Donald Trump's Despicable Debate

The Context

Back live on the air following Presidents Day, Pat and Stu filled in for Glenn on The Glenn Beck Program. Top on their minds was the most recent GOP debate in South Carolina, particularly Donald Trump's performance, which took political discourse to an all-time low.

"The guy is despicable," Pat said. "And has he proven it any more than he did on Saturday night? I mean, just despicable."

Stu agreed.

"The single worst debate performance of any candidate I've ever seen," he said.

The Boos Have It

Trump was booed nine times for his behavior which bordered on angry and psychotic. Rather than focus on issues and solutions, Trump took to name calling and attacking his fellow presidential hopefuls. The audience responded accordingly, especially when the real estate mogul attacked Jeb Bush on foreign policy, blaming his brother, President George W. Bush, for the terror attacks on 9/11 that brought down the World Trade Center buildings.

"Has that ever happened? Has there ever been a debate in the history of politics in which one of the candidates was booed six, seven, eight, nine, times?" Stu asked.

Trump --- seemingly without evidence --- blamed the booing on lobbyists and donors supporting Bush.

Double Standard

During the previous presidential debate, Marco Rubio suffered a loss in polls and votes in New Hampshire after what the media labeled a bad debate performance. He was blasted for repeating talking points multiple times in an exchange with Chris Christie, who has now dropped out of the race.

"It's the end of his life. The man might as well just move out of the country because he's such a disgrace to this nation," Stu joked about Rubio.

Yet Trump's despicable debate performance in South Carolina hasn't seemed to hurt him in the polls or with his supporters. Likewise, the media has given him a platform to complain about the Republican Party and threaten a third party run --- which he promised not to do.

Common Sense Bottom Line

Donald Trump is not fit for the presidency. He is not the man of character and honor we need at this hour. He is not a true conservative, and has changed his opinions to suit the political climate. Learn the truth about Donald Trump's character --- in his own words and actions --- in our Donald Trump series. The choice for president has never been more critical.

 

Below is a rush transcript of this segment, it might contain errors:

PAT: Glenn is off today. So Stu and I are filling in. Pat and Stu and Jeffy is here too. A lot, of course, happened over the weekend. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died. And we have to get to the G.O.P. debate from Saturday. We do that, right now.

(music)

PAT: Welcome to the GlennBeck.com Glenn Beck Program with Pat and Stu and Jeffy too. So, yeah, Antonin Scalia died over the weekend. That was tragic, of course, for his family. It's horrific for the country. I mean, we'll get into that coming up. Also, we'll have the debates -- we should stop doing the debates on Saturday night. I hate the Saturday night debate. Can we do it during the week? I don't want to watch a debate on Saturday night. First of all, I don't care about the debate on the weekend, okay.

JEFFY: You don't care about it on the weekday.

PAT: I care about it on a weekday, okay? Don't bother me about your dumb debate on a start Saturday night. I have other stuff going on. Okay? I got other stuff.

STU: Is it connected to the Democratic proposal to like make sure nobody watches it?

PAT: I guess that's what it is.

STU: I mean, they got really big ratings. 13.8 million or something watched it, which is five million more than the last Democratic debate. 5 million more. Pretty impressive.

PAT: Pretty good. The Democrats, I don't know where they get off thinking they have this thing in the bag or they can pummel the G.O.P. like they are because all indications are otherwise. All indications are that they're in trouble.

STU: I think a big part of that is the current frontrunner of the Republican Party.

JEFFY: Yes.

PAT: That could be.

STU: They're like, "Oh, we're running against that guy."

PAT: We got this in the bag.

STU: Oh, okay. We should be good. Let's run the socialist. Let's see how that works out this time.

PAT: And it might work out for them okay if they do, if Trump gets the nomination. The guy is despicable. And has he proven it any more than he did on Saturday night? I mean, just despicable. Was that not angry, mean --

STU: The single worst debate performance of any candidate I've ever seen.

PAT: I thought it was.

STU: Think about it from the perspective of -- Marco Rubio came out, and he apparently repeated a line from his stump speech a couple times in a debate, and it's the end of his campaign. It's the end of his life. The man might as well just move out of the country because he's such a disgrace to this nation.

PAT: Yeah, go back to Cuba.

STU: Donald Trump was booed more than over a half dozen times, where his own party was supposedly the one holding it.

PAT: Over and over again.

STU: Which I say supposedly, because I don't see how there's any evidence other than the fact that he apparently registered as a Republican, there's any other evidence that he actually is a Republican.

Has that ever happened? Has there ever been a debate in the history of politics in which one of the candidates was booed six, seven, eight, nine, times? Those are your lobbyists.

PAT: I don't think so. And that's his thing. That's his thing.

Those are Jeb's donors. Those are Jeb's donors. I don't have any donors. I just have my wife and my son here. I'm just a little guy. I don't have a bunch of big donors. I'm self-funded.

STU: Yeah, which is weird because then someone should go to his campaign team and figure out where the embezzled funds are going that are coming from the giant donate button on his website. They should really track that one down. Because someone is funneling millions of dollars to some vacation resort, some, I don't know, Bugatti. Someone is buying something awesome with the money coming in. Because for some reason they continue to have a donate button even though they claim they're self-funding.

PAT: Yeah, he's despicable. Here's what he said. They started out the debate in a very somber way, talking about Antonin Scalia.

DONALD: Well, I can say this. If the president -- and if I were president now, I would certainly want to try and nominate a justice, and I'm sure that -- frankly, I'm absolutely sure that President Obama will try and do it. I hope that our Senate is going to be able to -- Mitch and the entire group is going to be able to do something about it in times --

PAT: Mitch and the entire group. It's Mitch and the Entire Group performing today. One show only! Mitch and the Entire Group!

STU: That's really bad.

PAT: The guy doesn't know Mitch McConnell's last name is. He doesn't know what the US Senate is called. He can't think on his feet.

DONALD: We could have a Diane Sykes, or you could have a Bill HEP Pryor. We have some fantastic people. But this is a tremendous blow to conservatism. It's a tremendous blow frankly to our country.

PAT: Conservatism.

VOICE: So just to be clear on this, Mr. Trump, you're okay with --

STU: Stop for one second. I love that he's naming a couple of justices there. Obviously he knows that last time he tried to improv that answer, he named his sister, which he now claims was a joke, which it was not a joke at all.

PAT: No.

STU: He claimed his sister who was a hard-core abortion activist in the courts.

PAT: Big-time leftist.

STU: Big-time leftist. Overturned the partial-birth abortion ban. To remind you, partial-birth abortion is opposed by about 90 percent of the American people. They overturned that. He initially names her as a good Supreme Court justice. Now he comes back with a couple of names. I really wish -- you know, Cruz did okay in the debate, I thought. He wasn't unbelievable, but did pretty well. I would have loved to have seen Cruz push back on those names because you know he knows who those people are.

Really, Don, so what exactly makes you think Diane Sykes would be a great choice? Can you name any one of the -- how about this, give me one way she ruled once? How about that?

PAT: It's so easy to take this guy apart, and nobody will. Except Jeb. I mean, Jeb is the only one with the giblets to do something about him.

JEFFY: He's trying. Yes, he is.

PAT: And I think it's because he's so far behind, he's got nothing to lose. With Cruz, it's just too risky right now. And so I think he's trying to walk that fine line of not pushing too hard because you don't want the blowback coming from that blowhard. So it's a tough line to walk. But he had more to say --

JEFFY: It's already coming.

PAT: I know. I know.

VOICE: -- nominating somebody.

DONALD: I think he's going to do it whether I'm okay with it or not. I think it's up to Mitch McConnell and everybody else to stop it. It's called delay, delay, delay.

PAT: Oh, he did -- it's called we have a country, okay?

STU: It's called we have a country.

Featured Image: Republican presidential candidates (L-R) Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Donald Trump and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) participate in a CBS News GOP Debate February 13, 2016 at the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina. Residents of South Carolina will vote for the Republican candidate at the primary on February 20. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Glenn: What I saw on the ground in Asheville gave me hope

Melissa Sue Gerrits / Stringer | Getty Images

The government can’t save us. Washington is too slow and too bureaucratic, and quite frankly, the government doesn’t care.

I’ve seen a lot of destruction in my life. I’ve walked through war zones and cities torn apart by riots, and I've stood at the sites of natural disasters that leave communities devastated. But what I saw in Asheville, North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene was unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed.

Houses were washed down rivers, upside down and crushed. Train tracks, strong enough to support locomotives, were left suspended in midair after the earth beneath them was eroded away. Semi-trucks, rolled by the force of the floodwaters, now lie like children’s toys, tossed and overturned hundreds of feet from the road. Whole towns have been uprooted and scattered — debris from homes miles away, stacking up like dominoes, bridges that stood for decades washed out by water so high that it flowed six feet over their tops.

'You tell everybody you know — even if they don’t care — we’ll take care of our own damn selves if nobody shows up.'

I stood there, looking at this idyllic small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and I thought, “This will take years to rebuild. Maybe even decades.” But I didn’t just see destruction. I saw something far more powerful than nature’s wrath: the resilience of the American spirit.

My expectations for the government’s assistance were low before I arrived in Asheville, given its failing track record in previous natural disasters, but its response to Hurricane Helene victims — or lack thereof — was a new category of negligence. But the people in Asheville weren’t waiting on FEMA or the federal government to swoop in. They knew no one was coming.

The bridges were out, roads were destroyed, and the mountains had isolated them from outside help. But instead of despair, I saw hope. Instead of panic, I saw action. People were taking care of each other, and that is the America I remember, like in the days after 9/11 when we came together regardless of political party, race, or background. We didn’t care about who voted for whom. We just saw our neighbors hurting, and we asked, “Are you OK? What can I do to help?”

I saw that again in North Carolina. I saw it in the man who turned his Harley-Davidson dealership into a helicopter landing zone, shoveling mud out of his showroom just so rescue teams could land. I saw it in the volunteers flying missions across treacherous terrain, getting the elderly and the injured out of danger. They weren’t asking for government permission. They were doing what needed to be done.

Adam Smith, a retired Special Forces veteran who is coordinating the landing of helicopters in Asheville, told me that the FAA is trying to shut down the operation because it isn’t federally regulated. He told the feds that they’re going to leave because he has a helicopter landing in a few minutes that will actually help people while they are barking orders from Washington.

One story stood out to me. We landed to help evacuate an elderly woman with a broken hip and a severe infection. She just had surgery, but because her family didn’t have insurance, the hospital pushed her out as fast as it could. Her wound became infected, and her leg was on fire. We helped airlift her to get her desperately needed antibiotics and treatment. There were no government resources to help her to an emergency room.

As we loaded the woman into the helicopter, her grandson turned to me and said, “You tell everybody you know — even if they don’t care — we’ll take care of our own damn selves if nobody shows up.” That hit me hard because it’s the truth. It’s the way America used to be, and it’s the way we need to be again.

As I flew through those mountains in the helicopter, I couldn’t help but think of Billy Graham. I’d visited Asheville about 10 years ago to see him, and I remember thinking how beautiful and peaceful the town was. Today, it’s unrecognizable. The destruction is overwhelming. But the people are stronger than ever.

The government can’t save us. Washington is too slow and too bureaucratic, and quite frankly, the government doesn’t care. I saw it firsthand. We found a FEMA truck parked under a tree, its workers sitting at a card table in the shade. They weren’t doing anything to help.

But we’re Americans. We can take care of ourselves. We don’t need Washington to save us. We need each other. This is the America that Billy Graham spoke to me about — the America that will rise again in times of trouble. And while the government might fail us, we will not fail each other. And that’s exactly what I saw in North Carolina — Americans stepping up, taking care of their neighbors, and rebuilding their communities.

This is what I told the people of Asheville: You are not forgotten. There are millions of Americans who love you, who are praying for you, and who are ready to help. Because that’s what we do. We don’t wait for permission. We roll up our sleeves and take care of our own.

And to the rest of America, I say this: It’s time to remember who we are. It’s time to stop looking to Washington for solutions and start looking at each other. Because when the chips are down, it’s not the government that’s going to save us. It’s you and me, and if we stand together, nothing — no hurricane, no flood, no disaster — can break us.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published on TheBlaze.com.

UPDATE: Will Florida survive Hurricane Milton?

Handout / Handout / Getty Images

For the second time in two weeks, Florida is in the path of a major hurricane.

Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall sometime tonight, Wednesday, October 9th, somewhere near Tampa Bay. This will mark the first time in a hundred years the city has been hit directly by a hurricane, raising concerns about the preparedness of the city's infrastructure. Milton, which was rated a category five hurricane earlier this week, has been reduced to a category four as it approaches land and is expected to make landfall as a powerful category three.

The Sunshine State has already begun to feel the effects of the historic storm, with strong winds and heavy rains battering Tampa Bay this morning. Many are still trying to evacuate or prepare for the storm as conditions worsen. Highways have slowed down, and gas has run short. Residents are preparing for the worst.

The federally recognized "Waffle House Index" is in red, meaning that several Waffle House locations in the Tampa Bay area will be shut down. Waffle House prides itself on being open 24/7, no matter the conditions, so for them to shut down, if only for a brief time, indicates that severe damage to the area is anticipated.

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

In short, Milton is anticipated to be a disaster, and as we have learned, FEMA is unlikely to be much help. Fortunately, Floridians have Ron DeSantis, who has continued to prove himself a capable governor, and the aid of good-hearted Americans from across the country. If you want to lend a hand to your fellow Americans you can donate at Mercury One and rest assured that your money will be used to step in to help hurricane victims where the government is failing.

'Call her Daddy'? Kamala Harris keeps dodging important questions

TING SHEN / Contributor | Getty Images

Kamala Harris has been making her rounds on talk shows and podcasts in order to increase her poor recognition amongst voters, but all we're hearing is more of the same.

Just in the past few days, Harris has appeared on "60 Minutes" and the popular podcast "Call Her Daddy" to help Americans get to know her. But instead of bold answers to hard-hitting questions, Harris delivered rambling responses to soft-ball questions and squirmed her way out of the few tough questions thrown at her. Overall, it is unlikely that any voter who tuned in to get a solid grasp on Harris's policies was left with a better understanding after either one of her interviews.

Below is a summary of Harris's most recent interviews:

"Call Her Daddy" podcast

Antony Jones / Stringer | Getty Images

Despite this podcast's unsavory name, it consistently ranks among the most popular podcasts in the world, right up there with Joe Rogan's show, and is especially popular among women. Shortly after releasing the interview with Harris, Alex Cooper, the host of the podcast, received backlash for her extremely soft treatment of the presidential nominee. After watching the interview, it's not hard to see how that impression might have come across.

The interview consisted of several surface-level, gimme-type, questions on common Democrat talking points. Harris said she wassurprise—pro-choice. Who would have thought? She also expressed her desire to dump taxpayer money into student loan forgiveness along with other government "aid" programs, which is pretty standard amongst the Left. Overall, nothing new was revealed.

The rest of the interview was little more than gossip. Cooper and Harris chatted about a comment made by Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and the "at ladies" comment made by J.D. Vance. This was not the deep dive on Harris that voters wanted.

60 Minutes

CBS Photo Archive / Contributor | Getty Images

On Monday, October 8th, Harris sat down with CBS's Bill Whitaker for an interview on 60 Minutes. While Whitaker defiantly upped the ante in comparison to "Call Her Daddy," Harris still managed to dodge several questions. When asked about foreign policy, Harris parroted the same tired schtick we've heard for the past four years, which clearly hasn't worked. Like Biden before her, she called for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, primarily out of concern for the Palestinians, while simultaneously maintaining Israel's right to self-defense.

Harris also deflected Biden's failure at the Southern Border onto the House Republicans, citing a single instance where a border security bill failed to pass. Even Whitaker pointed out the obvious: The Biden-Harris administration has had four years to solve the problem, and the blame does not fall on this single instance. Harris didn't waver, and doubled down on her excuse, again blaming Congress.

Harris went on to repeatedly dodge questions about her three trillion-dollar economic plan and offered little explanation of what might be included in such a plan, or how it will be paid for. These interviews have repeatedly failed to define Harris or her platform in any meaningful way, though they were successful in concealing just how radical of a candidate she actually is. She is still just a vaguely left-wing, Joe Biden replacement in the eyes of many voters, which might be the best she can do.

The Howard Stern Show

Kevin Mazur / Contributor | Getty Images

In her recent interview on The Howard Stern Show, Harris once again demonstrated her signature combination of evasiveness and unreliable platitudes. Rather than offering substantive answers to Stern’s pointed questions, Harris deflected with awkward humor and vague talking points, sidestepping any real discussion on critical issues like the border crisis or inflation. Her attempt to portray herself as relatable felt painfully out of touch, especially when she pivoted the conversation to her fondness for music and cooking.

Harris’s inability to confront pressing national concerns only highlights her growing reputation for evading accountability during her term in the Biden administration. Stern, typically known for drawing candid responses from guests, seemed unable to penetrate the wall of superficiality that Harris maintained throughout the conversation.

"The Late Show" with Stephen Colbert

CBS Photo Archive / Contributor | Getty Images

We saw a similar performance from Harris on Stephen Colbert's "The Late Show." Colbert teed her up for questions about inflation, the southern border crisis, and the administration’s plunging approval ratings, but Harris stuck to her well-worn script of platitudes and vague promises. Instead of addressing the economic pain felt by millions, she laughed nervously through softball questions, leaving viewers with nothing but empty rhetoric about “working together” and “finding solutions,” while the country watches the consequences of ineffective leadership.

Moreover, when Colbert pressed her on issues like the administration's immigration policies or lack of legislative victories, Harris deflected with hollow talking points, refusing to engage in any serious reflection or accountability. Her awkward attempts at humor felt like a shield against real criticism, confirming the impression that she remains detached from the gravity of the crises unfolding under her watch.

PHOTOS: What Glenn saw in North Carolina was INSANE

Sean Rayford / Stringer | Getty Images

Last Thursday, October 3rd, Glenn traveled to North Carolina to join Mercury One as they provided critical aid to those devastated by Hurricane Helene.

What Glenn saw during his brief visit looked like scenes straight out of an apocalypse movie: houses torn from their foundations and tossed to the side, sometimes entire towns away from where they were built, semi-trucks rolled, railroad tracks swept away, bridges washed out. It was a level of destruction Glenn had never before seen.

But perhaps the most shocking encounter of his whole trip was when Glenn discovered a lone FEMA crew. It was a miracle that Glenn even spotted the FEMA truck, as it was parked away from the main road without any signs or markers to indicate to any passerby in need of its existence. Glenn and Congressman Cory Mills decided to talk to this FEMA crew, the only one they had encountered on their trek, and see what they were up to. As it turns out, not much. The FEMA workers admitted that they had only arrived the day before (nearly a week after the hurricane) and still did not have any sort of supplies. They claimed that people would know where they were located via the local news, despite the fact that most people did not have access to power, cell service, their home, or even their cars. Moreover, there seemed to be confusion about whether they were to go door-to-door in order to render aid to those in need.

FEMA dropped the ball on this entire affair, and it is only going to get worse. FEMA is claiming they blew their yearly allowance on aiding illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, another hurricane is approaching Florida and is expected to make landfall on Wednesday. It seems unlikely that FEMA will be of any use to Floridians in need, and they will have to rely on the aid of their fellow Americans.

Want to help out your fellow countrymen where our government has failed? You can donate at Mercury One and rest assured that your money will be used to step in to help hurricane victims where the government is failing.