Trump Endorses Cuomo: Strategic Move or Mistake?

Meet my friends, Clay Travis and Buck Sexton!  If you love Verdict, the Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show might also be in your audio wheelhouse. Politics, news analysis, and some pop culture and comedy thrown in too.

Here’s a sample episode recapping four takeaways. Give the guys a listen and then follow and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

It's Election Day!

A high-energy Election Day edition packed with breaking political analysis and cultural commentary. Clay celebrates the release of his new book “Balls”, urging listeners to support conservative voices in publishing. The hour dives deep into the New York City mayoral race, spotlighting the shocking Donald Trump endorsement of Andrew Cuomo as a strategic move to block socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani. Clay and Buck debate whether this last-minute endorsement helps or hurts Cuomo, referencing insights from Stephen Miller and Van Jones, and warning that a split in the anti-Mamdani vote could hand victory to the far-left.

The hosts analyze key battlegrounds in Virginia and New Jersey, stressing the importance of down-ballot races like Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor. They predict razor-thin margins and urge listeners nationwide to get out and vote. Discussion turns to Mamdani’s progressive promises—rent freezes, free buses, and government grocery stores—which Cuomo calls “TikTok promises” with no legal basis. Clay and Buck argue these policies would worsen crime and quality of life, drawing parallels to failed corporate virtue-signaling like Starbucks’ bathroom policy and Bud Light’s marketing missteps.

Get Some Balls! 

Clay promotes his new book “Balls”, endorsed by President Trump, and shares plans for charitable initiatives tied to free speech advocacy.  Clay and Buck analyze the high-stakes contests in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York City, emphasizing how Democrats will frame victories as a referendum on Donald Trump’s presidency, despite these being deep-blue strongholds. The hosts spotlight the New Jersey governor’s race, where Jack Ciattarelli’s chances hinge on massive Republican turnout to overcome Democrats’ early voting lead. They slam progressive policies like plastic bag bans, arguing they harm consumers and the environment, and highlight housing affordability crises caused by government mandates and rent control schemes.

Our Data Guru Crunches the Early Numbers

Data analyst Ryan Girdusky joins to break down record-breaking voter turnout, surging Democratic numbers in key counties, and the implications for future elections. The discussion expands to electricity price spikes, the impact of data centers, and Democrats’ strategy to nationalize local races around Trump. In New York City, the conversation centers on the mayoral showdown featuring Zohran Mamdani, whose socialist platform promises rent freezes, free buses, and government grocery stores—policies Clay and Buck call “fairy tales” that would worsen crime and quality of life. 

They dissect Andrew Cuomo’s failure to give Republicans a reason to support him, despite Trump’s last-minute endorsement, and warn that a Mamdani victory could embolden far-left figures like AOC to push national socialism. The hour also covers Virginia’s gubernatorial race, where Winsome Sears struggles after running a single-issue campaign on transgender bathrooms, while down-ballot races for Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor remain competitive.

Gonna Be Gavin and The Empire Strikes Back

The hosts revisit the stakes in New York City’s mayoral race, the Virginia and New Jersey governor contests, and California’s Proposition 50, warning that Democrats will frame any wins as a repudiation of Donald Trump’s presidency despite these being deep-blue strongholds. Clay and Buck emphasize the importance of voting and highlight how Democrats use emotional manipulation—rather than real solutions—to distract from failures on crime, cost of living, and governance. 

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