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‘Passion of the Christ’ actor Jim Caviezel shares why God works through his films

For someone who played the lead in the greatest story of all time, Jim Caviezel seems like a pretty humble guy.

The Catholic actor, who is slated to play Jesus again in a sequel to Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ,” joined Glenn in the studio today to talk about what it’s like to be a believer in Hollywood and how he wants to continue to give his career over to God.

“It was always God through me that would make these films great,” Caviezel said. He added that his goal was always that “I don’t want them to see me; I want them only to see You [God].”

Caviezel is making headlines with another biblical role; he portrays the disciple Luke in his latest film, “Paul, Apostle of Christ,” which is coming to theaters this weekend.

On today’s show, he talked about the contrast between the value his faith gives to his life and the emptiness of Hollywood celebrity on its own.

“People will give up everything for a red carpet,” he said.

This article provided courtesy of TheBlaze.

GLENN: Jim Caviezel is in studio with us. A good man and a friend. We grew up, kind of together. I mean, we went to the same elementary school. And you were, what? Two years behind me, Jim?

JIM: I was -- I was in third grade when you were in eighth grade. But I saw you for a second in third grade.

GLENN: And you remember it.

JIM: I remembered you in the wide-legged corduroy pants.

GLENN: Yep. That was me.

JIM: Was it Robert Conine? Rose Krantz. Peter Janakey.

GLENN: Yeah. Oh, my gosh.

JIM: And we rode the bus -- the school bus together. I remember you -- I remember you jumping up and down, up on Peter Janakey's shoulders. I remember Sister Agnes Joseph coming to our class and said she just saw you debate the entire class. Michael Rosencrantz told me that that boy is a genius. And she was saying -- and Janakey was pretty genius too.

GLENN: Yeah, well, none of those stories were true. Yeah, none of those stories were true.

So how are you?

JIM: I'm good.

GLENN: Yeah. Now, you're in a new film called Paul: Apostle of Christ. I haven't seen it yet. When does it come out?

JIM: March 23rd.

GLENN: Last time I saw you, you had -- you were still reeling from, you know, the -- not temptation of Christ. But the --

JIM: Passion of Christ.

GLENN: Passion of Christ. And you were still reeling from that. And I think you are one of the bravest men I think I've ever met. One of the most loyal men to God that I've ever met.

And I think -- wrongfully persecuted for what you've -- what you've done. The standards that you've taken. You've been very careful and very true.

When you were in school, when we were there together, you made a promise to God. Can you talk about that?

JIM: I was given a gift. And I -- I think it's very difficult for God to give certain people gifts. Because once they get the opportunity, it starts out being, here, God, I'll give you all that. And it becomes, you know, nine for you, one for me, and then it eventually becomes nine for me, one for you.

So I just said that I would make the kind of films that would, you know, affect people's lives. Like, you know, It's a Wonderful Life. When I met Jimmy Stewart, I was a waiter for him. And I went and got him a drink. And I was working at a party. And they told me that I couldn't speak to any of the celebrities. And I saw that guy and I said, well, I could get fired for talking to him. So at the time, I had applied to the US Naval Academy. I applied three different times and didn't get in. And I had a shot at West Point. And I told him, you know, I know that you flew the liberators over Germany. And he was just shocked that I knew. Here I am 19 years old, 20 years old, and I knew so much about him.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

JIM: And I think that -- Clooney told me one time, George said that when they were at -- he was with Rosemary, his aunt, and they were at Stewart's house. And on the TV was his academy award, and Stewart said, you know, I wish I had done more.

And here's a guy that made arguably one of the greatest films ever made. I watch it every year. It's a Wonderful Life. I want to have that kind of affect on people. But it was always God through me that would make these films great.

GLENN: Is it true that you said, I want to play you?

JIM: No, I said, I don't want them to see me. I want them to only see you. And that became the difference. And to do that was on the cross, I felt the love that he had for me. But when I asked him to come closer than that, he said, you may not like what you're going to get. And I said, as long as they see you, that's all that matters. And what I felt was a broken heart because our Lord is not loved by most of our children. And, you know, I tell people, I know God loves you. And if you don't know that, then, you know, kind of live the life that makes people feel that. But those that say that -- that have accepted that, you know, just get up in the morning and tell Jesus that you love him. He needs to hear that too.

GLENN: You are -- you would have gotten along with Hollywood a long time ago. With the Jimmy Stewarts of the world. I think they were more like you.

JIM: Right.

GLENN: Now not so much. Now not so much. And yet you are consistently amazing in every role I have ever seen you in. You are just tremendous.

JIM: Glenn, I've this said before. Hollywood, at best -- you know, if that really is the world, at best, it can only like you. Because the love -- it does not come from man. It comes from God. So at best, Hollywood can like you. And I can prove it to you, when you go to the Academy Awards. Former winners are on the sideline. It's over the current winner. And you look at some of the films. And the substance that's coming out. And they're making all over that. People will give up everything for a red carpet. But the question you have to ask yourself is, do you want to be liked by many or loved by one?

GLENN: I have a friend, John Irwin, from the Irwin Brothers. And they just made a film. What was the name of it? Yeah. I Can Only Imagine.

It came out this weekend. It's supposed to make $2 million. It's a faith film. It's really good. It has Dennis Quaid in it. Supposed to make $2 million. It made $17 million. It's only in 1600 theaters. It's number three this weekend.

JIM: Yeah, that means the per screen average was more than the two films prior -- that are ahead of them. That's over $10,000 a screen.

GLENN: Yeah.

JIM: That's extraordinary.

GLENN: Yeah. And you're not reading about it anywhere.

JIM: No, you won't.

GLENN: Yeah, but since you were in Passion, things have changed. You don't need Hollywood as much as you did.

JIM: The system -- you know, the -- the truth is out there. And it's not going to go away. And, you know, the -- the --

GLENN: The Irwin brothers?

JIM: Yeah. He came up -- I don't know which one.

GLENN: John probably.

JIM: He did the Steve McQueen documentary. Did you see that? American Icon.

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

JIM: He handed it to me when I walked out. And I went home and watched it. And here, we can arguably say that Steve McQueen was one of the greats. Physical actor. A guy who was absolutely the king of cool. But what was cool about him, he was hot about something. He was an orphan kid essentially. And I watched this documentary, and it just moved me to tears. Even at the end, he was searching for something greater. And he said there was a recording of him that his wife had gave out. And he said he wished he had touched more people's lives from Jesus. Billy Graham was there at the end of his life.

And he -- he was looking for his Bible, as he was dying. And Billy Graham gave him his Bible, who was a great that just passed away.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: And without Billy Graham, we would not have had the reaction from America. We needed his support, and he gave it to us on the Passion of the Christ.

GLENN: What do you think about the division between our faith sometimes? You know, between, you know, the Baptists and the Catholics and the Mormons and the Protestants and everything else. What do you -- how do we solve that and come together on bigger issues?

JIM: Well, it's certainly not going to be beating you over the head. I mean, if God wanted to, he certainly could beat us over the head.

GLENN: Yeah. Isn't he though?

JIM: What?

GLENN: Beating us over the head. I think he is starting to beat us over the head.

JIM: Well, it eventually can come to that. But right now -- I mean, there is a wrath and a justice that is coming if we don't essentially -- look, I really feel that the ideal way would be love that we would just naturally turn to him. And I got that at a young age.

But the -- we have an opportunity right now, to decide where we want to go. As far as, you know, our feeling, I do believe there is one truth. And we'll know that one day in heaven. If there were many truths, there would not be a truth. And there would be much divisions in heaven.

What there is probably the right way. But I look at Jesus and he did not beat people over the head with either turn or burn. Now, that is out there.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

JIM: But it's -- what I find is that you have the truth. Years ago, that would all -- it would be given to us, just truth. And essentially, that would become fire and brimstone. And now it's all grace. You know, all love and forgiveness and everything. But then that becomes sentimental hogwash. Our Lord is both truth and grace.

GLENN: Are you happy?

JIM: Yes. When I came in here, I was a little frustrated.

(laughter)

But generally, yes. Because I know that I'm -- you know, I -- I have the future forever with Jesus, you know, in heaven. And I tell people that. You know, I do believe it. And I do believe it's worth dying for. And I know I'm going to die someday. And I -- I tell people that because, you know, I tell people, yes, our Lord loves you. But I don't always feel that. It is hard. But, you know, come hell or high water, you do the right thing, no matter what.

You just try to keep doing it.

STU: Yeah. I want to talk to you a little bit about that. Because doing the right thing is really hard. And you're a guy who has actually walked that walk. You've really walked that walk.

JIM: You know Marcus Luttrell. That was the last event we were at. Marcus reached out to me because I put in a movie, The Count of Monte Cristo, "God Will Give Me Justice." And he wrote that on the cave wall.

GLENN: Yeah.

JIM: And he became close. And I was -- the last time I was with him, I was with him and Chris Kyle. And I never saw him again. Obviously, that night, we went out -- a great night. And he wanted to just talk about that. But how many soldiers that come up to me in the airports and, you know, Special Forces, guys just ask me about Jesus. They say, do you really believe in that? Because I heard you suffer. I heard you were struck by lightning. And had open heart surgery. That you went through horrible pains. Do you really believe in that stuff?

And why are they asking me that? And then eventually, they talk about, you know, I've had to take somebody's life, by my own hand.

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah. And what that's like. And is there a place in heaven for me? You know, almost like daring God. It reminds me of Gary Sinise in Forrest Gump when he's up at the top of the tower. He says, all right. God. You and me. And I just love to -- I identify with them.

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

JIM: That there are people out there that will suffer whatever it takes because they feel a brotherhood. And I feel that brotherhood with our Lord. And I want to let them know that they're loved.

GLENN: Back with Jim Caviezel here in just a second. He's got a new movie out, called Paul: Apostle of Christ. It is in theaters Friday, the 23rd. That's this Friday. You can find out more about it at Paulmovie.com. Twitter handle @Paulmovie.

Jim Caviezel, when we return.

GLENN: Jim Caviezel. You might know him from many -- many movies that he has been in. Most famously, obviously, he played Jesus in Passion of the Christ. But also Person of Interest. The People's Choice Award. And -- and now in a new movie, called Paul: Apostle of Christ. And you play Luke.

JIM: I do.

GLENN: Tell me about it.

JIM: Well, the film is right at the end of Paul's life, like the last two weeks. And he's in the Mamertine Prison in Rome. And this is during the -- one of the biggest terror reigns of Christians, which was during Nero. And I basically get into the prison. And I try to bring his message of hope to the Christian communities that are barely alive in that area. And, of course, they're crucifying and burning them. Using them as light fixtures all over Rome. And I'm trying to give this message of hope. And he really doesn't have the message that they're looking for. They don't know what to do.

And so really what the film -- when I read it, I said, this is now -- this is just -- we're all playing characters in Scripture right now. You know, often people, when they look at the Bible, they say, well, it's a piece of history.

It's not the same as if you were to go back -- you know, we were just talking about Berlin, Germany.

And that's a history, you try to learn from history.

But this is something quite extraordinary, when you read Scripture, because it -- it goes -- it permeates your brain, into your heart. And bypasses it, and goes into that. And it's really -- and we're all playing a different character, you know. I got to play Jesus in the Passion. But some of us get to play Judas. And some play the Pharisees, and some are Herod. And that's playing out now.

GLENN: The Pharisees, the real problem there was the hypocrisy. And there are a lot of us, are Pharisees right now.

JIM: Yes. And there are Judases out there too.

GLENN: You've -- you've -- you've taken quite a hit your whole career. What gets you through -- what do you -- I mean, your low points -- you know, you've had -- you are a great actor. And because of what you believe, they -- you're not -- you're not asked to be in all of the great films.

JIM: Uh-huh.

GLENN: How do you get through that?

JIM: I get through it because I was in the greatest film there ever was.

You know, look, the -- I -- I almost never became an actor. I almost never did The Passion of the Christ. I almost never married my wife Kerri. I almost never adopted my three children. All three of them had -- two had tumors. One had the cancer, sarcoma.

And I thought, well, I'm not the kind of guy that can adopt. You know, I'm just not -- I'm too selfish. That would have been the worst mistake of my life, if I had not done those things. The path of Christ is hard.

It is the road less traveled. It is --

GLENN: Yeah.

JIM: It is. But it is one that is beyond -- anything I've ever experienced. And I know it's the way for me. I know -- yeah, sure, I've pouted and played the victim. But I realize that, yeah, it's not really going to get it done.

Victim is not a strong position.

GLENN: Jim Caviezel. The name of the movie is Paul: Apostle of Christ. It is in theaters this Friday. Don't miss it.

GLENN: Welcome to the program. We're glad you're here. Jim Caviezel is here. And Pat Gray has just joined us from the Pat Gray Radio Roundup or whatever it is --

PAT: That's exactly what it is. Pat Gray Radio Roundup.

GLENN: Whatever it's called, it happens after this program. Pat, Jim Caviezel. Jim, Pat.

PAT: Jim, we've met actually before.

GLENN: Yeah. I know. I know. I just wanted to make sure of that. I was being a gracious host here.

PAT: Yeah. That's nice. That's nice. Good to see you again.

JIM: Good to see you.

GLENN: So, Jim, have you been down to Waco? You know Chip and Joanna Gaines?

JIM: No, I don't.

GLENN: Do you know of them?

JIM: No, I don't.

GLENN: Oh, you're kidding me. They're great. Do you watch TV at all or do you --

JIM: I watch a little bit here and there. Obviously, just doing a lot of the scripts --

GLENN: Yeah. I know. I know.

But I was down at Waco.

PAT: This weekend?

GLENN: That place --

PAT: It's amazing.

GLENN: -- has totally transformed. These people are -- they're so good. And -- and people are flocking from all over the country.

PAT: And they've completely repositioned Waco, Texas. Because Waco was, what? It was Branch Davidian. It was wacko Waco. And now they're transformed it into this desirable place to go.

GLENN: Yeah. And it's really -- it's amazing. Because here they are. They're people pretty much like you that just kind of live their principles. And they're not ashamed of their faith. And they do this little show on HGTV. And it's turned into this monster. And I don't think people in the -- I don't think people in New York or Los Angeles even understand it. They think, well, it's a husband and a wife. No, it's their principles and their values that really set them apart. And they just -- there was probably $100,000 down there.

PAT: I bet. It's always jam-packed.

GLENN: It's crazy. Yeah. And they're not even there. It's crazy what they've done.

PAT: Yeah, yeah, but everybody there is hoping for a glimpse. You know, maybe this is the day they'll be running out.

GLENN: No.

PAT: I don't know. Straighten the shelves.

(laughter)

GLENN: Yeah. Straighten things up.

So Jim is here because he's in a new movie, Paul: Apostle of Christ. And, Jim, I love the story of Paul. But the thing that sticks in my mind, in Paul's life -- well, there's many things. But -- but when he's on the wrong side, you know, the -- the death of James, he's -- he's mentioned just -- give me your coat. Kill him.

JIM: Oh, Stephen.

GLENN: Or, Stephen. Yeah, thank you.

He's standing there, and he's listening to Stephen. And he's helping riling up the crowd. And he doesn't do any of the beating himself. Beating to death. He just says, give me your cloak. I'll hold it for you.

JIM: Yeah, essentially. Probably taken their coats and handed them stones, and have at him.

GLENN: Yeah. And just -- just -- I mean, it's real evil manipulation.

JIM: Yeah.

GLENN: Where he was the guy kind of behind the crowd.

JIM: Yeah. I think that when Stephen called out, you know, I see the Son of Man, repeating the words of Jesus, I see the son of man sitting at the right hand of the father, coming in the clouds of heaven, that reflection in his eyes, he probably saw our Lord right there and probably was the beginning of the end of Saul.

GLENN: How difficult would it be for you if you knew that Saul was coming your way and -- and you were told, you know, Jim, I need you to go give him a blessing real quick?

How difficult would that have been for you? I think that would have been terrifying.

JIM: Well, of course. But I look at just some of the videos and pictures that I saw from what ISIS did to Christians last year, during Good Friday, where they literally executed them by crucifixion.

And I -- I think the modern day Christians really have to understand that, you know, we're all going to die some day. And, you know, being in heaven, I want to -- I'd rather be known as someone who did something for Jesus than spending eternity without doing much for him.

GLENN: You spend any time in the Middle East recently?

JIM: Yes. I had to shoot a movie out there. The Stoning of Soraya. And that really exposed Sharia law. And it -- it is just extraordinary what happens to women there.

GLENN: Yeah.

JIM: And I played a guy named Fredom Seronjom (phonetic), who was a guy who was just out there to write a story about the ayatollah takeover of the Shah. It was a peaceful movement and what not. And out of this comes this woman's story of being stoned to death. And the stonings still take place. So it was -- I don't feel like we have a lot of help from many of the groups here, you know, many of the women's groups that weren't there to help --

GLENN: I will tell you that it's been encouraging to us. We've raised probably $30 million now.

JIM: Yeah.

GLENN: To get some of these Christians out. We've taken 7,000 out of the Middle East. We're rescuing slaves --

JIM: That's great. Yeah.

GLENN: And it's remarkable that there is a -- while it's not talked about, there is this -- this, I don't know, underground, would you call it, Pat? Kind of this -- something that's not on the surface. And nobody is talking about. But there is real concern for that. And real -- the people really helping.

JIM: Good. A lot of people are helping. But they're doing it in -- in the -- in quiet ways, working in -- like you say, the underground.

GLENN: Yeah. The Christians are unlike everything I've ever met.

JIM: Chaldeans, Syrians, extraordinary.

GLENN: They're not like anything I've ever met.

PAT: They're committed. They have to be. And they are.

GLENN: You know what, I read a quote this weekend. I had written down a long time ago. And I had forgotten all about it. They tend church. Not attend church. You know, they're tending every day. They are there. They know what it is. It's not just a place they go to every Sunday.

JIM: Yeah.

PAT: And they take it seriously because it doesn't come easy for them, like it does us. You know, when you have to fight for something and put your life on the line for something, I think that changes you inside a little bit. It makes you more -- it makes you more committed. And they definitely are.

GLENN: Yeah. And we get so fat and lazy over here on everything. That we don't know -- it has no value. It has no value.

JIM: There's a great line in the film where Paul says, to live is Christ, to die is gain. You know, I'm sure many of those Chaldeans, Syrian Christians, and Coptics, believe in the same way.

GLENN: Yeah.

PAT: It true on another topic that there's a passion of the Christ sequel coming?

JIM: Yes.

PAT: And you're signed on for that?

JIM: Yes.

GLENN: As Jesus?

JIM: Yes.

GLENN: Wow.

PAT: Well, he'd have to be.

GLENN: I don't know. It's the next day --

PAT: Now I've turned into John. So surprise!

GLENN: I mean, you don't really look that different. You work out and all that crap all the time?

JIM: Yeah.

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah. It's overrated.

JIM: Fortunately -- well, I have to because so much of the work that you do involves stunt. So if you don't keep that up, you're going --

GLENN: Especially on that. I mean, on that one -- that one was pretty serious. Struck by lightning.

JIM: Yeah. Last shot of the movie. Very last shot.

GLENN: What went through your -- I mean, besides Jews. What went through on that?

JIM: I was -- I was scared. You know, just -- but it wasn't my time. You know, it was -- I had physical problems, you know, with electrical heart and everything like that after that. And I was on a lot of medication. So in 2009, I had my first heart surgery. And then 2014 --

PAT: Wow.

JIM: -- was open heart. They in the clinic saved my life.

PAT: And it was because of that?

JIM: Yes. It was a combination of the lightning bolt and then -- and then the -- the hypothermia and then the -- the -- the pneumonia.

GLENN: Have you thought about suing Mel? Just taking him for everything he's worth?

PAT: He's worth a few bucks now. You might want to think about that.

GLENN: He's a really nice guy. You know, I don't know him at all. In meeting him, he's really quite brilliant.

JIM: Oh, yeah. He's a freak show.

GLENN: Going about 1,000 miles an hour.

JIM: He would be the Michael Jordan in my business of what he can do. You know, he has the -- it's extraordinary with him because, you know -- you've seen him in Hamlet. He can do Hamlet. He can do his range. His humor.

But just -- you know, even looking at Lethal Weapon, when Steve McEveety produced the Passion, produced the lethal weapon with Mel. You know, the opening of the movie, he takes a gun. He's going to put it in his mouth. And he uses a bullet. And he's going to commit suicide. And just how he layers and takes the -- if you have an onion, just peels it away. And later on, he's up on the top of the building. This guy is going to commit suicide. He's smoking his cigarette up on the building. He said, come on, man, it's not good to commit suicide. It's really bad for your health. You know, and you're laughing your head off. Because you know this guy just takes his -- but how he sets it up. And he gets you focused over here. He's smoking a cigarette. Here, you want a drag. And then he throws up another ball up in the air. And while you're looking over here, sleight of hand, he puts the cuffs on the guy's wrist. And then he's like, oh, you jerk, I'm going to jump. He goes, do you really want to do it? Do it? You know, I want to do it. So you go, no. The movie is over. Jumps off. And, of course, they don't show it. But then they jump on that big old bag. This guy is nuts.

Mel goes, oh, that's fun. Let's do it again. But that's just -- I mean, that's flatout, straight-up Gibson.

GLENN: When do you go into production for this?

JIM: I heard -- when I was speaking to him last time, he says, I'd like to be going. And he gave me a certain date, by that particular time.

GLENN: You're not going to give it to us. I'm not looking for a scoop.

JIM: Yeah. But, no, he just said, I would like to be going at this particular time. This is the one, two, three -- he's on the fourth draft of the shift. So I started talking to him about this five years ago. Nothing was mentioned. Then last year, both Randall Wallace -- they wrote Braveheart together. And just to show you how hard it is, that blueprint is everything. And now he's on the fourth draft of this thing. So he finally broke it. That's why -- I had never said anything about it. But he finally figured everything out. It's kind of like Thomas Edison gets to the end. You go through the alphabet. So by way of analogy, he starts at A and gets to Z. And then he goes, oh, my gosh. I figured it out. But now he has to go back to A and start all over again. But he finally figured it out.

GLENN: Yeah. Jim, good to see you. Thank you so much. The movie opens up this Friday. It is Paul: Apostle of Christ, starring Jim Caviezel. You don't want to miss it. It's opening in theaters everywhere. It's Paulmovie.com.

TV

Digital ID & Religious Persecution: New Globalist Plans to ENSLAVE You | Glenn TV | Ep 459

We’re at a crossroads — freedom or total control. We see it in the U.K., where people are thrown in jail for waving their flag or sharing a meme. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s push for digital IDs is just the latest piece of a control-freak puzzle that’s been coming together for years, with nudges from the U.N. and World Economic Forum. Award-winning journalist Alex Newman tells Glenn Beck that the survival of freedom depends on stopping this agenda before it's too late. But it’s not just the Brits who are slaves to global elites — Glenn Beck points out how governments worldwide are racing toward totalitarianism. He shares a jaw-dropping story from South Korea, where Reverend Son of Segero Church in Busan was arrested for calling out policies he saw as anti-biblical. His son Chance tells Glenn that just days before he was assassinated, Charlie Kirk promised to make Rev. Son’s stance against the South Korean regime an international human rights issue. Chance calls on Americans to pick up Charlie’s torch and remind the world what liberty looks like.

RADIO

Eric Trump EXPOSES the Left’s double standard on “weaponized justice”

Democrats are crying about “weaponization of justice” when it comes to the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey. But they cheered on the lawfare attacks against the Trump family. President Trump’s son Eric Trump joins Glenn Beck to call out the hypocrisy. Plus, he details the true extent of the persecution his family faced, which he wrote down in his new book, “Under Siege: My Family’s Fight to Save Our Nation.”

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Hello, Eric, how are you?

ERIC: Glenn, it's great to be on.

GLENN: It great to have you. Great to have you.

Your book. What your family has gone through is just the radically souped up version of what I think a lot of people feel they have gone through in their life.

But, man, they have -- they have tried to kill you guys. They have tried to put you in jail. They tried to destroy you every single step of the way.

Tell me about the motivation for putting that all down on paper.


ERIC: Yeah. Glenn, I think that's right. It went on number one, almost instantly, Under Siege. And it's been incredible. But I came up with -- you're right.

I was a guy who didn't have any constitutional protections. I was in the government. So guess who they came after?

They came after me. I was the most subpoenaed person in American history, all because I ran the Trump organization, which was effectively what my father spent his entire life doing. And they wanted to see us taken town. They wanted to see us destroyed.

I mean, look what they did. Right? Between two impeachments. They raided our home. They silenced us. They gag ordered us. There's more gag orders than I possibly could count. They took us off of Twitter. They took us off of Facebook. They took us off of Instagram.

You know, they made up the phony dossier that was paid for by Hillary Clinton. They made up Russia gate. Glenn, I was the guy getting the calls from the FBI saying, you know, Eric, I hear you have secret servers communicating with the Kremlin in the basement of Trump Tower. I mean, give me. Give me a break. They tried to take out our Supreme Court justices. I mean, they did everything.

They weaponized the media. They weaponized the DOJ. They weaponized the FBI. They charged my father 91 times. Ninety-one criminal counts. They fined the Trump organization almost $600 million can for not doing a damn thing wrong.

And all of this stuff has been overturned. They wanted to see us nonexistent.

They wanted to see our family broken. They wanted to see my father in jail. They probably wanted to see me in jail. Then I said on Sean Hannity one night. You know, they've done all of this to us. They put us under siege. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to kill my father.

And then you saw what happened in Butler. And then you saw what happened eight weeks later, you know, in West Palm. You saw what just happened to Charlie. I mean, I published his book. Literally, three days before Charlie Kirk's assassination.

I mean, you want to talk about another time they tried to put our movement under siege. They've done it to you. They've done it to every one of your listeners. They've debanked us and deplatformed us.

And the story had to be told from a first-person perspective, who effectively dealt with all of it. And the greatest part of the whole story is we won. We won, and we're saving the country right now.

GLENN: So, Eric, how do you deal -- I just had a conversation with somebody I think is really, really smart.

Doesn't agree with me politically, but very well-educated, very smart, and a reasonable person.

And he immediately brought up the weaponization of our government with the DOJ and James Comey. And I said, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry. Blood is shooting out of my eyes right now. Hang on, the weaponization of our government with the DOJ and James Comey?

And I had to explain to him, that your Dad didn't say, you're fired if you don't go get him. Your father said, make a decision. Make a decision.

You don't let the statute of limitations go out. And it went through a grand jury process, two out of the three charges were valid. And so you prosecute.

That's different than what you guys. Can you compare James Comey and what's happening there, to what was done with you guys?

ERIC: Well, I'll give you a little inside baseball. So I was the guy that got called when they were raiding Mar-a-Lago. Right? Obviously, I run all of our commercial properties, and our entire portfolio. Everything in the Trump organization. So I get a call from one of my team members. The FBI is here with the search warrant. And I go, excuse me?

We have the greatest relationship with all law enforcement, where we love law enforcement. No, they're coming in. They have a search warrant to raid Mar-a-Lago right now. And I said, you must be kidding me. Why?

Well, they're saying the national archives asked the FBI to raid Mar-a-Lago. You mean -- buy a public library. You know, you have 30 FBI agents there with machine guys because of Norah, you know, asked for a raid?

I went on Fox News that night. I think it was Jesse Waters, I went on Fox News that night. And, give me a break. Like, I wasn't born yesterday. You don't raid Mar-a-Lago, the former president's home and very likely the future president.

Again, because my father was so great. You don't raid that home, based on the national archives. Like you better believe Biden was behind it. And sure enough, 18 months later, it comes out, that Biden was behind it.

And Merrick Garland was 100 percent behind it. And they were the ones that authorized it. The weaponization is unlike anything I had ever seen. Glenn, we were a family that never got as much as a speeding ticket ever in our lives, and we lived a pretty fast life in terms of business and life.

Until my father decided that he was looking to run again in 2024. In which case, they indicted him 34 times for $130,000 that he didn't even make.
I mean, people -- people who are sitting in the courtrooms, couldn't even possibly believe it.

Again, we had every single one of them overturned. When I hear them talking about James Comey. Clearly. It very much looked like it -- to Ted Cruz. And that congressional hearing. That testimony that day.

I mean, give me a break. These guys. I probably spent $400 million, defending ourselves from hoaxes. I mean, the Russia hoax, we had disproved to the FBI.

We didn't have secret servers. There are no servers in the basement of Trump Tower. Because the basement was flooded. You don't put -- like, Computer's 101, you don't put servers in basements. Right?

You know, we didn't know anybody in Russia. They knew this. And they let this sham get perpetrated for three years so that one greedy woman could possibly get, you know, two more bills.

And then when she lost to him in embarrassing fashion, to people who didn't know where the damn delegate was. I.e. our family. Because we had never been in politics before. You know, they needed some way to justify her embarrassing performance.

GLENN: They took your father off the ballot in Maine. They tried to take him off in Colorado. That to me is the weaponization of the political system. By going after you guys for the servers, by changing documents, literally, the FBI changing documents to go after people in your organization, on the -- the Russiagate stuff. Changing the documents for a FISA court.

That's true weaponization. Is there a chance that the Comey thing is going to go to bleed in a larger prosecution, because I've been watching this. Eric, I've been watching this from the beginning.

I was watching this when I was not for your father being president in 2016. Saying, wait a minute.

This isn't right.

What is this?

This isn't right.

It is so clear that this now was -- I mean, the evidence is all there!

That this was a plan from the beginning, that is, quite honestly, I believe, still going on.

Is there is there a chance.

I mean, do you know if the grand conspiracy thing is going to happen?

ERIC: Listen, I hope it does, right?

I'm not in government. But it's the entire thesis of the book. I've dealt with this more than anyone in the country for a ten-year period of time.
They wanted us gone. I mean, Glenn, they were planting documents in Mar-a-Lago in my father's office. They were planting top secret folders, on -- on the carpet of my father's office.

They admitted that to Judge Cannon that they literally brought in top secret folders and they staged photo shoots on my father's office floor. Right?

The whole thing was contrived.

The whole thing was a setup. The Russia thing was a scam.

The dirty dossier that said my father was doing horrible things, the most unthinkable things. You know, it was -- it was a sham, the impeachment number one was a sham. The impeachment number two was a sham. To have seven judges in Colorado just delete my father's name from a ballot was a sham. The fact that, again, a guy who works very hard, and never crossed any line in his life became the most subpoenaed person in American history. It was a sham. I mean, you know, I must have a laptop from hell. I wasn't Hunter Biden. I wasn't doing illicit drugs. I wasn't partaking in prostitution. I didn't have racy photos all over my -- and I sure as hell wasn't doing illegal business deals all over the world of every shady country, as he very much seemed to be doing. And yet, they came after us relentlessly. So do I think that that criminality has to be paid for in some way? I do. And I find it so ironic, when you see Chuck Schumer up there. And Jake Tapper. I'm not sure if you saw him the other day. "This is the weaponization of the government at its finest."

Give me a break. I've taken more arrows than anybody could possibly take and still be standing. And my father, he has taken unlimited arrows, all in the sense of this nation that we love. And it's -- it's true irony. And it's true projection.

GLENN: So let me take ten seconds for a station ID. And then I want to talk to you about, has there ever been a time when you guys said, enough!

Back in ten seconds. (music)

GLENN: So I don't know. I mean, I am amazed at your family. I'm amazed at your father. The things that you guys have put up with. The things that you have come through.

And at some point, did anyone in the family say, dad, please, I mean, we want grandpa to be around? Stop! Please. Did that ever happen?

ERIC: You know what, it's kind of funny. I think that's exactly what they thought was going to happen. I thought that they could take this kind of New York billionaire and make his life so uncomfortable, that he would want to go back to Palm Beach, Florida, play golf, hang out with his grandkids. Fly around on Trump Force One. You know, live in Mar-a-Lago. Live a great life. Right?

And there's no question that was their calculus. You know, how do we make fun of him? How do we silence him? How do we bankrupt him? How do we go after his family? How do we raid his home? How do we indict him, right? How do we break up his business. How do we break up his business. How do we strip the Trump name off of every building in New York City. Those are all the things that I dealt with. I think they only misunderstood him.

And maybe it's like a masochist-type quality, but the harder they hit him, and the harder they hit us, the more resilient we were.

I was in the courtrooms, Glenn, with my father every single day. When they turned around in New York and ran off 34 felony -- bogus felony counts with the corrupt judge. And you know a lot about that trial.

My father turned around. Shook my hand.

We left the courthouse. We did a press conference. I was on the front stairs of that courthouse every single day to the press. You remember, my father was gagged. And then we went down, we did a big fundraiser. I mean, we literally left the courthouse after having 34 felony indictments and went to a political fundraiser.

I mean, the man never stopped. He was the Energizer Bunny in a red tie wearing a suit on steroids.

And the harder they hit him, the harder he worked, the harder he fought back.

But beyond that, I think more the American people realized, the whole thing was a sham.

I mean, there's only so many times you can cry wolf, before everybody realizes it's nonsense.

And they cried wolf in Russia, and everybody saw that.

And they cried wolf with the impeachments and everybody saw that. And people fundamentally started to distrust the mainstream media in the country. And independent voices like yours, all of a sudden, became the most powerful we've ever seen in the nation's history. And, you know, and all of a sudden, this whole thing turned around. Where people started realizing, hey. The harder they hit this guy, the more I like him. Because this is the system. This is the corruption at work. And listen, it obviously worked. Because my father won the popular vote. He won every single swing state.

You know, he won 11 counties in California that had never been wronged by a Republican. In 37 years, no Republicans won Miami Dade County. We won it by 11 points.

And every single state in the country, all 50 states cast way right. You know, and so clearly, their games didn't work.

But that's what they wanted. They wanted to make his life so damn uncomfortable. That he would bow out of the race. And say, you know what, let's just go live my glory years at Mar-a-Lago, living out the American Dream as the next president. And they wholly underestimated the man.

GLENN: But you -- the whole family was like?

I mean, everybody in the family?

I mean, I don't say this. You guys are amazing. Even if you would have said, Dad, stop it.

Please, not for us.

For you, stop it.

It's not a sign of weakness.

I mean, I'm amazed that number in the family ever just sat down and said that.

ERIC: Glenn, at that point, I think we were up to our eyeballs, admitting, you know, they had us in every -- you know, I had a hundred depositions. I had a hundred subpoenas in my desk.
They were raiding our homes. They were trying everything they possibly could to take us out, to bankrupt us. You had Leticia James in New York.

The corruption that overturned five to zero, you know, by the appellate courts. And New York was an absolute sham with a sham judge. You had the Alvin Bragg nonsense. You had the Fani Willis nonsense with her boyfriend in Georgia. You had the Jack Smith, and he plants documents in Mar-a-Lago and ransacked Melania's closet and Barron's room, you know, in our home.

You know, at this point, we were -- we were neck deep in it. I mean, we had no other choice. I mean, if we would have given up then, we would have been dead. They would have taken us out.

And there was one point, I talked about it in the book. Where my father looks at me, coming out of that courtroom. And he says, honey, I don't know how, but we're going to win.

And I said, listen, we either win, or we're all going to be in jail. Because that's exactly what these corrupt people will do to us.

And, again, it's a great irony that I find in the way the Democrats are treating the Comey indictment this week. It's -- they would have put us all in jail and had us rot there for eternity, you know, had we not pulled it off.

That was their exact intent.

And they weaponized the -- the entire system, in order to let that happen.

GLENN: Oh, yeah.

So my wife and I just -- gentlemen just moved to Florida. And we lived near the Trump National Golf Course. We were driving by.
And I thought, everything this family has done. Everything this brand has gone through, I think it's a more powerful brand now, that happen -- than ever before.

And part of it is the way you guys have dealt with the -- just weathered every storm.

But also, I think your dad. I've had a lot of respect for your dad as a builder. And, you know, I watched him build buildings in New York. And honestly, Eric, I really thought.

Because he could build things twice as fast as anybody else in New York.

And I'm like, how does this guy not have mob connections? How do you do business without the mob?

And nothing. Clean. Clean. Clean.

So I don't know how he does what he does.

He's just a machine.

But I feel like, everything he has done, in a strange -- in a strange change of topic here, I think he found the golf course and the golf resorts, are like -- that's -- I think he's -- I think he's the best at that in the world now.

ERIC: Yeah. Well, thank you, by the way. And that's a great compliment to me, because I've done every single one of them with him. And I bought, you know, most of those properties and does we're really good at it. And it's really funny. When I -- when he's talking about Gaza the other day, and he goes, you know, the potential for this place. What I could make this place into, would be so incredible. And the Democrats come out. Oh, ha, ha. What do you know about building?

Like when AOC came after Elon Musk. Oh, ha, ha, ha. Elon Musk. Like, the least qualified person to run the FAA. I'm sitting there thinking, this guy is catching rockets with chopsticks. Like, you might not want to belittle him. He's got about 4,000 times the IQ of you, AOC. And they're trying to do the same with my father. I mean, there's no one that's a better builder, and I had his genetics. I mean, he'll tell you, the two of us are like two peas in a pod with that. That's what I do.

By the way, Glenn, I got the library approved yesterday. It's going to be in Miami, Florida, and it's spectacular.

So we just got the greatest site in Florida, and I will be building that. And I promise you, it's not going to look like the Barack Hussein Obama Presidential Library in Chicago, that looks like a jailhouse.

They're literally going around neighborhoods in Chicago. They're like, what does that building look like? Everybody is like, man, it looks like a jail. It will be a spectacular building. But no. I think my father will -- now, ten years ago, I would have said, what he would have wanted on his tombstone was the greatest developer, the greatest builder. You know, I think today, it's a man who literally not only inspired a nation, but opened the eyes of the entire nation to how we were getting ripped off. The flaws of government.

And how much better we could be running this country, which he's doing right now.

GLENN: Well, I've never seen anything like it. You know, when he said, I will be the greatest president. I thought, wow. That's. I'm a historian. I know history. That's a pretty high standard. I told him myself, I think you're -- I think you're in the Abraham Lincoln.

You keep going. You're in the Abraham Lincoln, George Washington kind of territory.

And it might take a hundred years for people to realize that, but I've never seen anything like it.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

USA vs UK: The Parallels in Cultural Takeover | Katie Hopkins & Glenn Beck

Glenn Beck speaks with British commentator Katie Hopkins about the dramatic Islamic demographic and political takeover in the United Kingdom, and the alarming parallels emerging in the United States. Hopkins explains how Muslim birth rates, political power in cities, and cultural changes are reshaping the UK, and what Americans can learn from Britain’s current trajectory. From arrests over flag-waving to the erosion of free speech, she details how Western freedoms are under threat if we fail to recognize the patterns.

Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with Katie Hopkins HERE

RADIO

NFL picks Bad Bunny for Super Bowl—Is this a slap at Christians?

The NFL has chosen Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny to perform at this year’s Super Bowl. But BlazeTV host ‪@realjasonwhitlock‬ joins Glenn Beck to explain why he believes this isn’t just about expanding the NFL to the Latin American market. “This is the poster boy for demonic activity,” Whitlock argues, and it’s yet another slap in the face of conservative Americans and Christians. Plus, Glenn and Jason discuss why Jay Z may be the true mastermind behind the past few years of “inclusive” halftime shows.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: This is Bad Bunny. And I have to tell you, I don't understand Bad Bunny. I don't claim to understand Bad Bunny. I've never heard of Bad Bunny before. And, you know, I'm cool. I'm cool. I'm all Bad Bunnied out. Now, Jason. Who is a little cooler. Jason Whitlock from the Blaze. He's joining us now. Because he is -- you're apoplectic on Bad Bunny.

JASON: Yes, I am, Glenn. Look, obviously they're trolling Donald Trump. Obviously, they're trolling ICE raids and the whole illegal immigration policy, enacted by Trump. Obviously, they're going out to Northern California, where the Super Bowl is in Santa Clara this year. And they -- Gavin Newsom. Kamala Harris. This is their headquarters. And they want to make a statement about illegal immigration. They want to make a statement about diversity and Spanish-speaking people. They want to make a statement about transgenderism and sexual fluidity.

And bad bunny checks all those boxes.

And so that's what they're doing. This has nothing to do with football fans.

This is about the left's control of popular culture. And control of the National Football League, which is the strongest thing in popular culture. And they're using it to make a big, bold at the same time about how they feel about Donald Trump. But more importantly, how they feel about Jesus Christ.

GLENN: So now, as an expert on Bad Bunny for the last, hmm. Thirty-five seconds. Let me push back on this. I think I agree with you.

JASON: Yeah.

GLENN: Jason. But let me push back on you.

I see the NFL. You know, I see the NBA, placating China. Because that's their new place. The NFL, all over the world. NFL really trying to get football to be American football, in -- in other markets. Why is this not just a continuation of that play to get the Super Bowl to be watched in Latin America?

JASON: Because there's plenty of other Latin-American artists they could have chosen if that was the play. They didn't have to pick someone who is so closely associated with demonic activity, so closely associated with promoting gender fluidity and the cross-dressing deal. They didn't to have pick someone who is so outspoken against Donald Trump and his illegal immigration policy. This is the poster boy for Trump hate. And this is the poster boy for sexual fluidity and redefining masculinity.

These are things straight out of his own mouth. And look, all money isn't good money.

And that's what globalism is teaching us. That we can throw away all of our Christian values. All of our American values, in pursuit of global money.

GLENN: Correct.

JASON: And then what are we left with? A drag show, at halftime of the biggest platform we have to offer in American culture. And so parents will be having discussions with their kids on Super Bowl Sunday. Mommy, daddy, wives, this man out here, dressed as a woman, during some part of this act.

Why are his fingernails painted? Why is he taking subtle shots at Trump? This is -- to me, part of it is a reaction to the Charlie Kirk memorial service. It was such a powerful pro-Jesus Christ deal. They have their answer now.

And it will be Super Bowl Sunday.

GLENN: So let me ask you, because he has -- he won't tour in the United States because of ICE. Right?

JASON: Yeah. Yeah.

GLENN: So he's already sworn off the United States of America as a tour top. Because he's so strongly anti-ICE.

You just said, that he was also none I can. Or he pushes demonic things.

I want to play a piece of audio that we have from somebody who went to his tour. And then I would like you to explain for somebody who is now a full 90 seconds into, you know, what's his name? The Bunny guy. What this means. Here's the audio. Listen.

VOICE: Fans are reporting that they felt a demonic presence when attending Bad Bunny's recent concert. Fans even started making it into a meme by taking videos saying that the concert just feels demonic.

But it became extremely dark when this song by Tommy (inaudible) came on, where there were masked demons dancing all over him and the concert turned all red.

Even the music video to this song is extremely dark. It's this monster looking thing that creeps up into this woman's room, and it actually ends up becoming Bad Bunny himself. Those who attended this concert are even advising people, if you're going to go see Bad Bunny's concert, then --

GLENN: Okay. Stop. I can't take any more of this. You know, obviously AI. The image that they put is Nosferatu, you know, the -- the vampire Nosferatu. Tell me what -- I mean, I've seen a lot of stuff, that I feel is pushing demonic forces. Especially in the music industry. Tell me what your thoughts are on this.

Why it's clear to you.

JASON: The music industry clearly has a close association with the occult movement. This goes all the way back to the Beatles. You're probably familiar with that. But in rap music, these rappers, American and this guy Bad Bunny and everybody else, they so are out of the closet with the occult symbolism in their music, in their videos, what they rap and talk about.

It's undeniable that there's an occult association. And, Glenn, this is funny. Yesterday, as I'm processing this and on Sunday, I start thinking about, well, what kind of song could we use as a protest song for what they're doing here at the Super Bowl. And I was like, we're not going to take it. We're not going to take it anymore. And I go look it up. Because I just remember it from my childhood. And it's Twisted Sister. They had the song We're Not Going To Take It.

And then I went and watched the video. And the video is a kid, in his bedroom, his dad comes in, yelling at him. And the kid spins around and like turns into an adult longhaired cross-dressing man, and starts singing the song, We're Not Going To Take It. And I was just like, holy cow, they've been putting this message into this forever.

GLENN: And you didn't know.

JASON: This came out in 1984.

GLENN: Yeah. I know. I -- I -- i unfortunately was on the radio playing the hits when that was out.

Is it true that Jay-Z is responsible for selecting the last six years of the inclusive halftime shows?

JASON: Absolutely. All of it. And it actually -- Jay-Z's first Super Bowl that he ran I believe was in 2020. He picked Shakira. But the special guest was Bad Bunny. His special guest was -- so this started in 2020. This is always where it was going. You can find plenty of videos of Jay-Z doing spirit dancing and occult-like activity.

This is what Jay-Z is all about. And much of it is justify and/or defended -- diversity. We have to have diversity. And Jay-Z is black. And they're just upset because Jay-Z is black.

And no -- no one has to deal -- no. We're upset. Because he promotes the occult, that he promotes a form of music that is grooming our kids for violence.

Grooming our kids for sexual fluidity and promiscuity and degeneracy and disrespect for authority. And that's what we don't like about Jay-Z.

They use this racial deal, and accusations of you're a racist, if you criticize Jay-Z or criticize anything defined as black culture. And if you're someone like me, you say you're an Uncle Tom and a sellout. And -- and this is why.

Four years, I've been running around saying, men, particularly white men, you're going to have to buckle up. Get over the fact that they're going to call you racist. And defend your values and beliefs. If your values align with Jesus Christ, you defend them, and you deal with the consequences. That's what I do. That's what you do. That's what Charlie Kirk did. That's what we all have to do, if we're going to stand up to this madness and insanity.

GLENN: So how do you stand up against this? Because nobody is going to abandon the NFL. You know, Jesse Kelly said, what? Yesterday. "Oh, they're very upset. They're very upset about that. They'll have another six-day boycott of the NFL." And that's true.

JASON: Glenn, I do think there's an opportunity here, as it relates to the Super Bowl, as it relates to some sort of counterprogramming. Super Bowl halftime at least, or just on the Super Bowl. I've listened to Jack and others, that say, "Hey. We should have a counterdeal through TP USA, through TheBlaze, through whatever."

GLENN: Whatever it is.

JASON: So we can get Creed to perform. Can we get -- in my view, I love Forest Frank, and I would love for churches to host events on Super Bowl Sunday in the evening, so that we have -- because, Glenn, there's no chance of me watching the Super Bowl this year. I've talked about it last year. I was upset with Kendrick Lamar. This is the bridge way too far for me. I will not watch the Super Bowl this year.

I get skipping out -- I don't think it's the appropriate thing to skip out on the NFL and sports altogether. Because the Young Men's Christian Association, the YMCA, in the late 1800s, early 1900s, they organized sports. Sports have been stolen from Christians. And I don't believe in surrendering and just handing it over to them, and to the atheists, to the secular crowd.

It's a tool God intended for us to use to disciple and mentor masculine men in Christianity. It's been stolen from us, by television.

And we need to fight to have it back. Because it's a great tool, to disciple young men. So I don't believe in abandoning, but as it relates to the Super Bowl, no dice, for me.

There's just -- you couldn't pay me to watch this year's Super Bowl, because I feel like I would be spitting in the face of God.

GLENN: Well, I will tell you, that, you know, I don't care about sports. But my family cares deeply about the NFL, and depending on who is playing.

And, you know, but I could see even the diehards. You know, my son. I could absolutely see him saying, turning it off.

And those ratings matter. The ratings matter. Turning not not just the game off, but even if you turned off the halftime show, those ratings matter a great deal. If everybody just said, I'm not watching it had it. And turned to something else, before the halftime show. That is a half step. But an important half step.

Would you agree or disagree with that.

JASON: I totally disagree. And again, I'm using Charlie's memorial service, as our blueprint. That produced incredible numbers, all over the internet. Anywhere that was broadcast.

And I think we could do the same thing with musical performance.

If Brandon Lake, Forest frank, Creed.
Whomever. If offered the alternative and said, hey, just turn your TV off. And whatever.

And open up your i Phone and your i Pad. Whatever. Flip over on your Smart TV, to a counterprogram, Super Bowl halftime rather than invite the devil, Satan into your home, I think a lot of people would take that option.

GLENN: I know I would.

I know I would. Jason, thank you so much.

How are you doing?

JASON: I'm doing great, Glenn. I'm doing great. I appreciate you.

Hey. I know this has been a tough weekend for you. Given the church deal and so I appreciate you making the time for me today.

GLENN: Oh, I love you, Jason. Thank you so much.

JASON: Thank you.

GLENN: Jason Whitlock. You can follow him at TheBlaze.com/Fearless.

If you've ever watched Jason, he is fantastic.