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Gawker takedown: Author chronicles Hulk Hogan’s epic smackdown that bankrupted liberal website

How much do you really know about one of the biggest media stories of all time?

Ryan Holiday, the author and strategist behind the marketing expose “Trust Me, I’m Lying,” is back with a book about the famous battle between billionaire Peter Thiel and the now-defunct website Gawker.

Thiel had it in for Gawker after the site revealed in 2007 that he was gay, but the investor was smart enough to bide his time until he could catch Gawker doing something illegal: publishing without permission parts of a sex tape of Hulk Hogan and his former best friend’s wife.

In his new book, “Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue,” Holiday gives an insider’s perspective on the famous Gawker takedown based on his time with both Thiel and former Gawker chief Nick Denton.

According to Holiday, Thiel’s chance meeting with a mysterious “Mr. A” was the turning point. “Mr. A” and attorney Charles Harder worked together to find any potential dirt on Gawker and jumped on the opportunity when the site published the Hogan footage.

Where is “Mr. A” now? Holiday didn’t say who he was or exactly what he’s doing now, but it’s a safe bet to imagine he’s set for life.

“I would imagine when you solve a problem for a billionaire like this, the world is sort of your oyster from that point forward,” Holiday said.

Want more? Listen to the full interview with Holiday in Hour 2 of today’s show here:

This article provided courtesy of TheBlaze.

GLENN: Do the ends justify the means? Are there real white hats and black hats anymore? Can you actually be a white taking down a black hat?

If you've done them in nefarious ways, are you wearing a gray hat, or are you wearing a black hat?

There are so many things today that we would all like to see, you know, dishonest, bad media go away and collapse on its own weight. We might even cheer when something like gawker, which was a despicable website, when gawker went out of business and had to shut down, we might all cheer.

However, are we all comfortable with the idea that a billionaire can conspire and make that happen?

Even though, the end is good.

STU: Ryan Holiday is an author. He wrote a great book called Trust Me On Lying, which is a fantastic read, to go back and see how the news you see every day gets to you.

GLENN: Sausage.

STU: It's incredible.

GLENN: You'll find teeth and shoes in it.

STU: You have to read that. The new book is Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue. And it's -- it brings us through this entire story, and Ryan joins us now.

GLENN: So, Ryan, can you tell this story like only you can? Tell this story before we get into what we're supposed to learn from it.

RYAN: Well, it's an almost unbelievable story. In 2007, Gawker Media, a gossip website in New York City, has a Silicon Valley arm called Valley Wag, and they out the Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel as gay. He's at that point the founder of PayPal. He was an early investor in Facebook, but a relatively unknown person whose sexuality was known to his friends. But he was not publicly gay.

He's -- he's humiliated by this. He's frustrated by it. He's hurt. Gawker's headline, I believe, was Peter Thiel is Totally Gay, People. So imagine your most sensitive secret being made public in such a flippant way. And he finds this not to be illegal, but to be disgusting. And --

GLENN: Now, hang on just a second. Ryan, when this happens with gawker, is this -- because I find gawker despicable. They've done things to me and my family that are just despicable.

RYAN: Sure.

GLENN: But on this, people were saying, well, we should out people, because that's only going to make people more comfortable with -- you know, with gay people if they know you're around them all the time. So were they using the ends justify the means at that time to do something good, or are they just dirtbags?

RYAN: I think it's a little bit of both, right? I think they thought, why should he keep this secret? And I think they also thought, why should this be a jet? This isn't something to be ashamed of. But the truth is be with he didn't want it to be public. And I believe that's his prerogative.

GLENN: Yeah, it's his story to tell, not anybody else's.

RYAN: He sort of despairs of being able to do anything about it for five years. He just sort of sits on this. He's frustrated. He's hurt by it. But he can't do anything about it. And it's only in 2012, when Gawker makes another enemy, they run an illegally recorded sex tape of the professional wrestler, Hulk Hogan, that Thiel sees the opportunity that he's been looking for this whole time, that he had been looking for. He had hired a lawyer to spot opportunities like this.

He approaches Hulk Hogan, and he says, look, what they did to you is not only despicable, I think it's illegal both federally and in Florida, where you're a resident. I will fund this. Thiel approaches him through an intermediary. This is totally in secret.

I will fund this case as far as you're willing to take it. And he approaches a number of other people in similar cases. And then for the next four years, this case winds its way through the legal system. And he eventually wins 140 million-dollar bankruptcy-inducing verdict against Gawker in Florida, to the shock of all onlookers and legal strategists at the time. And he achieves that thing that he had set out to do in 2007, which was to both get his revenge and to prevent this -- this website that he believes to be evil, from doing what it did to people.

GLENN: So --

STU: Wow.

GLENN: -- I know Peter -- he is a very, generally quiet guy. You know, he's -- he's an odd duck.

RYAN: Sure.

GLENN: He's a really nice guy. Doesn't seem like a guy who is driven by vengeance. But does sound like a guy -- or feels like a guy who will take all the time necessary in the world. He is not in any hurry. He'll wait until it's right.

RYAN: Well, that's what's so brilliant about what he did. I think most of us, when something is done to us, we react. We respond. Right? A fight breaks out.

A conspiracy, to me, is more something that bruise, that develops. And that's what it was so brilliant about Peter. He didn't -- he said, look, what they did to me I don't think was right. And I'm angry about it. But it's never good to be driven by anger. And so, instead, he steps back. He never forgot what happened. But he looked for an opportunity, where he actually had legal -- legal ground to stand on, where he actually could have an impact. Where the public would be so universally repulsed by what these people did, that he would have a shot at making a difference. So I think both that patience and that ability to be strategic, is why he was able to solve a problem, if that's what you want to call it. That many other powerful people had looked at, and said basically, there's nothing you can do about this.

GLENN: But he didn't do -- did he become the thing that he despised?

I don't get the impression that he did. He -- he did this on the up-and-up. The only thing -- the reason why it's a conspiracy is, he didn't want to be out front. But now that it's known -- he doesn't mind. I mean, he's owning it now.

RYAN: Sure. Look, I think secrecy is a fundamental element of a conspiracy. And I respect that he was willing to see that the optics of a billionaire being publicly in front of this thing completely changes how the public would look at it. You know, he said to me, he got this advice from one of his friends. His friends said, Peter, you have to choose your enemies carefully because you become just like them. So that's really the danger of spending nine years scheming to destroy or ruin someone or something, is that you study them so much, they consume so much of your mental bandwidth, that you can kind of become like them.

I don't think that he became anything like Gawker. But, for instance, there's a seminal moment in jury selection, where they notice that overweight female jurors are the most sympathetic to their case. Now, that's not disgusting. But there is an element of unpleasantness in selecting a juror to then exploit their most vulnerable body issue to win a case --

GLENN: But don't you think -- that's done in the court system every day of the week.

RYAN: Agreed. My point is, I think we -- we tend to be idealists about change.

GLENN: Yes. Yes.

RYAN: We think that we can make change without getting our hands dirty or without dealing with some of this unpleasantness.

GLENN: Yes.

RYAN: And so there's compromises of pursuing something of this magnitude. And I think Peter was so committed to what he was doing, that he felt that that end did justify -- that means did justify the end.

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: So Ryan has spent a lot of time with Peter Thiel. Peter Thiel -- this is not an anti-Peter Thiel book. Peter worked side by side. He had unprecedented access to Peter. And while Peter didn't -- I don't think, Ryan, unless there's another conspiracy theory. He didn't fund this book. He just gave access. More with Ryan Holiday.

The book is Conspiracy. And there's some tough questions that we have to ask ourselves. More in a minute.

GLENN: We're with Ryan Holiday, he's the author of a book called Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue. It's a very tough question that we have to tackle, but I want to get a couple more facts out of the way here before we do with Ryan.

STU: Ryan, a couple of things that we picked up from the book, one thing that Peter had conversations about his strategy, trying to get Gawker to go away.

RYAN: Uh-huh.

STU: They discussed at least seemingly -- he comes off a little flippantly, but at least considered doing things actually illegal when it comes to the approach.

GLENN: Yeah. What was the -- what was the example, Stu?

STU: Well, I'm sure -- I'm sure Ryan can walk us through the examples. I don't have them in front of me.

RYAN: Sure.

GLENN: Go ahead, Ryan.

RYAN: Sure. It struck me as a little bit of a tempest in a teapot by the media coverage. Because it's like getting in trouble for thinking about speeding and then not speeding.

GLENN: Yeah.

RYAN: But, you know, if you think about Thiel's position, he finds Gawker to be this great evil. He's trying to do something about it. But as a billionaire, he has essentially limitless resources. He's also the majority owner of one of the most powerful in intelligence and defense companies on the planet. So he has these immense resources.

And so it's a question then of, which of them is he going to use and what limitations is he going to impose on himself?

So theoretically, could he hire private detectives to follow Gawker writers and attempt to find dirt on them, that would be embarrassing? Could he start a rival website that would focus, but nothing on their personal lives? Could he bribe employees to leak information to him? Could he -- could he lobby politicians to go after them?

Like there's many things that he could do. But what he decides, actually, early on, after sort of laying all these options on the table, is that he -- that he wants only to do what's legal and ethical, because he's -- he's both, I think an ethical and moral person. But also, because at some point, your involvement is made public. At some point, you win.

And then the public looks at what you did, and they judge you for this. Right?

And so his belief was that, if they accomplished this thing they were trying to accomplish with unethical or illegal means, the victory would stand. And it would also be, as we were talking about earlier, it would be pyrrhic, in that it would come at a great cost to himself because he would have had to become the thing that he was trying to change in the first place.

GLENN: I have to tell you, this is kind of being spun as an anti-Peter Thiel book, and just that alone speaks volumes. I don't know how many billionaires there are that would have the self-control that he had, to say, no, I want to do it -- I want to do it the right way.

Can you tell me anything -- because you have an exclusive in this about a guy named Mr. A. I know you're not going to tell me who. But what is Mr. A's role?

RYAN: Well, that's -- it's one of the weirdest twits of this story, this incredibly well-covered story.

I think people thought, I guess myself included, felt like Peter Thiel was involved on a day-to-day basis. And, in fact, he sort of follows the start-up model, which is, in 2011, he has -- he has dinner with this promising young college graduate, who has told Peter he has an idea. They sit down to dinner.

And this kid says, Peter, I think I can solve your Gawker problem. I think that buried in their archive of posts are illegal acts or acts that make them vulnerable to -- to civil judgments. And I think -- he says, if you give me $10 million and three to five years of time, I think I can make something happen here. And basically, on the spot, Peter invests in this kid. And this kid is Peter's go-between, his operative who hires the attorneys, who vets the cases, who makes the decisions day-to-day. And Peter is -- is -- and the way that Peter puts $500,000 in Mark Zuckerberg's hands and he goes and makes Facebook, Mr. A goes and makes this conspiracy a reality.

STU: Wow.

GLENN: So what do you think Mr. A is going to be doing now?

RYAN: Well, I would imagine when you solve a problem for a billionaire like this, your world is sort of your oyster from that point forward. I think he's got basically limitless options now. And has one patron who is probably willing to back him on any project under any condition.

GLENN: Holy cow.

STU: Wow. What was Peter's motivation in cooperating with you, Ryan, on this book?

RYAN: Well, as I'm sure you guys have seen, in the coverage just talking to me. This is a story that has been intensely covered, but with such bias and such sort of tribal instincts on behalf of the media. Because the media sees what happens to Gawker. And they think, oh, that could happen to us. Let's circle the wagon. So there's been this incredible amount of judgment about what's happened.

And I think that's greatly impacted the coverage, right? To such a degree, that Peter has become, in many people's eyes, this sort of James Bond villain. And that's really not what he is, when you read him and you see what he did and why he did it. So I think -- I had written critically about Gawker many times. You know, myself. My emails were once hacked and leaked to Gawker. So I know what that feeling is like. So I was willing to at least be fair. You know, I told Peter, look, you're not going to get to see the book before it's printed. You're not going to have any input on it. I'm going to play it down the middle, but I think he at least believed that I would play it down the middle, rather than holding him up as the villain, if that wasn't true.

GLENN: Yeah. So, Ryan, there's -- if -- I'm just trying to think this through. If a billionaire -- let's say George Soros, who is not a friend of mine. If he decided to go after me and I was doing something -- and TheBlaze was doing something that was blatantly illegal. And I don't mean death by a million paper cuts, what a billionaire could do.

RYAN: Sure.

GLENN: I don't think I would have sympathy for Peter, if he had just been paper cut after paper cut, technicality after technicality, just keep him in court and bleed them dry.

RYAN: Right.

GLENN: I don't think this is a problem for the First Amendment, if they're going after things that are really, truly illegal and they're big.

And I'd like to get your response on that when we come back. What does this mean for the First Amendment? That a billionaire can mark somebody and then take them out? Is that good for the republic? When we come back.

GLENN: I am -- I'm currently on a -- on a couple-week rant of, we've got to do something, and how that always leads to bad things. You just don't make good decisions when you're angry, upset, emotionally. We've got to do something usually also means, I'll violate my principles because I want this pain to stop.

So what are our principles? I -- I don't -- I didn't like Gawker. Gawker did some things that were dangerous for my family. I thought they were despicable people. And I did wish them to go out of business. But I wouldn't have done anything to get them to go out of business. And I like the way Peter Thiel did this. He waited to see, is there something that they have done that breaks the law? When they had Hulk Hogan, that was an illegally recorded tape. And for what? What was the purpose of exposing that?

So Peter took them to court on that. The problem is, he's a billionaire, has unlimited resources. And are we setting a precedent that somebody who has an axe to grind can put another company out of business? One man can put a media company out of business if they want to?

Are we -- did anybody learn that lesson in a negative way? Ryan is with us.

Ryan Holiday is the author of the book Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue.

What have you come to, Ryan, on that?

RYAN: Well, that is the big question. And it is potentially scary to think a billionaire could shut a media outlet down? And then when you step back, you know, your point about not reacting emotionally, well, did Peter actually do anything new that doesn't happen every day, anyway, right? The ACLU. The Sierra club. The NRA. They back cases all the time that they think move their ideology forward or stands up for one of their constituents. And so the idea of a wealthy person backing a lawsuit, not out of financial gain, but out of ideological alignment is actually not remotely new. And if you were to ban it, society would undoubtedly become a worse place, right?

Why shouldn't your rich uncle be able to support you against a person who ran into you, with their truck, right? You want that.

GLENN: So there's the legal question, which I think he did everything right. And then there's the ethical question, which I think he did everything right.

But you have to ask that ethical question too. And would you have felt different if he would have taken Gawker on, with -- with almost frivolous lawsuits and just done death by 1,000 paper cuts? Do you think it would have been a different story for you?

RYAN: Absolutely. Because there you're not attempting to win. You're not attempting to have your argument validated. You're attempting to destroy someone for something they may not have done something wrong.

So Peter's decision, for instance, not even an attack on First Amendment grounds because he believes that's sacred. But to look instead at the individual's right to privacy, right? Is there a newsworthiness in this sex tape, or is there a copyright claim here? He specifically did not sue them on say frivolous, libel, or defamation grounds because he was worried about the precedent that it might set. And he didn't believe that there was anything wrong there.

So his distinction is really, really important. And I think, you know, a potential hypothetical would be, what if a liberal had backed Shirley Sherrod in her lawsuit against Breitbart, when they ran that deliberately edited, manipulative tape of her in I believe it was 2011.

GLENN: Yes.

RYAN: And I don't think many of the people who are deeply upset about what happened to Gawker, I don't think they would be upset if Breitbart had gone out of business in 2012. I think they would be cheering at the exact same way.

STU: It's very interesting. Yes, that's absolutely true. I wanted to get your take quickly on -- I can't remember the guy's name who actually wrote the story.

But he -- he's become somewhat of a cause celeb on the left of a guy -- because he's not the guy -- he's not Nick Denton who ran Gawker. But the guy who actually just did the post.

He's a lowly --

Yes. Yes. Just -- you know, a writer. And he's working for Gawker. Not making a ton of money. And he was involved in this lawsuit. And he has been presented as this guy who got in the middle of this thing. And he was helpless in this situation. And now he has no chance of making any money. He owes an ungodly amount of money for this lawsuit and can't do anything about it. He wasn't wealthy. He didn't own Gawker. Do you have any perspective on that and how that went down?

RYAN: Yeah. So in a way, he's just doing his job. Gawker publishes these stories all the time. It's so unremarkable when you get to the Hulk Hogan tape, that Nick Denton, the CEO isn't even notified, right? The case that bankrupts the company, the CEO doesn't know about it until after it is published. Because that's how run-of-the-mill it actually was.

So, yes, it was unfortunate that this individual, this writer doing his job, takes the full brunt of it in the public eye. You know, during the trial. And then is held liable -- the jury says -- holds him personally liable for about $100,000 of this 140 million-dollar judgment. But what people forget is that months after the verdict, Peter and Hulk Hogan settle with Gawker that releases both Denton and Daulerio from these individual claims. And they're able to walk free.

You know, they were not necessarily ruined by it. And Peter said, look, my goal was to destroy Gawker, not to ruin these people personally. But individuals are held accountable for their actions.

GLENN: Yeah.

RYAN: And that's life.

GLENN: I mean, we all have choices, no matter if everybody else is doing it. We still have a choice.

You know, I'm so intrigued by Peter. I think he is a real force for good. And I think he's a deep and thoughtful man, that doesn't make everything that he -- everything that he does right or good. But he really seems to think about things.

RYAN: Yes.

GLENN: And I heard him say once, it's not that I think I'm right, I'm not even sure if I'm right, I just don't think other people are even thinking about these things. What does that tell you about him?

RYAN: He would say that even about this case. That it's often not that he was right and other people were wrong. It's that Gawker wasn't even -- Gawker just assumed that this Hulk Hogan case would get settled. They weren't even taking it seriously. And so Peter is a person who has theories about the world. And he's willing to put some skin in the game. Right? He's willing to throw some weight behind them and see what happens. And I think -- to me, the lesson of what happened, and what I tried to write about in the book, is that, you can fundamentally disagree with what Peter did, and you can think that it's dangerous and alarming that Gawker doesn't exist anymore. But there is something to study, a lesson to learn, about how this guy did it. And why he did it.

And how he was able to effectuate the change that he needed to happen, outside of writing op-eds or putting out a petition. You know, he -- he made real change in the real world, where other people said, there was nothing you could do about it. And to me, that's a lesson that -- and in some ways, that's an inspiring things right now, in this society, where we're stuck, you know, on both sides of the aisle. I think we just feel like change can't happen. And here, a guy made something happen.

GLENN: Yeah. When -- I saw that in the book that -- that phrase.

I -- I thought to myself, that is something that the world is not even rewarding now. It doesn't reward you to think. It doesn't reward you to think outside of the box and to think differently. And it doesn't reward you to say, I'm not sure if I'm right. I just want us to think about that. And that's really what we're missing.

RYAN: And the irony is that in some ways, Gawker was part of that problem, right? I think one of Thiel's objections to them is not just the despicable things that they did and the violations of privacy, but as the site that just sort of made fun of everyone for every mistake, every failure, every personal idiosyncrasy.

They were dis-incentivizing people from thinking outside the box, from being weird. And weirdness is where innovation comes from and creativity. And we should want people to take risks and turn out to be wrong. What we don't want to do is mercilessly mock them, to the point where nobody tries anything because they don't want to end up on the front page of Gawker.com or any website.

GLENN: Ryan Holiday, thank you very much.

RYAN: Thanks for having me.

(music)

STU: I think we sold you on that story.

GLENN: Good story.

STU: Ryan tells it well.

GLENN: Good book.

STU: And there's a lot in here that's not previously been reported on.

Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue by Ryan Holiday. Also, we should have Ryan back on for Trust Me On Lying.

GLENN: For Trust Me. Yeah. He is a guy who has had firsthand experience, really, with fake news. I mean, it was really kind of his job as a PR person.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: And he knows how it works. And it's really fascinating.

STU: Yeah. Quickly on it, the concept in that book was that he -- you know those weird stories that bubble up to the national media. And you're like, how did we even hear about that?

It was his job to try to get them elevated from -- from a blog to a local media, to regional media, to national media, to try to get attention for clients and all sorts of stuff. So he was in the media manipulation business for a long time.

GLENN: And, you know what, it goes to -- remember the first thing that I said when we went to CNN and I said, I'm really uncomfortable with this. The ingesting of news.

STU: Oh, yeah.

GLENN: Because if you make one mistake, that is your basis forever.

STU: Uh-huh.

GLENN: And it's interesting. Because what he did was, it was on a blog. And then he would call the local news and say, did you see this? Did you see this blog?

STU: Did you see this blog?

GLENN: And they would use that as a credible source. And then he'd go to the regional news and said, did you see this in the newspaper? And it got more incredible as it went on.

STU: Yeah.

Jason Whitlock EXPOSES What Diddy, Hip-Hop, and — BLACKROCK?! — Have Done to America
RADIO

Jason Whitlock EXPOSES What Diddy, Hip-Hop, and — BLACKROCK?! — Have Done to America

Rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs is in a mess of trouble after federal authorities raided his properties as part of an investigation into sex and drug trafficking allegations. But BlazeTV’s Jason Whitlock was well ahead of the story. Jason joins Glenn to break it all down: Is Diddy the new Jeffrey Epstein? Why is all of this coming out now? Will there be a cover-up? Jason also explains why he believes this goes way deeper than just Diddy: “It's about the push for nihilism…and Hip-Hop is at the forefront of that.” Jason reveals the dark side of the Hip-Hop industry and the shady groups who he believes are calling the shots. But while the Hip-Hop industry has fallen, Jason discusses his upcoming effort to build society back up: the second annual Fearless Army Roll Call men’s summit, featuring country music star John Rich, an appearance from Glenn Beck, and really good food!

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Jason Whitlock. Hello, Jason, how are you?

JASON: Glenn, awesome introduction. I appreciate that, thank you.

GLENN: You bet. And I want to talk to you about some of the things that you're going through right now. And things that you're discovering. And things you're doing this summer. I want to be joining you on one of your events, that I think is just so worthwhile.

But first, can I take you to the news, that I have not been following. And I don't know if this is important or not. P. Diddy. I don't know what the hell is going on with him. But I'm hearing talk like he is the new Jeffrey Epstein. Can you tell me this story?

JASON: Yeah. Let me tell you why it's important for you and your audience. And we unpacked this last week on my show, trying to get a broader perspective on what's going on with Diddy. And it's about the music industry. And it's about the push for nihilism. And how they have manipulated our entire American culture, to be more nihilistic. And they've done it with music, and hip-hop is at the forefront of that.

So Diddy is someone of marginal talent, who has been installed and who has been allowed to use the music industry to sexually compromise young people, celebrities, other entertainers, politicians, or whatever. But it's like this whole -- part of the realization, understand, we have to come to is like, everything in culture. Tucker Carlson talked about this a couple weeks ago.

Just about architecture.

GLENN: Yeah. Everything.

JASON: And how it's not the same it used to be.

So in all the arts, they're trying to push us through a nihilistic worldview. And they did that with hip-hop.

And P. Diddy is one of the faces. And most powerful people in hip-hop.

Again, as I expounded on, it's not just Diddy. It's like BlackRock. And vanguard.

They actually own the music industry, and -- and control the musical industry.

GLENN: Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. The investment houses of BlackRock and Vanguard? They own the music industry?

JASON: Absolutely, from Sony Music Group. They're the most invested in the music industry through Viacom. They own BET, MTV, VH1. They're in control of the music industry.

And they also own the majority. The overwhelming majority of stock, in the private prison industry.

I think the stock name is called CXW now. It's called core Cisco. It used to be called corrections. Corporations of America.

And then they transitioned the name. And so this whole hip-hop deal was about creating a culture, where like prison is a rite of passage.

And corruption. And criminality is just built into the system, and it feeds the prison system. The private prison industry.

And it's exploded.

But more than anything. It's promoted a nihilistic view. And a view that life really has no meaning.

And it's disconnected us from our moral principles. And religious principles.

That's what Diddy is the face of. And that's why I'm glad he's getting his comeuppance. And I hope they don't do a cover-up, and not expose everyone involved. Because -- and it's not just hip-hop. Music has been headed this direction. And pushing this nihilistic direction for a long time. And this needs to be discussed and exposed.

This isn't limited to black kids or the urban inner city. The way they pushed hip-hop and made it the most popular music in the world, and they pushed it in sports and pushed it everywhere. It's affecting everyone.

GLENN: I have to tell you, they're doing it now, to the last bastion of decency in entertainment.

And that is in Nashville. Country music.
It is going woke, and ugly.

And, you know, I -- they are -- they have just invested everything. They're tearing it apart.

I mean, you listen to popular music now. I mean, imagine the last time, we went through this revolution kind of spirit with Marxism.

It's back in the '60s. And you had artists that were singing really uplifting stuff.

Some of it was garbage. But some of was just an empowering movement. You listen to movement now. And it is disgusting. It is all about -- I mean, I challenge you, to listen to -- especially hip-hop. And -- and some popular music of that genre. And I challenge you to find a song that isn't talking about somebody's butt or putting something in somebody's butt. It's incredibly degrading.

JASON: Glenn, for someone like myself, who is 56, and who grew up on R&B music. R&B music used to be a lot of romantic love songs. You can't find in R&B or hip-hop, love is not remotely on the table.

GLENN: No.

JASON: You go to the Billboard, top 100. Love -- it's not about love. Not remotely on the table. If you want to listen to music that promotes love between a man and a woman, you have to go listen to music made in the '60s, '70s, and '80s. It's just stand up. This is intentional. They just removed love from the culture.

GLENN: I know. I know.

So, Jason, what is Diddy accused of doing?

JASON: You know, drugging, raping young girls and young men. Sexually compromising and leveraging the entertainers that work for him. Employing a cleanup man named Fayed Muhammad (phonetic), who if you're familiar with the TV show, Ray Donovan, if you've ever watched that on Show Time.

This guy would go up and clean up the crimes that Diddy and/or any of his entertainers were involved in. And there's these two lawsuits. One that he settled, but the second one with this Rodney Jones that he hasn't settled. There's allegations of shootings and murders and things like that. That have been cleaned up by this guy.

Diddy --

GLENN: How does that happen? How does that happen?

JASON: Not my world, so I would only be speculating. But yeah. These are the types of allegations, that have been going on. And, again, Diddy sexually compromising, forcing his entertainers into having sex with him. With men. With women.

And then using his house and cameras, everywhere in his house. So when he would throw these parties, if there were celebrities or politicians or prominent entertainers there, he would have everything reported. And so those people would be compromised.

GLENN: Wow.

JASON: So, yeah. They're calling him the Jeffrey Epstein of the music industry. And I don't think it's a bad label.

But, again, this is -- Diddy comes from a compromised background.

His father was a drug dealer, who in the '70s, who got busted. And I think snitched on some other drug dealers. And then got murdered when Diddy was just three years old.

And so what the rap music world really -- where they fish for talent. Are in all these broken. Compromised. Dysfunctional homes.

So Diddy likely sexually abused, when he was a child. And obviously, father murdered. Didn't grow up in an ideal environment. He will do anything for money. And that's why he gets installed and promoted and put in a position of power, because he's easily controlled, because he comes from a background where the values just weren't instilled. And again, this whole nihilistic view of the world, and all the -- the breakdown of the nuclear family that they've pushed, they're destroying the family structure, so that our kids are more vulnerable, and will be more easily seduced into wickedness and a lack of morality.

GLENN: So last question, and I have to take a quick break, and then come back. Because I want to talk to you about your event.

So why now?

Why has he gotten away with this for so long, and now it's just coming out?

JASON: That's a great question, Glenn. And I would -- my only explanation at this point, is that I think we're in that time, where -- my biggest --

GLENN: These things are troubling.

JASON: Yeah. My biggest explanation is, that I don't think we fully recognize all the dominoes that Trump knocked over.

GLENN: Yeah.

JASON: Just by saying, fake news and making us like willing to question everything.

GLENN: Yes.

JASON: And what Trump has done is legitimatize the so-called conspiracy theorists. So now the public, I think is more ready for the truth.

And people are -- you know, filing lawsuits. And because there's independent media. There's those of us who have had the scales taken off of our eyes.

Willing to talk about it and expose it.

But, again, I don't want to make too much of Trump. But he's really consequential in giving all of us the courage to say, man, we have to look at things in an honest fashion.

GLENN: Yeah. Okay. Back in just a second. First, let me tell you about our sponsor. It's RealEstateAgentsITrust.com.

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But I certainly was mind somebody who is like, oh, my gosh. I am with these racists.

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(music)
Ten-second station ID.
(music)
So Jason is doing his second year of roll call. He's doing a roll call. A call to all men, to step into the roll of men. And, you know, learn. How to be a man. And what that means in today's world. It doesn't mean an alpha male. It means somebody who understands the righteous dominion that a man has, and the important role, that they play, along with women, and their righteous dominion. And so this is happening where, again, in -- in Nashville, Jason?

JASON: Here in Nashville.

Friday, May 31st and Saturday, June 1st.

Glenn, my vision on this, is -- is, I'm trying to create an event, where men come together, across our little petty differences.

Skin color. Some of us may be of different faith denominations. But we're all believers of God. And we all have to understand.

And this is why I'm so pleased, that you're coming to speak.

Is because this year, we're focusing on trying to tell men, hey, there are sacrifices that we will want to make, if we want to restore this country. If we want to have a world that's better for our kids, than what -- than what we found.

And so I don't think anybody, that I know in the media space, understands the sacrifices, that were made, to make this country great. Better than you.

And if we're not reminded like, people made incredible sacrifices for us to enjoy this freedom, and that means we to have make some sacrifices, to protect it. To restore it.

And so that's what I want to you talk about. Give us a bit of a historical perspective of on -- because I think we've -- rost the willingness to sacrifice.

I think too many of us have been enjoying what we were given. Rather than protecting what we're given.

And so whether it becomes the -- some financial sacrifices. A smaller home. Or just the willingness to stand on truth and speak out.

And deal with the consequences.

And quit worrying about someone calling you racist or an Uncle Tom or a homophobe or this or that. Stand on truth.

Be willing to make that sacrifice. To improve this culture.

GLENN: Well, that is the first time I've heard. Because I agreed to do this.

But I hadn't talked to you, about what I want you to speak about. I will give you a rip roaring talk on sacrifice.

And what it has taken to get here. And what our responsibility is now. I -- I can't wait for that.

And I'm speaking on Saturday, June 1st, I believe, right.

And --

JASON: Let me throw in one other thing too, Glenn, I forgot to mention. I partnered this year in moving forward with John Rich. The country music star.

GLENN: Oh, I love him.

JASON: Many people know John. Big and rich. He's made some incredible music. Gospel music. Christian music. So the idea is music and food are things that we can all come together on without worrying about --

GLENN: Yes, we can.

JASON: You know, our differences.

They're two things that really bring us together.

They've ruined sports. And now that divides us as well.

But everybody loves good music. Everybody loves good food.

And we're inviting everybody that loves God, to come join us, let's get together. Let's prove everybody wrong.

And let's prove the other side wrong, that as men, we can come together. Put our differences aside. Celebrate God.

Listen to some good music. Hear some inspiring speeches.

And eat and enjoy Nashville. I think it will be powerful.

GLENN: You've got it. Okay. So you can get your tickets now.

There is a special price. Early bird price on them right now.

That ends this weekend.

Midnight this Sunday, you can get your tickets. Bring your -- bring your son.

Bring your friends.

It is a -- a weekend for men to get together.

And step in to their roles.

As men.

So get your tickets now. Early bird special. They will go up. Starting Monday.

But right now, you can get them at a special rice. Go and find that now. And I don't have the address. Where do you buy those tickets, Jason?

JASON: Fearlessarmyrollcall.com.

GLENN: Got it. Thank you.

Biden’s Crackdown on the Internet Is WORSE Than You Think | Glenn TV | Ep 343
TV

Biden’s Crackdown on the Internet Is WORSE Than You Think | Glenn TV | Ep 343

We’re being played: The Left isn’t “saving democracy,” and the internet is NOT free. The Murthy v. Missouri Supreme Court case is just the tip of the iceberg. The pro-speech plaintiffs argue the Biden White House colluded with social media platforms to censor speech they don’t like. Speech on topics like COVID origins, masks, vaccines, lockdowns, the Hunter Biden laptop, climate change, mail-in voting, and election integrity. There is much more of this censorship in our future. Thanks to a FOIA request and eventual lawsuit brought by America First Legal, AFL was able to uncover a report by U.S. Agency for International Development that was intended for internal use only. Glenn digs into this report called the “Dis-information Primer,” which provides a disturbing insider’s view of our government’s strategies for dealing with rampant so-called “information disorder.” And instead of debunking speech it doesn’t like, the government employs a strategy called “pre-bunking.” Wait, what?! We are up against a SPRAWLING network of government agencies, think tanks, and the largest companies in the world, all collaborating in multiple ways with the same end-goal: to censor unapproved speech in media and especially online. And you can bet voices at Blaze Media will be first on the chopping block …

Megyn Kelly: The ONLY 2 Ways Trump Can Beat a Corrupt Legal System
RADIO

Megyn Kelly: The ONLY 2 Ways Trump Can Beat a Corrupt Legal System

Former president Donald Trump is facing a handful of massive trials, including two that are being prosecuted by extremely partisan attorneys. Megyn Kelly joins Glenn to explain just how unprecedented this is. In New York, Trump is facing a hush-money case where if he doesn’t pay a $175 million bond, Attorney General Letitia James (who ran on a promise to prosecute Trump) has threatened to take his properties. And in Georgia, he’s facing an election interference case run by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has apparently declared herself the “face of the feminist movement.” Megyn gives quite the response to that news and also explains the only 2 ways she believes Trump can survive these blatantly partisan attacks.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Oh, Megyn, Megyn, Megyn. How do you feel about Fani Willis? I want to quote. Because, I mean, she finally came out. She recognized it. She described herself yesterday, as the face of the feminist movement, and the face of women. She said, I feel more love.actually I have a lot of support from women. And that kind of surprised me. I'll tell you this, especially well African-American women who will just come up to me and say, we're so proud. You're such a great representative of us. But I would be lying to say, it was only African-American women. I've had Caucasian women, Asian women, Indian women. I didn't think I was the face of the feminist movement. But somehow, I've become it. Wow. That's --

MEGYN: Oh, my God. I just threw up a little in my mouth. I feel about Fani Willis the way I feel about Kamala Harris. These people cannot be feminist leaders or the face of female success, because they're too dumb. It's too bad for womankind. We can't allow it. Kamala Harris cannot be the first female vice president or president, God forbid. And Fani Willis is not the face of womanhood. What does that mean?

The face of woman hood is do a piss-poor job of managing your money. Wind up flat broke, despite the fact that you have a law degree. Decide to see the world anyway, by getting some guy, who you are -- who is married to another woman, and letting him take you all over the world on his dime. And then lie about it under oath? That's not -- no. She's not my representative, nor most women's.

GLENN: So do you believe her, that she's hearing that? I guess in small numbers, maybe. But there's no groundswell support for her, is there? Am I missing --

MEGYN: You know what, you're only saying that. Because you don't hang out in hard left circles.

I'm sure she's an icon to people who absolutely hate Trump. And think that Jack Smith is a hero. And Letitia James is one. And Alvin brag.

That's why they love fanny. They don't know anything about fanny. They just know that she's trying to get Trump.

They think the future the republic, hangs on this woman. And she needs to be elevated the way we need to ruin Ronna McDaniel. It's opposite side of the same coin.

GLENN: So I was talking to Andy McCarthy yesterday, and he said, Fani Willis and Latisha James. Both the way they have just gone after Donald Trump -- and Latisha James,actually campaigning saying, I'm going to get him. Hire me, and I will get him. He said, 15, 20 years ago. You -- you wouldn't have had a chance. Nobody in, you know, the law industry, if you will, would have respected you at all.

You wouldn't have gotten elected. We've changed.

MEGYN: It's so dangerous. All I have to say, I go to bed at night, sleeping comfortably for now because we have six conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court for the first time that I can remember, in my lifetime. And they're the last guard, against this nonsense. They're there. And under the most egregious overreaches, they will correct things. They won't get involved in everything. But thank God we have them. Because the justice system as we know right now, is being perverted by hard partisans, who unlike, you know, as we've seen 10 years ago, to no need to hide it.

He's right, 20 years ago, prosecutors didn't even understand their job to have anything to do with politics. They understood, they would get fired if they looked at justice through that lens. Ten years ago, I think they started doing it, but doing enough to try to hide it.

That it would be considered bad form. And now they're running for office on it. So I've never seen such hard partisans in the prosecutorial decision since Mike Nifong in the Duke case. Right? Somebody who is just completely subverting justice to advance their own interests. In his case, he wanted a higher pension. And if he would get it, if he remained on as DA, in a minority/majority district. And, therefore, he sided with the back fake accuser, against the white innocent defense -- defendants on the lacrosse team. Well, that's Fani Willis. She loves being DA. She's running around telling people she's the greatest DA Fulton County has ever seen. As far as I can tell, she's not particularly talented, definitely not a very smart person. And yet, she's paying somebody ten thousand dollars a year to monitor her media references, that taxpayers are footing that bill, by the way. Because she wants to be a star. That's what Fani Willis wants. She wants you to see her as an icon. Feminism. The one who got Trump. Not the one who got justice.

But let me tell you something, Glenn, her problems are just beginning. There's a very high likelihood that Fani Willis will be disciplined including up to disbarment. That some enterprising committee, whether it's the State Senate Committee in Georgia or potentially The Bar, or someone beyond, will get their hands on the actual substantive texts between Fani and Nathan wade, putting the lie to their on-stand testimony about when their affair began. And that's to say nothing of the case she has against Trump completely falling apart, because there is no Rico violation here.

GLENN: Well, we found out from another icon of women. Another genius woman, AOC, that Rico isn't against the law. It's not a crime.
(laughter)
It's an act.

MEGYN: That's amazing. How do you grow up -- doesn't she -- she grew up in the Bronx, but she didn't. Totally. Okay.

I used to date a guy from New York town heights. It's a lovely superb. His dad is a New York City cop. He lives there. It's not the Bronx. It's in Westchester. It's very different.

So in any event, how do you grow up in any of the Five Burroughs of New York is, and not understand what racketeering is? It's kind of like our favorite crime to bring against the mobsters. It's how we no longer have as active a mob as we used to. She knows very well that it is a crime, and it is something that we use traditionally to get the mob. We have multiple players working together, to advance a criminal enterprise, which as Andy McCarthy mentioned. Said about the Trump defendants and the Rico case. Seems like the only thing they've done together is get indicted.
(laughter)

GLENN: Let me -- let me switch to another court case. The Latisha James case. Seizing of Trump's assets. The bond was reduced from 464 million to 170 million. Which everybody kind of celebrated. Oh, wow.

It's good for -- it's still 170 million dollars. Which is -- in a victimless crime, I don't understand.

MEGYN: It's completely outrageous.

There's no arguing that it's better than 54. I guess that's your silver linings. You pick the ladder. You pick 170 whatever. But, no. You're right. And, look, I think Trump should be able to come up with this, as opposed to the 450, which was scary. And might have cost him a building or two. Which is just so unjust. But it doesn't change much in a case. The injustice against him is patent to anyone who is not a hard left partisan. And what it means, yesterday.

I couldn't believe it. I mean, sometimes the media still surprises me. Was the outrage on the left, about the, quote, special treatment Donald Trump was getting.

GLENN: I know. I read that. I read that this morning. I thought, are you kidding me?

You're saying, there's a double standard for Donald Trump, and it's in his favor. That's crazy be sure.

MEGYN: Yes. Yes. Okay. Laurence Tribe is a Harvard law school professor. He's been there forever, and he's a committed leftist.

He's come on my show. When I first launched my show. He came on. And we discussed, I think it was something around January 6th. I can't remember.

But my point is, he wasn't such a lunatic, that I said, oh, I really don't want to talk to this person. It's too far around the bend. I don't want to deal with them.

He was leading the charge yesterday. About the two-tier justice system, in favor of Donald Trump. Like, they're too far gone.

And unfortunately, their prosecutors and their judges, and some of them are involved in these Trump cases. Which is why I think we understand, the fix is in.

He probably is going to lose potentially across-the-board. On all four of these criminal cases. And the two civil cases, we've already seen. The E. Jean Carroll one going against him, and now this Engoron one has gone against him. It's going up on appeal. And it's all been baked in.

I think at this point, the only thing that will save Trump, is the Supreme Court and us, in November.

Those are the two ways out of this for him. Which is pretty ironic, if you think about it, Glenn. What the Democrats want more than anything, is for him to not be president again. To not run for president again. To skulk off into the darkness. And you think made it such that he must win in order to save his life, his company, his freedom.

He has no choice, but to win. So he will fight harder than ever. I mean, it's kind of perfect.

GLENN: What do you think of Jonathan Turley?

I was thinking earlier today, there's a couple of voices I really trust, when it comes to law. One of them is yours. Alan Dershowitz and Anthony Turley. What do you think of him?

MEGYN: I love Turley. He's great. I used to put him on my show in the middle of the afternoon, when nobody was watching. And he was George Washington professor, and went to visit him a couple of times. And he's brilliant. What I love about Jonathan is he has a way with them word things, that not all real lawyers have. Some lawyers can do it in the courtroom or the brief, but they can't do it on live TV. And he's great at it. I played a sound bite from him two weeks ago, when the Fani Willis judge said, you've got to choose. One of you is going. Fani or Nathan. You guys choose. And he said, it's as if you found two crooks in the bank vault, and you only prosecute one. You know, so, anyway, I love him. He's trustworthy, and he's fair. And I don't even think that Jonathan Turley is conservative. He's just extremely fair.

GLENN: No. I don't think so. Yeah. I think he's a constitutional guy.

MEGYN: Yeah.

GLENN: Which you know constitutional people. Because if they're really based in the Constitution, it doesn't always fall in your favor. You know.

MEGYN: That's right. That's right.

GLENN: Because -- yeah. It's neutral. And sometimes we lose our way.

Can I ask you, the -- all of the stories that have come out today. There's one, I think in Rolling Stone. That talks about the structure, that the left is building, to make sure that Donald Trump doesn't cheat.

I've always felt that whatever they say, that we're doing, they're doing. And there's this amazing article about how they've got lawyers, everywhere. They're lawyering up for any crazy thing. Because he's not going to steal this election.

And their premise on why they're doing this, is because they say, he's lawyering up, and he's going to try to steal the election.

What are we facing? In -- in November? What are we facing?

MEGYN: You know, my mom said a year -- I mean, her lifetime, as a psychiatric nurse at the Albany veterans hospital.

I believe they call this transference. I'll get my psychiatric platform here. What they're doing to him.

I do think this is their best chance of winning. I think they've got more money than the Republicans do. And most of Trump's money has to go to his legal fees. Which I have to be honest, I do also think that helps him.

I also think it increases his chance of winning. People are so angry. I don't think it's a complete waste of flushing money down on legal expenses. Anyway, they have more money. They are better organized. And I think they're dirtier, and they're more afraid. They're definitely more afraid.

You know, I watched 27 minutes of Rachel Maddow last night. Twenty-seven.

I don't think I've ever done that. I said to my teens, is she always this dramatic? She reminded me of Katie Brit. Okay.

Anyway, she is telegraphing 100 percent as she has been for a while. That Donald Trump will get in office, Glenn, and is never going to leave.

That the references by Trump and others to an unfair 2020 election. Forget whether or not you think it was stolen. I think most Republicans would agree, unfair. And not entirely legit.

GLENN: Yes.

MEGYN: That that is all trying to dull the senses for the argument Trump will make when he's reelected. That we can't have any more elections. That the system is crooked. And therefore, we just have to keep him in there forevermore like a king. And that, you know, the country would just go along with that, because we're morons, and we've had the senses dulled. Those are the stakes that the left sees on Trump being elected now. So who would put anything past that group? You know, we listen to Sam Harris, explicitly.

I applaud him for his honesty. At least he's being clear about the way he feels. The left, most of these people are, you know, reluctant to actually say that. But behind the scenes, what are they doing?

I think whatever it takes.

GLENN: God help us all. Megyn, thank you so much.

We'll listen to you, again. Right after my program on XM.

Glenn is SICK of Hearing THIS About America
RADIO

Glenn is SICK of Hearing THIS About America

Glenn has heard a lot of talk lately about how Americans should hunker down and beg the government for help because the destruction of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key may affect our supply chain for a long time. But Glenn is "SICK" of hearing what America CANNOT do. Instead, Glenn asks us to remember who we are, what we've done, and who we came from. We invented skyscrapers, built the Hoover Dam, and answered the Great Depression with some of the biggest marvels of engineering ever accomplished!“Stop tearing everything down," Glenn says, "and let’s start BUILDING.”

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: All right. I want to give you this -- I want to give you this story today. The immediate upshot for Americans on this bridge collapse. If you're waiting for a new car to come in from overseas, prepare to wait longer. The port of Baltimore stands as the nation's leading import/export site for cars and light trucks. It's also the leading nexus for sugar. And gypsum. Which is used in fertilizer, drywall, and plaster. A record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo was transported through Baltimore just last year.

The bustling port is cut off now after the 1.6-mile bridge crumbled and fell into the river early Tuesday, blocking the only shipping lane into the port. The port is one of the busiest in the US, and saw a record of 52-point-million tons of foreign cargo transported in 2023.

The officials have said the time line for rebuilding the bridge is, quote, years. We will do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers, the president said yesterday. The port of Baltimore creates more than 15,300 jobs, with 140,000 jobs linked to the activity at the port. This is a major disaster, and will continue -- and will create significant problems on the east coast, for US importers and exporters. The bridge collapse will mean for the time being, it will not be possible to get to the container terminals, or a range of the other port terminals in Baltimore. The Maryland Secretary of Transportation told the reporters Tuesday, that vessel traffic in the Port of Baltimore would be suspended until further notice, but noted the port is still open to trucks. So we still have trucks going in.

As soon as we clear the bridge, we can get vessels in.

But it's going to be a major hassle for -- over time, for cars, et cetera, et cetera.

An expert on property damage cases in the shipping industry, told the New York Post, that the collapse will have a major impact, on shipping and traffic routes in the east coast, for the foreseeable future. It's not -- quote, it's not going to get fixed any time soon.

It's going to take a lot longer than anyone expects. This is going to be a major problem for the northeast. I'm sick of this. I am absolutely sick to death of all of these stories, that say things like that.

Have we forgotten who we are? Have we forgotten what we've done?

Let me just take you on a little journey here for the American spirit. A spirit so potent and so vibrant, that it has scaled towering mountains. Mountains nobody thought that they could cross. Constructed marvels of engineering. Have you ever been to the Hoover dam? The skyscraper was invented here. Here we are on the threshold of tomorrow, none of us know what is happening tomorrow. None of us. But I'm getting the impression that we've been so beaten down, that we believe we're not going to make it tomorrow. Can I just remind you of who we come from? Our ancestors what they did. Our history, if you just look through it briefly, you will see a group of people, that never take no for an answer. And can do anything. I want to stop just briefly in 1930. The great depression had its icy grip on us. It was a time like the -- where everybody felt the flickering candle. In the vast darkness. It was just barely there.

Yet, it was in this crucible of adversity, that Americans did great things. The Empire State Building rose. It wasn't just a structure of steel and stone. But it was a beacon. A beacon of hope and American resilience and ingenuity. The way that thing was built, no one has ever seen anything like it before and since. In a record-shattering one year and 45 days, an army of workers, as many as 3400 men on certain days, they transformed this audacious vision, into a cowering reality.

The guy who was funding it knew, this thing better come in under budget. And we have to get it here fast. Or this will just destroy all of us.

The Empire State Building wasn't constructed. It was conjured into existence, with a symphony of clanging metal and roaring machines. And, quite honestly, the inexhaustible spirit of its builders.

Their stories. The men who were perched on the steel girders. That were being felony in by giant cranes, and they sat there. They whispered tales about how they could still feel the warmth of the freshly poured metal beneath them. That beam was still warm, even though it was poured in Pittsburgh.

And then pit on a train, then put on a boat. Then put on a truck. Then hauled up into the air. They could fill the warmth. It was moving that fast.

It was a feverish pace of construction. It seemed to defy the laws of time and physics.

For a long time, it was the tallest building in the world. An architectural achievement. It was also a declaration to the world, that America was a land where the impossible became possible. Determination. Innovation. A relentless will to succeed.

Yeah. That's all old, dusty history. Why even look at that? Pause they're not merely historical footnotes. They are blazing torches, illuminating our path forward. They remind us or are supposed to remind that you say when we're faced with adversity, we don't just endure it. We overcome it. We don't wait for history to chart our course. We write it with the sweat of our brow and the strength of our backs. That's who we are.

Have we forgotten that?

It's going to be years. We find ourselves at another crossroads, America. Faced with the challenges that threaten to dim the bright future that we all dream for, for our nation, for our children.

The spirit that build the Empire State Building, that laid down miles of railroads. That cut through the Rocky Mountains.

That sent astronauts to the moon.

It's still inside of every heart of every American, somewhere. Awaken that spirit.

Scale new mountains. It's not just rock and earth. Scale the mountains of innovation and stainability.

Build. Not just physical structures. But a future that upholds the spirit of adventure and hard work and ingenuity.

Stop tearing everything down, and let's start building.

Well, we might have another president. You know, who is out there? Who could we?

Why are we waiting? If this isn't a national emergency, I don't know what it is. And I don't mean the bridge. I mean all of it.

Well, our government has to lead. Really? Really?

Does it?

Maybe that's our problem. America is led by its values and its principles, that are found in the soul of those who still remember who we are, and who we serve.

Americans led the way. The government always follows.

Yeah. Well, we can't act without them.

Bullcrap. Where are the bridge builders who will stand up today, and say, I'll get it done?

As soon as that happens, you'll see who is leading, and who is stalling. The government is the one that stalls the engine out. To expect more from our leaders is rational. But to expect the most from ourselves, is essential.

We are the architects of our destiny. We are the builders of our dreams. There's a huge task that's right in front of us. I still believe we can tackle that. We can overcome anything.

The history of America is a tapestry, woven with the threads of bold endeavors. Monumental achievements. Blood, the blood spilled at the Empire State Building, and every other path to greatness. Let's harness the potential, not for glory. Not look at us. Oh, we're the best. We're the best. But because we understood -- we understand that in the pursuit of a better world, action is not just an option. It's our duty.

I often wonder, as I look into the horizon now, in today's America. Is that a sunset or a sunrise?

It depends on you. If Americans rise with the determination that carried our forbearers through the trials and tribulations. If we build with love and compassion and an unbreakable commitment to the spirit of daring adventure and hard work and ingenuity, we restore ourselves and our country.

In the words of our ancestors that are etched in every American heart, somewhere, you can do it. You can become anything. You can do anything.

That doesn't make it easy. It doesn't mean you deserve. You deserve it. You can do it. Because it's hard. And it's in doing the hard things, that we find the best of ourselves. That's why everything that's going on is not necessarily a curse.

It's an honor to serve at this time. Because we can find the best of ourself.

We can step forward into the dawn of a new day with our eyes wide open to all of the problems of the past and the possibilities that are right in front of us.

But we have to resolve to make those possibilities our reality. We are Americans. There is nothing we can't achieve, when we all stand together. United by our dreams, and driven by the will to see them fulfilled.

Don't listen to anybody else that tells you the differently.