Hour 3 of The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show opens with Clay and Buck monitoring a potential Gulf Coast hurricane before turning to the 2026 midterm elections, President Donald Trump’s planned campaign appearances in Texas and Tennessee, and the battle for control of Congress. They preview Trump’s Texas rally alongside Ken Paxton and Greg Abbott, with baseball legend Roger Clemens expected to introduce the President, as well as a Saturday Tennessee rally intended to energize Republican voters. Against the backdrop of the third anniversary of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, the hosts also revisit Zohran Mamdani’s accusation that Israel is committing genocide. From there, Clay highlights a speech by Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Athens, Greece, praising Rubio’s defense of Western civilization and his reflections on ancient Greece’s lasting influence.

Clay and Buck use the speech to launch a broader discussion of American history, Western values, ancient Greece and Rome, the Founding Fathers, historical literacy, Christianity and the common cultural foundations they believe are essential to preserving the United States and the West. They contrast that worldview with socialism, Marxism, communism, identity politics and the 1619 Project, criticizing Nikole Hannah-Jones and arguing that progressive movements too often seek to dismantle American institutions without presenting a superior replacement. The conversation also covers European welfare states, economic problems in France and comparisons between the United States and Nordic countries such as Sweden and Norway, including Norway’s oil wealth and sovereign wealth fund.

A major focus of Hour 3 is the 2026 midterm election battle in Tennessee, as Clay and Buck welcome Congressman Matt Van Epps, who is running in Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. Van Epps discusses President Trump’s upcoming rally in Clarksville and the Republican effort to win all nine of Tennessee’s U.S. House seats. He argues that Republicans should campaign on lower taxes, border security, public safety, military strength and economic prosperity while drawing ideological contrasts with Democratic candidates. Van Epps discusses his opponent Darden Copeland, his assessment of the political environment and the importance of turning out Republican voters. The conversation also examines Tennessee redistricting, with Clay describing how his own congressional district has changed and urging voters to verify which district they now live in and familiarize themselves with new candidates. Van Epps explains that his redrawn district will include significant new territory and discusses Republican congressional candidates including Johnny Garrett, Charlie Hatcher and Brent Taylor. He also highlights his congressional voting record, constituent events and legislation, including a counterterrorism measure that passed the House.

The interview with Matt Van Epps then turns to homeland security, terrorism and military service. Buck raises the reported FBI arrest of an 18-year-old accused of planning an ISIS-inspired attack at the Mall of America in Minnesota, prompting a discussion about domestic terrorism threats and the importance of counterterrorism operations. Van Epps recounts his military background with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the Night Stalkers, including deployments to Afghanistan and support for U.S. special operations missions targeting terrorists. He reflects on being a West Point freshman on September 11, 2001, visiting the World Trade Center site for the 25th anniversary of 9/11, and how the terrorist attacks shaped his military career and current work on the House Homeland Security Committee’s Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee. He argues that the United States must remain vigilant against terrorist organizations and continue supporting military, intelligence and law-enforcement personnel tasked with protecting Americans.

In the final portion of Hour 3 of The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, Clay and Buck expand on the breaking Mall of America terrorism case, playing President Trump’s reaction praising the FBI for thwarting the alleged ISIS-inspired plot before anyone was injured. They also discuss another aviation-related terrorism case and assess the broader threat environment ahead of the midterm elections. Clay speculates about the possibility of further terrorist activity amid heightened tensions involving Iran, citing the Iranian economy, inflation and U.S. pressure on Tehran, while Buck discusses whether hostile foreign governments and terrorist organizations have political preferences in U.S. elections. The hosts then compare the intense political and activist attention devoted to the Israel-Gaza war with far less attention paid to ongoing conflicts and humanitarian catastrophes in Ukraine, Syria, Sudan, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. They argue that activist attention has shifted from Ukraine to Gaza even as the Russia-Ukraine war continues to produce significant casualties and attacks on critical energy infrastructure.

Hour 3 closes with a discussion of President Trump, Russia, Ukraine, U.S. foreign policy and energy prices. Clay and Buck argue that despite earlier political narratives surrounding Trump and Russia, the Trump administration has continued substantial American support for Ukraine rather than cutting it off. Buck notes that much of the assistance originated under the Biden administration while emphasizing that the flow of support continued under Trump and that European allies have increased their contributions. The hosts also discuss Ukrainian attacks on Russian refinery capacity and the effect of global conflict and disrupted refining infrastructure on diesel prices, gasoline prices, oil markets and energy costs. The concluding conversation ties together national security, American military support for Ukraine, Trump’s approach to NATO allies and the economic consequences of geopolitical instability, bringing Hour 3 of The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show to a close with a focus on the intersection of the 2026 midterms, terrorism, foreign policy, Western civilization, Ukraine, Israel, Iran and the U.S. economy.

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