BLOGJune 14, 2017

Ron Desantis Recalls Encounter With Shooter: 'You're Going to See a Lot of Resolve Come out of This'

Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) was among those practicing at a GOP baseball game this morning where a shooting took place that injured five people. DeSantis, who is former military, had left practice with a colleague when they encountered a man in the parking lot inquiring about whether Democrats or Republicans were on the field. Moments later, the shooting took place. It has now been confirmed that the man who approached DeSantis was, in fact, the gunman.

DeSantis joined The Glenn Beck Program Wednesday to talk about what happened and address the need for enhanced security.

"The Capitol Police here have been on us about security in terms of when we go back to the districts, much more so than even in the past -- your district offices, your town halls, all these things. Here in Washington, everything is secure, the office buildings, the Capitol Building, everything," DeSantis said.

However, the peculiar circumstances of today's shooting and the general mood in Washington may change things.

"I don't know whether this was politically motivated, but we have received much more threatening communications since President Trump took office. And that's just something that I think we've taken seriously, but now . . . if it does have a political connection, man, I've got to start taking more of this stuff even more serious," DiSantis said.

When asked by Glenn if this incident would make it more difficult for people to stand in Washington, DiSantis responded in true American fashion.

"I think that the reaction for me has got to be, you know, it just means you got to stand stronger. You can't let people like this grind you down. We would not have a country if we allowed that to happen. So I think you're going to see a lot of resolve come out of this," he said.

Enjoy the complimentary clip, listen to the full segment or read the transcript for details.

GLENN: Congressman Ron DeSantis. He's from the 65th District in Florida. He is the guy who was out at the baseball game, left a few minutes early. And then went out in the parking lot and supposedly talked to a strange man who asked, "Are these Republicans or Democrats?" And shortly after the shooting fired -- or, the shooting started -- we don't know if it was the same man that was the shooter, but Ron is with us now. Congressman, our thoughts and prayers are with you and everybody else that is involved in this in any way, shape, our form across the country.

RON: Well, thank you. Yeah, look, we've been doing this for years. And it's just kind of a municipality facility about 10 miles outside the capitol. The fact that Steve Scalise, the majority whip was there, meant that he comes with his security detail because the leadership gets Capitol Police security detail. Had Steve not been there, there would have been zero security. And I think this guy would have mowed down a lot of people. And so the Capitol Police were the difference maker.

GLENN: Rand Paul said he thought that you all might be dead if it wasn't for that security detail.

RON: Well, I think that's right -- and here's the thing, Glenn. I mean, for me, I'm just coming to terms with it. Like, Steve is playing shortstop. We're basically -- the guys are hitting BP. I had already hit. Scalise had already hit. Jeff Duncan, South Carolina, is playing short. And we're just kind of taking the ground balls as they're hit to us. Doing whatever. You know, turning two. Do the whole thing.

And then after about ten minutes of that, Jeff and I kind of look at each other and say, "Hey, you know, we've had a good workout. Let's beat the traffic. Let's get out of here." And so we're like, all right. So we basically just jogged away. And had we not left early, I mean, we would have been in that same line of fire and even closer to the shooter. So it's just, some of these things you don't know why they happen. And I don't know if that's the same guy that confronted us in the parking lot, that was the actual shooter. But given the police -- my description, Jeff has done the same thing. And I think we'll figure out very soon. I would recognize him if I saw a picture of him.

GLENN: What was the description you gave?

RON: He was kind of a non-descript -- I mean, he was a middle-aged Caucasian male. You know, his hair was on the dark side. But not the type of guy if you were just walking down the street and you saw 30 people walking on the other side, that you would like notice him. I mean, he wasn't somebody that was terribly noticeable.

PAT: And what exactly did he ask you?

RON: He asked Jeff -- so I was in the backseat. And he asked Jeff -- he's like -- he's like, "Hey, are those Republicans or Democrats out there?" And Jeff's like, "Republicans." And then he just turned and walked toward the field.

PAT: Wow.

GLENN: Was he chubby? Because he -- the shooter is described as chubby.

RON: I mean, he wasn't thin. I don't know that it struck me as necessarily being chubby. But I kind of -- because I was in the backseat. So the way he came up -- I kind of basically saw from like his chest up, is all I was able to see. So I don't know if he was carrying anything. I definitely didn't see his physique beneath that. So it's hard for me to say.

GLENN: What should we take from all of this, Ron? You know the discussions that are coming.

RON: Well, I think -- but I think -- I think we'll be able to figure out in short order this -- this individual's motivation. He's in custody. These guys have digital trails. Social media trails. And we'll be able to see that. You know, both sides -- it could just be a random thing that happened. Obviously, that's problematic in some ways. And it could have been motivated by political -- for political reasons. And that obviously opens up a whole new can of worms. So I think we'll just to have wait and see what we know about this individual, and then go from there.

But I will tell you, Glenn, we -- the Capitol Police here have been on us about security in terms of when we go back to the districts. Much more so than even in the past. Your district offices, your town halls, all these things.

Here in Washington, everything is secure. The office buildings, the Capitol Building, everything. This is kind of an odd thing. We're not in the district, but we're definitely off campus, being at a place like Alexandria. So I think that's how -- how we approach that may have to change, if in fact this was motivated politically. But I can tell you, I don't know whether this was politically motivated, but we have received much more threatening communications since President Trump took office. And that's just something that I think we've taken seriously. But now just looking at this, if it does have a political connection, man, I got to start taking more of this stuff even more serious.

GLENN: It was reported that it has been confirmed that it was an M4. You're a former service guy. You know what an M4 is. And you can't buy -- well, you're not supposed to be able to buy an M4. I guess you can buy them. But it's really more of a military designation. It's an AR-15.

RON: Well, but, Glenn, I would bet it's kind of the civilian version, where you do not have select fire. In other words, with the M4 I got issued, you have -- it's on safe. You click one. One shot for every trigger pull. You can do three-shot bursts. Three shots for every trigger pull. Then you could do full auto. Pull the trigger. Continuous fire.

My sense would be -- it would be a rifle that probably looked like that, but probably didn't have the continuous fire. Was probably just a standard semiautomatic weapon.

GLENN: Because he was not firing in bursts.

RON: Right. And so it seems like -- I think like -- when news reports come out, very few journalists know anything about firearms. But I think a lot of this could be misreported. My sense is it probably would have been a semiautomatic rifle. And then I do believe he also had a pistol as well.

STU: What's it like talking to your family and describing to them that just because you left baseball practice a few minutes early, you avoided potential death?

RON: Well, I'll tell you, my wife is very, very concerned and shaken. We have a six-and-a-half-month-old daughter. And it's just the type of thing where, you know, when we first got into politics -- I mean, my wife was with me every step of the way. You know, 2012, we're knocking on doors. We got into it, because we wanted to make a difference. We wanted to change the country. And then I think her perspective is, I don't want you in that type of situation at all. And so I think -- I think it's been really, really tough on her. And obviously, I was a guy -- you know, I was able to -- I left before it even happened. Even though, you know, I was obviously in proximity, had I stayed. You know, so imagine what, like, Steve Scalise's wife is thinking right now. So I think it's really, really tough on the family members because they just don't know what's going to happen to somebody that they love. And I think we have an environment now where there's just a lot of -- a lot of currents going on, and if one individual acts, you know, that could really upend somebody's whole family life.

GLENN: Does this make this more difficult for people to stand in Washington?

RON: You know, Glenn, I think that at the end of the day, you know, we'll see what this guy's motivation was. But, you know, if he was targeting congressmen specifically, or even Republicans specifically, I think that we'll all be taken aback by that. But I think that the reaction for me has got to be -- you know, it just means you got to stand stronger. You can't let people like this grind you down. We would not have a country if we allowed that to happen. So I think you're going to see a lot of resolve come out of this.

STU: Do you want this game to happen tomorrow night?

RON: I'll play if it's there. If it's not, I understand. I mean, there's a lot that goes on with it. I know that they've cancelled the votes here today. We have a couple hearings that are still going on. But I think that the leadership is going to have figure out how they want to handle this situation, going forward. But if the game is on, I'll be there.

GLENN: Do you -- you're for any stricter regulation on guns?

RON: No. I mean, I'm a Second Amendment guy. I want people to be able to -- and here's the thing: Those Capitol Police guys were the saviors. You look back at other incidents that were happening -- I'm not saying that this is terrorism. But if you look at some of the terrorist attacks, the St. Cloud, Minnesota, last September, where the guy is stabbing people in a shopping mall, there was an individual with a concealed carry permit who shot the terrorist. He probably saved, you know, ten people's lives by doing that. So I think responsible use of firearms can help save lives.

PAT: Congressman, did I hear right that the Democrats have a winning streak going in this baseball game?

RON: Actually, no. They lost last year. They had a pretty good run for a time. So republicans are 1-0 over the last year.

GLENN: So you're denying that this is a false flag just to get out of the game tomorrow?

RON: Exactly, yeah.

GLENN: Congressman, thank you so much. And, again, our prayers are with you and the families and everybody who is involved any way they are. Thank you so much.

PAT: Yeah.

RON: Well, thank you. Appreciate it.

RADIO

Is Dearborn Height's new police patch idea TREASONOUS?!

The police department of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, posted and then quickly removed a prototype police patch featuring Arabic writing. Why would an American city, Glenn Beck warns, bow to a community that has declared over and over that it DOESN’T want to assimilate into the American way?

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: What Tim Kaine was talking about last week with our Declaration of Independence is so crucial. It's why I started the program with it. If we don't have this, we don't have anything. And you have to understand that our Founders came from a place where they hated government, but they needed some government. And they were trying to put together a system that made men free. This is a lens that we can't even relate to anymore. Because now governments and politicians all over the world, their idea of creating laws is how do they gain more power? How can they keep you in a box, more? It was the opposite of what our Founders believed. And our Founders believed, look, if everybody just understands that everybody has a right to say and do the things they do. And they understand civics. That with those rights come responsibilities. Then we're going to be fine.

But if they don't understand that, if they're not a moral society, that understands moral sentiments. If they don't -- if they're just out for greed. They're just out for themselves. Then the whole system breaks down.

And that's what we -- that's what we have. If I have time, I want to tell you some of the things that I noticed on vacation.

You know, I went by. I was in New York.

And I went by the -- what was it? The center for ethical society or something like that.

And it's -- it was in a building that had to have been built around the turn of the century. So it had to have been a progressive thing. And it had a school next to it. And everything else. And I thought, I wonder what the ethics are now, coming out of the ethical society.

I wonder what those ethics are. Because ethics. Ethics are just changing.

Everything is changing just under our feet.

Because we no longer respect the ethics and the constitutional norms that created this country.

And let me take you to Dearborn, Michigan.

So last week, we find out that an institution. The police department. An institution sworn to uphold the Constitution, has introduced a uniform patch, with Arabic script for the very first time. And it just says, in Arabic, police department. Dearborn police department. That's all it says.

And it's just to better connect with the population. Of Muslim population there in tier born, Michigan.

And it sounds harmless. You can make that into no big deal. Dearborn Police, what is your problem?

Well, it's not just a small gesture of outreach. It's a signal. And signals matter. For more than two centuries, America has been an experiment, and we used to describe it as a melting pot. You could come here from any land. Speak any language. Any faith. And we could come here. And if you believe in the laws and the Constitution of America, if you believed in that, and you upheld those things, we could melt together, and we could create something even greater than you could even imagine!

We didn't erase cultures. We elevate what unites us. Instead of elevating what divides us.

And we don't bend our civic institutions to mirror any kind of tribal or religious identities.

We don't create parallel systems of justice or identity. Now, I want you to think about history.

No immigrant group, none. Ever.

No religion ever had law enforcement tailor itself to them!

Never! Catholics came to this country, by the millions. What did they face? They were mocked.
They were ridiculed. They were accused of being agents was the pope. Churches were burned. Signs that read, no Irish allowed. Yet, the Catholic Church didn't demand a crucifix on the police badge.

They didn't demand government offices display papal seals. That would have been completely rejected by everybody.

What they did was they fought. They endured. And over generations, they proved that they could be both Catholic, fully Catholic, and fully American. And the same is true of the Mormons.

Look at what the Mormons have faced. They have faced the harshest prosecution or persecution of all in Missouri. Governor Lilburn Boggs signed an actual extermination order, ordering Mormons to be driven from the state or killed. It was legal for you to kill a Mormon, because they were Mormon!

That's the only it government order like it, in our history. They were beaten. They were tarred and feathered. Their homes were torched. Their leadership was murdered. They fled West outside of America proper to carve out a home in the wilderness and just be left alone in the mountains.

And what happened after they got there. The U.S. Army marched into Utah, convinced the Mormons were plotting a rebellion against the United States, but they weren't. In fact, they revered the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, more than their persecutors even did.

For years, the Mormon Church used to teach the founding documents, alongside the Scripture. It's what tethered that religion to, I believe, to sanity and not being pulled in every different direction. They've stopped teaching the founding documents. And I think it's a problem, myself.

But who am I to say? But Mormons are the most patriotic of any religion in America. Check it.

Why? They didn't bend America to their faith. They bound their faith to America. Now, compare that and the Catholics and everything else. Every other religious group that has ever come in. Now, compare that to what's happening in Dearborn, Michigan.

Week after week, and we have them on tape. Week after week, from the pulpits of the local mosque. The imams openly declare their goal not to join the American project. But to replace it.

Not to preserve the Constitution. But to subvert it.

They preach the supremacy of Sharia law, over American law.

And now, the police department, a symbol of our secular Constitution order, decides they want to appeal to that group? To wear that identity on its uniform?

That's not inclusion.

That's not assimilation. That's not the melting pot.

It's the opposite.

It's Balkanization, at its kindest. It is the state bending towards the demand of a religious political ideology, that seeks to replace our American civilization.

Let me be really super clear on this: This cannot stand.

Our history shows us the way. Every faith, every culture, every group that has come to America, has been tested, and put through the ringer.

Quite honestly, I don't like it!

But it has worked out for the best of all of us. Because we have been forced to prove, will we embrace the Constitution, or will we try to replace it?

Are we coming over here, and we're just going to live like Irishmen, and live by the Irish laws, or are we going to bend to the Constitution of our new country? Catholics embraced it. Jews embraced it. Mormons embraced it.

Baptists have embraced it.

Millions of immigrants from every corner on the globe have embraced it. And that's why we are who we are.

If Dearborn or any other American city sties that they're going to start carving out exception to see make government institutions bear the mark of the religion that seeks to dominate, rather than integrate, we are not just forgetting our history. We are part of the unmaking of America.

Because in the end, the melting pot isn't about a cheese fondue. It's not about food.

It's not about festivals. It's about allegiance.

Allegiance to one nation under God, not Sharia. Not under Rome. Not under Salt Lake City. Under the Constitution. That's what the flag represents.

And if we lose this, we lose America. Dearborn must not allow -- they're saying this is -- the mayor came out on Friday and said, well, this is only voluntary. You could have the patch or not. We're not going to make it. We're not going to make it required.

You should not make it available. You should not make it available!

I'm a collector of history. I have yet to see, you know, from the Pennsylvania Dutch region, the police badges that were in German!

I grew up in Seattle. In the Pacific northwest, where there's lots of Asians. I have yet to see the police badge that is in Chinese.

It doesn't happen! We don't do it. Some may say that this is the unmaking of America. That's where I'd like to fall.

But it's dangerously close. To treason.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Exposed: Alex Jones reveals chilling secrets of Bohemian Grove

What really happens inside Bohemian Grove? In this explosive conversation, Glenn Beck sits down with Alex Jones to discuss what he witnessed firsthand after sneaking into the elite gathering. From bizarre occult rituals to powerful world leaders hidden deep within the redwoods, Jones describes the shocking scenes and secret ceremonies that the mainstream media has ignored for decades. Why are the world’s most powerful men drawn to this mysterious camp? What are they doing behind closed doors — and why does it matter? This episode peels back the curtain on one of the most secretive gatherings in the world, revealing the disturbing truths about the rituals, the symbolism, and the hidden influence of Bohemian Grove.

WATCH Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with Alex Jones HERE

RADIO

Democrats' Trump rants reach new heights

The Democrats need new material, and they know it! In just recent weeks, Democrats have compared the Trump administration to the Handmaid’s Tale, Nazi Germany, the Iranian theocratic regime, and, of course, a stooge of Russia. But meanwhile, the DNC has blacklisted woke terms. Glenn and Stu take a look at the insanity…

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: You know, the Democrats are just losing all kinds of credibility. And people are switching parties. Like they've never switched away from the Democratic Party before.

And here's why: Everybody's favorite Congresswoman Crockett on the DC crime crackdown.
Listen to this.

VOICE: ICE, for the most part, is nothing but a ride. That's all they were supposed to do for the most part, right? Is like, you know what, this person is undocumented, or this person reentered the country illegally. All the things, and then they have ICE holds. And then ICE gets them. So they can -- that's all ICE is supposed to do.

Look at them for a fancy Uber driver for immigrants. That's all they're supposed to do. And they're falling all over each other, injuring each other. Like, we are a joke.
(laughter)

STU: She's awesome.

GLENN: She's with Gavin Newsom. She's fabulous. Can we go to cut three? Here she is on the crime crackdown.

VOICE: Tell me what it's like in DC. Tell me what you think this is really all about.

VOICE: So it's very dystopian to see. It's funny because I used to watch the handmade's tale. And I can't, right?

I never finished. And I can't watch it, because it is too close to reality.

STU: Oh, yeah.

VOICE: And so what we're seeing is this militarization.

And obviously, it started in your state. That was kind of the testing grounds. Going to your state. Going to a black woman, mayor city.

First. And now, you're in yet another black woman-led city.

GLENN: Uh-huh. That's why he's doing it.

VOICE: And taking over. To me, it's going again to the level of racism and hate. That is constantly seen --

STU: Shocking she went there. Wow. What a stunning twist.

That's like M. Night Shyamalan. I would never expect her to go to a racial claim.

GLENN: I know. I know.

Now, let's go to Pritzker, the governor from Illinois.

And what he has to say, about what's going on.

STU: Must we?

VOICE: I built a Holocaust museum, and one thing about that experience that I can tell you when I got the Holocaust survivors for more than a decade to build this museum.

One thing I learned in the process of that, is that it doesn't take very long to tear apart a constitutional republic.

And the Nazis did it in 53 days.

GLENN: No.

VOICE: And our democracy is almost fragile.

GLENN: Started in 1922.

GLENN: And we're seeing it right now. Yes. Who has been tearing it apart, you fat? Anyway. So now we're pre-Nazi Germany, according to him.

Uber drivers. ICE. It's the Handmade's Tale in -- in Washington, DC. It's pre-Nazi Germany in Illinois. And here comes Stacey Abrams to help us with more.

Cut six.

VOICE: I want to tie this back to the abundance agenda. And how you think about blue state power.

If it is true, that he's a grand ayatollah. That mystical power extends. And can be, you know -- he can anoint his -- you know, his profits.

And he can remain this --

GLENN: Okay. Stop. Stop.

STU: It's so good.

GLENN: So we are now -- he is now the ayatollah.

He's Hitler.

STU: Uh-huh.

GLENN: In the handmade's tale. Who is also the mystical ayatollah, who is appointing new prophets.

STU: We have said, it's a lot of energy, Glenn. It's a lot of different roles to pull off.

GLENN: He does. He is covering a lot.

Now, he has also tried to make peace. But Susan Rice, with all of her deep, deep credibility, has something to say about that.

VOICE: It's pathetic. It's been clearly and repeatedly established. Including bit bipartisan Senate intelligence community. Led by Marco Rubio. Did Russia interfere in the 2016 election by disinformation campaigns. By social media efforts. By all sorts of means, short of manipulating the actual vote.

GLENN: She's still pushing it.

VOICE: And that's just a fact now. Obviously, Donald Trump does not like that fact. He does not like the fact that the intelligence community. And the Senate bipartisan intelligence community assessed that this interference was intended to --

GLENN: Stop. Stop. Stop.

STU: Unreal. I can't --

GLENN: How is this still happening?

With no pushback, from what was it? ABC or NBC.

No pushback from NBC. None. Zero.

All of the documentation has come out nap shows she was part of the conspiracy.

She was part of it. She was a ringleader in this. It's now showing all the documents. The facts. There are -- there's this -- this little fantasy, that the Deep State has been pushing.

And then there are the actual documents, written to and by people like Susan Rice, showing, this was all made up!

Wow! So wow.

And that -- and that strange Hitler mystical ayatollah.

STU: And handmade's tale.

GLENN: And handmade's tale. Guy who wants everybody dressed in red robes. Cannot get that stopped. That is so very weird. So weird.

STU: Glenn, you've worked with charities for a long time. You've founded your own. Almost incredible work around the globe.

Would you consider potentially putting together a fundraiser for the Democrats to come up with another literary reference, than the handmade's tale?

Is it possible, we give them a different book, just so they can say that title of it?

Now, I know Jasmine Crockett is, of course, so stupid, she couldn't even act like she read the book.

She only said she was watching the Hulu show. But still, can we get them some reference other than the handmade's tale.

GLENN: Well, they're already doing it. They're already doing it.

When you talk about literary stuff, they're already doing it. Here we go, you ready?

They have now. The DNC has now blacklisted terms that they don't want any of their people using. Okay?

STU: Oh, okay.

GLENN: Now, tell me what these terms have in common.

Blacklisted terms. Privilege. Violence. As in, environmental violence.

Dialoguing.

Triggering. Othering. Microaggression. Holding space. Body shaming. Subverting norms. Systems of oppression. Cultural appropriation. The Overton window. Existential threat to the climate.
Existential threat to democracy. Existential threat to the economy. Radical transparency. Stakeholders. The unhoused. Food insecurity. Housing insecurity. People who immigrated. Birthing person. Cysgender. Dead naming. Heteronormative. Patriarchy. LGBTQIA+. BIPOC, allyship, incarcerated people, and involuntary confinement. Those are the words that the Democrats are now telling their people, don't use any of these words. Those are the words that he forced everybody to use!
(laughter)
So they are reading from a new book. They're just burning their own book.

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: It is absolutely incredible, what is happening right now! Just absolutely nuts.

STU: I don't see how they're going to get through conversations without those words.

Those are the only words they say.

GLENN: I know. I know.

I could just add -- I could just add some conjunctions in there. And I could make that into a speech.

Glenn's Show Prep

Ron Desantis Recalls Encounter With Shooter: 'You're Going to See a Lot of Resolve Come out of This'

Noticed changes to Glenn Beck's show? Here's why.

Is Dearborn Height's new police patch idea TREASONOUS?!

Transcript

Exposed: Alex Jones reveals chilling secrets of Bohemian Grove

Democrats' Trump rants reach new heights

Transcript