11-05-25 *INTERVIEW* Clay Travis Talks New Book, Election Results

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Clay Travis. I'm sure you know him. You see him
on Fox News frequently. He's founder the hugely successful sports
website OutKick, and he is co host of The Clay
and Buck Show, which is one of the very top
nationally syndicated shows in the entire country. And he's got
a new book out just came out yesterday called and
I love the title Balls and there's a basketball or

(00:22):
two basketballs actually on the cover of the book the
subtitle How Trump young Men and Sports Saved America.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
Clay Travis, Welcome to Kowa. It's good to have you. Hey,
great for y'all having me appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (00:35):
So before we jump into the book, I just would
love to get your take on what happened yesterday in
elections around the country. I imagine it'll be almost everything
that you're going to talk about on your show today,
but what's on your mind.

Speaker 3 (00:48):
Yeah, Look, I'm in New York City right now, so
let's put a pin in that. I'll come back to it,
because I think there's two different stories really being told
in New Jersey and in Virginia. The same voters who
showed up for President Trump in twenty twenty four did
not show up for either candidate. In twenty twenty five,
Trump got more votes in New Jersey than the winning

(01:09):
Democrat candidate did by two hundred thousand votes. Trump got
more votes in Virginia than the winning Democrat candidate did
In the election last night, there were around six hundred
thousand less Trump voters that showed up in twenty twenty
five then showed up in twenty twenty four. So the

(01:31):
story here, and it's not a new one, but I
do think it's something that is ominous somewhat for Republicans
going forward next year, is when Trump's on the ballot,
tons of low propensity voters show up to support Donald Trump.
When he is not on the ballot, those same voters
are very, very difficult to motivate to turn up. And

(01:54):
I think that's the question going forward for a year
from now, as we prepare for the midterms, and for
three years from now, as we think about what America
will look like without Trump on the ballot.

Speaker 1 (02:07):
I think you're exactly right, and I want to just
follow up with you on the very last thing you
said there. I suspect, but obviously I don't know that.
Whoever the next Republican presidential candidate is even if it's
a candidate that is perceived as very maga, even if
it's jd Vance, I suspect that that candidate will have

(02:28):
a very hard time getting, you know, getting all, let's say,
or close to all of President Trump's voters, because there's
something unique about Trump, and there's something unique about Trump's
appeal to his voters that I have a feeling will
not fully translate to anybody else.

Speaker 3 (02:47):
Well, that's the concern, and I don't think that's a
crazy I don't think that's a crazy take at all. Now,
the question is to what extent is Trump's motivation of
Democrat party voters also an outlier, because let's say we
had a Gavin Newsom versus jd Vance twenty twenty eight
presidential election, that would be what the betting markets would

(03:10):
tell you is the most likely matchup that we would see.
To what extent does Trump's connection to jd Vance as
his vice president translate to votes? And also to what
extent does Trump's connection to jd Vance motivate Democrat voters?
Because Democrats The analogy I would make is Democrats, in

(03:32):
many ways are the most die hard of the political
universe supporters, and I was using this because I come
out of the world as sports. As an analogy, if
you think about a college campus, people show up in
big numbers for football games. Football games kind of like
a presidential election. You know, one hundred thousand people, eighty thousand,

(03:52):
whatever it is. That fan base for that school can
still be substantial, but maybe only ten thousand people show
up for a basketball game, and then by the time
you get to women's softball or baseball, it might be
a thousand or even less. People care their fans, but
as the significance of the event declines, the number of

(04:12):
people who are willing to show up for.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
It declines as well.

Speaker 3 (04:15):
The Democrats are the diehards, and so that is why
I think Democrats should be a favorite in the twenty
twenty six midterm elections, because they hate Trump so much
that even when Trump is not on the ballot, they're
willing to show up. People who love Trump are not
as willing to show up and support other people when

(04:36):
Trump's name itself is not on the ballot. So I
think that's one of the big challenges going forward.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
I agree with that as well.

Speaker 1 (04:41):
I'll say one last thing and then I want to
talk about your book. I think that President Trump is
perceived as not just not succeeding, but also to a
certain extent, not trying hard enough when it comes to
cost of living issues. And cost of living is not down,
and that's what he ran on in addition to the border.
But people care about cost of living a lot more.

(05:03):
And I think for Republicans to have a decent chance
in the midterms next year in the presidential election two
years after that, Trump and Republicans generally are going to
have to do more and appear that they're doing more
when it comes to that most important issue.

Speaker 2 (05:17):
Do you want to say anything.

Speaker 1 (05:18):
Real quick on that, so we at least get a
several minutes to talk about your book.

Speaker 3 (05:21):
But I think the biggest challenge that Trump has when
it comes to cost of goods is Biden was so
bad on inflation that everything costs more than we think
you should.

Speaker 2 (05:29):
Oh, that's exactly right. So if the slow.

Speaker 3 (05:32):
Rate of growth or the rate of growth has declined
on cost of goods, which it has, every time I
go to Chick fil A, I still think I can't
believe I'm paying fifty dollars to feed my family. Yet
a fast food place, and most people in America, I think,
feel the same way no matter who the president is.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
We're talking with Clay Travis. His new book is Balls,
How Trump, Young Men and Sports Saved America. So you
start the book talking about Leah Thomas formerly Will Thomas,
and I think everybody knows the story about the you know,
male swimmer dominating female collegiate swimming.

Speaker 2 (06:07):
My question for you on that one was, were.

Speaker 1 (06:09):
You surprised at just how big an issue that became
in the presidential election?

Speaker 3 (06:16):
No, because I think presidential elections are complicated and sometimes
issues need to be crystallized. And when you tell me
that a man is now a woman because he has
told me that, that's a bridge too far for me
and for most people. Look, if you want to dress
up in women's clothing or men's clothing, and you want

(06:39):
to change your name and that makes you happier, and
even you want to have surgery to try to reflect
that in some way, I think adults should have the
ability to pursue happiness as they see fit. But it
is different me saying that than hey, well, certainly we
don't even need to get into kids that shouldn't happen
for kids, but I'm just talking about adults here.

Speaker 2 (06:59):
But it's different.

Speaker 1 (07:00):
Then.

Speaker 3 (07:00):
Hey, not only am I a woman, but I should
be able to become a women's sports champion. Most men
and women out there, even a huge majority of Democrats,
see this as just being wrong. And so it also
requires me to be a liar because you have a gender,
and you then are saying that I have to accede

(07:24):
to your gender to such an extent that you can
become a women's champion. Having a dude in a women's
bathing suit winning a women's sports championship is patently absurd
to most people.

Speaker 2 (07:35):
And Trump saw it because he's got an.

Speaker 3 (07:37):
Intuitive sense for sanity and ran the ads which we
write about in the book Kamala is for they them,
Trump's for you.

Speaker 2 (07:47):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (07:47):
One of the great ads, one of the most effective
political ads, right, one of the most effective political ads
I've seen in years and years and years. All Right,
I got about two minutes left. Let me try to
get through a couple other things with you. And for
those just joining or talking with Clay, his new book
just released yesterday is Balls, How Trump, young men and
Sports saved America. So you, along with your co host

(08:09):
Buck Sexton, are among the very few people who talk
a lot about Trump and actually know him. A lot
of people talk a lot about Trump, we never met him.
What's something that you think most people don't understand or
misunderstand about him?

Speaker 3 (08:23):
Trump is just a grandfather and a really nice guy.
There's a little anecdote in the book where we interview
Trump at mar A Lago and he won't let us
leave because he's insistent that we get the mar A
Lago milkshake because they make the best milkshakes anywhere in America,
in typical Trump hyperbole. And I remember saying, boy, you know,
I bet Hitler didn't do interviews, and then insists that

(08:44):
people take a strudle with him, you know, right after
they were finished, because where he was made the best
strudles in anywhere in America. And I think that is
probably what would stand out the most. My wife has
met Trump several different times. How grace accommodating and willing
to share credit he is. They get cut out a

(09:06):
lot of times in his speeches, but go look at
the number of times that he will name twenty or
twenty five different guys and gals that are there at
his rallies. I think the idea that he is domineering
and a jerk is maybe the biggest lost element of Trump.
He's actually just an incredibly likable guy in a one

(09:28):
on one setting.

Speaker 1 (09:29):
Okay, last thing, and this is one we could talk
for an hour about, but I need you to keep
it to less than a minute. There's a lot in
this particular sentence in your book that I want you
to just elaborate on a little and I'm quoting you
now to me. The collapse of sports as a unifying
source across race, sex, preference, gender and political divides is
inextricably intertwined with the rise of social media.

Speaker 2 (09:52):
So there's two big things there.

Speaker 1 (09:53):
The collapse of sports is a unifying thing and the
social media part. But say anything you want that you
can you know, get out pretty quick. Well.

Speaker 3 (10:01):
Look Kaepernick, the protest of Kaepernick, and the rise of
Michael Sam and everything else. Identity politics is inextricably intertwined
in my mind, with the rise of social media because
it led to people saying as a black woman, as
a trans of Asian midget, whatever you want to say.
Look at how often people preface their opinions by describing themselves.

(10:25):
I always say, it's like we've gone back in time
to the divine right of kings, which is ironic because
they say, no kings. But your argument is premised on
your identity, not the quality of the argument. To me,
the quality of the argument is all that matters. Look
at Karee Jean Pierre. Every time she gets questioned on anything,
she says, well, I'm a black lesbian. Well, what the

(10:45):
heck do I care about that? What I care about
is can you or can you not do the job?
When you use your race and identity, your gender preference
as both sword and shield, it dilutes and distorts overall
American conversation and debate. And I think that's why, overall
we're seeing so much anger emanating, and I think social

(11:05):
media has certainly accelerated that.

Speaker 1 (11:08):
Clay Travis is founder the hugely successful sports website OutKick.

Speaker 2 (11:12):
He is co.

Speaker 1 (11:13):
Host with Buck Sexton, of the incredibly successful as well
Clay and Buck Show, one.

Speaker 2 (11:18):
Of the top radio shows in the country.

Speaker 1 (11:20):
In his new book, just out yesterday is Balls, How
Trump Young Men in Sports Saved America. Gla to talk
great to talk to you for the first time. Clay
thanks for doing this. Okay, great, appreciate y' all.