Trump Supporter Calls to Apologize and Forgive: 'You're My Fellow Brothers.'

November 09, 2016

Writer

Following a bloody and divisive 2016 election season, Glenn looked for ways to begin healing on Wednesday, the day after Donald Trump's historic win.

"I want to hear how you're feeling today, and if you want to gloat, it is gloat fest. If you want to gloat, feel free to call us," Glenn said, encouraging listeners to call in.

Glenn took two calls from two very different listeners.

Reese from Pennsylvania called to compliment Glenn and crew on their election night coverage.

"I think last night's room was a really great microcosm of what a lot of rooms in America were last night, that we may disagree on policy, but we agree on principle. And we can get there together," Reese said.

Nate from Virginia, a Trump supporter and previous caller, approached things from a different angle.

"I want to tell you guys, after last night and early this morning, there was a burden that's been lifted off me. I don't hate you guys anymore," Nate said.

Nate took it one step further, apologizing for his hatred and identifying how to start rebuilding the nation together.

"We're going to start with the Constitution. And I know you guys were behind that 100 percent, so let's start there," he said.

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

• What did Reese praise Tomi Lahren for?

• Where can Stu and Tomi find common ground?

• How did Nate describe his last call to The Glenn Beck Program?

• Which presidency compares to the difficulty Trump will face?

• How did Glenn respond to Nate's heartfelt apology?

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

GLENN: I want to take -- I want to take some of your phone calls. We want to get into his acceptance speech here in a second. But I want to hear how you're feeling today. And if you want to gloat, it is gloat fest. If you want to gloat, feel free to call us. We'll even play the song for you.

Reese in Pennsylvania. Hello, Reese. Oh, Reese is gone.

Are you there, Reese?

CALLER: I am. Can you hear me?

GLENN: Oh, hi. Yes, I can.

CALLER: First of all, thank you, guys. All of you, for everything you did last night.

I hung in there with you until about 2:30.

GLENN: Wow.

CALLER: And really appreciate everything you guys did.

PAT: Nice.

CALLER: Second of all, I wanted to give a lot of props to Tomi Lahren. It was obvious that she was sort of the odd man out in the room last night at least.

PAT: She was outnumbered. There was no question. She was outnumbered.

CALLER: At least at the beginning. And you talk about gloat fest, she had every opportunity to, "I told you so," to every person in the room, and she didn't.

You know, before this election, before last night's coverage, Tomi wasn't really on my radar. I was -- I'm 38. I'm not a millennial or at least I don't identify with millennials. And seeing her last night and keeping her poise and keeping her professionalism and moving forward -- I think last night's room was a really great microcosm of what a lot of rooms in America were last night, that we may disagree, but -- on policy, but we agree on principle. And we can get there together.

GLENN: We -- I tell you --

CALLER: So thank you for that.

GLENN: Honestly, at TheBlaze -- TheBlaze programming management, they even thought of at one point not doing election coverage because they said everybody is too divided. And our case was, "No, no, no. That's exactly what it should be. It should be --

PAT: Because the that's where America is.

GLENN: Yeah, that's where America is. A group of people coming together and saying, "We got to work this out."

CALLER: Exactly.

GLENN: At times, it was tough to do, tough to even endure. And I don't know if it was tough to watch. But it was -- it was one of the more tough things I've ever had to do.

CALLER: And I'm really glad, Glenn, that somebody at some point finally got Tomi a blanket. You could see on television how cold that poor thing was. I've been married long enough to know when it's cold --

STU: Look, Tomi and I have not agreed on everything as we go to the election obviously, but I mean, I fully agree with her opinion on how freaking cold this room is. We can unite right there.

JEFFY: Once the results came in, she seemed to be warmer.

PAT: She and Sarah Gonzalez were both just out of their minds cold last night. Sarah was like, "I can't feel my hands. I've lost all feeling in my --

CALLER: But thank you guys very much for you do.

GLENN: Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

CALLER: This is where the unity begins, and you guys are doing it in true form. Thank you.

GLENN: Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Last night -- you know, what are the things we all did? And I don't know about -- well, Stu drank. You didn't play your guitar. You brought your guitar in --

PAT: It's just -- it's too loud. And so I couldn't -- I didn't know where it fit.

GLENN: Okay. I painted the night.

PAT: Painting was much quieter.

GLENN: Yeah, it was very quiet. But I have to tell you, it's what got me through. I said to everybody yesterday, whatever you have to do to relax --

JEFFY: I had to watch my porn on mute, but I made it through okay.

(laughter)

GLENN: Yeah. Right. And you were very relaxed. You didn't say anything, except, "Oh, yes," a few times, which was disturbing when we were reading the election results.

PAT: Creepy.

GLENN: But strangely, it kind of worked for a lot of people.

JEFFY: Yeah.

GLENN: Let me go to Nate in Virginia. Hello, Nate.

CALLER: Hey. Hey, how are you guys doing this morning?

PAT: Good.

CALLER: I'm listening to WLNI 105.9. They carry you guys.

GLENN: Yes. Thank you.

CALLER: Listen, can I tell you something? I'm a -- well, I was a Trump supporter. I called you maybe four months ago because you were inviting Trump supporters to call and explain themselves. And we had a long conversation.

GLENN: Yes.

CALLER: I was perhaps, if you remember, the gloomiest conversation you've probably ever heard.

STU: That's a challenge on this show.

GLENN: Yeah.

CALLER: Right. Yeah. I know.

GLENN: Those don't stand out.

CALLER: I hated you guys for a long time now.

GLENN: You hated us?

CALLER: Hated us -- hated you guys. You know, I'm a conservative person.

PAT: Because of Trump?

CALLER: Yeah, because of everything that happened.

I want to tell you guys, after last night and early this morning, there was a burden that's been lifted off me. I don't hate you guys anymore.

STU: That's awesome.

CALLER: I understand you guys. Even though I didn't want to listen to you guys, I still did, like an idiot. And that made me even angrier.

GLENN: So what happened today? What happened today?

CALLER: It was like when I got saved, to be honest with you.

PAT: Well, Trump won, right?

CALLER: Something came and took away all that hatred inside of me that I had for you guys, and it's released, and it's gone. And I don't have any other explanation for it. I know where you stand. I know everything about you guys, but you're my brothers. You're my fellow brothers. We're conservatives.

And I'm sorry. Can I apologize to the listener, to you for hating you? Because all's it did was hurt me in the end, you know what I mean?

PAT: Yeah.

STU: Wow.

GLENN: Wow. Nate, this is the nicest call --

CALLER: And I just want to let you guys know that I love you, and we're going to build this nation again.

GLENN: We are.

CALLER: And we're going to start with the Constitution. And I know you guys were behind that 100 percent, so let's start there. And let's worry about the problems when they come. This is -- I pity Donald Trump because he's got a lot on his plate and he's got to come through for us, you know. He's got to.

STU: It's a tough job.

GLENN: I will tell you, this is going to be the hardest job any president has had possibly since Abraham Lincoln.

CALLER: Yeah, no, it's going to be rough.

GLENN: This is going to be a difficult four years.

STU: That was a great call.

PAT: Yeah, thanks.

STU: That was awesome. Thank you for doing that.

GLENN: Nate, can't thank you enough. Thank you. Thank you. And apology accepted. And our apologies to you if we did anything that -- that caused you to hate. Caused you to hate. That happens.

STU: Oh, there's lots of -- people hate us all the time for real, legitimate reasons all the time.

GLENN: Yeah, I hate these people who like have seen one clip of me on YouTube and hate me.

PAT: And that's not the case here.

GLENN: He's watched me for a while. Listened to me for a while. Come up with some good reasons.

JEFFY: You can build up some serious --

GLENN: Yeah, no. You can have a really legitimate case to hate me.

STU: And, by the way, you played the clip earlier. That -- to me, that's what this means. This is -- when you have a president -- there's a lot of things we've said about Donald Trump and things I believe are real negatives. And I'm a skeptic going into this. However, with every president, left, right, Barack Obama, you get a clean slate when you go into that job. Because you're trying to analyze what a president will be, you have to look at their past and what they've done. That's how you do it. But there's no reason to look at that once they get into office. You judge them on the job they've done.

GLENN: It is a complete -- in fact, may I suggest this? Would you, in our audio archives, Pat, will you go and delete every negative thing on Donald Trump, everything that he said during the campaign --

PAT: Yeah. As soon as the show is over, I'm going to do that today.

GLENN: Yeah, delete it. Delete all. It's a clean slate. We start with the man he is today. And there's -- and I can't -- Nate, thank you for that call. It means the world to us. It really does. But let me -- let me say this, the ones we really need to reach out to are the people who are truly afraid today. They really, truly believe that Donald Trump is going to be the death of us.

Now --

PAT: And we believed that about Obama.

GLENN: Yeah. And, quite honestly --

PAT: To the very depths of our being.

GLENN: Quite honestly, if it wasn't that I have weathered Barack Obama, I would be saying the same thing today about Donald Trump.

PAT: Yeah.

GLENN: I -- I have my issues that everybody knows. However, clean slate. We will survive -- we'll survive anybody. We will, if we stay together.

Don't dismiss those people who are afraid. Don't allow yourself to be dragged into what we just went through. Because, listen, what did we just go through? We just went through a year where, listen to what he just said, "The only one who lost was me." In many ways, I feel the same way: The only one who lost was me. Because we couldn't even talk to each other anymore.

I want you to listen to next hour. Because I want to tell you a story about my grandmother. And I want to tell you a story about --

PAT: Plutarch?

GLENN: You're such a jerk. Somebody else's family that missed 20 years. Somebody -- Ronald Reagan.

I want to tell you a story about Ronald Reagan that you need to hear today. Because it's happened in my family with me and my grandmother, and I so regret it.

I think of my grandmother Beck, who my grandfather Beck was not a good guy. And I was not close to him at all. And I -- I was spooked by him, quite honestly. Didn't like him.

But my grandmother was sweet. And my grandmother, quite honestly, was an abused woman. And I didn't know that.

PAT: Hmm.

GLENN: And my grandmother, when she would see me -- the only real memory I have of my grandmother is, A, reading to me, which nobody used to read to me when I was a kid. My mom didn't read to me, my dad didn't read to me. My grandmother did. And only my Grandma Beck. And the other was, she had a lot of grandchildren. But I was the only one that she would bake a pie for when I would come over.

If I was coming, she would make lemon merengue pie, and it was just for me. And she made the best lemon merengue pie. My grandmother died asking, "When will Glenn come and visit me?"

I didn't because of my own stupidity and fear and history and awkwardness because it became too late and I didn't know how to say it and I didn't know what to do. And I so regret it.

Let me share a story of another broken family that you will -- we're not a country. We're family.

And I always say, "Well, it's blood. You're born into it. And you don't choose your family." Yes, you do. I chose. I chose. And I chose incorrectly.

You can stop calling your brothers and sisters and stop seeing your brothers and sisters and stop going to -- but you go usually -- you go because you know you have to. Because in the end, we're family.

We have to choose today. Are we family? Or are we people that just live in the same planet in the same space at the same time?

Let's choose family.

Featured Image: The Glenn Beck Program, November 9, 2016.

Without civic action, America faces collapse

JEFF KOWALSKY / Contributor | Getty Images

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

I slept through high school civics class. I memorized the three branches of government, promptly forgot them, and never thought of that word again. Civics seemed abstract, disconnected from real life. And yet, it is critical to maintaining our republic.

Civics is not a class. It is a responsibility. A set of habits, disciplines, and values that make a country possible. Without it, no country survives.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Civics happens every time you speak freely, worship openly, question your government, serve on a jury, or cast a ballot. It’s not a theory or just another entry in a textbook. It’s action — the acts we perform every day to be a positive force in society.

Many of us recoil at “civic responsibility.” “I pay my taxes. I follow the law. I do my civic duty.” That’s not civics. That’s a scam, in my opinion.

Taking up the torch

The founders knew a republic could never run on autopilot. And yet, that’s exactly what we do now. We assume it will work, then complain when it doesn’t. Meanwhile, the people steering the country are driving it straight into a mountain — and they know it.

Our founders gave us tools: separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, elections. But they also warned us: It won’t work unless we are educated, engaged, and moral.

Are we educated, engaged, and moral? Most Americans cannot even define a republic, never mind “keep one,” as Benjamin Franklin urged us to do after the Constitutional Convention.

We fought and died for the republic. Gaining it was the easy part. Keeping it is hard. And keeping it is done through civics.

Start small and local

In our homes, civics means teaching our children the Constitution, our history, and that liberty is not license — it is the space to do what is right. In our communities, civics means volunteering, showing up, knowing your sheriff, attending school board meetings, and understanding the laws you live under. When necessary, it means challenging them.

How involved are you in your local community? Most people would admit: not really.

Civics is learned in practice. And it starts small. Be honest in your business dealings. Speak respectfully in disagreement. Vote in every election, not just the presidential ones. Model citizenship for your children. Liberty is passed down by teaching and example.

Samuel Corum / Stringer | Getty Images

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Start with yourself. Study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and state laws. Study, act, serve, question, and teach. Only then can we hope to save the republic. The next election will not fix us. The nation will rise or fall based on how each of us lives civics every day.

Civics isn’t a class. It’s the way we protect freedom, empower our communities, and pass down liberty to the next generation.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn's Show Prep

Trump Supporter Calls to Apologize and Forgive: 'You're My Fellow Brothers.'

Without civic action, America faces collapse

Every vote, jury duty, and act of engagement is civics in action, not theory. The republic survives only when citizens embrace responsibility.

We assume America will survive automatically, but every generation must learn to carry the weight of freedom.

Taking up the torch

Start small and local

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Picking up his torch

Two turning points, decades apart

A time for courage

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

The critical difference: Rights from the Creator, not the state

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

From Muhammad to Marx

Gifts from God, not the state