RADIONovember 06, 2023

These 3 UNUSUAL factors make the 2024 election the WEIRDEST Glenn has ever seen

"This is the most bizarre primary I have ever seen in my lifetime," Glenn says. With only a year left before the 2024 election, Glenn and Stu review the very unusual state of the race: The leading Republican candidate, former president Donald Trump, is facing multiple lawsuits that could land him in prison, the leading Democratic candidate, President Biden, is tanking in the polls, and we could see a rematch between two presidents. So, can Trump win from jail? Will the Democrats kick Biden out of the race? Glenn gives his thoughts ...

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: So we've been talking about the New York Times polls, that has come out. And give me a snapshot from that, just to recap, Stu.

STU: Basically, it was a poll of swing states.

Which, in my view, it's a better way of doing these polls, than like a national number.

Because in reality, we all know that, you know, Donald Trump is going to win Idaho. And the fact that they can pull a few votes out of that, to make it a national number isn't all that important, right?

GLENN: I am worried about Texas, quite honestly.

Lots of new people in Texas. If they can -- I mean, if there's any kind of fraud in this state. And, by the way, look, they're challenging Ted Cruz.

STU: Well, they challenged Ted Cruz before, and they won. They have Beto O'Rourke. That threw more money out of it, and he still lost.

And, again, when it comes to the fraud thing, that's almost a separate topic. Right?

I'm looking at -- you can only look at this, at what is actually going to happen. If they do some trickery, what will they do?

There's no way you can predict that. When it comes to these six states, excuse me.

You have a situation, where Joe Biden is losing five of them.

And by some of them, very large margins. Nevada by ten to Donald Trump. Nevada, of these swing states, is probably one of the more difficult ones for Republicans to win.

One of the more blue states out of these.

Georgia. You have Trump by six. Arizona, Trump by five. Michigan, Trump by five.

Pennsylvania, Trump by four. If Donald Trump wins Pennsylvania by four points, he will win the election.

And then finally Wisconsin. Which is actually polled. It's been one of those states that has in polling, off more than almost every other state.

Almost always, Wisconsin seems to look more positive for Democrats. Than it winds up being in the actual election. That's important to remember. But Wisconsin here, it's Biden plus two.

Now, the other candidates, they did DeSantis and Haley in these polls as well. Both DeSantis and Haley win Wisconsin comfortably actually. And neither DeSantis nor Haley lose any state against Joe Biden.

Any of these six. That's not been something that's been talked about as much. There are two states, in which DeSantis is even with Joe Biden. But both Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis either win or are tied in these states.

This is the most bizarre, just the most bizarre primary I've ever seen in my lifetime.

STU: So weird.

GLENN: I mean, you've got a guy who they're doing everything they can, to put him in jail.

He may be in jail by the time the -- the election comes around.

And I don't know honestly know if that will help or hurt him. I really don't know.

STU: Think about --

GLENN: It's crazy. Just that.

STU: Think about all the things that are strange.

You have a guy who may go to prison. It may help him. It may hurt him.

The leading candidate is not participating in the debates. That's a weird thing, right?

The leading candidate is a former president of the United States.

That's really weird, right?

When it's not consecutive terms. It's happened.

But it's pretty odd.

On the democratic, you have a guy that is overwhelmingly disliked by his own voters. In this poll. More than half of Biden's voters say he's too old to be president.

GLENN: Listen to this.

His approval on the economy, in the battleground states. The economy, his approval is 39 percent.

STU: That's catastrophic.

GLENN: With 57 percent disapproving. CBS, and I think it was CNN, just took a poll, about, where we are in the wrong direction? Right direction?

Seventy-four. In one poll. And 75 percent in another poll, say we're on the wrong track.

That's historic.

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: He has 9 percent strong approval, on the economy.

And 48 percent registering strong disapproval. It's worse than a five-to-one ratio of strong, you know, anti on the economy.
,
Five to one.

Also, separate polling for Gallup going back seven decades. Republicans have never been before enjoyed a larger edge on the primary issue of the day, the economy.

Seven decades. Seventy years. They've not seen polling like this.

STU: Through Reagan.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: Think about that.

GLENN: Yeah. 40 percent of people that are polled right now, say they're afraid their income is not going to be able to cover the House and the food, because of inflation. And they know who is responsible.

They are blaming it on Bidenomics.

Real -- real incomes -- declining real incomes make the stables of life, difficult to finance. And housing affordability has never been worse.

This is according to Goldman Sachs. The first time in history, the average apartment rent is $2,000 a month.

The average apartment. Up from 1600 when Biden took office.

Battleground state voters overwhelmingly blamed poor policies for this financial squeeze.

71 percent now say it's government policy that has not been contributed to this rise in rent, with 50 percent blaming the government a great deal.

That's -- that's pretty significant.

STU: Yeah. Yeah. I would say it is.

And, you know, when you look at the economy. There are some interesting breakdowns, when you look at the economy. They're all bad for Biden. There's nothing there.

Even people who didn't like Trump, are saying, well, look, at least the economy was good when he was president. If you go back, Glenn, 30 or 40 years, the only two times that people were really optimistic on the economy overall, were like 1998 to 2000. The end of that -- the Clinton era. When the internet was kicking it in. Right before the recession, that started, by the way, when Clinton was president. But people didn't know that during the election. And then secondarily was the period '17 to 2019. Sorry 2018 to March 2020. The cutoff was March 2020.

Understandably.

GLENN: We talked about it. Everything was going so well, that only some catastrophic event at the end of his term. And lo and behold, a catastrophic event.

STU: We did see one. Listen to this, Glenn. This is an interesting breakdown from the Times on the economy. A pound of bacon costs an average of $7.08 in the US. 21 percent than when Biden took office.

GLENN: 21 percent.

STU: The price of coffee beans has risen 33 percent.

A gallon of gas is 72 percent more expensive. And because inflation affects everyone, it can damage the public more than anything else.

In parentheses, yes, the inflation has fallen sharply this year.

But most prices have not fallen.

Only their rate of increase has. This is something we made a point on this a hundred times. When you can see they're trying to baby -- spoon-feed this to their actual Democrat audience here. And saying, hey. The reason why this stuff isn't working here.

Is the rate might be coming down a little bit. But the prices are still increasing. It's a rate of rate of increase.

But listen to the -- I thought this was fascinating. A president can't do much to bring down prices in the short-term.

Yet, Biden has taken steps to reduce energy prices. Again, this is a Democrat talking to other Democrats.

Think of it from that perspective.

GLENN: We're in Alice in Wonderland.

STU: He approved an enormous new oil project on federal land in Alaska, while enacting billions of dollars of subsidies for clean energy.

Again, we know that doesn't bring down. But the Alaska thing is kind of interesting.

He's been strangely unwilling to brag about the Alaska Project. As Matthew Eglesias noted in a recent Substack newsletter: Biden seems more focused on avoiding criticism from climate activists, than on winning over swing voters who can help reelect arguably the most climate friendly president ever.

Again, Democrats speaking to Democrats.

Ignore some of the context here.

GLENN: My eyes are bleeding. I feel like the guy in Casino Royale, where blood is just trickling out the side of my eye, you know.

STU: You think about it from just a political standpoint.

You have this one thing in Alaska. You would think in this moment, you are touting that to swing states. Right?

You're going crazy. Making it a much bigger deal than it actually is.

There's a similar dynamic on immigration. Undocumented migration to the US has surged after Biden took office, partly in response to his welcoming campaign rhetoric. That's one way to put it.

GLENN: Listen to that. That's Democrats to Democrats. They don't say that mainstream. What rhetoric?

No. We were not inviting -- they sent a strong message. Yeah. Uh-huh.

STU: Many Americans are unhappy about the surge. Although, Biden has since taken steps to reduce the surge. Again, not how I would describe it. However, although Biden has since taken steps to reduce the surge. He rarely emphasizes these popular steps. These are steps that poll well with the American people. He seems more focused on progressive activists than swing voters. So what does that mean, Glenn?

GLENN: Yes.

STU: Why wouldn't he tout -- politically speaking, go to the middle, say, I swear I'm doing stuff. I know you don't see it, but I swear I'm doing it.

Instead, he's worried about criticism from crazy left-wing activists.

GLENN: Because crazy left-wing activists put him into office.

It was the unions. And the crazy left-wing advocates. That are the ones who are also backing him up with muscle.

That's why he's now saying, you know, Israel. You should be nicer to Hamas.

We -- maybe you should slow down. Because he's lost. Or in danger of losing the people, that are behind.

Did you notice the signs?

Did anybody look at the signs that were on the streets of Washington, DC, or New York or every place else this weekend?

STU: You're not talking about the ones where they're painting the Stars of David on the street?

GLENN: No. No. No. Where they killed that woman?

No. I'm talking about the printed signs about a free Palestine. The bottom of it, go look at the pictures.

Provided by the socialist worker's party.

Okay?

This is a socialist-run thing.

So you've got all of that, wrapped up into the Palestinian thing.

He cannot afford to lose his muscle.

He can't afford to lose those advocates. Because those are the strongest. What's going to happen. Is you will have those people, or you're going to have the people that are like, you know what. I'm not even going to vote.

Because that's the way, I think that's the way, your supporters are getting on Biden.

If they don't flip. They're just not motivated.

Because he's not doing anything good. For them.

STU: How much of this is Biden guarding his flank for a challenger, like a Gavin Newsom. Like someone else who will come out of the woodworker and say, you know what.

GLENN: Oh, I think a great deal of it. A great deal.

Listen to this from Axlerod.

STU: David Axelrod. The former -- Obama administration official.

I don't remember his exact role.

GLENN: It's very lately to change horses. And a lot will happen in the next year. That no one can predict. And Biden's team says his resolve is firm to run. I'm justly proud of his accomplishments.

However, his poll numbers send tremors of doubt. Not bedwetting. Legitimate doubt.

Trump is a dangerous, unhinged demagogue, whose brazen disdain for the rules, norms, laws, and institution, or democracy. Should be disqualifying.

But the steaks of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore. Only Joe Biden can make this decision.

If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the democratic party.

What he needs to decide, is whether that is wise. Whether it is in his best interest or the country's.

STU: Wow.

GLENN: He's got to have somebody behind him.

STU: He's a power -- he's a big, you know, group of connections inside the Democratic Party.

This isn't just some guy saying this. This is a big deal.

GLENN: Oh, no.

This is Axlerod. This is Axlerod.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Are Epstein's "Blackmail Videos" Being Used for Leverage RIGHT NOW?

What was Jeffrey Epstein's operation all about. If he was at the center of a massive blackmail operation to compromise those in positions of power, who is in possession of that information now? Glenn Beck and ATF Whistleblower John Dodson analyze the details of this situation and give their thoughts on what is the most likely reality surrounding Epstein.

Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with ATF Whistleblower John Dodson HERE

WARNING: How America Elects a Socialist President in 2028 | Glenn TV | Ep 444

The rise of Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old socialist who just won the Democratic primary for mayor, is not just a political earthquake shaking New York City — it’s a warning for the rest of America. Backed by Bernie Sanders, AOC, and the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani promises free everything, to tax the rich, and to dismantle capitalism. There’s nothing new about this tired strategy, but the media is propping him up as a new political genius. And with Democrat leaders lining up behind him, it’s clear: This radicalism isn’t fringe anymore. It’s the Democratic Party’s future. Mamdani’s rise is part of a larger movement that’s rewriting America’s values. Glenn Beck explains how New York is the prototype for the Left’s socialist makeover of America. Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Standford, gives a terrifying prediction on Mamdani’s mayoral race chances and warns the revolution is coming for mainstream Democrats. He also dives into MAGA’s frustration with the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files.

Salena Zito reveals WHY Trump said “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

“I have a new purpose,” then-candidate Donald Trump told reporter Salena Zito after surviving the assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. Salena joins Glenn Beck to reveal what Trump told her about God, his purpose in life, and why he really said, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”, as she details in her new book, “Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland”.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Salena, congratulations on your book. It is so good.

Just started reading it. Or listening to it, last night.

And I wish you would have -- I wish you would have read it. But, you know, the lady you have reading it is really good.

I just enjoy the way you tell stories.

The writing of this is the best explanation on who Trump supporters are. That I think I've ever read, from anybody.

It's really good.

And the description of your experience there at the edge of the stage with Donald Trump is pretty remarkable as well. Welcome to the program.

SALENA: Thank you, Glenn. Thank you so much for having me.

You know, I was thinking about this, as I was ready to come on. You and I have been along for this ride forever. For what?

Since 2006? 2005?

Like 20 years, right?

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

SALENA: And I've been chronicling the American people for probably ten more years, before that. And it's really remarkable to me, as watching how this coalition has grown. Right?

And watching how people have the -- have become more aspirational.

And that's -- and that is what the conservative populist coalition is, right?

It is the aspirations of many, but the celebration of the individual.

And chronicling them, yeah. Has been -- has been, a great honor.

GLENN: You know, I was thinking about this yesterday, when -- when Elon Musk said he was starting another party.

And somebody asked me, well, isn't he doing what the Tea Party tried to do?

No. The Tea Party was not going to start a new party.

It was to -- you know, it was to coerce and convince the Republican Party to do the right thing. And it worked in many ways. It didn't accomplish what we hoped.

But it did accomplish a lot of things.

Donald Trump is a result of the Tea Party.

I truly believe that. And a lot of the people that were -- right?

Were with Donald Trump, are the people that were with the Tea Party.

SALENA: That's absolutely right.

So that was the inception.

So American politics has always had movements, that have been just outside of a party. Or within a party.

That galvanize and broaden the coalition. Right? They don't take away. Or walk away, and become another party.

If anything, if there is a third party out there, it's almost a Republican Party.

Because it has changed in so many viable and meaningful ways. And the Tea Party didn't go away. It strengthened and broadened the Republican Party. Because these weren't just Republicans that became part of this party.

It was independents. It was Democrats.

And just unhappy with the establishment Republicans. And unhappy with Democrats.

And that -- that movement is what we -- what I see today.

What I see every day. What I saw that day, in butler, when I showed I happen at that rally.

As I do, so many rallies, you know, throughout my career. And that one was riveting and changed everything.

GLENN: You made a great case in the opening chapter. You talk about how things were going for Donald Trump.

And how this moment really did change everything for Donald Trump.

Changed the trajectory, changed the mood.

I mean, Elon Musk was not on the Trump train, until this.

SALENA: Yeah.

GLENN: Moment. What do I -- what changed? How -- how did that work?

And -- and I contend, that we would have much more profound change, had the media actually done their job and reported this the way it really was. Pragmatism

SALENA: You know, and people will find this in the book. I'm laying on the ground with an agent on top of me.

I'm 4 feet away from the president.

And there's -- there's notices coming up on my phone. Saying, he was hit by broken glass.

And to this take, that remains part of this sibling culture, in American politics.

Because reporters were -- were so anxious to -- to right what they believed happened.

As opposed to what happened.

And it's been a continual frustration of mine, as a reporter, who is on the ground, all the time.

And I'll tell you, what changed in that moment.

And I say a nuance, and I believe nuance is dead in American journalism.

But it was a nuance and it was a powerful conversation, that I had with President Trump, the next day. He called me the next morning.

But it's a powerful conversation I had with him, just two weeks ago.

When he made this decision to say, fight, fight, fight.

People have put in their heads, why they think he said it. But he told me why he said that. And he said, Salena, in that moment, I was not Donald Trump the man. I was a former president. I was quite possibly going to be president again.

And I had an obligation to the country, and to the office that I have served in, to project strength. To project resolve.

To project that we will not be defeated.

And it's sort of like a symbolic eagle, that is always -- you know, that symbol that we look at, when we think about our country.

He said, that's why I said that. I didn't want the people behind me panicking. I didn't want the people watching, panicking.

I had to show strength. And it's that nuance -- that I think people really picked up on.

And galvanized people.

GLENN: So he told me, when he was laying down on the stage.

And you can hear him. Let me get up. Let me get up.

I've got to get up.

He told me, as I was laying on the stage. I asked him, what were you thinking? What was going through your head? Now, Salena, I don't know about you.

But with me. It would be like, how do I get off the stage? My first was survival.

He said, what was going on through his mind was, you're not pathetic. This is pathetic.

You're not afraid. Get up.

Get up.

And so is that what informed his fight, fight, fight, of that by the time that he's standing up, he's thinking, I'm a symbol? Or do you think he was thinking, I'm a symbol, this looks pathetic. It makes you look weak.

Stand up. How do you think that actually happened?

SALENA: He thinks, and we just talked about this weeks ago. He -- you know, and this is something that he's really thought about.

Right? You know, he's gone over and over and over. And also, purpose and God. Right? These are things that have lingered with him.

You know, he -- he thought, yes.

He did think, it was pathetic that he was on the ground. But he wasn't thinking about, I'm Donald Trump. It's pathetic.

He's thinking, my country is symbolically on the ground. I need to get up, and I need to show that my country is strong.

That our country is resolute.

And I need people to see that.

We can't go on looking like pathetic.

Right?

And I think that then goes to that image of Biden.

GLENN: You have been with so many presidents.

How many presidents do you think that you've personally been with, would have thought that and reacted that way?

SALENA: Probably only Reagan. Reagan would have. Reagan probably would have thought that.

And if you remember how he was out like standing outside.

You know, waving out the window. Right?

After he was shot.

GLENN: At the hospital, right.

SALENA: Had he not been knocked out, unconscious, you know, he probably would have done the same thing.

Because he was someone who deeply believed in American exceptionalism.

And American exceptionalism does not go lay on the ground.

GLENN: And the symbol.

Right. The symbol of the presidency.

SALENA: Yeah. Absolutely. And I think that affects him today.

GLENN: So let me go back to God.

Because you talked to him the next day. And your book Butler.

He calls you up.

I love the fact that your parents would be ashamed of you. On what you said to him.

The language you used. That you just have to read the book.

It's just a great part.

But he calls you the next morning. And wants to know if you're okay.

And you -- you then start talking to him, about God.

And I was -- I was thinking about this, as I was listening to it. You know, Lincoln said, I wasn't -- I wasn't a Christian.

Even though, he was.

I wasn't a Christian, when I was elected. I wasn't a Christian when my son died.

I became a Christian at Gettysburg.

Is -- is -- I mean, I believe Donald Trump always believes in God, et cetera, et cetera.

Do you think there was a real profound change at Butler with him?

SALENA: Absolutely. You know, he called me seven times that day. Seven times, the take after seven.

GLENN: Crazy.

SALENA: Talked about. And I think he was looking for someone that he knew, that was there. And to try to sort it out.

Right? And I let him do most of the talking. I didn't pressure him.

At all. I believed that he was having -- you know, he was struggling. And he needed to just talk. And I believed my purpose was to listen.

Right? I know other reporters would have handled it differently. And that's okay. That's not the kind of reporter that I am.

And I myself was having my own like, why didn't I die?

Right?

Because it went right over my head.

And -- and so I -- he had the conversation about God.

He's funny. I thought it was the biggest mosquito in the world that hit me.

But he had talked profoundly about purpose. You know, and God.

And how God was in that moment.

It --

GLENN: I love the way you -- in the book, I love the way you said that as he's kind of working it out in his own he head.

He was like, you know, I -- I -- I always knew that there was some sort of, you know -- that God was present.

He said, but now that this has happened.

I look back at all of the trials.

All of the tribulations. Literally, the trials.

All of the things that have happened. And he's like, I realized God was there the whole time.

SALENA: Yes. He does. And it's fascinating to have been that witness to history, to have those conversations with him. Because I'm telling you. And y'all know, I can talk. I didn't say much of anything.

I just -- I just listened. I felt that was my purpose, in that moment.

To give him that space, to work it out.

I'm someone that is, you know, believes in God.

I'm Catholic. I followed my faith.

And -- and so, I thought, well, this is why God put me here. Right?

And to -- to have that -- to hear him talk about purpose, to hear him say, Salena. Why did I put a chart down?

I'm like, sir. I don't know. I thought you were Ross Perot for a second.

He never has a chart. And he laughed. And then he said, why did I put that chart down?

By that term, I never turned my head away from people at the rally. That's true.

That relationship is very transactional. It's very -- they feed off of each other.

It's a very emotive moment when you attend a rally. Because he has a way of talking at a rally. That you believe that you are seeing.

And he said, and I never turn my head away.

I never turn my head away.

Why did I turn my head away?

I don't remember consciously thinking about turning my head away. And then he says to me, that was God, wasn't it?

Yes, sir. It was. It was God.

And he said, that's -- that's why I have a new purpose.

And so, Glenn. I think it's important, when you look at the breadth of what has happened, since he was sworn in.

You see that purpose, every day.

He doesn't let up.

He continues going.

And it brings back to the beginning of the book.

Where you find out, that there was another president that was shot at in Butler.

And that was George Washington. And how different the country would have been, had he died in that moment.

And now think about how different the country would be, had President Trump died in that moment. There would be --

GLENN: We're talking to -- we're talking to Salena Zito. About her new book called Butler. The assassination attempt on President Trump. And it is riveting.

And, you know, it is so good. I wish the press would read it. Because it really explains who we are, who Trump supporters are. Who are, you know, red staters. It is so good at that. She's the best at that.