WATCH: This man has a message you absolutely need to hear

Watch the full interview on TheBlaze TV

Monday night on The Glenn Beck Program, Glenn introduced the audience to a man who delivered some serious truth to the protestors in Ferguson. He's not famous. He's not a pundit. He's not an Al Sharpton or a Ben Carson. He's just an everyday guy named Jonathan Gentry, but he has a message everyone needs to hear.

Watch his message below, and scroll down for more from the interview:

Glenn: That man is Jonathan Gentry, and he is with us now. How are you?

Johnathan: Good. How are you doing, Glenn?

Glenn I am really good. Tell me first of all, before we get into that, who are you? Where are you from? What do you do?

Johnathan: I’m just a regular human being, honestly. My mom raised three boys by herself. My mother and father have been divorced for over 25 years, you know, so I always was back and forth with my mother, with my father. You know, I see a lot of the messages. People say oh, this stuck-up black rich kid. I’m by far none of that, and it hurts me because I’ve seen the struggle growing up. I grew up right there where the riots broke out in ‘92, ’91-‘92.

I’ve seen it. I was part of it, and it breaks my heart to see the same continued cycle of how we react, even in the midst of turmoil. Instead of us showing our greatest strength, we specialize in showing our greatest weakness for decades. And I’m in my early 30s, and that’s what we specialize in. Then we wonder why we’re stereotyped. Then we wonder why people don’t see us the same. It’s because of our actions at how we respond to issues that take place in our lives.

Glenn: I mean holy cow, you want to talk about sacred cows, and that video, which I think the full video runs about five minutes, you speak more plainly than most people are willing to speak. I wouldn’t classify you as angry in that, but you were clear.

Johnathan: It was passion. I think people misunderstand anger and passion. You know, my mom raised us. In spite of the struggles I have gone through, in spite of the struggles we have gone through growing up, I could have chose the wrong path. I could’ve chose to steal, kill, murder, purse snatch, do all that, but I stayed focused on my decisions in life. You know, we’re all human. We’re all human beings; however, I had choices to make as a young man.

And like I said, the cycle, especially in our youth, especially in our young generation, I felt God’s spirit when I did that video. It was Him. A man cannot move like that on his own capacity. I didn’t write nothing down. I didn’t have notes. I didn’t have a memorandum. I didn’t have anything. It was just record, flow, go. Like He said, write it down plain on tablet. Make the vision. Spread the blueprint.

Glenn: What was it that prompted you?

Johnathan: It was what I was seeing, how we reacted, like I said, in the midst of turmoil. We’re throwing elbows and angry and pissed off. Where is that line drawn amongst yourself? I’m just saying self-examination, look at yourself. Look at yourself. Timeout with all the racism. Timeout with all the foolishness. Timeout with what’s taking place. Look at yourself right now and tell me, are you happy with you? And I guarantee you you’re going to look in the mirror and say no, because if you look yourself in the mirror and see the self-examination that’s taking place, you will not be happy.

Because if you see around you, you’re tearing up where you live. You’re tearing up your own community, not no one else’s. You’re tearing up yours. So if you can examine yourself, calm down, and examine yourself, you will see that you’re not in a place of happiness, and that’s what I wanted to point out. That’s what I want people to see. People say you hate us blacks. I’m African-American myself. How can I hate?

And the problem is a finite mind cannot understand where I’m coming from. A person who does not understand the things of God will knock me, you know? That’s why I said the deep things of God are spiritually discerned to a carnal man. Neither can he know Him because they are spiritually discerned. So what I’m saying and what I’m bringing is at a level where you can’t understand it if you’re finite and superficial. I’m just telling you to look at yourself and tell me, are you happy? Tell me when you look yourself, not everyone around you, not white, not black, not the police departments, but yourself.

When you look at yourself and see your actions, your actions got you here. Your irresponsibilities have gotten you here, nothing no one else did to you. Stop blaming slavery and segregation for what’s happening now. It is you. It’s not them. It’s not this person. It is you standing in the need of prayer. That’s what I’m trying to represent, and that’s what I am representing, but they’re missing that, a lot of the African-American community. Some are understanding, but a lot miss it.

Glenn Okay, I want to come back to that. When we come back, I want to ask you, is that intentional? Because there is the Jesse Jacksons and the Al Sharptons of the world that I think that’s intentional. I know Al Sharpton. I know him. I’ve been with him. That man knows what he’s doing. He knows what he’s doing. Let me get your opinion when we come back.

[break]

Glenn: That is a powerful message that needs to be heard. You talk about the civil rights leaders, and I think you even said you call them what I call them, so-called civil rights leaders. Who are they? Do they know?

Johnathan: I mean, now you have to understand times have changed. Understand again, like I said, racism is there, but it’s not like it was back then. You’re using a method that worked then. You understand? And what I say now to the youth and to the world, to the nation, our leaders today, you cannot be an effective leader reliving your past. You cannot. You cannot be an effective leader of no kind, of no background, of whatever race, reliving your past, because what you’re going to do is rejuvenate and recycle hate, pain, anger into an innocent generation. You understand?

What you went through, you’re recycling it to an innocent generation that has nothing to do what you experienced. And I’m not talking about history. You understand? History is one thing. Recycling anger into God’s children is another. That’s where I come in, and that’s what I’m doing. I am hitting the brakes on these leaders who are recycling anger, pain, into an innocent generation who experienced what you did not.

Glenn: Can I ask you a question? Because I really truly believe…first of all, I grew up in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest. When I was growing up, I think there might have been four black people, and they may have come in, I don’t know, you know, for a show or something. I have no idea. I remember the first time I saw an African-American, and my father said to me don’t stare. But I’d never seen anybody. So we didn’t have…where I was growing up, we didn’t have this strife. There wasn’t the strife that we had in the South and everything else growing up.

So maybe I just come from a different place, but I think America has moved on from the 1960s, the 1970s. Racism still exists. When I went down to Birmingham, Alabama, and I did a show down there, I was at a theater, and the general manager said to me…I said look, we start on time? And they said well, not down here. And I said why not? And they said we’re on colored standard time. And everybody just laughed, and my friends and everybody, we’re there, and I sit here, and I was like did I just hear that? I mean, what the hell is that?

I realize, I mean, I expected, you know, Archie Bunker to come back out from behind the curtain there. So it exists, but we’re not the kind of people that we were in Martin Luther King’s time. We made great advancements, and now we’re being dragged—

Johnathan: Back.

Glenn: You just said these guys believe…maybe…maybe they don’t believe it. They believe we’re the same people that we were when Martin Luther King was alive. We’ve grown.

Johnathan: Right, we have, and that’s the sad part, because that’s what’s being pushed. Unfortunately that’s what Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson and a lot of these activists, Najee Ali and a lot of these guys on the West Coast, that’s what they’re pushing—these white folks and the police are the KKK. Okay, time out. Hold on. Wait a minute, because you have to understand, with a spiritual mind, I’m filled with God’s spirit, so don’t feed me that nonsense. You understand?

I understand racism still exists. For instance, when all these riots broke out in Ferguson, they burned down their own church, the church Michael Brown’s father attended, and they had the audacity to blame it on the KKK. Did the KKK burn down the AutoZone too? Did they burn down the McDonald’s too? Did they burn down the police cars too? So you guys burned down all the police cars, and you blame the church on the KKK because you knew it was wrong. Because they knew it was wrong, KKK did that. This, oh no.

You burned down all this. What did you do that? Why? You see, it’s the examination of a person’s self, and I’m just holding up that mirror, you know, and what I’m seeing is…go ahead.

Glenn: Okay, so let me ask you this, because the KKK exists. There are real racists.

Johnathan: Of course.

Glenn: There are spooky, spooky people, so when we come back, let me take a quick break and then come back and just ask you so how do we straddle this and say look, we as reasonable people need to say KKK and racists and racist cops, enough, but the good cops, the good people—

Johnathan: Yeah, not all cops are bad.

Glenn: Some are bad. They’re people. Some are bad. Some are good. And what we’re doing is just planting these seeds of hatred. So how do we break through and stop this nonsense of race wars that I think people are intentionally seeding? We’ll be back in just a second.

[break]

Glenn: So, you have received death threats. I mean, I know what my Facebook is like. I can’t imagine what yours is like. Nobody wants to even look at the facts of the case. They’re rioting when the facts of the case are completely upside down. How are we going to solve this? Forget about Ferguson. How are we going to solve the hate problem that is being sown by everyone it seems?

Johnathan: They’re taking sides, and we shouldn’t, Glenn. Honestly, we shouldn’t, because it’s what’s being taught, you know? How can a 15-year-old know that the police and white folks are bad? Who teaches that child that, you know? So it’s what’s being taught into our communities. So my job honestly and what I’m going to continue to do, it’s…God created us all equal. Regardless of what you’re seeing out here, regardless of what the media is pushing, we have all been created equal. And again, I say I do not hate my race. I’m just telling us to take responsibility.

Don’t hold up a sign to the police department saying black lives matter when we’ve been killing each other all year, okay? Either put the sign down or reflect it toward your own community, you understand? Because that’s where the crime rate is. That’s where we’re dying is in our own community.

Now all of a sudden Michael Brown has become the black male who has died. There’s 500,000 that we killed as an African-American community. We need to come to the level of responsibility and accountability where we live. This is not a police problem. This is not a white problem. This is a black problem that we need to address.

The same intensity you’re bringing to the police department and to the nation with your foolishness, take it right back to where you live in your own community. That’s all I’m saying. That’s where we’re going to rise above, when you can take action to yourself and change who you are, imposing to ask someone to change who they are.

Glenn: How do you teach that to a group of people, and I don’t mean this about black people, I mean this about all people, that don’t want to take responsibility? This is the easy way out. Everybody wants the easy way out.

Johnathan: They do. It’s like who doesn’t want to take responsibility? That’s like you waking up not wanting to brush your teeth. You’re just nasty. Why would you not want to change? You understand what I’m saying? Why not take responsibility for what you do? Who doesn’t? You’re going to have to take responsibility for who you are. It’s who God created you to be. You have to take accountability.

Glenn: But society is telling you you don’t have to.

Johnathan: Exactly. That’s the sad part about it, because the hip-hop culture, if you notice, and a lot of the youth listen to the Jay-Z, the Beyoncé, the Kanye West, unfortunately. They listen to them. I mean, they haven’t said nothing, zero, about what’s taking place. They will listen to them, but they said nothing. As a matter fact, the rapper Rick Ross, if I was them, I’d be doing it too. You see that mindset, and they listen to that foolishness, and then they go out there and react.

So they’re being poisoned by the hip-hop culture and the generation itself by this foolishness. Because you have to understand too, Glenn, a man cannot serve two masters. You’re either going to love one or hate the other. You understand what I’m saying? If you’re not loving God, who else are you loving? You understand what I’m saying?

The stuff runs extremely deep spiritually, and a lot of people say I’m not a religious person. It doesn’t matter. Your spirituality is going to have to come into effect somewhere, because if you’re not obeying what God wants you to do and who God is love, you’re serving someone else. You’re giving authority, and you’re bowing down to another system. What is it? What’s causing you to react like this?

Glenn: That’s one of the things you brought up, change, and you talked about—we only have a minute, but you talked about the campaign and change. And I don’t want to get political, but I’ve always asked, change to what? We’re not defining anything. What you’re saying here is, you know, if you’re not serving God, which is love, who are you serving? And nobody wants to think about that. We want change, but change to what? We need definitions on this is the direction, this is specifically where we’re headed.

Johnathan: Politically I could go another direction.

Glenn: Don’t.

Johnathan: I won’t. Spiritually, however, we have to understand we have grasped on to the…people have to understand Grand Theft Auto is a videogame, not a lifestyle. We have adopted that into our communities. That is a videogame. You are acting like a videogame. That is not reality. Come to your senses.

Glenn: Will you come back?

Johnathan: I will.

Glenn: You are great. God bless you.

Johnathan: God bless you too.

Glenn: Thank you. You can find his videos online, and we’ll post some more at TheBlaze.com and GlennBeck.com. Thank you so much.

Johnathan: You’re welcome.

POLL: Do you think Trump is going to win the election?

Kevin Dietsch / Staff, Chip Somodevilla / Staff, Kevin Dietsch / Staff | Getty Image

It feels like all of the tension that has been building over the last four years has finally burst to the surface over the past month. Many predicted 2024 was going to be one of the most important and tumultuous elections in our lifetimes, but the last two weeks will go down in the history books. And it's not over yet.

The Democratic National Convention is in August, and while Kamala seems to be the likely candidate to replace Biden, anything could happen in Chicago. And if Biden is too old to campaign, isn't he too old to be president? Glenn doesn't think he'll make it as President through January, but who knows?

There is a lot of uncertainty that surrounds the current political landscape. Trump came out of the attempted assassination, and the RNC is looking stronger than ever, but who knows what tricks the Democrats have up their sleeves? Let us know your predictions in the poll below:

Is Trump going to win the election?

Did the assassination attempt increase Trump's chances at winning in November?

Did Trump's pick of J.D. Vance help his odds?

Did the Trump-Biden debate in June help Trump's chances?

Did Biden's resignation from the election hand Trump a victory in November? 

Do the Democrats have any chance of winning this election?

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?

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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.