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Glenn's Show Prep

Donald Trump's Despicable Debate

February 16, 2016
Lori Hanes

Writer

The Context

Back live on the air following Presidents Day, Pat and Stu filled in for Glenn on The Glenn Beck Program. Top on their minds was the most recent GOP debate in South Carolina, particularly Donald Trump's performance, which took political discourse to an all-time low.

"The guy is despicable," Pat said. "And has he proven it any more than he did on Saturday night? I mean, just despicable."

Stu agreed.

"The single worst debate performance of any candidate I've ever seen," he said.

The Boos Have It

Trump was booed nine times for his behavior which bordered on angry and psychotic. Rather than focus on issues and solutions, Trump took to name calling and attacking his fellow presidential hopefuls. The audience responded accordingly, especially when the real estate mogul attacked Jeb Bush on foreign policy, blaming his brother, President George W. Bush, for the terror attacks on 9/11 that brought down the World Trade Center buildings.

"Has that ever happened? Has there ever been a debate in the history of politics in which one of the candidates was booed six, seven, eight, nine, times?" Stu asked.

Trump --- seemingly without evidence --- blamed the booing on lobbyists and donors supporting Bush.

Double Standard

During the previous presidential debate, Marco Rubio suffered a loss in polls and votes in New Hampshire after what the media labeled a bad debate performance. He was blasted for repeating talking points multiple times in an exchange with Chris Christie, who has now dropped out of the race.

"It's the end of his life. The man might as well just move out of the country because he's such a disgrace to this nation," Stu joked about Rubio.

Yet Trump's despicable debate performance in South Carolina hasn't seemed to hurt him in the polls or with his supporters. Likewise, the media has given him a platform to complain about the Republican Party and threaten a third party run --- which he promised not to do.

Common Sense Bottom Line

Donald Trump is not fit for the presidency. He is not the man of character and honor we need at this hour. He is not a true conservative, and has changed his opinions to suit the political climate. Learn the truth about Donald Trump's character --- in his own words and actions --- in our Donald Trump series. The choice for president has never been more critical.

 

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

PAT: Glenn is off today. So Stu and I are filling in. Pat and Stu and Jeffy is here too. A lot, of course, happened over the weekend. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died. And we have to get to the G.O.P. debate from Saturday. We do that, right now.

(music)

PAT: Welcome to the GlennBeck.com Glenn Beck Program with Pat and Stu and Jeffy too. So, yeah, Antonin Scalia died over the weekend. That was tragic, of course, for his family. It's horrific for the country. I mean, we'll get into that coming up. Also, we'll have the debates -- we should stop doing the debates on Saturday night. I hate the Saturday night debate. Can we do it during the week? I don't want to watch a debate on Saturday night. First of all, I don't care about the debate on the weekend, okay.

JEFFY: You don't care about it on the weekday.

PAT: I care about it on a weekday, okay? Don't bother me about your dumb debate on a start Saturday night. I have other stuff going on. Okay? I got other stuff.

STU: Is it connected to the Democratic proposal to like make sure nobody watches it?

PAT: I guess that's what it is.

STU: I mean, they got really big ratings. 13.8 million or something watched it, which is five million more than the last Democratic debate. 5 million more. Pretty impressive.

PAT: Pretty good. The Democrats, I don't know where they get off thinking they have this thing in the bag or they can pummel the G.O.P. like they are because all indications are otherwise. All indications are that they're in trouble.

STU: I think a big part of that is the current frontrunner of the Republican Party.

JEFFY: Yes.

PAT: That could be.

STU: They're like, "Oh, we're running against that guy."

PAT: We got this in the bag.

STU: Oh, okay. We should be good. Let's run the socialist. Let's see how that works out this time.

PAT: And it might work out for them okay if they do, if Trump gets the nomination. The guy is despicable. And has he proven it any more than he did on Saturday night? I mean, just despicable. Was that not angry, mean --

STU: The single worst debate performance of any candidate I've ever seen.

PAT: I thought it was.

STU: Think about it from the perspective of -- Marco Rubio came out, and he apparently repeated a line from his stump speech a couple times in a debate, and it's the end of his campaign. It's the end of his life. The man might as well just move out of the country because he's such a disgrace to this nation.

PAT: Yeah, go back to Cuba.

STU: Donald Trump was booed more than over a half dozen times, where his own party was supposedly the one holding it.

PAT: Over and over again.

STU: Which I say supposedly, because I don't see how there's any evidence other than the fact that he apparently registered as a Republican, there's any other evidence that he actually is a Republican.

Has that ever happened? Has there ever been a debate in the history of politics in which one of the candidates was booed six, seven, eight, nine, times? Those are your lobbyists.

PAT: I don't think so. And that's his thing. That's his thing.

Those are Jeb's donors. Those are Jeb's donors. I don't have any donors. I just have my wife and my son here. I'm just a little guy. I don't have a bunch of big donors. I'm self-funded.

STU: Yeah, which is weird because then someone should go to his campaign team and figure out where the embezzled funds are going that are coming from the giant donate button on his website. They should really track that one down. Because someone is funneling millions of dollars to some vacation resort, some, I don't know, Bugatti. Someone is buying something awesome with the money coming in. Because for some reason they continue to have a donate button even though they claim they're self-funding.

PAT: Yeah, he's despicable. Here's what he said. They started out the debate in a very somber way, talking about Antonin Scalia.

DONALD: Well, I can say this. If the president -- and if I were president now, I would certainly want to try and nominate a justice, and I'm sure that -- frankly, I'm absolutely sure that President Obama will try and do it. I hope that our Senate is going to be able to -- Mitch and the entire group is going to be able to do something about it in times --

PAT: Mitch and the entire group. It's Mitch and the Entire Group performing today. One show only! Mitch and the Entire Group!

STU: That's really bad.

PAT: The guy doesn't know Mitch McConnell's last name is. He doesn't know what the US Senate is called. He can't think on his feet.

DONALD: We could have a Diane Sykes, or you could have a Bill HEP Pryor. We have some fantastic people. But this is a tremendous blow to conservatism. It's a tremendous blow frankly to our country.

PAT: Conservatism.

VOICE: So just to be clear on this, Mr. Trump, you're okay with --

STU: Stop for one second. I love that he's naming a couple of justices there. Obviously he knows that last time he tried to improv that answer, he named his sister, which he now claims was a joke, which it was not a joke at all.

PAT: No.

STU: He claimed his sister who was a hard-core abortion activist in the courts.

PAT: Big-time leftist.

STU: Big-time leftist. Overturned the partial-birth abortion ban. To remind you, partial-birth abortion is opposed by about 90 percent of the American people. They overturned that. He initially names her as a good Supreme Court justice. Now he comes back with a couple of names. I really wish -- you know, Cruz did okay in the debate, I thought. He wasn't unbelievable, but did pretty well. I would have loved to have seen Cruz push back on those names because you know he knows who those people are.

Really, Don, so what exactly makes you think Diane Sykes would be a great choice? Can you name any one of the -- how about this, give me one way she ruled once? How about that?

PAT: It's so easy to take this guy apart, and nobody will. Except Jeb. I mean, Jeb is the only one with the giblets to do something about him.

JEFFY: He's trying. Yes, he is.

PAT: And I think it's because he's so far behind, he's got nothing to lose. With Cruz, it's just too risky right now. And so I think he's trying to walk that fine line of not pushing too hard because you don't want the blowback coming from that blowhard. So it's a tough line to walk. But he had more to say --

JEFFY: It's already coming.

PAT: I know. I know.

VOICE: -- nominating somebody.

DONALD: I think he's going to do it whether I'm okay with it or not. I think it's up to Mitch McConnell and everybody else to stop it. It's called delay, delay, delay.

PAT: Oh, he did -- it's called we have a country, okay?

STU: It's called we have a country.

Featured Image: Republican presidential candidates (L-R) Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) participate in a CBS News GOP Debate February 13, 2016 at the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina. Residents of South Carolina will vote for the Republican candidate at the primary on February 20. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Top THREE reasons we NEED the Panama Canal

Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Is Trump seriously planning a military conquest of the Panama Canal?

In the weeks leading up to the inauguration, Donald Trump launched the Panama Canal into the national spotlight. The canal is one of the most important passages in the world, and its continued operation has been critical for both the U.S. military and economy since its construction.

Since America relinquished sovereignty of the canal, China has asserted its authority in the region. The Chinese Communist Party has been growing its influence in Panama and neighboring Latin American countries, convincing them to join their "Belt and Road Initiative," an effort to poise China as the main economic power in developing nations across the world. Panama in particular is quickly becoming a Chinese puppet state. There are currently over 200,000 Chinese living in Panama, a Chinese company runs two of the canal's five major ports, and another Chinese company provides telecommunication service for a large portion of the canal. The government of Panama has even gone as far as cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

It's clear that the Panama Canal is under serious threat of falling into Chinese hands, but President Trump doesn't intend to let them move in. Here are the top three reasons we need the Panama Canal:

1. The canal was built by the U.S.

Hulton Archive / Stringer | Getty Images

Without the United States, neither Panama nor the Panama Canal would exist. In 1903, after Colombia refused to allow the U.S. to build a canal across the isthmus of Panama, President Teddy Roosevelt devised a controversial plan. He supported a Panamanian independence movement, which swiftly overthrew the local Colombian government. Meanwhile, he stationed a U.S. warship off the coast, preventing Colombia from sending military forces to retake Panama.

The moment Panama declared its independence, the U.S. recognized it and struck a deal with the new government: the U.S. would control the Canal Zone, while Panama would receive $10 million and an annual payment of $250,000. Construction of the canal took over a decade, cost $375 million, and resulted in thousands of American casualties, making it the most expensive U.S. construction project of its time.

Fast forward to 1964 when tensions between the U.S. and Panama over the canal erupted into a riot. President Lyndon B. Johnson decided it was time to transfer control of the canal to Panama. However, this proved more complicated than expected. In 1968, General Omar Torrijos, a known ally of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, seized control of Panama in a coup. Negotiations over the Canal stalled, as many Americans opposed giving such an important asset to a controversial figure. It wasn’t until 1999, following the deployment of 27,000 U.S. troops to facilitate yet another change in power, that the Canal was officially handed over to Panama.

2. The canal is vital for the U.S. economy

IVAN PISARENKO / Contributor | Getty Images

The U.S. relies heavily on the Panama Canal for commercial shipping. Between 13 and 14 thousand ships use the Panama Canal every year, which is roughly 40 percent of the global cargo ship traffic. Additionally, 72 percent of ships traversing the canal are either heading toward or leaving a U.S. port.

The time ships save using the Panama Canal reduces shipping costs massively. For example, when the canal first opened in 1922, it was estimated that a ship’s journey from Oregon to the UK, was shortened by 42 percent, reducing costs by 31 percent. If the Panama Canal was blocked or destroyed, or if American merchant vessels were denied passage, the effects on the U.S. economy would be tremendous.

3. The canal is a key defense point for the U.S. military

Historical / Contributor | Getty Images

Similarly, the canal is key to the U.S. military and national security. The canal shaves off approximately 8,000 miles of the voyage between the Pacific and the Atlantic. If U.S. Navy ships were denied access in a time of crisis, the extra time required to bypass the canal would be disastrous. Conversely, if the U.S. can keep the Panama Canal from being used by foreign aggressors, it would provide a massive advantage in future conflicts.

A foreign enemy could easily exploit the canal's current vulnerability. This was proven in 2021 when a cargo ship accidentally blocked the Suez Canal for a week, paralyzing global trade. Imagine China intentionally sabotaging the Panama Canal, considering it controls ports on both ends, owns a bridge that spans the Canal, provides its telecom services, and has the second-largest fleet of ships using the route.

TOP 5 takeaways from JD Vance's 'Face the Nation' interview

Anna Moneymaker / Staff | Getty Images

After an eventful first week in office, JD Vance wrapped the week up with a bang of an interview on "Face the Nation."

Last weekend, Vice President Vance joined "Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan, who drilled Vance on everything from the economy to immigration. Vance clapped back with polite yet cutting responses, and he defended Trump against some of her more accusatory queries.

If there was any lingering doubt that JD Vance wasn't vice presidential (or presidential) material, they have just been blown away. Here are the major takeaways from his electricinterview on Sunday:

1. J.D. Vance defends Trump's cabinet picks

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

Brennan opened the interview with a barrage of questions that brought up concerns surrounding some of Trump's cabinet picks, specifically Pete Hegseth and Tulsi Gabbard.

Brennan began by questioning how effective Pete Hegseth could be as Secretary of Defence, given that he was confirmed with a tie in the Senate that VP Vance broke. Vance responded with a quick breakdown of all of the issues the military is currently facing. Vance argued that Hegseth's unpopularity in the Senate results from his being a disruptor.

Brennan also attacked Tulsi Gabbard, calling her unfit for the title of "Director of National Intelligence." Vance defended Gabbard, citing her formidable resume and strong character. Vance also discussed the corruption of our intelligence services, which out-of-control bureaucrats have weaponized against the interests of the American people. He expressed his belief that Gabbard would be the right person to reign in the corruption and return the National Intelligence Service to its intended purpose.

2. J.D. Vance explains how Trump's economic policies will lower consumer prices

Brandon Bell / Staff | Getty Images

Brennan pushed Vance on the economy, specifically questioning when prices for consumer goods would begin to fall. Vance explained that within the plethora of executive orders issued by Trump during his first week in office, many were aimed at bringing more jobs back into America, which will raise wages and lower prices. Other orders will boost energy production, which will reduce energy costs and decrease the costs of goods.

3. J.D. Vance sheds light on needed FEMA reforms

ROBYN BECK / Staff | Getty Images

Brennan drilled Vance on President Trump's proposed FEMA reforms, specifically regarding Trump's suggestion to send states a percentage of federal disaster relief funds so that they can quickly distribute aid rather than wait on federal action. While Brennen argued that FEMA has specialists and resources that states would not have access to, leaving people without aid, Vance argued that recent disasters, like Hurricane Helene, have proven that FEMA's current bureaucratic red tape deprived Americans of immediate aid when they needed it most.

4. J.D. Vance defends Trump's mass deportations

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / Contributor | Getty Images

Vance defended Trump's decision to allow ICE to conduct raids into churches and schools against Brennen's criticisms, arguing that law enforcement should remove a dangerous criminal from a school or church, regardless of their immigration status. He also advocated for Trump's proposed changes to birthright citizenship to prevent illegal immigrants from abusing the constitutional amendment by having "anchor babies" on U.S. soil.

Vance also took a hard stance supporting Trump suspension of admitting Afghan refugees. Brennan argued that Afghan refugees were going through a thorough vetting process and were now being abandoned by the U.S. However, Vance cited the foiled terrorist attack in Oklahoma City during Trump's 2024 campaign that was orchestrated by an Afghan refugee, who was allegedly vetted by federal agents. The vetting process is clearly flawed, and it was a prudent decision to halt the admission of these refugees until further notice.

5. J.D. Vance insists that Trump will still reign in Big Tech

PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / Contributor | Getty Images

To wrap up the interview, Brennan questioned the Trump administration's stance on Big Tech given the attendance of the industry's biggest names at Trump's inauguration, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. Vance assured Brennan that Trump is still resolved to curb the power and influence of Big Tech.

Top THREE reasons the U.S. NEEDS Greenland

EMIL STACH / Contributor | Getty Images

Are Trump's repeated promises to claim Greenland for the U.S. just belligerent imperialism or a deft move to secure the future of America?

During his patriotic inaugural address, President Trump reiterated his campaign promise to expand American territories, including securing U.S. control over Greenland. This is not a new idea despite what the mainstream media may claim.

The idea of buying Greenland was originally introduced by progressive hero Woodrow Wilson in 1917 as an attempt to secure the homeland as America was gearing up to enter the First World War. The second attempt came after World War II when President Truman tried to buy the island from Denmark in another attempt to shore up national security, this time against the Soviets. Since then, Trump floated the idea in 2019, which was met with much the same ridicule as now.

The truth is that the acquisition of Greenland represents far more than just an outlet for repressed imperialist desires. It would be one of America's best investments in a long time, which is why we've been eyeballing it for so long. Here are three reasons the U.S. needs Greenland:

Strategic Military Position

THOMAS TRAASDAHL / Contributor | Getty Images

For the majority of the 20th century, Europe was the region from which a foreign attack on American soil could be launched: the Germans for the first half of the century, and the Russians for the second half. On both occasions, Greenland stood between our foreign enemies and the United States.

After the World War II, America was the official military defender of Greenland, per an agreement with Denmark. Under this agreement, the U.S. built Pituffik Air Force Base, a remote base 750 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Due to its location, approximately halfway between D.C. and Moscow, the Pentagon still views Pituffik as a vital component of America's nuclear defense.

The U.S. also built a secret base within the ice cap known as Camp Century. Camp Century was part scientific outpost, part nuclear-tipped ballistic missile silo built in the ice to withstand a direct atomic strike. The nearly two miles of icy tunnels were powered by a nuclear reactor and were designed to survive a nuclear first strike, and return fire. Although abandoned in 1967, Camp Century still symbolizes the strategic importance of Greenland for U.S. security.

Untapped Resources

OLIVIER MORIN / Contributor | Getty Images

While Greenland's population is a mere 56,000, the island has a total landmass nearly three times the size of Texas. According to a 2009 geological assessment, a whopping 30 percent of the Earth's undiscovered natural gas, and 13 percent of its undiscovered oil is locked away beneath Greenland's icy ground. There are also untapped deposits of valuable rare earth metals including copper, graphite, and lithium.

Neither Greenland nor Denmark have any real plans to tap into this immense wealth trapped beneath the ice, but it could prove crucial for ending the West's dependency on China. China has the global market cornered on rare earth minerals- including America. We acquire 72 percent of our rare earth mineral imports from China, making us entirely dependent on them for the manufacturing of many essential goods. Tapping Greenland's natural resources would help free America, and the West, from China's yolk.

Polar Silk Road

mark peterson / Contributor | Getty Images

In 2018 China launched an ambitious project that aimed to cut the travel time of cargo vessels between its ports and European markets in half. China, in collaboration with Russia, plans on developing new shipping routes through the Arctic Ocean. This bold new strategy, dubbed the "Polar Silk Road," has been made possible thanks to new tech, including a fleet of Russian, nuclear-powered icebreakers, the latest of which is capable of breaking through nearly 10 feet of ice.

With clear waterways from eastern China and Northern Europe, it won't be long before the first cargo ships brave the frigid sea and China looks to the next leg of the journey: the Northwest Passage. The Northwest Passage is the area of sea between Canada and the North Pole that would be an optimal shipping route between America's East Coast and Asia if it wasn't frozen over most of the year. But with new technology, we may be able to overcome the challenges of the ice and open the passage to commercial traffic, and Greenland is positioned directly on the passage's easternmost mouth.

Greenland would quickly become a key location along the Northwestern Passage, acting as a sentinel of the east, with the ability to control traffic through the trade route. If China or Russia were to take control of Greenland, they would dominate the Northwestern Passage, along with the rest of the new northern trade routes.

Is Romania squashing its own 'Trump' candidate?

DANIEL MIHAILESCU / Contributor | Getty Images

This week the streets of Bucharest, the capital of Romania, erupted in protest after the Constitutional Courts annulled the recent first round of the presidential election after the "far-right" candidate won.

The government is lying to you. If you have been listening to Glenn for a long time you already know that, and you also know that if you try to call attention to the lies you get labeled a conspiracy theorist or "far-right." This is not only true in America but across the world. Politicians cheat, steal, and grab power, then lie about all of it. This is the root of countless issues across every government on the planet, and recently Romania has become the latest example of this unfortunate phenomenon.

But what is really happening in Romania? Was this an actual attempt to stamp out someone who would shed light on lies and corruption? Or did the Romanian government put a stop to a genuine bad actor?

The Election

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

On December 6th, 2024, the Romanian Constitutional Court canceled the second round of the presidential election amid claims of Russian interference. The second round of the election would have seen right-wing candidate, Calin Georgescu face off against pro-European centrist Elena Lasconi.

The trouble surrounds Georgescu, who stands accused of using Russian aid to run an unprecedented social media campaign that helped him win an election pollsters claimed he stood no chance of winning. Georgescu's rapid rise in popularity on social media does raise some eyebrows, and to add to the suspicion he declared he had zero campaign spending. On the other hand, Georgescu's supporters claim that his quick rise to stardom and underdog victory is due to the growing resentment for the ever-out-of-touch political elite.

Georgescu's Platform

Andrei Pungovschi / Stringer | Getty Images

Georgescu rose to prominence on a platform many of his detractors have labeled "far-right," "pro-Russian," and "populist" (sound familiar?). His positions include supporting Romanian farmers, increasing Romanian self-reliance, and increasing local energy production. Georgescu has been lauded for his message of hope and vision for the future and his dedication to truth, freedom, and sovereignty.

Georgescu is also a vocal Christian and a supporter of the Romanian Orthodox Church. He has questioned the climate change and COVID-19 narrative as well as NATO and the war in Ukraine, which is how he earned his "Pro-Russian" monicker. Georgescu promised to respect and honor its obligations to the EU and NATO, but only to the extent that they respect Romania and its interests.

What Happens Next?

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

After Georgescu's unexpected victory, the Romanian Constitutional Courts annulled the election's first round and scheduled it to restart on May 4th. As of now, it is unclear whether Georgescu will be allowed to participate in the new election. This act by the Constitutional Courts triggered mass protests in the capital, Bucharest, and has caused many Romainians to question the state of democracy within their country.

Many of the protesters are calling what happened a coup and are demanding the election be allowed to continue to the second round. They are also calling for the resignation of current President Klaus Iohannis, who has maintained power thanks to the incomplete elections. Georgescu has officially challenged the court's decision and even made a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights, but it is unclear if his appeal will make any difference.