Glenn Apologizes for Being a Catastrophist: 'We're Scaring the Hell Out of the Children'

October 19, 2016

Writer

That which you gaze upon, you become. Glenn has spent the last 15 years gazing upon the problems, albeit to sound the warning bell about the truth. But how does that inspire and give hope?

"I have fixed my eyes on Washington, D.C., the parties, the politicians, the economy, terror, loss of freedom, the culture, Facebook, all of it," Glenn said Wednesday on this radio program.

Where should we fix our eyes?

"Believe in yourself and believe in God, and when you two are partnered, unbelievable things can happen," Glenn said.

Read below or watch the clip for answers to these unapologetic questions:

• Why does Glenn refuse not to have faith in?

• Has Glenn changed or remained steadfast?

• Can we not only survive but thrive?

• Did Glenn help create the conditions that brought us Donald Trump?

• How can we inspire the next generation?

Listen to this segment from The Glenn Beck Program:

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors:

GLENN: I may be the only person in -- may be the only celebrity, if you can even put me in that category, ever, to be abandoned my own fan club. I don't know if you heard this, breaking news.

STU: I have not.

GLENN: I got a Facebook post from the Daily Beck. Now, the Daily Beck has been around for how many years?

JEFFY: A long time.

GLENN: Long time. Okay. 38,000 members of the Daily Beck. It's a fan club, not started by me. Started by somebody else. Yada, yada. And they have disavowed me.

STU: Oh, no.

GLENN: And so now the Daily Beck has nothing to do with Glenn Beck. And they have disavowed me. So I am the only person, I think, to ever have a fan club that has voted them out.

JEFFY: Happy now?

GLENN: Yeah. So there you go.

STU: There has to be precedent for that.

GLENN: Oh, come on. Let me have this one thing.

STU: No, I will not. The Daily Beck.

GLENN: Yeah, yeah. It's been around for a long time.

STU: Oh, really.

GLENN: Anyway, I bring that up because, A, I'm sad that people think I've changed. I don't believe I have. And I've done a lot of soul-searching on this for a long time. You don't do what I have been doing without having soul-searching. You read my Facebook page. Do you think that would cause somebody to think twice?

PAT: As I challenged on my Facebook page: Name one principle we've changed on. Name one.

STU: Wait. What was the big list? He didn't get a chance to give us a list.

GLENN: Stop. Stop. I want to get to my apology.

PAT: I can give you the list really fast.

GLENN: Stop it. None.

So at least me, I have done a lot of soul-searching over the last five years. And if there is a change in me, the change is this: I believe that some -- in some ways, not meant by me at all, I helped add to our problems of division. I didn't mean to.

Now, I've got people on the left accusing me of creating Donald Trump. And I'm like, "But I'm against Donald Trump. I warned against a guy like Donald Trump." Well, you created the conditions that grew Donald Trump.

"No, I didn't. I think it was the government -- both parties that weren't listening to the people, that the people got so frustrated they wanted to burn the whole thing down." That's a bad thing. However, I have been thinking about this a lot over the last few months, and especially the last few weeks. And I want to -- I have a new perspective. And I want to tell you that, A, yes, I have changed. I have changed. And I'm going to explain exactly how. And I want to apologize for the mistake I made. It was unintentional. I didn't see it.

But here's what it is. And I want to ask everyone to do soul-searching themselves on this.

I believe what I believe. And I've told you I'm a catastrophist. And that's not necessarily healthy for a country to have somebody broadcasting as a catastrophist all the time. But I believe what I believe.

I believe, you know, the parties are irreparably broken. They have gone past the point of no return for trust. We have lost trust in almost all of our institutions. We have an economy that is on the brink. We have a banking system that is on the brink. Our central banks -- you know, I don't know if you saw this, but China is now selling I don't know how many billions of dollars of our treasury bonds, yesterday.

I mean, it's substantial. They're starting to dump our treasury bills. I believe that we are -- we're facing a foe like we did with Japan and Germany: ruthless killers by the name of ISIS. We have a loss of freedom coming our way. Guns. Freedom of press. Freedom of religion. Freedom to choose our own doctors. You name it. We are facing real losses of freedom.

And so I've been ringing that bell. And I've been telling you, "This is going to end in disaster. It's going to end in disaster." No exits left. There's a cliff coming.

That's what I want to apologize for. I still believe that: there's a cliff coming. But that is such a hopeless message that I can barely survive. And it's because I have gazed upon the problems. That which you gaze upon, you become.

And I have spent the last 15 years gazing upon the problems. And I have fixed my eyes on Washington, DC, the parties, the politicians, the economy, terror, loss of freedom, the culture, Facebook, all of it.

I'm tired. See if you feel this way. You're worn-out. You've exhausted all of your options. You've lost hope. And the faith that many people now have is down to this: It doesn't matter anyway because Jesus is coming. Oh, well, let's put the party hats on. I feel better now.

Oh, well, it's the end of days. So good. Once we get past that sticky tribulation part, it's going to be great. That's your hope?

I can't live in that world. I cannot live in that world. And I don't think we're attracting anybody to our world, with that. Because, A, that's -- that's not true. B, it's a bummer. But, A, it's not true. There is change coming.

And I have told you this, more dramatic change, because of technology alone. More dramatic change in our lives coming in the next 20 years than in the -- than in the hundred years of the Industrial Revolution, all packed into a 10- or 20-year period. That's a lot of upheaval. People will lose their jobs and be displaced. And they will find new places to work.

We talk about Common Core and how Common Core is such a problem. Why? Because they're teaching all the wrong things. And they're indoctrinating our kids. That's actually not the problem. Let me come back to Common Core in a second.

So I want to apologize for being a catastrophist. I'm not apologizing for saying that these things are coming because they are. What I am sorry for is giving you the impression that there's no way to survive. Because there is.

The world has faced these times before. And every time, the people choose to be -- choose to live their faith. They survive. When they choose to move without the action that faith motivates, they are destroyed.

But a remnant goes on. We are acting without faith. We are -- and in those days, says II Timothy, people will talk about their faith, they will say that they have great faith, but they will not assign the power of that faith to it.

Because they're not living it. So those under -- those over 40, those my age and above, we have to do one thing: Stop scaring the kids. Because that's what we're doing. We're scaring the hell out of the children.

My poor kids, oh, my gosh, we're scaring the hell out of the children. And more importantly, we are doing what Common Core is doing. What Common Core does, is a group of elites have all got together and they have designed the future. And they say, "These are the things that your kid is going to do." And they're going to design your child from third grade to fit the job that they see in the future.

Well, that's not their job. That's not their right. What education is, is to give them the eternal truths so they can design their future. What we're doing is, we are allowing people up at the top to design a future for our children, that our children most likely will not want, would not design it that way. The future is being designed by people who are 70 years old, for children who are 20 years old or younger. Thirty years old. Adults that would never design that world.

But they're being trapped in that design. That's immoral. But it shows we don't have faith in the future, and we don't have faith in millennials. I do. I do.

I refuse to not have faith in the future. Now, anybody under 40, here's what you need to do: You don't believe -- first of all, don't believe in people. Don't believe in me. Don't believe in Barack Obama. Don't believe in Hillary Clinton. Don't believe in Donald Trump.

Believe in yourself and believe in God. And when you two are partnered, unbelievable things can happen. But beyond not believing in a man, don't believe my words or anyone else that tells you it's all going to burn down and there's nothing you can do. There's no hope. Because that is a lie.

Things are going to be tough. But things, somewhere in the world, are always tough. Every generation faces something tough. We survive this.

The key is: You can thrive. My generation will survive. But you can thrive. It's all happened before. You have to find the patterns of the people that made it through and emulate them. See how they solved it. Because it's not going to be solved in Washington. It's going to be solved by people like you, if you know what is eternally true.

I know this: God keeps his promises. He keeps his promises. And if you are living an unrighteous life, it will fall apart, and you will destroy yourself. Eventually, you will destroy yourself.

Look at Bill Cosby. If that is true about what he did in his life, all -- everything he worked for, now at the end, gone. Gone. He's known as a rapist forever. Everything he did in his entire life: over. That makes a difference.

If you live an unrighteous life outside of eternally true principles, you will destroy -- your life will fall apart. And that is the truth about an individual or a group of people. Eventually, it will fall apart.

But it is equally true that if you live the principles, you will thrive. You will break through. You will change the world. You will set the world free. And that's our goal, isn't it? Isn't our goal to make a difference?

I'd give up all money, I'd give up everything if I could just make a difference. I think most of us would. Millennials have seen us as parents, struggle. And they see what we're doing. And they don't want any part of that. Because they don't believe in any of that.

Millennials, you have to know the system before you distrust it. You don't know the Constitution. You have to know what it says before you distrust it. We are now teaching people just to distrust everything.

They have to come to that conclusion on their own. And if they live their lives with the true knowledge that God keeps his promises and they act with faith in the ways that faith and eternal principles demand that you act, they're going to set everything right.

They have to have hope. We have to have hope. We cannot create a pattern for them. They're going to take our cue from us. And if we have depressed them -- that's why nobody is flocking to us: because we're depressing the snot out of them.

Who wants to hear at 20 years old, "It's all screwed up, and it's not going -- it's all going to be over." Nobody wants to hear that at 20. We cannot take away their hope because that is their fight. We have to enforce them -- reinforce them.

We have to inspire them. And we have to tell them eternal truths. Because, quite honestly, they don't believe in any of the other stuff. Nor should they. They're not buying the lies that we, after being so worn down over a lifetime, have just grown to accept. That whatever Washington says we have to do -- whatever the party says we have to do, whatever the crowd says we have to do. They want to be different. Let's encourage them.

Featured Image: Screenshot from The Glenn Beck Program

Taxpayer dollars fund luxury cars for bureaucrats

Andrew Harnik / Staff | Getty Images

The deep state isn’t a conspiracy theory — it’s a reality. And the corrupt, free-spending Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is just one example of how Washington insiders enrich themselves.

A little-known agency in Washington perfectly encapsulates everything wrong with our bloated, corrupt government: the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. It should be the poster child of everything that Elon Musk is exposing.

The agency was established in 1947 under the Labor Management Relations Act to serve as an independent agency mediating disputes between unions and businesses — a noble mission, perhaps. But like so many government institutions, it has rotted into something far removed from its original purpose.

The FMCS goes beyond mismanagement into blatant corruption and theft.

What was once a mechanism for labor stability has morphed into an unchecked slush fund — an exclusive playground for bureaucrats living high on taxpayer dollars.

The FMCS is a textbook case of government waste, an agency that no one was watching, where employees didn’t even bother showing up for work — some hadn’t for years. And yet they still collected paychecks and spent government money — our money — on their personal luxuries.

Luxury cars and cell phone bills

The Department of Government Efficiency discovered how FMCS employees used government credit cards — intended for official business — to lease luxury cars, cover personal cell phone bills, and even subscribe to USA Today. The agency’s information technology director, James Donnan, apparently billed taxpayers his wife’s cell phone bill, cable TV subscriptions in multiple homes, and personal subscriptions.

FMCS officials commissioned portraits of themselves and hung them in their offices, and you footed the bill. They took exotic vacations and hired their friends and relatives to keep the gravy train rolling.

The FMCS goes beyond mismanagement into blatant corruption and theft — and it went on for decades, unnoticed and unchallenged.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order to abolish the FMCS — a necessary and long-overdue move. But the FMCS is just one of many agencies within the federal government burning through billions of taxpayer dollars. How many more slush funds exist in the shadows, funneling money into the pockets of bureaucrats who produce nothing? How many government-funded NGOs operate in direct opposition to American interests?

Perhaps the most disturbing question is why Americans tolerate such corruption. Why do so many Americans tolerate this? Why is the left — supposedly the party of the people — defending the very institutions that rob working-class Americans blind?

Corruption beyond bureaucracy

The recent rallies led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and their socialist acolytes claim to be a grassroots uprising against corruption and greed. But GPS data from these rallies tells a different story. The majority of attendees aren’t ordinary citizens fed up with the status quo. They’re professional activists — serial agitators who bounce from protest to protest.

Roughly 84% of devices tracked at these rallies were present at multiple Kamala Harris events. A staggering 31% appeared at over 20 separate demonstrations, tied to Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and pro-Palestinian causes.

Many of these organizations receive federal grant money — our tax dollars — and they’re using those funds to protest the very policies that threaten to cut off their financial lifeline.

This isn’t democracy in action. This is political theater — astroturfing perfected. And the American taxpayer is funding it.

Rooting out corruption

Trump was a battering ram against this corrupt system. Elon Musk is a surgeon, meticulously exposing the infection that has festered for decades — and that’s why the leftists hate him even more than they hate Trump. Musk threatens to dismantle the financial web that sustains their entire operation.

When we allow the government to grow unchecked and our leaders to prioritize their own wealth and power over the good of the nation, figures like Trump and Musk are necessary. Rome didn’t fall because of an external invasion but rather due to internal decay that looked an awful lot like what we see today.

We must demand better. We must refuse to tolerate this corruption any longer. The FMCS may be gone, but the fight to root out this deep-seated corruption is far from over.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

Did the CIA hide the real truth behind JFK's assassination?

Bettmann / Contributor, NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

Many were disappointed by the recent release of the JFK files, frustrated by the apparent lack of answers to decades-old questions. The problem? They’re asking the wrong question.

Everyone wants a "who"—a smoking gun, someone to blame. It’s understandable; Americans crave justice for a slain president, to hold the culprits of one of the 20th century’s greatest crimes accountable. But the real answer isn’t a "who"—it’s a "what." That "what" is the CIA and proof of their nefarious dealings since the 1960s.

In his most recent TV special, Glenn delves into the JFK files, where he found the crucial information that everyone else seemed to miss. Be sure to watch the TV special here.

The CIA's Dirty Fingerprints

Did Oswald act alone? I tested the Warren Commission's "lone gunman" narrative and discovered something SHOCKING.

Watch the full experiment TONIGHT at 9PM ET only on https://t.co/Ki1CX633fq pic.twitter.com/DwNSUFXJ1r
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) March 26, 2025

While the recent JFK files don’t explicitly pin the assassination on the CIA, the evidence between the lines is compelling.

If you follow Glenn on X, you’ve seen his newest artifact: an exact replica of Lee Harvey Oswald’s rifle. Glenn tested it at the range, attempting to replicate the notoriously difficult shot Oswald allegedly made that fateful day in Dallas. While Glenn shares more takeaways in his TV special, one thing stood out immediately: the rifle’s abysmal quality, its shoddy scope, and the odd caliber of ammunition it uses.

Oswald’s rifle, a Mannlicher-Carcano, is chambered in 6.5mm—an unusual caliber. Much like today, the average gun store in the ‘60s didn’t stock 6.5mm rounds. The largest known supply was owned by the CIA, who had shipped the ammo from Greece after World War II. Suspiciously, there’s no record of where Oswald got his ammunition, but the JFK files confirm that the gun store where he bought the Mannlicher-Carcano had CIA connections.

It’s well-known that Oswald defected to the USSR and lived there before returning to the U.S. The JFK files reveal that from the moment he touched down stateside, the CIA tracked him like a hawk. They followed him across the country and even to Mexico City—but, conveniently, seemed to lose him in Dallas just as President Kennedy arrived. What a coincidence.

Whether by design or gross incompetence, the CIA greased Oswald’s path, letting him slip unhindered into that sixth-floor Book Depository window.

The Cover-Up

SAUL LOEB / Staff | Getty Images

If the JFK files aren’t the smoking gun many hoped for, why did the CIA fight so hard to keep them buried?

The answer is trust. Hard as it may be to imagine today, Americans in the ‘60s trusted their government—at least more than they do now. This cover-up preserved that trust longer than it might have lasted, allowing the CIA to pull off more scandals before the public caught on. From Benghaziand 9/11 to COVID-19 and January 6, the same dirty marks found in the JFK files stain these events. It’s about saving face. The files make the CIA look incompetent at best, complicit at worst.

This might feel like common knowledge today—especially to Glenn’s audience—but 40 or 50 years ago, saying such things could land you in the loony bin. It’s taken 60 years of growing suspicion to reach this point. Imagine if the JFK files had been available back then. Could we have stopped six decades of CIA shenanigans in their tracks?

The thought is chilling.

What Now?

Fotosearch / Stringer | Getty Images

The files don’t name a mastermind or explicitly confirm the darkest JFK assassination conspiracies that have swirled for decades—but they’re far from empty. They expose a disturbing truth: the CIA’s unchecked power in the ‘60s echoes into today.

In one of his most exciting TV specials yet, Glenn delves deep into the files, proving why we can’t ignore these revelations. Stop chasing a "who" and start demanding accountability for the "what." Only by confronting this can we hope to rein in the agency that’s dodged scrutiny for too long.

Glenn: The magazine they don't want you to read

Blaze Media

Frontier isn’t just another magazine — it’s a handcrafted, premium publication featuring bold, thought-provoking stories you won’t find anywhere else.

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For the second issue, I welcomed Frontier’s team to my Idaho ranch for its feature, “The Architecture of Memory and Meaning.” My ranch is more than a home — it’s a testament to faith, family, and legacy. Every detail was designed with intention, and every artifact inside has a purpose. This piece shows how you too can turn your home into a space for legacy, beauty, and a testimony to things that really matter to you.

Frontier will set you apart from everyone else who doomscrolls through the same routine stories in the mainstream news cycle.

Frontier’s team also sat down with Michael Malice for an in-depth profile, “The Miseducation of Michael Malice.” Whether you love him, hate him, or are just trying to figure him out, Malice is one of the most fascinating voices in our culture today. This piece goes beyond the snark and the tweets, diving deep into what makes Malice tick.

For the late-night radio junkies, “Live From the High Desert” is a must-read. This piece is a tribute to Art Bell and the millions of late-night listeners who faithfully tuned in to his masterful storytelling as he unraveled the mysteries of the universe, inspiring an entire generation of truth-seekers. From government conspiracies and UFOs to the unexplained, Bell’s legacy is alive and well in these pages.

Readers of Frontier’s first issue are already familiar with the magazine’s caliber and quality. If you haven’t grabbed your copy, it’s not too late. The first 500 subscribers to Frontier’s second issue will also get a copy of the premiere issue.

Frontier is only available through Blaze Unlimited, which, in addition to Frontier’s trailblazing stories, includes VIP access to exclusive events, exclusive member-only content, and top-tier customer support. This membership will set you apart from everyone else who doomscrolls through the same routine stories in the mainstream news cycle. Blaze Unlimited gives you access to the stories that matter most — and the people and events who will challenge you to think bigger, probe deeper, and push the limits into new frontiers. Using promo code GLENN500 will give you $40 off your new Blaze Unlimited membership.

This isn’t just about reading Frontier — it’s about living it. Don’t miss your chance to be part of it.

Editor's note: This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

The Left's war on Tesla owners

Kansas City Star / Contributor | Getty Images

Across the country, Teslas are being torched by the very people who, just a few years ago, championed them as the future of sustainable transportation.

Recently, Glenn highlighted the heinous actions targeting Tesla owners and dealerships. He reached the same conclusion as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi: these are acts of domestic terrorism. Tesla owners are being doxxed; a dealership in Las Vegas was firebombed, vandalized, and shot at. Similar attacks have struck South Carolina, Oregon, and Colorado, where Molotov cocktails destroyed multiple Tesla vehicles.

But this isn’t really about cars—it’s a symptom of a deeper rot that has eroded any principles the Left once held. Just as they celebrated the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the attacks on Tesla reflect a lust for destruction—a self-righteous anger that disregards decency and the sanctity of life.

For them, the ends justify the means.

A Pattern of Lawlessness

Ethan Miller / Staff | Getty Images

The attacks on Tesla owners and dealerships aren’t random; they form an emerging pattern that exposes the Left’s true motives.

A quick look at the alleged grievances of the protesters, vandals, and arsonists harassing electric vehicles and their owners reveals a thin veneer masking their deeds. Their motives range from semi-rational—disagreeing with Elon Musk’s actions and the goals of DOGE —to outlandish, like labeling Musk a Nazi or fascist. Yet, rational or not, their actions far outweigh the severity of their complaints. Their crimes include keying and spray-painting privately owned Teslas, vandalizing dealerships (including firing rounds into a Tesla service center in Las Vegas), and using Molotov cocktails to ignite Teslas in cities nationwide. As noted, these aren’t the acts of disgruntled voters but of domestic terrorists.

Glenn recently tied this Tesla terrorism to the brutal murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last December. Just as liberals rejoice over burning Teslas today, they cheered when Thompson was gunned down in New York’s streets, leaving his children fatherless days before Christmas. Much like the Tesla attacks, the Left justified their jubilation with half-baked critiques of the U.S. healthcare system, sandwiched between callous jokes about the slain CEO. It’s not about cars or insurance—it runs deeper.

Hypocrisy Exposed

TOBIAS SCHWARZ / Contributor | Getty Images

Rules for thee, not for me.

This theme keeps resurfacing. Remember when the Left was obsessed with climate change? “It’s the biggest threat to humanity,” they declared, warning we couldn’t drive cars or eat beef because their emissions would doom us all. They once praised Musk, hailing Tesla as the future of transportation. But now that Musk defies their ever-shifting liberal orthodoxy, Tesla must die—environment be damned. It’s a replay of the pandemic’s peak: while they preached staying home, wearing double masks, keeping six feet apart, and “following the science,” they burned, looted, and rioted through nearly every major U.S. city—rules for thee, not for me.

Owning a Tesla no longer earns eco-warrior cred—it marks you as a closet Nazi, liable to get your car keyed. The same crowd that once fretted over cow farts endangering the planet now sets electric cars ablaze. One can hardly imagine that the fumes from hundreds of pounds of burning lithium, plastic, and chemicals in a Tesla are eco-friendly.

Tyranny of Anger

Anadolu / Contributor | Getty Images

What’s the takeaway? What’s the common thread?

The Left isn’t bound by values—not even their own. Nothing is sacred to them; destruction is all they crave. Climate change, the sanctity of life, and “following the science” are mere excuses for outrage, discarded when they obstruct their lust to destroy. Their twisted ideology preaches that building, improving, or creating is evil—only taking and tearing down matter. They seethe at the sight of creation. From Tesla’s burning hulks to Thompson’s blood on the pavement, their anger trumps your rights every time.

Glenn has been warning of the collapse of our common values for years. If we don’t fight this moral rot and defend the values that built America—law, life, liberty—we’ll lose them to the flames of their rage.

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