RADIO

Ron DeSantis: How COURAGE made Florida America's red state

When Ron DeSantis came into office in 2018, people advised him to ‘not make waves.’ But ‘I rejected that advice,’ Governor DeSantis tells Glenn. And because he decided to unwaveringly stand for the freedom of his people, DeSantis successfully transformed Florida from a swing state in ‘the leading red state in America.’ Governor DeSantis joins Glenn to discuss how he found the courage to take the actions necessary to do just that.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Hello, governor. How are you, sir?

RON: I'm doing great, thanks for having me.

GLENN: How is your wife and children?

RON: Excellent. Thanks for asking.

GLENN: Good. Good.

All right. I want to talk to you a little bit about your book. Which is not really kind of angst-driven. It's not personal reflections on your childhood, and, oh, my gosh, I had this.

This is really just about the blueprint, and how you did the things that you did. Correct?

RON: Yeah. I mean, look, Glenn, I came into office in 2018, having won by 32,000 votes. Pass a percentage point. And people told me, hey. You're in the typical -- the perennial swing state, you barely got in. Don't make waves.

Trim your sails a little bit. And I rejected that advice.

And my view was, I may have gotten 50 percent of the vote, but I earned 100 percent of the executive power. And I am going to use that, to advance an agenda that's in the best interest in the state of Florida.

And I talk about how I did in different ways. But the end result was, four years later, I won reelection by 1.5 million votes.

And we've now turned Florida, into really the leading red state in America.

GLENN: Oh.

RON: And people don't talk about Florida as a swing state. So the lesson for other governors, other states is boldness is your friend.

If you lead, and you're doing what the people want you to do. It doesn't matter what the media says about you. It doesn't matter what the left says about you. People see the result. And they respond.

It wasn't just Republicans that voted for us in 2022. We had independents, Democrats, and built a huge coalition. I think that's replicable in these other states.

GLENN: Well, I personally, I have one complaint with you, and that is you have wrecked the home prices in Florida for everybody who is outside trying to buy one.

So, anyway, the -- when you say, you know, I have institutional power. I have power of -- of the CEO, if you will, of the state.

But the thing I like about you.

And I would like you to talk about it. I know you talk about it in the book.

You're not being a dictator. You're getting these things passed. So you're changing laws. How did you get the -- the House and the Senate to work with you, instead of just being a cowboy just blazing a trail and no followers?

RON: Well, I point out. I get into office. I'm the youngest governor in the country, 40 years old. I had military background.

But I was a junior officer. It's not like I commanded a lot of things, but I learned from that structure. You know, I was never like a business executive. But I think what I brought to the table, was I had an understanding of the pressure points in a constitutional system. It's just things I had studied, I had written about. And, of course, I had been in the legislative branch, at the federal level.

So I knew there were certain things I could do myself. I knew there were certain things that I may need the legislative concurrence for, but they likely would have to give it, based on what I was doing.

Then there were things I had to get the legislature to really get my team for.

Also, how do you relate to local government?

One of the first things I did in Florida, when I became governor was change the election supervisors in South Florida, got rid of the sheriff of Broward County, who bungled the Parkland. And then later I fired George Soros back -- prosecutor in Tampa. And so you have a sense of kind of where you can go.

So there are things you can do to leverage your institutional power, to make it easier to be able to work for the legislators.

Just, for example, we in Florida have a line item detail. President of the United States does not have that.

We're in a legislative session. These guys may have some projects, they want in the budget. Well, look, I have discretion whether I approve or veto them, and you're much more likely to get your projects approved, if you've been on the team and you're helping us fulfill our agenda.

So that's just one example where you have some ability to shape the battlefield in your favor.

GLENN: Your book is called the courage to be free. And I remember when you started walking out on COVID. That had to be terrifying. And everybody had to be around you, going. Don't do it. You don't know how this will work out.

Bought you did it. Where does the courage come from?

And how can others learn to have that kind of courage?

RON: Well, in a situation like COVID, it's mass hysteria. But I said, look, I'm the decider. They elected me. They didn't elect some health bureaucrat to run the state of Florida. I have to make these decisions. And I had to familiarize myself with the data. And it was clear to me, pretty early on, that, you know what, this Fauciism is not right. It's not working.

It's destructive. And there's a better path. And I did not know how it was going to work out for me politically, Glenn. In fact, a lot of my supporters were very concerned.

I would get phone calls about, why aren't you imposing mass? Or why are you letting people go to theme parks and all this other stuff?

But I just told myself, look, my job is to protect the people that elected me. Not to look out for my own. And if it doesn't work out for me, so be it. But I will be able to look in that mirror and say, you know what, when it was hot in the kitchen, I stood in there, and I did what was right for the people of Florida.

Now, it turned out that people respected that I stood up for them. Because they didn't have a voice really anywhere else. And they ended up rewarding me. But certainly in those early weeks or months, I was getting fileted more than any other governor in the country. I was very popular going into COVID. I mean, I don't do polls.

But everyone said, my popularity plummeted. And that's just the way it is. But when you're in these things, the daily kind of back and forth. There are ups and downs.

But the question is: Where is true north? And are you going to be able to get to true North?

I had to just block all that out, and do what I thought was right.

GLENN: So what is your true north?

RON: Well, I think in this case, the True North was, I could not allow our society in Florida, to collapse under the weight of Fauciism.
I mean, we have a tourism-based economy.

We have so many people that depended on this state being vibrant. I also had a lot of elderly people that we were really concerned about. And we did a lot to target whatever support they needed. Such as treatment and the like, to do that.

But we had to keep things going. I understood that, instinctively. And we had to navigate very treacherous waters, to be able to get that done.

Beyond that, what is true north?

When I talk about the courage to be free. What I'm recognizing, is, the threats to our freedom are not just from bad government policy. Yes. At the state level. We are doing good policy. We're protecting your freedom from the government of Florida. That's important. We're fighting back against Biden.

And we're dealing with logical governments, when they get out of control. Very important. But there's a lot of power building exercised in an ideological way. By corporate America. By big tech. By all these other institutions. So when you recognize that, and you stand up to fight against it, they are not going down without a fight. They come at you. Leadership is not cost-free.

So you just have to understand that, when you're going in, that these are not easy fights. That you are going to face blowback, you are going to face smears. But if you stand in there, and you don't give an inch. And you just keep speaking the truth. People will respond. And they will have your back. And that's what happened in the state of Florida. You know, the media could say. By the time I came up for reelection. The media could say whatever they wanted about me. And our supporters did not believe a word of it. They had my back. And they made sure we won a historic victory.

GLENN: Let me ask you. In politics, people care much less about the individual than they do the giant corporations. Because it's easier to raise money.

And you need those guys on -- on board. You have taken all of the sacred cows. And gone after them.

And you have also just -- you have the best legislation.

I wish -- I wish every state in the union, would pass your legislation on ESG.

It is the best.

And you've taken this on.

You've taken Disney on.

Where do you get your support just from the people, or do you have institutional support?

Are there people inside these institutions, that are saying, oh, thank God?
(laughter)

RON: Yeah. Look, I think when we're talking about things like ESG. We are also in this legislative session, we will eliminate the DEI bureaucracies and all of our state universities.

And there's a lot of Democrats, Glenn. They can't say it, but they don't like some of this stuff, that's coming down the pike.

They don't want their kids to have to potentially suffer negative consequences based on the color of their skin. So there is some quiet support.

GLENN: Correct.

RON: But you know what I found in terms of like standing up to the big interests is, at the end of -- because some politicians are like, oh, man, I need to raise money from them. They're going to come after me. All this stuff. At the end of the day, doing the good policy, exercising the leadership, and delivering the results, that is more important than any campaign, financial support, or any of that.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

RON: So sometimes these elected officials, they think like, okay. I get in office, and I need to raise money so I stay in office.

You don't never to do that, if you're doing a good job. Then when the money comes in against you, it doesn't work. Because people see the results. And, oh, by the way, even though I came into office standing against big sugar, which is a massively powerful interest in Florida. We fought Disney. We fought the pharmaceuticals. We fought across-the-board. I still raised more money than any governor candidate in the history of Florida. Part of it, we have a lot of grassroots. Part of it, we have a lot of wealth moving into Florida. Who basically said, I need DeSantis to be governor. Because if I just left New York or Illinois, I don't want to see Florida turn into that, so there was a reason why they did it.

But then, Glenn, what happened was, I flipped it around. We run the show. We run the agenda.

Some of these businesses and stuff, they just want to -- they want to help me out. Because they don't want to be the next Disney.

And so I think we have it going in a good direction. That's the way it should be.

Don't be subservient to the chamber of commerce. They should be coming to you, asking how they can help you, not the other way around.

GLENN: I'm not saying that you are running for president.

But I'm not not saying that artery.

If someone like you were to run for president, could this be done on a national level?

RON: So I think all the ideas that we talk about in the book, and the successes we have, I do think there's a majority of the American people that would support it. If you think about it, Florida has been a microcosm of the country for a long time.

You know, if we're winning places like Miami-Dade County, you know, that's going to bode well for other parts of the country. Now, if you talk about at the federal level, there are certain things that may be easier, actually to do. Because I think that with the vast administrative state. If you have a determined executive, who knows how to use those levers of power, I think you could do a complete upheaval of the Deep State. I think there's a lot of things you can do from executive and administratively, that will really get our country on a good footing.

Now, dealing with the Congress, is a little bit different than dealing with the state legislature. I mean, most of the citizens of Florida, don't know their legislatures that much.

They know. So what they want, the Republican governors, you better be supporting the governor. As you get into Washington, some of these guys, you know, have their own brands and all that.

And I'm not saying it can't be done. But you have to go into that with the right frame of mind. And say, okay.

How do you corral these guys to be able to land really important legislative -- but you have to do both.

You can't just be successful on executive action and ignore the legislative. And if you're successful in legislative, you can't be somebody that is not willing to really go in and upend this entrenched, highly politicized bureaucracy that's developed.
GLENN: Governor Ron DeSantis, the name of the book. It came out yesterday. Already number one. The Courage to be Free. Authored, and this is very rare. Authored by him. Every word. Authored by him.

And we will see you Saturday, sir. I have a lot more to -- a lot more to talk to you about. And we'll that do podcast on Saturday. We'll see you then.

RON: Okay. Godspeed. God bless.

GLENN: Courage to be free.

STU: By the way, the podcast comes out I guess the week of March 13th.

GLENN: March 13th. Yeah.

Are DC Prisons IGNORING Trump's J6 Pardons?!
RADIO

Are DC Prisons IGNORING Trump's J6 Pardons?!

Rumors have spread that prison officials in Washington DC are refusing to release many January 6th prisoners, despite President Trump’s pardons for 1500 of them. Sen. Mike Lee tells Glenn that this appears to be true. He explains how he has looked into the situation and argues, “from what we can tell, they haven’t complied with it yet. It’s yet another reason to revisit DC’s Home Rule, which I think should be repealed.” Sen. Lee also weighs in on why he believes Biden’s decision to pardon members of the Jan. 6 Committee will be GOOD for the Republic: since they can no longer plead the 5th, “we can finally get to the bottom of exactly what happened.” So, will Congress “subpoena the heck out of” them?

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: So I wanted to ask you, you tweeted something last night. Is DC ignoring Trump's pardons? If it is, then this is definitely a time to repeal DC home rule.

You had me at the word "repeal." DC's government has no right to exist constitutionally. Congress shouldn't have delegated its law-making authority over DC. It's time to take it back.

I love you. Okay. Tell me what this means.

MIKE: What this means is that Congress needs to do its job. We've had a problem for a long time with Congress delegating its lawmaking power to unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats.

We've got a corresponding problem, in that, we're supposed to be the lawmaker for the District of Columbia. Article one, section eight, clause 17, sometimes known as the enclave clause, gives us that power.

We've been delegating that to the DC government for about a half century. The results have been disastrous. The results have been a government that doesn't serve the interest of the people well. It's a radical leftist regime that runs it. Our schools are failing. Crime rates are soring.

And last night, from what we can tell, after Trump issued a pardon for a number of prisoners involved with January 6, there were only two released last night. And I spoke to someone last night. Who had gone down personally to the DC jail. Saw that only two of them had been released. And jail officials at the DC jail, announced that they would be releasing any more last night.

Now, this is not hard, Glenn. Did he have names? And they have pardons. They can identify those prisoners who have been pardoned.

Trump's direct influence is that they were to be released immediately, as one should, when one sees that somebody has been pardoned.

And they still weren't out. So we're still trying to get names, numbers. And verify it, how this is happening. But from what we can tell. They haven't complied with it, yet.

It's yet another reason to revisit DC's home rule. Which I think should be repealed.

GLENN: That's extraordinary.

That they would be that bold and say, because everybody was watching them. Last night.

I haven't heard this reported, I mean, CNN is the only thing I can get in this hotel. By the way, if anybody on my staff, books me at a hipster hotel one more time, heads will roll! I want actual furniture, not bean bags. Thank you.

STU: The hipster hotel feels exactly the same way, by the way.

GLENN: What did you say?

MIKE: They were very popular with the deputies. I will say.

GLENN: Oh, they're very popular. And who wouldn't love them. I'm not 18 years old anymore, please book me in an adult room.

Anyway, I was watching CNN last night, and they had, you know, people stationed out there. And they were just complaining that criminals that had killed police officers on January 6th were just being released. You're saying that there's only two that were released last night?

And nothing yet this morning, that you know of?

MIKE: That's right.

Former staffer Sean Peterson was down at the DC jail. And he said, that they released two of them through a back door, and then a jail official said, we're not releasing any more tonight. Even though, there were apparently many more to be released.

Now, again, Trump did -- Glenn, these are people, who have been pardoned. And this is a government that has done like -- things like this for a long time.

I've got story after story, of horrible things. You know, DC allows noncitizens voting in your local elections. You know how difficult that can be. To disentangle people who were casting votes in local elections. From those who were voting in true federal elections.

That is a problem in and of itself. You've also got the fact that they've just -- time after time.

They've taken positions that harm the people of DC. Make everything more expensive.

These guys have high tax rates. They spend like crazy. In education. Yet, they have one of those failing school systems in the entire country.

You want to know something interesting. Four years ago, an elite unit from the Utah National Guard was out here in DC. Protecting DC. Protecting the White House from the violence that was erupting in the summer of 2020, in the city.

In the middle of the night, after they had gone through a 36-hour shift. None of these guys had slept in 36 hours. They had worked all night and all day. And all day the next day.

They were evicted by the opposite of the mayor of the DC government. These are the kind of people these are. And they've been begging --

GLENN: Well.

MIKE: For a long time. We need it now. They've been begging for it, by the terrible things they do.

GLENN: I want to cut the mayor of DC some slack. Because they might have been high on crack. And -- and I think that -- because that is a tradition, isn't it, Stu?

For DC mayors to be high on crack.

STU: Yeah. I think it's part of the job subscription.

GLENN: Part of the deal.

You have to at least be high on crack occasionally, at least.

So, Mike, is this going to gain any traction?

What are you going to do?

MIKE: Well, the first thing we have to do is make sure that these prisoners who have been pardoned are, in fact, released.

But I think the word needs to spread. Obviously, this is a niche issue. It really is a local issue, and it's an issue that is very emotional for many of the people who live and around the area.

But I think more and more residents of DC are getting wise to the fact, that something is not working right.

GLENN: Well, hang on. What would this mean for the judicial system?

Because you can't get a fair trial here, in Washington, DC.

And, you know, anything goes wrong in Washington, DC. Anybody commits any crimes, in the Capitol, or in the White House. It's all tried here, in Washington, DC.

And it's so corrupt. It's got to stop. What would this mean, for that system?

MIKE: Well, look, at least for the system of deciding who will be prosecuted. Who will be running the city, would change.

And you would start to see people prosecuted for more things like property crimes.

Sort of the Soros-funded prosecutor of the county has infected this city. And it shows. I lost count of how many members of Congress.

And how many staff members, of members of Congress. People I interact with most when I'm in Washington, of course. Have been assaulted. Have been carjacked. Have been stabbed.

Have been robbed. Often in broad daylight. Often within a block or two, of the US Capitol. Which is one of the more heavily policed. Heavily secured locations anywhere in America.

And yet, this happens here. Because there is an environment of lawlessness. The more this happens, the more members of Congress are seeing that this isn't working. This is our Capitol city. It should be a shining city on a hill. We can't let it flip into this state of disrepair and other lawlessness.

GLENN: It would -- it would be helpful if people started tweeting. And started calling the senator or House member, and started some grassroot effort to repeal DC home rule. It might gather some attention. If people started doing that today.

Mike, let me ask you --

MIKE: I've been tweeting from my at base Mike Lee account. Repeal DC home rule.

So if people want to join in on this, you can retweet me. You can tweet on your own.

Send out a post on X, on any other social media platform. Contact your members of Congress, and tell them. Message is very simple: Repeal DC home rule.

GLENN: Mike, the idea that we can no longer go after Fauci or any of the people on January 6th.

What does that mean, to you?

MIKE: Well, what it means to me, first of all, is that these guys will have a hard time, perhaps an impossible time, invoking the Fifth Amendment.

Not if, but when. They're subpoenaed to testify with Congressional hearings.

Because if they've been pardoned, then one can rationally, logically conclude, that there's no risk of prosecution. And if that's the case, I don't think they can invoke their fifth amendment rights to remain silent.

And we can finally get to the bottom of exactly what happened.

It also means, that there was an understanding, that some things happened.

Some things happened, that would otherwise, likely be likely to lead to an investigation, if not criminal charges to be brought against some of these people.

GLENN: What are you -- because I watched enough CNN yesterday.

I watched CNN enough yesterday, to know that they're spinning this as, they're just doing this, as preemptive against Trump. Because he will go after these poor people.

MIKE: Yeah. So if you believe that, then you're likely somebody who believes Fauci in the first place. And you're quite possibly somebody who even after Anthony Fauci was caught repeatedly lying, in some cases under oath, to Rand Paul, and to -- and others who asked them questions.

But remember, Rand Paul was raising the question very early on. About gain-of-function research.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

MIKE: Tony Fauci repeatedly denied, that there was gain-of-function research happening. Of course, there was all the time.

They were covering it up.

They tried to use a different name to characterize it. It was still gain-of-function research.

Tony Fauci also spread the false rumor, that this was the result of, I don't know, haggling at a monkey, holding hands in a park somewhere, in Wuhan, and that produced the virus.
(laughter)

MIKE: And, you know, a lot of people were harmed as a result of this. The COVID deaths and illnesses, in and of themselves, were bad enough. And the predictable, foreseeable outcome of the US government funding gain of research activities, in places like Wuhan, a place that was known, to have a horrible hygiene record.

And that's how things like this happened.

People get hurt.

And then the country overreacts, and more bad things happen all over the place.

Yeah. This has got to be investigated.

And, yeah. President Biden to Tony Fauci placed real problems here. That's why Trump needed to act. And I'm glad that Trump is going to see to it, the truth comes out.

Biden may well be able to pardon. And he, in fact, did. But in some ways, that helps us get to the bottom of the truth. We've got to subpoena the heck out of these guys, and get the truth out of them.

GLENN: Because if they -- if they tell a lie on the witness stand.

If they know it what we now know, because of documents, to be the truth, they can be prosecuted for that lie, can they not?

MIKE: Yes. Yes.

Of course. Look, the whole point here, is we can't undo the damage these guys did.

And the point here is not to torment them for the sake of tormenting them. The bottom is that we've got to get to the bottom of the truth. Otherwise, this kind of pattern of abusive government continues to happen.

And I will flag here the fact, that if we understood the nature of the federal government. If we read the Constitution and understood the twin structural protections at the heart of it, the vertical protection that we call the federalism, the horizontal separation, we would call separation of powers.

This crap would end!

And so we've got to -- we've got to restore the movement in America.

Getting people to read and understand the Constitution.

Particularly, the structural Constitution, which has been badly neglected and bastardized over the last 80 years.

STU: Senator, somewhat related question, there was a Friday news dump from the New York Times, that outlined the six people who basically covered Joe Biden's decline, mentally over the past three years.

They identify them. They talk about them. And their motivations. And their tactics.

While -- you know, the way they describe it to the Times. It seems really, really bad. Maybe it's not illegal. But my if we say is there's a lot of texts and discovery that would lead us to a different conclusion on that. Is there a possibility that we look into that?

Is that the type of thing that we could do?

MIKE: It's certainly something that ought to be the topic of congressional investigations.

You know, whether or not people will testify, whether or not they will be able to invoke the Fifth Amendment. Privilege and self-incrimination.

Whether or not we'll find anything that is a game changer. Remains to be seen.

But we need to try. We need to ask questions. Because there's enough just on the face of things.

A lot of us saw the mental decline unfolding in real time, in slow motion. Only we saw just the small sliver of what was actually going on.

And then when you add to that, the fact that there was this sham debate, set up in June.

What was it?

Like the fourth week of June.

That was very curious.

That they were agreeing to a general election debate, before either candidate has gone through his national convention phase.

Before either candidate was officially the party nominee. And normally, you don't do that. Until the week before the general election.

And if they were doing this, I thought that was really curious, in and of itself.

But I think the fact that they scheduled it for June, without precedent in modern history. Is just as far as I can remember, indicates that there was some people, on the inside. Including on the inside of the White House.

Who knew there was a problem.

They needed a way to elbow Joe Biden out.

So if they knew that, at least by then, certainly they knew of more things that were happening.

And yet, nobody in the White House, nobody in the administration, was willing to support a 25th Amendment type of discussion. They just covered it up, and that's a real problem, especially when you look at all the problems that the Biden administration was creating. And the fact that we now have plenty of reasons to doubt, whether Biden was even conscious of all these decisions he was making. Somebody was doing that. Somebody was messing with America. But we need to know why, and how, and from whom?

GLENN: And who? And who?

You know, the revelation that came out from Mike Johnson about having -- Joe Biden having no idea what he was doing with natural gas is really very disturbing.

Is This the REAL Reason Trump’s Inauguration Was Moved Indoors?
RADIO

Is This the REAL Reason Trump’s Inauguration Was Moved Indoors?

President Donald Trump’s second inauguration ceremony was moved indoors allegedly because of cold weather – the first time the ceremony hasn’t been held outside since Ronald Reagan’s 1985 inauguration. But Glenn believes there was another reason for the move. Glenn speaks with former Department of Defense intelligence analyst and security expert Jason Buttrill, who agrees that Trump’s staff was likely concerned about security. But the possible threat is likely not domestic. Jason explains why he believes it’s international. Plus, Glenn reveals what he was told by a “cabinet level” source about the Secret Service’s preparedness.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Just saw Marine One moving towards the White House. That would probably be for the departure later of Joe Biden? They're having tea at the White House now. What is this? We're not England. Stop with the tea.

And if -- you know what, if I'm sitting in the morning, and I have to sit there with Jill and Joe Biden, put some whisky in that tea. In fact, just hold the tea. Just whisky. It will be an interesting day. Jason Buttrill is with us now. He's our head researcher, and national security kind of guy. And we're glad to have you here. It's been an interesting weekend, to see security. They put up, what is it? 34 miles of fence?

And this isn't chain linked. This is like especially designed fence for the Capitol. It is -- it's quite amazing, this fencing. You noticed it?

JASON: Yeah. I have. And the other thing I noticed. Coming in like on Saturday, they were dismantling, a lot of the security fencing around the Capitol mall area.

And a lot of people are just kind of wandering around, wondering, well, what do we do?

What's going on?

GLENN: I haven't heard a single complaint from anybody who flew in from some part of the country. And wanted to watch it.

You know, they're all kind of wondering. What are we going to do?

I haven't seen. I haven't heard anybody, but say, if this is security, I am happy.

JASON: Oh, that's absolutely been the main perspective that I heard everyone talking about.

Let's protect the man, and also protect the people.

GLENN: Yeah. And this is not -- at least, I don't think, Jason, you would know better than I would. But from the signs of the kind of security that I'm seeing being implemented, this is not domestic terror they're worried about.

This is international terror.

JASON: From the moment we started seeing video of the president's motorcade, with an electronic devices on top of the vehicles.

I've seen them before. But, Glenn, only in war zones.

I've never seen that just rolling around American cities before.

And those are -- that's the kind of equipment you're using to disrupt IED signals.

GLENN: Right. Or drones. Or drones.

JASON: Or drones. And who has that capability?

Not your average --

GLENN: Well, space aliens. Space aliens, have it.

JASON: Obviously space aliens.

GLENN: They're worried about a space alien invasion at some point today, obviously.

To me, it's very clear, that one of two things happened. Now, I -- I don't want to say, who told me this.

I will just say, it came from cabinet level.

To me. But I -- I got word last night, that it's not only the threats that they have internationally. But also, the fact that the Secret Service appeared to be wildly unprepared. To secure the president, today.

That made them -- made the administration. The incoming administration say, enough is enough. We're moving inside.

JASON: Okay. And that is infuriating.

GLENN: Yes, it is.

JASON: Because the Biden administration has known for four years, that there was a credible Iranian threat.

Four years!

GLENN: Uh-huh. And it seemed like they refused to do anything to beef up his security, once the president declared he was running, and once he was running away in the polls.

It seemed like they were just -- I don't know what they were doing. But we've known about this threat for a long time. Yes. It is a credible threat. Yes, they have said they wanted to do something ever since the Trump administration took out Soleimani of the RJC. This is known. This does not surprise me. Now Trump as he's coming in.

His people are saying, guys, can we for once, he's been a target twice for assassination.

Can we for once take this seriously?

GLENN: I am also very concerned.
There's one place that was very tense, in 2016. And the Secret Service was beg him, please, please, please, don't do this, and I think they'll do it again today.

That is, in the middle of the parade. He is going to say, let me out of the car. And he will walk with Melania and maybe the family.

And I -- pray that doesn't happen. He does not -- likes to project strength. Without fear.

And I know, because he told me what was going through his mind, when he was shot.

Or shot at.

And shot at and hit.

When he went down on the stage.

All he could think of was, this is pathetic. Get up. You're not afraid. You're not somebody who cowers. Get up.

And you can hear that in the audio, if -- if you would go back and listen to it. You can hear him say, get up. I want to get up. I want to get up. Let me put my shoes on. I want to get up.

He was embarrassed by that. He likes to project who he really is. That's not something who you fake. That is who he is. He is not afraid of things. And keeping him in that car, I think is really important.

But I don't think he will stay. We'll see this afternoon on our live coverage on Blaze TV.

Blaze47.com. Save 47 bucks off of your Blaze TV plus subscription. Today is the day to become a member of TheBlaze.

It's going to be great.

So what else are you expecting?

What are the key moments you're looking for, today?

JASON: Well, can I just say, before I get into that?

Hearing you say that, does my heart so well.

Because how many times when I was on your security detail, where we have credible threats. Where you were like, I'm just going to go down there. And we were like, what are you doing? No!

GLENN: But I'm different.

JASON: Stay in the car, sir.

GLENN: He's the president, we can't lose him. You can lose me any time.

Nobody -- there will be no one that's in the car on the way to the grocery store, that hears the news. Glenn Beck has been shot, and they would be like, I'm still going to the grocery store. With him, it's a little different.

JASON: Yeah, I am. It's interesting to see a president now, how he is acting in this moment, versus what we've seen from the Biden administration.

He was an absentee landlord it felt like in four years. Did you see at the Capitol one center yesterday. The president came down in the middle of the crowd.

GLENN: I know.

JASON: Walked through the people. And it felt like, this is the people's president. We finally have a people's president back in the White House.

It's a nightmare for security. But it was just amazing to actually see that.

GLENN: He expects people to do their job.

JASON: Uh-huh. Yeah.

GLENN: You know what I mean?

And he -- he trusts, yet verifies, with the Secret Service.

I mean, he's hired an outside security firm.

What's the name of that firm, do you know?

JASON: No. I can look that up in a second.

GLENN: Yeah. Hang on just a second.

Mark, what's the name of that firm? Marcus.

And he has -- he has hired an outside firm.
And they are on top of it!

I mean, I don't know if you heard this. Because any of us traffic, a couple of times. When the motorcade was going by. And there were helicopters, right up above that motorcade. I mean, I've never seen security like this before.

For a president, in Washington, DC. Normally, the motorcade, they just stop across the streets. And the motorcade goes by.

This time, it was stopped for a long time. Before you saw any blue and red lights.

And then you saw them. And you heard the helicopters first. And there was at least two helicopters, over his motorcade.

JASON: Yeah. And it's going to be needed. Today, we're talking 200-plus-ish. Executive orders.

Many of them targeting not only things like cartels. Terrorist organizations.

But also the Deep State. So I -- and on top of that, maybe one of the largest deportation operations, what? Since Bill Clinton, I guess.

GLENN: He will be mighty unpopular with all of the -- with all of the right people in my book. You know what I mean?

All of the people that should sure afraid, are going to be afraid. And try to make him afraid.

And I have to tell you, they -- they -- and this is not going to happen. This is just not going to happen.

But if they ever really try to take him out, and take him out, I just think of the line from Star Wars. Go ahead.

You will make me stronger than you can imagine.

You know, I don't remember what that exact line was. But strike me down. And I'll be stronger.

And that's true. I mean, J.D. Vance would be the LBJ, and he would reverse all of that Great Society. All that FDR stuff. The American people would be united on, this is going to stop right now.

And so the worst thing they could possibly do is kill him. But that's not going to stop some people from trying, you felt.

JASON: Which is essentially what they did to him, after that last assassination attempt. Look how powerful that image became.

STU: Do you think he wins without the assassination attempt?

GLENN: I'm not sure. I don't think so. Maybe. Maybe. I don't think so.

STU: Yeah. It could have gone the other way, court of appeals enough.

GLENN: Well, remember, that's when Elon Musk got in. It was just a few minutes after the assassination, he was like, that's my guy.

STU: My gut tells me, he still wins. But I'm certainly, less sure of it.

I mean, I think he brought -- brought a lot of people on board because of what happened there.

CHRIS: Even sane liberals!

Going on cable news. And saying, okay. No, that's pretty awesome.

STU: Zuckerberg. Look, Zuckerberg.

GLENN: He was a guy who everybody said. And they're still saying it about him.

He only cares about his personal wealth and his fame.

You don't do that. You know, if it's all about money and fame, you don't do that. But he -- he knew. And Americans knew, that's a guy who is brave. We haven't seen courage, in a very long time.

Just for people to stand up and go, okay.

That's a dude in a dress, man. People don't have a courage to say that.

This guy took a bullet. He's bleeding from it, and he stands up and looks right.

Exposes himself. And says, fight, fight, fight.

That was a moment of courage.

STU: Incredible.

GLENN: That inspired the world.

STU: Should make everyone proud watching this. Even if you don't like him.

The fact that that is the way our country freaking responds.

You try to shoot somebody.

We will put him in office. And he will sign a million executive orders, and he will show that we don't get intimidated by that crap.

Like that is -- that is American, it really is.

It's legitimately inspiring.

And I feel like, I mean, feel like, if you get shot on stage, you automatically get the presidency.

If you're at a rally, you run for president, you get shot on stage. You should win.

GLENN: What's amazing is. What's amazing is. We must know that to be true, until Election Day. Where in any other race, that would have been the winning moment.

STU: Yeah. I mean, it's true!

And we all talk about, you know, resounding victory for Trump.

I can understand it.

There were seven states. He won all seven swing states.

He needed to win one of those three wall blue states. The biggest blowout of those three states was two points.

That's how close we were to freaking Kamala Harris in office today, instead of Donald Trump.

GLENN: Which makes you look at California. I talked to a lot of people in California, last night. Who are here. And I felt bad for them. I happened -- from California to Washington DC. I'm sorry. There is other non-prison territory in the United States.

But, you know, I talked to them about, how is the state faring?

What are they doing? And they all said to me the same thing, if they don't wake up this time, they're not going to. They're not going to.

And it was split half and half, from the people that I talked to, that live in California. Whose houses didn't burn town, but all of their friends and neighbor's houses burned down. They still said, I'm not sure. I'm not sure how this is going to shake out. That's a little terrifying.

Glenn Beck’s LIVE Reaction to Donald Trump’s Second Inaugural Address
RADIO

Glenn Beck’s LIVE Reaction to Donald Trump’s Second Inaugural Address

President Donald Trump’s second inaugural address let the world know that America is back. Glenn Beck, Stu Burguiere, and fellow BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey give their live reactions to the speech. Trump acknowledged God, proclaimed the day as “Liberation Day” for many Americans, and used “revolution language,” or as Trump put it, “a revolution of common sense.” Trump announced that the US Government will only recognize 2 genders and that he will open America up for drilling, rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, restore the name of Mt. McKinley, stop China from controlling the Panama Canal, and end wars. But Glenn also reveals the one thing Trump said that “disturbed” him because he’s never heard a president say it in his lifetime.

Will Donald Trump Usher In a New Golden Era of America?
RADIO

Will Donald Trump Usher In a New Golden Era of America?

On his final full broadcast of the Biden era, Glenn takes a look at what’s coming to an end when Trump takes office on Monday, January 20th, and what’s hopefully coming next. This is the end of an era of lies and destruction, of pure madness and unquestioning obedience to the so-called “experts.” It’s the beginning of the end of diversity being twisted into a weapon. Trump has a long road ahead of him, but he has the opportunity to renew America and start a new Golden Era.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

STU: Three days, Glenn! Three days!

GLENN: Until the fundamental transformation of America.

STU: Yeah. No more of this guy. No more of her. No more of them.

GLENN: You know, but I think it's a lot bigger than that.

I was thinking about this today when I was driving in. That this administration exiting. Is not just another exit of a president. It's not the same. And it -- it wasn't like this in 16.

Although, we hoped it would be.

But it is this time.

Because the people and the feeling in the country, even among Democrats, is different now. We're about to turn the page. And enter a new era, or a new chapter.

We're really standing on the edge.

Monday is a moment far larger than politics. But it's only the beginning. It's not just the end of a presidency. Not the changing of the guard. It is truly the end of an era. An era marked by madness, by confusion. By division. Distortion. Deafening cacophony of chaos.

All of that has drowned out reason and common sense. And it -- you know, it didn't -- it didn't start yesterday.

As much as the left tried to make this all about words.

By twisting meaning. Redefining words.

Or using words, quite honestly, to use their words. In mis, dis, or malinformation.

This era is not going to be remembered by the words, but by the actions of those who spoke, the millions of those meaningless words. We can see right now the destruction of our economy. Our security.

The -- and really, really clear terms, in the homes and the hearts of California. That it is the action of people that matter more than simple words.

By their -- by their fruits, ye shall know them. The fruit of this tree is rotted, and people now are beginning to see that.

Now, like I said, this didn't begin four years ago. It turned it up to volume number ten, but this has been brewing for decades. It has been in our institutions, far longer than any of us realized.

Metastasizing in our culture, our institutions, and our hearts. And hardening our hearts.

It is an era that we leave on Monday, that put truth itself on trial. Can you even define what truth is, anymore?

We -- we went into this place, that was so absurd, we couldn't define something as fundamental and self-evident as, can you tell me what a woman is?

Historians are going to look back on this last era that we're now leaving, as pure madness.

But it's also a time, when it took everything in people, to question the powerful mob.

To speak the truth, that you believe. It was a -- it was a risk that at first, far too many people wouldn't do. Because they were afraid of being shouted down.

Cancelled.

Or much, much worse.

Common decency. The once unspoken bond that united us, was thrown out the window.

It became not only unfashionable. But absolutely unrecognizable.

And everybody was at each other's throats. Common sense. Our old friend, just dismissed. Exiled seemingly to the fringes of our society.

As if it were dangerous now. Or just wildly outdated. And we know that happen. We didn't know that yesterday. But we know that today.

And I mean, literally yesterday. How many words changed. How many things. Concepts. Huge truths that we knew.

We wake up one day, and it was completely being dismissed.

And we would be like, where did this come from?

We're leaving a time of breathtaking hypocrisy. Where those who deny corruption themselves take bribes from hostile nations, where the righteous call for unity, while sowing division.

This era, racism has been repackaged and sown back to us under the guise of antiracism.

Hatred, we're told me, is perfectly fine, as long as it's aimed at the right people.

And those right people, may be the wrong people, tomorrow!

Faith in God, has been replaced by faith in climate models. Sexuality. Identity.

In this last era they can't be we're now getting ready to leave. All of those religions had their own dog has. Their high priests. Their rituals. And above all, their lack of forgiveness.

Meaning, that they were anti-Christ. Teachings.

But somehow or another. Many of our churches embraced them, as the message of Christ.

There cannot be Christ in any message, that doesn't include forgiveness.

But this isn't where the story ends. We thought before this election, this might be where our story ends.

But here is the really unbelievable news.

God stepped in.

And if you don't recognize that, there is no hope for us.

God stepped in and did something none of us could do.

First of all, he saved the president's life twice. And if you think that was a Secret Service. You're nuts!

God saved him, twice!

God changed him.

And suddenly our society is waking up. This guy, who is not our savior, won!

And people started flocking to him, and willing to take bold stands and say, you know what, all this crap. It's wrong!

So this is not the end of an era, alone. It's the beginning of the end of that era. The end of unreasonable hatred of others. Not because they look different.

Simply because they voted differently.

They didn't think differently.

You know, there was nothing about actual diversity.

It was all about voting!

It's the end of unquestioning obedience to the so-called media. And experts, who demand that we followed them, without question, into the slaughterhouse. Hoping, I guess.

Hoping against hope, many of us, that if we would just comply, our turn on the chopping block would never come.

It's the end of the era of, my body, my choice.

In everything -- in everything else, other than killing your baby. You can kill your baby, my body my choice.

Well, it's not your body that's being killed. It's the baby's body.

Makes no sense. But, boy, oh, boy.

Not with masks. Not with vaccines.

Not with the basic right to just use your legs and leave your home!

It's the end of an era where we have to ask ourself, whose side is this government on?

Who is actually running this thing?

What is the actual plan that our leaders have? How -- how is this helping the average American?

Who is actually the president?

That ends on Monday. It's the beginning of the end. There's a lot of work to do.

But it's the beginning of the end of diversity, twisted into a weapon. Where diversity of thought, values, and spirit, were just disregarded. Replaced by a narrow, suffocating dogma, that demanded conformity in all ways. Even if you were conforming yesterday, and then somehow or another, through the ether, the mob decided what was true yesterday. Is no longer true today.

The mob would get you!

On anything you disagreed with. It's the end of the era where dissent was met not with debate. But with just now, meaningless labels. Racist.

Fascist. Bigot.

I think it's really important, that all of us recognize, this is not about Democrats. There are a lot of Democrats that actually woke up. It's not about Democrats.

It's not about Republicans. I think both of them stink, quite honestly.

I do, and that's the message of this new administration. And you see it with diversity of people, that are actually in this administration. We don't agree in lockstep on everything.

Far from it! The establishment in the Democrats and the Republicans do. But this isn't about Democrat, Republicans, liberals, conservative, independent.

This is truly about something much, much deeper that begins Monday.

It's older and far more grander than a political party. It is truly about the rebirth or the rediscovering of what it truly means to be free!

Monday marks the rebirth of something absolutely extraordinary!

Things we used to find self-evident. The freedoms guaranteed just in our First Amendment. The freedom to question our government.

They work for us!

We don't work for them!

The freedom to speak our mind! Even the most unpleasant and disruptive things. You are allowed to say! The freedom to worship. To live out your beliefs. To be who you are, without demanding that others speak, affirm, or even accept your truth.

You know, the one thing that we have forgotten in this last era, that I hope we are remembering. Is that this nation weren't built by people who all walked in lockstep.

They didn't agree on everything.

In fact, far from it. It was built by people who often vehemently disagreed on the path forward.

But they shared the common commitment to respecting each other's rights, and fulfilling their own responsibilities.

It was built on the idea, that disagreement, when handled with humility and respect, makes us stronger, not weaker!

Diversity of thought is important.

Diversity of skin color doesn't matter.

And so as we say farewell to an era of absolute chaos, it's really important that we don't say goodbye in anger or bitterness. And that is hard!

We can't alienate our neighbors, our assume the worst of those who see the world differently, if we agree on the rebirth of the Bill of Rights, and each responsibility that is tied to those rights.

Monday, I hope we recognize, that this is an end of an era this weekend. And Monday is an invitation to rebuild. To restore. To renew.

An era, a golden era. An era that is dawning. Just in front of all of us.

And it belongs to all of us. Not just those who won an election. Or share my view.

Or your view.

It's an era that can only succeed if we remember the lessons of the past. And commit to something better.

To restore hope. Not just in our institutions. But in each other.

Renew our faith. Not just in God.

Though, that's vital. But also in the idea that people, flawed, though they are, can be capable of incredible good. Seek restoration, not just of our economy and our government, but of our hearts, of our communities, of our families. Our shared understanding of what it means to be human.

And to be free! This weekend, I want you to bid farewell to all of the chaos. It's the beginning of the end.

There will be more chaos as we go. But as we lay it down, leave it behind.

Walk forward.

Leave your fear behind.

Walk in encourage. Not in hatred. But in love.

Because the truth is, this country has faced darker days than these.

I didn't think we would make it here, gang!

But every time this country seems to find the light just at the end. And we found it. But it's just flickering, still so fragile in mighty gusts of wind. But what will happen is not because of a president or Congress or a court. It will all happen because of you! So don't wait for anybody else. Lead the way.

Be the one who chooses faith over fear. Courage over conformity. Love over hatred.

Let's be the ones who our words are meaningless. But our actions speaks volumes. The that one shows the world, that freedom actually works. Not because it's easy. But because it is right!