The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show Daily Review with Clay and Buck - Dec 19 2025
What a Year!
Clay begins by confirming that the Brown University shooter, Claudio Neves Valenti, is dead after taking his own life in Salem, New Hampshire. Authorities now believe Valenti, a 48-year-old former Brown student and Portuguese national, was also responsible for the assassination of an MIT professor specializing in nuclear science and engineering, raising serious questions about campus security and law enforcement failures. Clay criticizes Brown University for lacking functional cameras in key areas, arguing that this incompetence allowed Valenti to evade capture for days and indirectly led to the MIT professor’s death. The case was ultimately cracked thanks to a homeless man’s tip, which may earn him a $50,000 reward.
Clay then pivots to the anticipated release of the Epstein files, noting that the New York Times has already confirmed what he and Buck have long maintained: there is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by President Trump despite years of speculation. He frames this as proof of partisan lawfare, contrasting the relentless pursuit of Trump over bookkeeping charges with the absence of any Epstein-related allegations.
Just "Don't" Do It - Lessons from Nike
A reflection on the show’s growth since 2021, celebrating its expansion to over 550 stations nationwide and thanking listeners for their loyalty. From there, Clay pivots to a major business story: Nike’s stock collapse, which he argues is the inevitable result of the company’s cultural shift from celebrating athletic excellence to embracing woke activism. He traces Nike’s decline from its Michael Jordan era—built on meritocracy and performance—to its 2018 Colin Kaepernick campaign, which prioritized political messaging over sports achievement. Clay underscores that Nike stock has fallen from $85 a share in 2018 to $59 today, even as the broader market surged, framing this as a cautionary tale that “culture wins” and that abandoning core values for virtue signaling leads to failure.
Building on this theme, Clay explores the broader implications of cultural erosion, warning that internal decay—whether in corporations, families, or nations—poses a greater threat than external forces. He uses Nike as an example of how woke ideology undermines success and argues that the same dynamic is playing out in American politics and society. This segues into a discussion of conservative principles and truth-telling, highlighted by fiery remarks from Ben Shapiro at AmFest, where Shapiro condemned conspiracy theories and called out grifters within the movement, including former colleague Candace Owens, for spreading baseless claims about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Clay praises Shapiro’s insistence on evidence and principle over populist pandering, warning that the conservative movement must guard against internal frauds who exploit grievance culture.
Why Culture Matters
Clay closes the program with a passionate reflection on the power of culture in shaping institutions and personal choices, sharing a story about Vanderbilt University’s decisive response to pro-Palestinian campus protests after the Hamas terror attacks. He praises Chancellor Daniel Diermeier for enforcing discipline and protecting free speech without tolerating chaos, noting that such leadership has driven a surge in applications to SEC schools. Clay frames this as proof that “culture wins,” urging listeners to stand firm against woke ideology and defend Western values. The hour ends on an inspiring note with a former Hamas hostage’s testimony that terrorists feared Donald Trump, reinforcing Clay’s argument that strength and resolve are essential in confronting evil.
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