs.
You don't want to get me,but I've I've promised the audience. I

(04:35):
completely lost my mind for a dayover that, so I've promised that I
won't go there. It's like abig cuddle bear. I mean, if
I could have fifty my wife hasto take care of the dog a lot,
but if I if I could,I would have fifty dogs. Anyway,
But I said JD. Vance wouldbe the guy six months ago.
And it's because I brush my shoulderoff and give myself a little credit.
It's because the people that I knewaround Trump, who really know what's going

(05:00):
going on, had the word hadgotten out that Trump really wanted somebody who
he thought could be the future ofthe party, but also that he wanted
to spend the next four years ashis battle buddy, if you will,
and that that's not just in thoseincredibly tense moments that that can come with
a presidency, but just he wantssomeone that he wants to spend time with,

(05:21):
that he likes being around, thathe can trust the same way that
he feels that way about you know, various family members who have been involved
with what he's with his administration,right, he wants and I know that
he likes and respects JD. Andso that was the first tip off for
me of why I thought he'd bethe guy, because they get along,
right, and that matters to Trump. And I don't think it really makes

(05:44):
much of a difference in terms ofthe election. Who Donald Trump's vice president
is a Trump election. So everyonewas saying, oh, okay, it
should be you know, it shouldbe somebody from this state so we can
help in that state. Well,I mean, is that even going to
work? And I don't like thisthing at all of oh, we should
have a woman or a minority wereject. We can't say we reject DEI

(06:04):
and then always turn around and say, but we need to play our own
DEI games. So I know thereare there are people in the Republican Party
who are women who are minorities whoare fantastic, and I have respect and
like them and would have voted forthem or would vote for them going forward
because of that, not because they'reyou know what I'm saying. If they're

(06:24):
the best, they should be chosen. But if they're not the best,
then then we should go with whoever'sgoing to go to do the best job.
So let me ask you this aboutjd Vance. He's been very strong
on Ukraine. I've seen some commentarytoday from kind of the political class saying
things like this is a middle fingerto some of the establishment, the more
neo con wing of the party.Does a vice president's policy choices? How

(06:49):
much does that even impact? Doesn'tThat's kind of what I thought. Well,
But this is what's what's interesting meabout this is it's a different vice
presidential pick in terms of the structurethat is coming into than what you would
normally see. It's not that thisis unprecedented, but Donald Trump could only
be president for four more years,right, right, And in a first
term of a president who's running thefirst time, and your pick to be

(07:11):
the vice president, you're assuming thatif all goes well again, a lot
of things can change in the world, but you're assuming that this is the
eight year pick of your party.I mean JD vance after two years,
people are going to be thinking ishe the pick? Now there will be
a primary, right, we don'thave a coronation, but is he the
pick for the Republican Party that's comingup quickly? The two years is going

(07:32):
to go buy in a flash,right, first year a Trump two point
zero is going to be I'm surea heck of a show, a lot
of stuff going on. So Ithink that that was an important consideration in
this even even more so than before. And in terms of the way that
you know, is JD kind ofa slap to the face of the establishment?

(07:53):
You know? I think that hehas in some ways he's got some
core. He's got core conservative valueson a lot of issues that really count.
Think he's a little bit away fromthe the GOP, you know,
the Mitch McConnell wing of the partyon some things maybe that's an easiest way
or you know, the so inthe GOP establishment sense, there's a little
bit of a break from that.But he's also somebody who's shown that he

(08:15):
changes, Lucky changes his mind onTrump. I mean, he's a guy
who with new information, he comesto new conclusions, and so I think
that you want people of the highestcaliber in these kinds of role, especially
because he's not I mean, Ithink he's not going to just be limited
to being a vice president. Ithink that he's going to be actively involved
in the in the day, activelyinvolved the day to day, and actively
involved in the future of the partyhimself as a candidate. But also,

(08:39):
you know, whatever it may bring. So I think it's I think it's
great. Also, we need Ilove Trump, It's amazing. We do
need people who aren't in their eightiesrunning the country. That was what I
was about to say. I feellike it's time and I I feel like
there's got to be a time topass the torch. And you just mentioned
Mitch McConnell. I lived in Kentuckyfor three years and did radio there,

(09:01):
so I got to interview him untilhe decided I wasn't conservative enough. Thank
Dan Pongino just coming up saying,Okay, I'll never get to CPN.
I see Dan, I'm excited.I want to come, are you.
I'll take it. Okay, that'sgoing to Thank you for that. Thank
you for that. For getting mean interview with no I want to ask

(09:22):
you a little bit about the Democraticresponse to what's happened in the last couple
of days. And I'm talking justpolitical strategy here. So the Democrats now
have an option to go into thed n C swinging, but they kind
of look like a hole's right ifyou come out this unity message that we
kind of heard last night, itwas like even Marjorie Taylor Green reined it
in. So if the RNC isall about unity and moving forward, and

(09:46):
what does that leave for the dn C. Yeah, well, look
a few things on this I cannotMaybe the term war game is a little
you know, I'm I'm not surethe best way to I can't across the
chessboard idea. Yeah, well,look, I mean we run political campaigns,
right, We use these words becauseof you know, we get them
from battle. So we understand.If I'm a Democrat, I am sitting

(10:11):
around thinking over and over again aboutvery limited options and coming to the same
conclusion about each of them, whichis that these options all suck. And
that's that's a challenge, right,And they have no good pathway, no
matter who is advising them, nomatter what strategy they try to pursue.
I think they have an incredibly It'sit's not just you can have a weak

(10:33):
candidate because somebody is not charismatic orhasn't had a great record. They have
a candidate that people think shouldn't bephysically or mentally capable of being a candidate,
or it isn't mentally capable of beinga candidate. That's a that's a
level beyond right. You can't turnthat around either. And you also you
also can't expect that anybody believes thatthis is going to improve in the next
administrations. I mean, I willsay I think I think a lot of

(10:56):
people underestimated and I'm with myself inthis category. Unestimated Fetterman as a candidate,
and I've underestimated Fetterman as a senator. But what the hell happened to
that guy? All of a sudden, He's like, I'm like, oh
my god, am I agreeing withJohn Fetterman again? It looks I like
to see. I mean, it'sit renews my faith in humanity at some
level that even people who are maybephilosophically mostly wrong, are still capable of

(11:18):
being right on some things. Youknow, Like I don't want people to
just be so mechanical in the waythat they view all these different issues that
you just know everything they're going tosay all the time. Fetterman's good on
Israel. He's actually said some decentthings on the border if I remember as
well now, But on Israel particularly, he's been very strong. But the
reason I brought up Fetterman is thathe can get better, right, I

(11:39):
mean help wise, right, right. He can recover from a stroke.
You can't recover from old age.Old age is old age. Yeah,
And so I think that everything that'sgoing on with Biden at this point is
essentially the underlying premises we just needto push this guy across the line so

(12:00):
Kamala can then take over as president. But she can't win. So there's
a there's a deception baked into it, and I don't think they can address
that because there's something inherently dishonest aboutrunning a candidate that you know isn't going
to actually serve four years. Buthe's a better I still believe this,
By the way, I think JoeBiden has a better shot than Kamala Harris,
and I think Trump's going to win. But put that aside. I

(12:22):
think, yeah, there's no Idon't think Kamala is a terrible candidate.
I mean, she's just not goodat being a candidates. She's not good
at speaking extemporaneously. She's not goodat any of those things that a candidate
has to do. She's an entirelyDemocrat political product. I mean people will
point to they'll say, well,you know, she was the Senator from

(12:43):
California, and before that she wasthe I think she was attorney general for
the state, and before that shewas a prosecutor in San Francisco. Yeah,
so so she can get the Democratmachine behind her. You know,
Nancy Pelosi could win in Marin Countyor San Francisco, wherever it is that
she is. Nancy Blissey was nevergonna win a national election, right,

(13:05):
I mean, there's there are limitsto what you can do if you actually
have to win over some degree ofpeople who don't buy in hook line and
sinker with whatever you're selling, especiallyas a Democrat, communist, whatever.
So I think that there Kamala hasnever been tested in a way where she
had to win the votes of shehad to win a contest politically against somebody

(13:28):
that involved her getting moderates, maybegetting some swing voters. So this is
say what you want about Joe Biden. The guy has one hundred percent name
recognition. He is the President ofthe United States. It sounds weird when
I say it out loud, buthe is, and I mean I never
have never gotten used to it.And he is the president of United States.
And he also has been playing this. He's really an anachronism. I

(13:50):
mean, Joe Biden is He's likea fossil from a bygone era of the
you know, union union loving,you know, get after the audie.
You know, I just you know, the wife made me a sandwich and
I'm riding to Chew Chew and goinginto DC and rolling up the sleeves and
like this guy has you know,been been getting the public to pay all

(14:11):
of his bills and had you know, drivers and car service and you became
a millionaire by selling influence like this. This is not a guy who's you
know, working at the factory everyday. But but that's but that pretense
unfortunately still has some residents, Ithink, and still works with people.
But don't you think jd Vance Italmost has a better story than that.
At this point, I mean,I got to tell you. I read
He'll Billy olig you. When itfirst came out, I interviewed on my

(14:33):
radio show because I was in Kentucky, right, so that was kind of
in that area. I was inLouisville at the time the book came out,
and that was the people that thatwe were talking about. I mean
that that whole part of the country. And I was so impressed because he
got it. He demonstrated an understandingof that lower class mindset that I think

(14:54):
is lost on so many people inAmerica. And I think he's going to
be able to have a conversation withthose working people that Joe Biden thinks he
talks to, but he doesn't.And I also have another theory that I
want to run by you. Thisis my latest theory. I think the
Democrats realize this is done. They'regoing to let Joe Biden write it out.
He's going to lose, and theyare already wargaming somewhere how to attack

(15:15):
a Trump presidency in the first term, how they're going to undermine him,
how they're going to keep him fromgetting anything done. Sometimes it's funny because
you know, my co host Claywe have another bet, another stake bet.
This is all official on the era. We keep track of this.
Yeah, I've been saying for twoyears, two years without fail, that
Joe Biden will be the Democrat nominee. And people have thought at different points
that is absolutely insane. And I'maware of all the reasons why they think

(15:37):
that's insane. But I look atthese secondary options, I look at the
other pathways, and still come backto Joe Biden, as crazy as it
is, is their best option.Now Here's where was it where we were
saying your theory, oh my theory. Yeah, that they're just ready.
Sometimes in sports, a team willrealize we just need to like clear the

(15:58):
roster and rebuild right building. YetI've learned this from Clay rebuilding year and
sure enough. I think that theDemocrats are are going to do everything they
can to just divide government with eithera House or a Senate win. I
think the Senate's very tough for them. They're gonna they're gonna do everything they
can to try to win enough Democratsin the House, enough Democrat races in

(16:21):
the House that they'll they'll maintain anydegree of control to slow down whatever the
Trump agenda. May be. Andthe way they're going to do that is
by not really you know, I'mnot really a Biden guy. I'm a
this district, this whatever it maybe, which is what democrats. It's
so funny you say, you know, you talk. I just talked to
Tim Sheehy was running in Montana againstagainst John Tester, say, how how

(16:42):
can a Montana I mean it's like, you know, cowboy boots and shotguns
and open spaces and steer and allkinds of stuff. Uh, you know,
it's Montana is not just like Texasbut up against Canada, and and
it's not. And one of thereasons it's not is because someone like test
comes along and says, you know, I'm I'm just like said Joe Biden.

(17:03):
Think I'm just like a working classguy like you, and I'm gonna
take care. But then they goand they vote one hundred percent of the
time with Chuck Schumer or Nancy Pelosi. I mean, they they become tools
of the left wing agenda by theand they get it in that position by
the pretense of I actually don't standfor the things that I'm going to then
do when I'm in office. Somy concern is that the Democrats will do

(17:26):
that for the House and in keyHouse races in order to keep themselves in
a position of uh, you know, a bare majority. And I put
it this way on how I'm sosure Joe Biden will still be the candidate
Joe Biden who wants to take over? Right? I mean, right now,
do you want to be the captainof the ship that already has three

(17:48):
leaks and is going down? Imean, this is where it is.
Yeah, So I mean people aretalking still, Oh well, Gretchen Whitmer
is gonna come in or Gavin NEOsis gonna come in with the I'm like,
Gretchen Whitburn, Gavin Newsom, theyget smoked. And I'm like,
right now, there's no chance againstTrump where he is right, Like,
why waste the capital? If Iwere paid to advise Gavin Newsom? Okay,
which is a scary thought, I'mjust telling you right now, I

(18:11):
mean, well, yeah, ifyou listened to me, California's California.
I'm a New Yorker and I grewup thinking California was paradise and it is.
It just unfortunately has lunatic communist runningit. But if if I were
advising Newsome, I would say,there's absolutely no way, absolutely no way
you should step in now. Youshould wait get involved in that primary.

(18:33):
In two years. You have timeto raise money, set your narrative,
do all this stuff you want todo, because you don't want to be
the one who takes over and getscrushed now, and you gotta be the
You got to be the new youknow, all the new Democrat Party everything
else. So it would be politicalsuicide in my mind for anyone to take

(18:55):
over other than Kamala. She isthe vice president. And I don't think
Kamala is going to take over becauseDemocrats recognize that's an even worse position,
and it will it will make Trumpseem even more unstoppable if he's so formidable
that Biden at the last minute dropsout and then Kamala gets crushed too.
Yeah. Buck Sexton is my guest. You can listen to him and his

(19:17):
partner Clay Travis on Freedom ninety threepoint seven ten am to one pm every
weekday. Do me a favor ifwith your national show, do not fall
for the narrative that our democratic governorin Colorado is any kind of libertarian that
why is being sold across the countrybegins, NA, he's gonna run for
president. He is a big,fat liar. Do not fall for it.

(19:38):
There is nothing libertarian about him.Really. That's my most frustrating thing
right now is that he is layingthe right pr firms to get that out.
I'm gonna listen to you on thisone because I had a friend,
Casey, who is a host,a radio host in South Bend, Indiana,
and many years ago he pulled measide when I was doing a visit
to the station there me sign andhe said, look, I know it's

(20:00):
going to sound crazy, and thisis south By the way, he's like,
our mayor is going to run forpresident. Boy juice, and it
was boota judge, And I said, dude, I give this guy total
credit for it. By the way, Casey out of South Bend, because
because I was like, you're themayor of South Bend, like this is
the this is the I mean,like I could be the mayor of You

(20:22):
gotta be kidding me the minute,Yeah, sure enough, ran and make
out a cab that position. Andby the way, I don't think he
thinks he's done at all. Soif you're telling me Paulus is gonna run.
I could I get totally know he'sone hundred percent color You know what
makes me so sad? Don't evenI can't. It's so beautiful. What
happened? Why did the commedis takeit over? No? No, I
didn't know. There's there's a bookcalled The Blueprint about how four Democrats that

(20:47):
are loaded created a plan and tookover Colorado. And it is fascinating.
And I've talked to enough people involvedwith both the takeover and the book to
know it should be required reading forevery Republican because it out how to do
it well. I mean, theydid this in California. They just did
it earlier. Apparently we have togo. I just was learning about the
Blueprints. You read the book.It's stunningly good. Yeah. Can I
can I do a quick plug forsomething? By the way, have a

(21:11):
little side project it on YouTube.It's called the buck Brief. I'm about
to tape it in a few minutes. Here are you in your underpants for
the buck Brief? I mean it'sthe vip is pay enough, but but
I just you know, I have, like I just started it, it
has like no very few subscribers.We're trying to build it up a little
bit on the YouTube, Underpants,people would watch. People are used to
my people are used to my voice. So the podcast, it's a ton

(21:33):
of people listening, which is great, but I'm like, hey, you
can look too on the YouTube.So go on YouTube to the Buck Brief
and please be a subscriber and we'llactually, you know, start to build
out some stuff there. Buck Sexton, it is Underpants. We're going to
take a quick time out live fromthe RNC and Milwaukee thanks to our friends
at Rocky Mountain Voice News from aright lady perspective. We'll be right back