WATCH: Heroes and history

Over the weekend, Glenn spoke at a GOP fundraiser in Texas where he heavily criticized the national Republican party for turing away from the uniting principles of freedom and limited government. During the speech, he used several historical items to help illustrate his point, including items from heroes like Marcus Luttrell, Sam Brown, and the fallen Chris Kyle. He brought those items back to Dallas Monday night, where he used them to discuss heroism and freedom for the TV audience.

The below is based off a transcript of Glenn's monologue from Monday's show

Now, the news always seems to zero in on the bickering and the fighting, and there is a time to focus in on that and turn the tables over, but it shouldn’t be all the time. I don’t know about you, but last night I’m watching the Super Bowl, and I actually felt good. When’s the last time you watched a mass event, and you felt good afterwards? Been a very long time because usually there’s some political thing or there’s some, you know, sexual thing, or whatever.

This time I really felt like it was great because it was uniting, and that’s what we should be looking for. What unites us? This last weekend, I went, and I spoke to the GOP here in Texas. And I think everybody in the room liked it, except for really the, you know, traditional GOP people. They didn’t like it all that much, the establishment. But it was a good group of people, and they know the GOP is in trouble because the GOP is just not offering any real fixes to the problems.

They are like every party. This is their job, get people elected, and they’re about self-preservation and scoring points. And Karl Rove, his fundraising is now down 98% as Crossroads. Think of that, you want to talk about an unmitigated disaster, down 98% in fundraising. So what has he done? He’s started a new thing, what is it, Kentuckians for Real Solutions or something like that?

And so he’s taken his name off of it, and he’s raising funds hoping that people don’t know it’s Karl Rove behind it. And he is taking on Matt Bevin and instead trying to get Mitch McConnell reelected. I mean, if you don’t need more on Mitch McConnell on why he shouldn’t be elected, because Karl Rove is behind it. Maybe that should be it.

There’s lots of things that unite us, but none of them happen with the political people. They happen with real people. And the things that unite us are true. They’re not just things that make us feel good, but they are things that are good. And you see it from heroes, and I want to show you a couple of things.

Last week we had Sam Brown on. He is running for Congress in Texas. This is his pack. And you can see how it is burned, and I can’t imagine being on fire. And he said within 30 seconds he was crying out for his God and his mother. What makes a man recover from this without bitterness? What makes a man say I still want to serve my country after this?

This is the pack from Marcus Luttrell. I want to show you this. This is the pack from Marcus Luttrell and what he was wearing. You know, we’ve seen the movie, but this is the real uniform that actually was with him. I want to show you these pants. As you can see, his pants are all cut up and not in good shape.

What most people don’t realize is that when Marcus was, you know, falling down the hill, the movie doesn’t show this because Marcus is too, I think, too modest, but he was lying on the Republic of Texas. He was lying down in those pants with this and this helmet, and he crawled for eight miles. He took his knife, and he drew a line up at his head. And he was pretty much paralyzed from the shoulders down.

So he took his knife, and he drew a line in the sand, and then he crawled across that line. And he thought when my feet cross that line, I’ll draw another line because I’m getting out of here. He did that for eight solid miles. What makes a man do that?

And then there’s this. This weekend is a very special anniversary. Joe Namath had one of these on yesterday. This is something that Taya Kyle gave me to remember her husband, Chris Kyle, who died a year ago, the greatest American sniper, the one the president still hasn’t even recognized. But this was his helmet. This was his tripod for his gun, and these were his magazines, still with the rounds in it. What makes a man do that?

That, that. Now, these two men had this instead of the American flag. Why? Well, if I may show you one more piece of history. This is an amazing letter. This is from Davy Crockett. When I have shown this before in Texas, it gets audible gasps. People are like oh my gosh. I mean, it practically has to travel around in a Brinks truck. But it’s not the actual letter.

This is so amazing because Davy Crockett was an American that I think felt an awful lot like the way people today feel, and it explains what’s at the base of Chris Kyle’s helmet. I don’t know if you can see it, but it is the Texas flag. It explains why Marcus Luttrell had that, and it’s not hubris by any stretch of the imagination. It really comes from that letter from Davy Crockett.

In that letter, Davy Crockett wrote, I’ve almost given up the ship as lost. Do you feel like that? Because I do. I’ve almost given up. Several times I’ve almost just went you know what, it’s just lost. He says I’ve gone so far to declare that if the President, Martin Van Buren, is elected, I am going to leave the United States because I’ll never live under his kingdom. See, some things never really change.

He said I will not submit to his government. I will instead go to the wilds of Texas. I will consider that government a paradise to what this is. In fact, at this time, our republican government has almost dwindled into insignificancy. Our boasted land of liberty has almost bowed to the yoke of bondage. Our happy days of Republican principles…and what are Republican principles? I don’t mean the party. What are Republican principles?

This was before the Republican Party. Small government, Libertarianism, being free to be yourself, just doing the right thing. He’s talking about a president who has just expanded the government like crazy. He said our happy days of Republican principles are near an end when a few will transfer the many. This is the Van Buren principle. There are more slaves in New York and Pennsylvania than there are in Virginia and South Carolina, and they’re the meanest kind of slaves because these slaves volunteer to be slaves.

Is that not what we’re living now? So what are the principles? What are the uniting principles? What are the things that bring us all together? I will tell you, old, old dusty words that nobody even knows what they mean anymore, we hold these truths to be self-evident, meaning I can wake you up from a dead sleep. I can ask you hey, I’m the President of the United States, should I be able to kill you without trial? No. Okay, good, go back to sleep. Right?

We hold these truths to be self-evident. You can go and ask anybody anytime, uneducated or educated, they know it’s wrong to hold somebody against their will and make them a slave. They know. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. Okay, that means that you’re not born a king. You have to earn your way to king or whatever it is. You have to earn your way, earn your keep.

You’re not just born into it. Just because you’re a Kennedy doesn’t make you any different than me. Do we still believe that? And by the way, created, all men are created equal. Well, created means, kind of lends credence to the next line, and endowed by their Creator. Creator, even Richard Dawkins, the atheist, he says it wasn’t God. It’s certainly not God. It’s probably some alien life form. I’m not kidding you, this is really what he really says, some alien life form that created man and then seeded him here. That’s what he thinks we’ll find out.

Okay, well whatever, so there is something we can agree on, we were both created. You say by a super intelligent alien life form. I say it’s by God. Either way, we were created, and we were created and given some inalienable rights, meaning nobody can change them. Except for God or the alien, nobody can change these rights because we’re all born exactly the same. We all have an equal shot.

And among these life…you can’t kill me because you’re not my creator; liberty, you can’t arrest me. You can arrest me if I’ve done something wrong, but you better tell me what the charge is, and I have a right to a speedy trial with all my other fellow beings. And I get to be able to see the evidence, and if you take my child away from me, you can’t put a gag order on me. I should be able to say hey, this is wrong.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, that’s why Davy Crockett said he was going to come down to Texas. That’s why I came down to Texas. Can you still be your own man or do you have to do it somebody else’s way? You know, we’re building radio studios down here in Texas or looking to build radio studios here, and we’re also probably going to move our facilities in New York City, still in New York City unfortunately but move them, and we were talking about the expense of it today.

Here in Texas, I don’t need any special kind of light switches or anything else, but in New York, I have to, if I move into a space, I have to upgrade the entire facility, and I have to have motion light switches in every office. Well, when I asked what is this all going to cost me at the end of the day, all of these regulations, you’re almost putting me out of business. Are you free to be able to do business? Are you free to pursue your happiness?

Yes, the Internet makes it easy. I can connect with anyone in the world until they start to regulate that. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and in support of this, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor. See, honor does play a role. Honor, it means that we have to be true with one another. We have to speak honestly and openly and treat one another with respect. That’s what honor means.

So to support this idea that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator, we have to have honor. There’s your fix. There’s your uniting principle. Forget about the Coke ad and are you a racist or not a racist, that’s it. And then coming to a place to where you say I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for me.

My wife last night, oh my gosh, she was talking to me during the Super Bowl. It got into the last quarter, and she was rooting for the Broncos in the last quarter because she felt bad for them. I mean, can’t the Seahawks just – I swear to you – can’t the Seahawks just let them score? I mean, just let them score one. I feel bad. They should have at least one touchdown.

I was like do you want me to call the president and see if we could just redistribute some of these points? What are you talking about? Earn it. Earn it. That’s what it’s all about, earn it. Do I feel bad for the Broncos? Not really. They were in the Super Bowl. How many teams didn’t make it to the Super Bowl? Do I wish they would’ve? Maybe, I mean, I think it was kind of cool, just the butt kicking, but maybe that’s because I’m from Seattle originally.

Find the things that unite us, and tonight we’re going to do just that.

What is the Secret Service trying to hide about Trump's assassination attempt?

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This past weekend we were mere inches away from a radically different America than the one we have today. This was the first time a president had been wounded by a would-be assassin since 1981, and the horrific event has many people questioning the competency and motives of the supposedly elite agents trusted with the president's life.

The director of the Secret Service apparently knew about the assassin's rooftop before the shooting—and did nothing.

Kimberly Cheatle has come under intense scrutiny these last couple of weeks, as Secret Service director she is responsible for the president's well-being, along with all security operations onsite. In a recent interview with ABC, Cheatle admitted that she was aware of the building where the assassin made his mark on American history. She even said that she was mindful of the potential risk but decided against securing the site due to "safety concerns" with the slope of the roof. This statement has called her competence into question. Clearly, the rooftop wasn't that unsafe if the 20-year-old shooter managed to access it.

Glenn pointed out recently that Cheatle seems to be unqualified for the job. Her previous position was senior director in global security at America's second-favorite soda tycoon, PepsiCo. While guarding soda pop and potato chips sounds like an important job to some, it doesn't seem like a position that would qualify you to protect the life of America's most important and controversial people. Even considering her lack of appropriate experience, this seems like a major oversight that even a layperson would have seen. Can we really chalk this up to incompetence?

Former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Contributor | Getty Images

The Secret Service and DHS said they'd be transparent with the investigation...

Shortly after the attempted assassination, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Secret Service, launched an investigation into the shooting and the security protocols in place at the rally. The DHS promised full transparency during the investigation, but House Republicans don't feel that they've been living up to that promise. Republican members of the House Oversight Committee are frustrated with Director Cheatle after she seemingly dodged a meeting scheduled for Tuesday. This has resulted in calls for Cheatle to step down from her position.

Two FBI agents investigate the assassin's rooftop Jeff Swensen / Stringer | Getty Images

Why is the Secret Service being so elusive? Are they just trying to cover their blunder? We seem to be left with two unsettling options: either the government is even more incompetent than we'd ever believed, or there is more going on here than they want us to know.

Cheatle steps down

Following a horrendous testimony to the House Oversight Committee Director Cheatle finally stepped down from her position ten days after the assassination attempt. Cheatle failed to give any meaningful answer to the barrage of questions she faced from the committee. These questions, coming from both Republicans and Democrats, were often regarding basic information that Cheatle should have had hours after the shooting, yet Cheatle struggled with each and every one. Glenn pointed out that Director Cheatle's resignation should not signal the end of the investigation, the American people deserve to know what happened.

What we DO and DON'T know about Thomas Matthew Crooks

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It has been over a week since 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks narrowly failed to assassinate President Trump while the president gave a speech at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennslyvania. Despite the ongoing investigations, we still know very little about the would-be assassin, which has left many wondering if the agencies involved are limiting the information that Congress and the public are receiving.

As Glenn has pointed out, there are still major questions about the shooter that are unanswered, and the American people are left at the whim of unreliable federal agencies. Here is everything we know—and everything we don't know—about Thomas Matthew Crooks:

Who was he?

What we know:Thomas Crooks lived in Bethel Parks, Pennsylvania, approximately an hour south of Butler. Crooks went to high school in Bethel Parks, where he would graduate in 2022. Teachers and classmates described him as a loner and as nerdy, but generally nice, friendly, and intelligent. Crooks tried out for the school rifle team but was rejected due to his poor aim, and reports indicate that Crooks was often bullied for his nerdy demeanor and for wearing camo hunting gear to school.

After high school, Crooks began work at Bethel Park Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center as a dietary aide. In fact, he was scheduled to work on the day of the rally but requested the day off. He passed a background check to work at the facility and was reportedly an unproblematic employee. Crooks was also a member of a local gun club where he practiced shooting the day before the rally.

It was recently revealed that sometime before his attempted assassination, Crooks posted the following message on Steam, a popular computer application used for playing video games: "July 13 will be my premiere, watch as it unfolds." Aside from this, Crooks posted no warning or manifesto regarding his attack, and little other relevant information is known about him.

What we don't know:It is unclear what Crook's political affiliations or views were, or if he was aligned with any extremist organizations. Crooks was a registered Republican, and his classmates recall him defending conservative ideas and viewpoints in class. On the other hand, the Federal Election Commission has revealed he donated to a progressive PAC on the day Biden was inaugurated. He also reportedly wore a COVID mask to school much longer than was required.

Clearly, we are missing the full picture. Why would a Republican attempt to assassinate the Republican presidential nominee? What is to gain? And why would he donate to a progressive organization as a conservative? This doesn't add up, and so far the federal agencies investigating the attack have yet to reveal anything more.

What were his goals?

What we know: Obviously we know he was trying to assassinate President Trump—and came very close to succeeding, but beyond that, Crooks' goals are unknown. He left no manifesto or any sort of written motive behind, or if he did, the authorities haven't published it yet. We have frustratingly little to go off of.

What we don't know: As stated before, we don't know anything about the movies behind Crooks' heinous actions. We are left with disjointed pieces that make it difficult to paint a cohesive picture of this man. There is also the matter that he left explosives, ammo, and a bulletproof vest in his car. Why? Did he assume he was going to make it back to his car? Or were those supplies meant for an accomplice that never showed up?

The shocking lack of information on Crooks' motives makes it seem likely that we are not being let on to the whole truth.

Did he work alone?

What we know: Reportedly, Crooks was the only gunman on the site, and as of now, no other suspects have been identified. The rifle used during the assassination attempt was purchased and registered by Crooks' father. However, it is unlikely that the father was involved as he reported both his son and rifle missing the night of the assassination attempt. Crooks' former classmates described him as a "loner," which seems to corroborate the narrative that he worked alone.

What we don't know: We know how Crooks acquired his rifle, but what about the rest of his equipment? He reportedly had nearly a hundred extra rounds of ammunition, a bulletproof vest, and several homemade bombs in his car. Could these have been meant for a co-conspirator who didn't show? Did Crooks acquire all of this equipment himself, or did he have help?

There's also the matter of the message Crooks left on the video game platform Steam that served as his only warning of the attack. Who was the message for? Are there people out there who were aware of the attack before it occurred? Why didn't they alert authorities?

We know authorities have access to Crooks' laptop and cellphone that probably contain the answers to these pertinent questions. Why haven't we heard any clarity from the authorities? It seems we are again at the mercy of the federal bureaucracy, which begs one more question: Will we ever know the whole truth?

Who will be Kamala Harris' VP pick?

JIM WATSON / Contributor, Chris duMond / Stringer, Justin Sullivan / Staff | Getty Images

Over the weekend, President Joe Biden officially dropped out of the 2024 presidential election and put forward his endorsement behind his Vice President Kamala Harris.

Glenn recently predicted that Biden would step down due to the mountain of pressure within his party to do so. But now that we are here we are faced with an all-new line of questions, like, who will be the candidate on the Democratic ticket? Who will be their pick for vice president?

As of now, the answer to the first question seems to be Kamala Harris, who received the support of the president and several prominent democrats. It's still too early to call for certain, and Glenn doesn't think it's likely, but assuming Kamala becomes the Democrat nominee, who will her VP pick be? There are endless possible options, but there are a 5 big names that could prove beneficial to Harris' campaign:

California Gov. Gavin Newsom

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Governor Newsom has spiked in popularity within his party since his taking office in 2019 due to his scathing criticisms of President Trump and other Republicans. Newsom has been a popular contender as a possible Biden replacement, and a future presidential bid seems likely.

His widespread recognition may be a boon to Kamala's ticket, but the California governor comes with a dark side. Newsom was famously nearly recalled as Governor in 2021, hanging on to his office by a narrow margin. He also faced criticism for his hypocrisy during the COVID lockdowns, attending large gatherings while the rest of his state was locked inside. There's also the issue that both Newsom and Kamala are from California, meaning that if they were to appear on the same ticket, that ticket would lack geographical balance and would potentially lead to a Constitutional issue that would force the duo to forfeit all 54 of the states' Electoral College votes.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro

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Another prominent Democrat Governor, Josh Shapiro has also been floated as a potential VP pick. Governor Shapiro has become a viable pick due to his well-received performance as Pennslyvania's Governor. The governor has good support within the swing state due to his handling of the I-95 bridge collapse, the train derailment in East Palestine, which had effects on his state, and the assassination attempt on the former president last week. Shapiro would bring much-needed support from the swing state if he was put on the ticket.

That being said, Shapiro has little time to build nationwide name recognition before the DNC in August and the November election. This would be Shapiro's debut on the national stage, and he would find himself in the most unforgiving situation possible.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg

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Former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and opponent of Biden during the 2020 Democratic primaries, "Mayor Pete's" name recognition might be what Kamala needs on her presidential ticket. Buttigieg rose to popularity during the 2020 election due to his youth and status as "openly gay." Buttigieg has served as the Secretary of Transportation during the Biden administration for the past four years and has formally endorsed Harris.

Nevertheless, Buttigieg has some dark spots on his resume. The East Palestine train derailment disaster has besmirched his reputation as Secretary of Transportation. And while his youth may work in his favor when compared to the other elderly members of our federal government, it also means Buttigieg lacks the experience and prestige that other politicians enjoy.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

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Yet another governor of a crucial swing state, Whitmer was elected in 2018, two years after President Trump was elected, helping secure the state for the Democrats. Whitmer is known for her strong opposition to Trump, both during his presidency and his reelection campaign. Whitmer serves as co-chair for the Biden-Harris campaign and as vice chairperson of the DNC, which gives her influence over the Democratic party, something that would come in handy as a Vice President. Gov. Whitmer also established the Fight Like Hell PAC, which is dedicated to helping Democrats get elected and to stopping Trump by any means.

On the other hand, in a statement following Biden's resignation from the election, Governor Whitmer stated that her role “will remain the same.” It is also worth noting that if she were to be chosen as Kamala's VP, that would make their ticket all-female, which may foster some "woke points," but is politically risky.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear

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Andy Bashear has seemingly beaten the odds twice, having been elected and reelected as the Governor of Kentucky, despite the deep-red nature of the state. Beshear, who has moderate tendencies, would be a boon to the Harris campaign as he has a track record of reaching rural, typically conservative regions where Democrats tend to struggle. He is also known for his propensity to talk about his Christian faith and willingness to work with Republicans, which are traits that might help win over moderates.

But, like Gov. Shapiro, Bashear has very little time to whip up national support and recognition. He also is unlikely to be very much help for the Harris campaign in winning over important swing states.

Five times Glenn had J.D. Vance on his show and where he stands on key issues

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We finally have an answer to the long-awaited question of who Trump will pick for his running mate, and it's none other than Ohio Senator and friend of the show, J.D. Vance. At the RNC in Milwaukee, Trump officially accepted the party's nomination as the Republican candidate and announced J.D. Vance as his running mate.

Glenn has had Senator Vance on the show several times to discuss everything from DEI to the Southern Border. If you are looking to familiarize yourself with the next potential Vice President, look no further, here are five conversations Glenn had with Trump's VP pick:

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