Two Pivot Points in Ronald Reagan's Life That Changed Our Nation's History

June 09, 2016

Writer

Ronald Reagan is many things to many people, and as we marked the 12th-anniversary of his passing, Glenn paid his respects to the man who made a huge impact on his life.

Glenn examined Reagan's early life on his TV program Tuesday, sharing the pivot points that put the 40th U.S. president on the path to becoming an American legend.

Evolving is a natural and healthy part of the human experience and Glenn pointed out a person has every right to change their opinions and views. An important aspect of real change is having a pivot point and doing your own homework to learn the truth for yourself.

For a long time, Ronald Reagan was a staunch supporter of FDR and the Democratic Party.

"He would do his own homework," Glenn said. "One day, because of that homework, he would reestablish the conservative movement."

Before you can understand this change, you have to know the genesis.

Reagan used to listen to FDR deliver his "fireside chats" on the radio. In a way, Roosevelt was his mentor. It was FDR's "New Dealers," however, that made him realize the policies the Democratic Party had dangerous parallels to socialism and communism. And Reagan HATED communism.

"Reagan’s conversion didn’t happen overnight, it took almost a decade," Glenn said. "Later in his life Reagan would say this: 'By 1960, I realized the real enemy wasn’t big business, it was big government.'”

Two main events contributed to Reagan's change of heart.

The Screen Actors Guild

In 1947 he became the president of the Screen Actors Guild. During his tenure, Reagan was instrumental in the exposure of the communist infiltration of Hollywood. He was never asked for nor gave up any names, but he shed light on the reality of the infiltration.

During those years, Reagan was the Matt Damon or Susan Sarandon of his day --- the political activist type of actor you wished would just shut up and stick to the movies, Glenn explained.

General Electric

"While he was the president of SAG, Reagan was hired by GE to be their spokesperson," Glenn said. "That’s the second big event. This is where it really crystalized. The years Reagan spent working for GE equated, really, into a doctorate of conservatism."

During a nationwide strike, GE was able to keep its 16,000 workers working, thanks to another of Reagan's mentors --- Lemuel Boulware, GE's vice president of labor and community relations. Boulware became Reagan's "Yoda," teaching him about the free market and freedom in general.

Due to the success of the nationwide strikes, the head of the United Autoworkers went after Boulware and GE. Boulware took this as a challenge and went to work to correct a very familiar problem --- an undereducated public.

Glenn explained how GE went about educating America.

"They printed these pamphlets, books, papers and they distributed them to every major city they had a presence in, and Ronald Reagan was tapped to deliver the message," Glenn said. "He gave live speeches in city after city and GE even put him on a regular TV show."

Reagan wasn’t just a corporate mouthpiece, however.

"He was actually learning along with the rest of the country. There’s nothing more dynamic than when somebody is learning something and is eager to share it," Glenn said. "GE and Reagan effectively taught Americans the free market economics along with the pitfalls of socialism and big government."

Reagan didn’t stop there, he grew the movement, he evolved it, and he took a cue from his old mentor FDR -- the man at the radio. Glenn continued:

Reagan spoke in a manner similar to Roosevelt’s fireside speeches and he took those complex issues and he broke them down in a way that would be easy to understand. He directed his criticisms not only to labor leaders but also to the political party leaders themselves. And that tends to make people angry. And it wasn’t long before the government and the media came gunning for him.

And come after him they did. Federal antitrust charges were filed against SAG where he was still president and the government pressured GE into caving. GE asked to review Reagan's scripts, which he wrote himself, but Reagan refused and his contract was terminated.

This, Glenn suggested, turned out to be the final phase in his transformation.

"Reagan’s education was now complete," Glenn said. "He set out to find the truth over a decade earlier, and now the truth had brought him to the government and the government down on him."

Two years later, Reagan gave a speech that set him on a collision course with his destiny, entitled "A Time for Choosing."

These were his pivot points. This is how a young political activist could transition into the man who would set the standard for modern conservatism.

"Ronald Reagan’s legacy to the world is obvious should you care to put politics aside," Glenn said. "His legacy to the conservative movement is even more obvious. But I wonder if he would be allowed to be a conservative today."

Glenn wrapped up his remarks with a challenge.

"The message I want to bring you today is, now is a time for choosing," Glenn said. "It is our time for choosing. The question is, will we do our own homework and who will answer the call?"

Featured Image: 24th February 1982: American Republican politician and 40th President of the United States (1980 - 1988), Ronald Wilson Reagan, at a press conference. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images)

EXPOSED: Your tax dollars FUND Marxist riots in LA

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Protesters wore Che shirts, waved foreign flags, and chanted Marxist slogans — but corporate media still peddles the ‘spontaneous outrage’ narrative.

I sat in front of the television this weekend, watching the glittering spectacle of corporate media do what it does best: tell me not to believe my lying eyes.

According to the polished news anchors, what I was witnessing in Los Angeles was “mostly peaceful protests.” They said it with all the earnest gravitas of someone reading a bedtime story, while behind them the streets looked like a deleted scene from “Mad Max.” Federal agents dodged concrete slabs as if it were an Olympic sport. A man in a Che Guevara crop top tried to set a police car on fire. Dumpster fires lit the night sky like some sort of postapocalyptic luau.

If you suggest that violent criminals should be deported or imprisoned, you’re painted as the extremist.

But sure, it was peaceful. Tear gas clouds and Molotov cocktails are apparently the incense and candles of this new civic religion.

The media expects us to play along — to nod solemnly while cities burn and to call it “activism.”

Let’s call this what it is: delusion.

Another ‘peaceful’ riot

If the Titanic “mostly floated” and the Hindenburg “mostly flew,” then yes, the latest L.A. riots are “mostly peaceful.” But history tends to care about those tiny details at the end — like icebergs and explosions.

The coverage was full of phrases like “spontaneous,” “grassroots,” and “organic,” as if these protests materialized from thin air. But many of the signs and banners looked like they’d been run off at ComradesKinkos.com — crisp print jobs with slogans promoting socialism, communism, and various anti-American regimes. Palestinian flags waved beside banners from Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, and El Salvador. It was like someone looted a United Nations souvenir shop and turned it into a revolution starter pack.

And guess who funded it? You did.

According to at least one report, much of this so-called spontaneous rage fest was paid for with your tax dollars. Tens of millions of dollars from the Biden administration ensured your paycheck funded Trotsky cosplayers chucking firebombs at local coffee shops.

The same aging radicals from the 1970s — now armed with tenure, pensions, and book deals — are cheering from the sidelines, waxing poetic about how burning a squad car is “liberation.” These are the same folks who once wore tie-dye and flew to help guerrilla fighters and now applaud chaos under the banner of “progress.”

This is not progress. It is not protest. It’s certainly not justice or peace.

It’s an attempt to dismantle the American system — and if you dare say that out loud, you’re labeled a bigot, a fascist, or, worst of all, someone who notices reality.

And what sparked this taxpayer-funded riot? Enforcement against illegal immigrants — many of whom, according to official arrest records, are repeat violent offenders. These are not the “dreamers” or the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. These are criminals with long, violent rap sheets — allowed to remain free by a broken system that prioritizes ideology over public safety.

Photo by Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg | Getty Images

This is what people are rioting over — not the mistreatment of the innocent, but the arrest of the guilty. And in California, that’s apparently a cause for outrage.

The average American, according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, is supposed to worry they’ll be next. But unless you’re in the habit of assaulting people, smuggling, or firing guns into people’s homes, you probably don’t have much to fear.

Still, if you suggest that violent criminals should be deported or imprisoned, you’re painted as the extremist.

The left has lost it

This is what happens when a culture loses its grip on reality. We begin to call arson “art,” lawlessness “liberation,” and criminals “community members.” We burn the good and excuse the evil — all while the media insists it’s just “vibes.”

But it’s not just vibes. It’s violence, paid for by you, endorsed by your elected officials, and whitewashed by newsrooms with more concern for hair and lighting than for truth.

This isn’t activism. This is anarchism. And Democratic politicians are fueling the flame.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck's 'No King but Christ' merch: Will faith STOP the chaos?

On Saturday, June 14, 2025 (President Trump's 79th birthday), the "No Kings" protest—a noisy spectacle orchestrated by progressive heavyweights like Randi Weingarten and her union cronies—will take place in Washington, D.C.

Thousands will chant "no thrones, no crowns, no king," claiming to fend off authoritarianism and corruption.

But let’s cut through the noise. The protesters' grievances—rigged courts, deported citizens, slashed services—are a house of cards. Zero Americans have been deported, Federal services are still bloated, and if anyone is rigging the courts, it's the Left. So why rally now, especially with riots already flaring in L.A.?

Chaos isn’t a side effect here—it’s the plan.

This is not about liberty; it's a power grab dressed up as resistance. The "No Kings" crowd wants you to buy their script: government’s the enemy—unless they’re the ones running it. It's the identical script from 2020: same groups, same tactics, same goal, different name.

But Glenn is flipping the script. He's dropping a new "No Kings but Christ" merch line, just in time for the protest. Merch that proclaims one truth: no earthly ruler owns us; only Christ does. It’s a bold, faith-rooted rejection of this secular circus.

Why should you care? Because this won’t just be a rally—it’ll be a symptom. Distrust in institutions is sky-high, and rightly so, but the "No Kings" answer is a hollow shout into the void. Glenn’s merch begs the question: if you’re ditching kings, who’s really in charge? Get yours and wear the answer proudly.

Truth unleashed: 95% say media’s excuses for anti-Semitism are a LIE

ELI IMADALI / Contributor | Getty Images

Glenn asked for YOUR take on the rising tide of anti-Semitism, and you delivered. After the Boulder attack, you made it clear: this isn’t just a news story—it’s a crisis the elites are dodging.

Your verdict is unmistakable: 96% of you see anti-Semitism as a growing threat in the U.S., brushing aside the establishment’s weak excuses. The spin does not fool you—95% say the media is deliberately downplaying the issue, hiding a cultural rot that’s all too real. And the government’s response? A whopping 95% of you call it a disgraceful failure, leaving communities exposed.

Your voices shatter the silence. Why should we trust narratives that dismiss your concerns? With 97% of you warning that anti-Semitism will surge in the years ahead, you’re demanding action and accountability. This is your stand for truth.

You spoke, and Glenn listened. Your bold response sends a message to those who’d rather ignore the problem. Keep raising your voice at Glennbeck.com—your input drives the fight for justice. Take part in the next poll and continue shaping the conversation.

Want to make your voice heard? Check out more polls HERE.

JPMorgan Chase CEO issues dire warning about America's prosperity

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Jamie Dimon has a grim forecast for America — and it’s not a recession. He sees a fragile nation drifting into crisis while its leaders fight over TikTok.

Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase — one of the most powerful financial institutions on earth — issued a warning the other day. But it wasn’t about interest rates, crypto, or monetary policy.

Speaking at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California, Dimon pivoted from economic talking points to something far more urgent: the fragile state of America’s physical preparedness.

We are living in a moment of stunning fragility — culturally, economically, and militarily. It means we can no longer afford to confuse digital distractions with real resilience.

“We shouldn’t be stockpiling Bitcoin,” Dimon said. “We should be stockpiling guns, tanks, planes, drones, and rare earths. We know we need to do it. It’s not a mystery.”

He cited internal Pentagon assessments showing that if war were to break out in the South China Sea, the United States has only enough precision-guided missiles for seven days of sustained conflict.

Seven days — that’s the gap between deterrence and desperation.

This wasn’t a forecast about inflation or a hedge against market volatility. It was a blunt assessment from a man whose words typically move markets.

“America is the global hegemon,” Dimon continued, “and the free world wants us to be strong.” But he warned that Americans have been lulled into “a false sense of security,” made complacent by years of peacetime prosperity, outsourcing, and digital convenience:

We need to build a permanent, long-term, realistic strategy for the future of America — economic growth, fiscal policy, industrial policy, foreign policy. We need to educate our citizens. We need to take control of our economic destiny.

This isn’t a partisan appeal — it’s a sobering wake-up call. Because our economy and military readiness are not separate issues. They are deeply intertwined.

Dimon isn’t alone in raising concerns. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has warned that China has already overtaken the U.S. in key defense technologies — hypersonic missiles, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence to mention a few. Retired military leaders continue to highlight our shrinking shipyards and dwindling defense manufacturing base.

Even the dollar, once assumed untouchable, is under pressure as BRICS nations work to undermine its global dominance. Dimon, notably, has said this effort could succeed if the U.S. continues down its current path.

So what does this all mean?

Christopher Furlong / Staff | Getty Images

It means we are living in a moment of stunning fragility — culturally, economically, and militarily. It means we can no longer afford to confuse digital distractions with real resilience.

It means the future belongs to nations that understand something we’ve forgotten: Strength isn’t built on slogans or algorithms. It’s built on steel, energy, sovereignty, and trust.

And at the core of that trust is you, the citizen. Not the influencer. Not the bureaucrat. Not the lobbyist. At the core is the ordinary man or woman who understands that freedom, safety, and prosperity require more than passive consumption. They require courage, clarity, and conviction.

We need to stop assuming someone else will fix it. The next crisis — whether military, economic, or cyber — will not politely pause for our political dysfunction to sort itself out. It will demand leadership, unity, and grit.

And that begins with looking reality in the eye. We need to stop talking about things that don’t matter and cut to the chase: The U.S. is in a dangerously fragile position, and it’s time to rebuild and refortify — from the inside out.