In nearly 40 years of broadcasting, Glenn Beck has never officially endorsed any presidential candidate. Not that he's never been asked. He has, many times. But he's never trusted anyone enough — until now.

Beck made the unprecedented announcement on the campaign trail today during a rally at Faith Bible College in Ankeny, Iowa.

"We need a new George Washington," Beck said. "Today’s Washington will not be found in the garish light of gold, but rather, in the bold service of a man who stands tirelessly for what he deeply believes — that government should be of the people, by the people, and for the people. That is why I am endorsing Senator Ted Cruz as the next President of the United States of America.”

In addition to Glenn Beck, the rally, sponsored by Keep The Promise, featured special guest Senator Ted Cruz, Congressman Steve King, Bob Vander Plaats of The Family Leader, and David Barton of Wallbuilders.

With the country at a pivotal crossroads, Beck emphasized how critical it is to put the United States back on the right track and reconnect with what made America exceptional.

"America’s presidency is more than just an office, bigger than just a man. The presidency is about the principles of life, liberty, and justice for all. I stand for those principles, and we must elect a president who stands for them," Beck said.

Beck also highlighted Cruz's many accomplishments — from winning landmark court cases to standing on principles grounded by the U.S. Constitution. Cruz, the son of a Cuban immigrant, was fed the Constitution as a child and raised on the solid Judeo-Christian principles that founded the United States of America.

"I have prayed for the next George Washington," Beck said, "I believe I have found him."

Watch Glenn and Sen. Cruz at the rally in Waterloo.

Rally Photos From Glenn's Instagram

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Below is a rush transcript of Glenn's speech, it might contain errors.

What brings us here today?

Not a man.

But a simple belief that things can be better.

That it doesn't need to be this hard,

And that our children do have hope of a better tomorrow than our yesterdays.

No president can give us that.

Nor can any president snuff out that flame.

It is the essence of America.

It is what those who yearn for our shores feel.

Those who are locked in some Iranian jail hope for.

And what those in the slave shops of China can only dream of.

Our country is in trouble and we stand at the crossroads.

To put ourselves back on the right track we need to reconnect with what got us here.

Many of you have been with me for a while.

You watched me at Fox and we learned the good bad and ugly about our history together,

We stood shoulder to shoulder on a beautiful August day at the feet of Abraham Lincoln.

We prayed together for God to help us

find a leader or patriot that could be the next George Washington.

Honestly, when we were in Washington and since,

I had given up hope.

I thought we would have to raise him or her from childhood

and it would be thirty-five years before we would meet them.

The press seems to think that I am here to endorse Ted Cruz today.

In my almost 40 years of broadcast I have never endorsed anyone.

For years it wouldn't have mattered

And for the rest,

I didn't trust the men who asked.

I am still not sure that my endorsement would matter,

But I am here today to talk to you about American principles.

We spoke of them many days while at Fox.

Faith - hope and charity.

Let's start with faith.

First, Faith in God.

Real faith.

Not showman faith.

Living the principles of faith,

not just reading about them in 2nd Corinthians.

But actually living them.

But by their fruits shall he know them.

So as we decide who should lead us we should ask:

What are the fruits of these candidates?

Does your candidate have a record of

Standing for your right to worship God,

Winning the court cases to keep the Ten Commandments

Winning the Heller case so you can defend yourself.

And going against his own president, George Bush

to make sure that an illegal alien

who brutally gang raped and killed

got the death penalty he deserved?

Has your candidate served his whole life

trying to make sure you hold on to the rights

God endowed you with?

The George Washington we need today will not be found in the garish light of gold.

But rather, in the bold service of a man who stands tirelessly for what he deeply believes.

Where does your candidate find his treasure?

Casinos or The Constitution?

But there is another kind of faith we must look for.

I heard The Donald say that "I will make America great again.”

But this is not true. And Donald can’t make it true.

No, one man makes America great.

But each of us as individuals, living our own lives - believing in our own strengths -

that makes America great.

That is faith in self.

We have already had a president tell us

"you didn't build that”

And try to convince us that he and the power of his office were responsible for what we had accomplished.

But, the President does not create jobs.

He helps create the conditions to where WE THE PEOPLE can create jobs and change lives.

The next president cannot be a repeat of Obama

who thought he could make the seas recede by a stroke of his pen,

or that he was worthy of the peace prize because of his name.

This president must be a servant of God, and the people.

He must have less faith in himself, his pen or his phone

and more real faith in our God,

our principles

and our people.

The next principle is Hope.

Hope comes from truth.

Cancer patients all say the same thing to their doctors: please, shoot straight.

Tell me the truth.

Well I will.

The country has a deep and metastasized cancer.

It is called, political correctness, cronyism, and progressivism.

It is stage four and this may be our last shot.

We are lying to ourselves and accepting lies from our politicians.

Let's be clear.

Hillary Clinton should be in jail.

Because if you or I did what she has admitted to doing we would be in prison and deservedly so. For the rest of us, “Oops, I’m sorry” doesn’t dismiss felonies.

We must not continue to lower the bar.

Nor accept lies because they are convenient or easy.

We must do the right thing even at our own expense.

And that means telling the truth.

About our situation with jobs,

The rigged game of cronyism,

Race

Isis,

Our families

And ourselves.

The hard truth.

Many here know my history.

I am an alcoholic who lost everything and almost lost his family.

You know that not because someone exposed it.

But because I told you.

If we don't tell each other the truth we cannot grow.

I understand pivot points.

Changing your mind, your position, even your heart.

I believe in redemption.

Hope of the world comes from not the mistakes but the ability to admit them,

ask forgiveness

and change your ways.

There are many great candidates in this race

but we must admit it,

this is a two person race.

And the other guy has said that he has never felt that he has done anything to ask God’s forgiveness. The hubris of that thinking is incredible to me. As if the last 8 years of an egomaniac in the White House has taught us nothing.

I cannot judge his soul.

But As citizens we are required to judge his record,

His record is clear: He has been a life long progressive, and now he claims to be conservative.

Where was his pivot point?

He could tell us the story on what happened in his life to suddenly change almost every principle he held his entire life –

The principles that have guided his actions for over 60 years.

Perhaps he really doesn’t need God’s forgiveness

but how about asking America’s forgiveness for supporting trillions in Wall Street bailouts,

and calling for the nationalization of banks.

How about asking for forgiveness for giving money to prop up Anthony Wiener,

Nancy Pelosi,

Rahm Emanuel

Mitch Mc Conell

and Harry Reid.

Hope comes from honesty.

We need a man who will tell us the truth and then take actions based on those truths.

Finally, Charity.

This is a fundamental principle.

The world knows that we are the most charitable nation in the history of mankind.

We have forgotten.

We do need a Safety net - for the few who truly need it.

And we must keep those promises that we have made, like those to our veterans.

They did their job.

Now we must do ours

and help them heal and become whole

without a lot of government red tape.

We made them fight for our freedom with one hand tied behind their back,

there should be no foolish rules of engagement at the hospital.

We can do this by getting the government out of the way.

By allowing medical professionals

and private institutions to do what they are supposed to do.

But we must do more ourselves.

The days of walking by the homeless,

the alcoholic,

out of work,

the orphan

with out really seeing them, must end.

We must talk less of our rights and more about our own personal responsibility.

The Good Samaritan didn't call the government.

He picked him up, paid for his stay and helped him back on his feet.

Government isn't the solution, it is the problem.

WE THE PEOPLE ARE THE SOLUTION.

But that means all of us.

Charity must not be used as a tool to simply take the bread from another's work because you do not wish to work.

This means that this misguided compassion must end.

FDR said that when you take away a man’s ability to work you take away his self-worth.

The government dole must end,

not simply because we can no longer afford it

but because it violates our principles.

By strengthening people

and encouraging to them do what they can

and must do for themselves,

they become strong and engaged citizens.

WITH FAITH AND HOPE IN A BETTER FUTURE.

And let's not forget that Charity begins at home.

If we do not get a hold of our borders

and who is here

we will not be able to be the life boat for those who truly need it..

All those who wish to do us harm

and those who are willing to bleed us dry

must be sent home.

But we must not forget those who want to become an American

like Ted’s father.

And because charity is a virtue that we hold up as foundational,

we must not forget the Christians that are being crucified,

tortured

and whose children are being raped

and sold off as slaves for Isis. They

need a home and our principles demand that we find ways to help them.

Most of all

we need to be more charitable toward each other.

We are at each other's throats.

We are not the enemy.

Just because we disagree does not make us sell outs or Traitors

Or as a few extremists called Mark Levin for his defense of Ted Cruz "a dirty Jew".

We are Americans who share many of the same hopes and dreams.

And if what we are fighting for is rooted deeply in our principles, then

We just disagree on how to get there,

Through progressivism

Or constitutionalism. Through Tyranny or through Liberty?

I believe what allowed us to be great in the first place was our constitution.

We were a nation of laws and not of men.

The next president is going to choose up to four Supreme Court Justices.

So much of what is decided is five to four.

With the wrong president those decisions could be 8-1.

The freedom of each man and woman and child is codified into laws protected by the Constitution.

It is time to be the men and women we were born to be.

Because this is our time

And history is being written.

Will we be the first in human history

To turn around

Remember and embrace again what made us great in the first place?

Americas values,

Her principles

And her people.

I told Cruz I would be his worst nightmare if he didn't do what he said he would.

It’s hard to stand alone.

But in America we love the David and Goliath story.

We root for the little guy, alone and out gunned.

Our choice is clear

will we stand with the bully who buys his favors and destroys, smears and uses every Saul Alinsky tactic to get his way

or with the little guy who still believes that someone who plays by the rules and works hard wins in the end.

Some one who still believes in divine providence and that if you just stand where the Lord asks,

even if his face in the end is marred with sweat,

tears or blood, it is not He that makes America great again,

but we the people,

unleashed and free to create,

dream,

work.

America cannot last with another four years of division,

hatred, backroom deal-making

and enemies lists.

We are better than this and we must not compromise who we are.

The next president could be Lincoln.

He could be Washington and refound our country. Restore our principals. Liberty. Freedom. Justice for all.

Who is that man?

I believe that man is Ted Cruz.

Use this compass so your path remains true

while they are slinging mud and losing their way

You will not.

Over the last 4 months, I have wanted one of the debate moderators to ask the candidates "

Please recite the oath of office, and tell me what that means to you"

The oath of office of the President of the United States is to "Preserve, Protect and Defend the Constitution of the United States

There is a reason that is the Oath.

BECAUSE THAT IS THE JOB.

The oath doesn't say "I'll put a chicken in every pot"

or "I'll restrict the sale of pornography" or "I'll declare a war on poverty, drugs and warm weather"

or "I'll make the rich pay their fair share".

All government employees take an oath saying they’ll defend the Constitution

from both external and internal enemies

Those are our principles

And that is the president’s job.

I am not here just to endorse these principles which we find self-evident,

but to tell you that this one time the press has it right.

I have finally found a man who actually believes and lives these principles.

That is why.

I am officially endorsing Ted Cruz

to become the first Hispanic president,

the first true Conservative President since Reagan

and the next president of the United States

Ted Cruz.