RADIOJanuary 08, 2025

EXCLUSIVE: Charlie Kirk Returns from Greenland & Explains Trump’s Plan

Amid Donald Trump’s talk about buying Greenland, Turning Point USA founder ‪@RealCharlieKirk‬ traveled with Donald Trump Jr. to Nuuk, Greenland, to have a look around. After returning home, Charlie joins Glenn for an exclusive interview about what he saw and what President Trump’s plans actually are. Is this just a negotiation tactic, or is he serious about buying Greenland? Charlie tells Glenn that one thing was made very clear when he visited Nuuk: The people of Greenland are tired of Denmark and love America! Charlie also touches on Trump’s plans to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America”, to annex Canada, and to regain control of the Panama Canal.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: You know, one of the best things about growing older is, you're able to watch people grow and come into the business and witness the mistakes and how they pick themselves back up. And how they do things, and what they really turn into as they grow. Charlie Kirk is a guy who I've been watching for a very long time. And is really remarkable. Has his head on right. Is playing a very big role, and none of it is going to his head. At least that I have seen. And that is extraordinarily difficult, when you are as young as he is and up against so much power and fame all around you. Charlie Kirk was in Greenland yesterday. He joins me now. Hello, Charlie.

CHARLIE: Hey, Glenn. An honor to be here. I've got to tell you, that is an introduction I never thought I'd get in my life. Charlie Kirk was in Greenland yesterday, so honored to be here.

GLENN: Yeah, it doesn't usually happen unless like your plane is having an emergency, you know.

CHARLIE: No, that's right. It's not always a destination. Glenn, you're a friend and a teacher and a mentor and honored by those words, thank you.

GLENN: Yeah, so how did this come about?

Did you just get a call from Don Jr like, hey, let's go to Greenland?

CHARLIE: Yeah, you know, it was in the news cycle.

And Don is a big outdoorsman, and I'm very close friends with him.

And he said, hey, you know, before the new administration comes in, he said, why don't I just do a trip to Greenland? And get to know the culture.

And get to see what is going on there. And one thing led to another.

And I was invited on this. And it took Trump Force One in the middle of the night. Flew all the way up to Nook.

You can only land within their little window of daylight there. The sun rises at 11:00 a.m. And it sets at 3:30. So for all of you listening right now in Minneapolis or Chicago, you think you have it bad.

You have no idea. It gets even worse. But I have to say, Glenn. I was blown away at the worldwide movement that -- that MAGA has created. We were met by hundreds of people. People in MAGA hats in the streets of Nook. People that love America. That want to be part of America.

And Don wanted to go. And I wanted to go also, just to learn, what is Greenland's place in the world? You know, what does it have to offer?

First of all, striking butte. There's only one state that I think compares, and that would be Alaska. I mean, it's breathtaking, Glenn. You would love it.

I mean, the pictures don't do it justice. I'm talking about untouched, serene beauty. That's number one.

Number two, incredible natural resources that the current Danish government who controls Greenland does not allow locals to exploit or use or take advantage of. I'm talking about resources we might not be aware of. They have gold, they have rubies, they have oil, natural gas. Just remarkable. And number three --

GLENN: Rare earth minerals.

CHARLIE: Oh, big time.

GLENN: It is wildly. But the problem is, Denmark won't let them do anything. Well, America won't let Alaska do anything either. I mean, we're taking advantage of some of it.

I think this is the best investment America could make in my lifetime. I think this would be a great investment.

But it would take a Donald Trump to let us actually use it responsibly too.

CHARLIE: Totally. And, I mean, thankfully, President Trump will get Anwar back and Alaska.

But what I saw also that the people of Greenland, they can't stand Denmark. They think the Danes mistreat them, take advantage of them. And they want to be part of America.

And if this deal were to be brokered, which just looking as a tourist coming there and back, I think it's totally possible, especially with President Trump coming in.

This would be such a net benefit for the United States, for national security reasons.

The Arctic is becoming an increasing hot center with China and Russia. We're seeing --

GLENN: Oh, yeah. And Canada has let Russia just walk all over the Arctic Circle.

CHARLIE: That's right. Exactly. Exactly. The people are wonderful. We also went to a cultural center, Glenn, their local museum.

And they had drawings and pictures of people, 600 years ago, before any heating, obviously, existed.

That were able to survive in these winters. I mean, they're a very active people that have been through a lot.

There's a largely forgotten island, and now it's one of the costs of the world. And I think that's just really exciting.

And I think if -- it's, again, if the deal were to be brokered, only President Trump could do it.

And Denmark is not utilizing it, instead, they're actually I think harming the great people of Nook, and Greenland. And, hey, one day we may have lots of non-stop flights from New York to Chicago to Nook. And I would love to watch the people of Greenland and the United States of America.

GLENN: You know, it would be interesting, because the real obstacle here is Denmark.

They have -- you know, we've tried to buy Greenland several times, you know, back in the 1800s, it began.

And Denmark is, no, no, no, no, no, no.
But, you know, a trillion dollars. We've given a trillion dollars away to the banks. This would be the best expenditure of a trillion to -- a trillion and a half dollars, that America could -- could make.

That's a real investment. But do you think the Danes would be interested at all?

CHARLIE: Well, again, it's The Art of the Deal. Right?

Kind of thinking out loud here. Number one, how much of a say do the Danes actually have?

We pay for all of their military defense basically for NATO. We're the ones keeping Putin at bay. We're the ones continuing to fund all these military bases throughout Europe.

It's time we flex a little bit of that muscle, and use a little be of that leverage of all these blank checks that we've been writing all throughout Europe. That's number one.

Number two though, is that Denmark is not even using the natural resources that are at their disposal to be able to guess what, make Europe no longer dependents on Russian oil.

To make Europe no longer dependent on Middle Eastern oil.

So what you have is this incredible reservoir of oil and natural gas, that is much closer in approximation to Europe than any of the other places that you get oil from.

And finally, I think you make this astute point. Denmark is nowhere near as wealthy a country as America. And the people -- this is the final kicker, the people of Greenland do not like their current rulers. If it was held to a vote, they would vote to leave Denmark. In fact, you saw the Greenland I can Prime Minister in the news saying besides we want our independence. We no longer want to be a part of this.

We want to be our own sovereign nation.

That's a great first step. That means they want to break free of the shackles of the -- government, who mistreat them.

And, Glenn, you would really appreciate this.

There are young people of Nook. I'm talking 18, 19 years old that follow us on TikTok. And they're fans. They said, when we put Copenhagen.

We are mistreated. We're called racists. They're racists. They don't like us.

They say, get out of Copenhagen. Go back to your home with Nook. But when we need Americans, we are treated like human beings that have opportunity. And isn't that the American story?

We don't care about where you're from. We care about your potential. And they finally said this. They said, the nicest people that ever come to Greenland on the planet are always Americans. They said, they always come, they're so warm.

They said, the Europeans, they don't want anything to do with us. So there's a lot here, Glenn. It's not just that these people are thrilled with their current relationship with Denmark, and I think this deal could be brokered.

GLENN: Yeah. I know.

CHARLIE: And it would exponentially benefit the United States of America.

GLENN: So, you know, the things that Donald Trump is talking about now, Greenland. He is absolutely serious about that. And he should be.

I think it would be a tremendous -- I mean, that's a moon shot. That's a --

CHARLIE: Correct.

GLENN: That's a president looking to the future. And the same with Panama Canal. Panama Canal is in the hands of China right now.

CHARLIE: Correct.

GLENN: And this is a Cuban missile crisis kind of scenario. That I haven't heard anybody talk about until Donald Trump.

It is true national security.

Canada, I think he's just trolling Canada.

And negotiating.

You know, he's serious about the border. But what a great way to say, instead of saying, I am going to rake your people over the coals with all kinds of tariffs, if you don't stop what's happening on the border.

Instead, saying, you know, trolling Trudeau, at the same time saying, hey, why don't you join the family, man?

We love you. We already love you. Let's just come together. Brilliant strategy, I think.

CHARLIE: Right. And, look, the Canadian thing, to be honest as an American, Glenn, I don't know if I want Canada.

GLENN: I don't either. If they want to buy Minnesota, I'll sell it to them for a cup of coffee and maybe half a sandwich.

CHARLIE: Exactly. I think we could trade Alberta for Minnesota.

GLENN: That would be great. Calgary.

CHARLIE: I love the people of Minnesota, but Minneapolis is not great.

Edmonton is great too, by the way. Tons of natural resources and wonderful people. But, look, the Panama Canal, we can talk extensively about that. The president is serious as sin on that one.

That is the choke point right now. We built it. America -- a lot of Americans died building it.

We never should have given away control of it, it's what connects two hemispheres together. And, look, the Chinese are trying to build another canal right now.

In a neighboring country. Because, you know, they're afraid that America may actually take back control of the Panama Canal.

Greenland plus Panama would strengthen the northern hemisphere. The western hemisphere. Would strengthen it in a way for generations to come, especially as we're seeing the rise of the belligerent Chinese Communist Party.

GLENN: I haven't been able to get a hold of Mr. Rand or McNally. Can the president just say, it's going to be the Gulf of America?

CHARLIE: You know, that's a really interesting question.

The answer is yes.

So there's these boards and commissions that barely get any attention. You might remember, Obama went through one of those boards and commissions and renamed Mount McKinley to Denali.

So it's just a naming commission. And the president's full authority of who sits on them.

So the president will probably put five or six loyalties there, and rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

GLENN: I love that. I love that.

CHARLIE: Our coastline is there. Why is it that we named it the Gulf of Mexico?

So out of all the ones, it will be the Gulf of America.

GLENN: I love that.

CHARLIE: And President Trump wanted that as his legacy.

GLENN: So, Charlie, what is your role? Are you part of the transition committee? Or are you just kind of -- just, you know, there from time to time?

CHARLIE: My title is friend of the president, friend of the president.

No. I'm just here to be helpful. I'm still running Turning Point. Still doing the show. And I'm just blown away, Glenn, at the opportunities I'm being given.

GLENN: I bet.

CHARLIE: I have to pinch myself. I'm humbled by it.

GLENN: I'm so excited by everything that Trump is doing. I become more optimistic every single day in watching him and seeing where we're going.

Can I ask you something really self-serving?

CHARLIE: Yes.

GLENN: The pause. Oh, God. Yes.

I would like to see how powerful you are.

I want to be on the 250th anniversary committee, that is putting together the -- the anniversary of our country in '26. And I've got a lot I can bring to the table. Who do I talk to, Charlie?

CHARLIE: I think you would be spectacular, and there is going to be a special commission for that.

By the way, it's not the bicentennial. It has a very long name. I can't remember.

GLENN: I know. I know. I keep calling it the 250th.

CHARLIE: No, no, that's right. Just to educate the audience, though. Coming up next July, not this July. Next July, July '26 is our 250th birthday, and the president wants to do something spectacular and bold.

GLENN: Oh, it should be.

CHARLIE: It will be amazing.

GLENN: Hey, real quick. I have 40 seconds. Any update on Dennis Prager?

CHARLIE: You know, it's funny. Dennis went to Greenland this past summer. So I called him from Greenland, and he was just thrilled to hear from me. He's in a very serious condition right now. He's fighting every day. I'm not at liberty to talk about all the medical details. But everybody in your audience, please, pray and fast for Dennis Prager. We need that extraordinary mind, back behind the microphone and finishing his tour.

GLENN: I love it.

CHARLIE: But I'm communicating with him and his family on a daily basis. So please pray for Dennis Prager.

GLENN: Charlie, great to talk to you. So proud of you. And so happy for your success. God bless.

CHARLIE: Thank you, bye.

Could passengers have SAVED Iryna Zarutska?

Surveillance footage of the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, NC, reveals that the other passengers on the train took a long time to help her. Glenn, Stu, and Jason debate whether they were right or wrong to do so.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: You know, I'm -- I'm torn on how I feel about the people on the train.

Because my first instinct is, they did nothing! They did nothing! Then my -- well, sit down and, you know -- you know, you're going to be judged. So be careful on judging others.

What would I have done? What would I want my wife to do in that situation?

STU: Yeah. Are those two different questions, by the way.

GLENN: Yeah, they are.

STU: I think they go far apart from each other. What would I want myself to do. I mean, it's tough to put yourself in a situation. It's very easy to watch a video on the internet and talk about your heroism. Everybody can do that very easily on Twitter. And everybody is.

You know, when you're in a vehicle that doesn't have an exit with a guy who just murdered somebody in front of you, and has a dripping blood off of a knife that's standing 10 feet away from you, 15 feet away from you.

There's probably a different standard there, that we should all kind of consider. And maybe give a little grace to what I saw at least was a woman, sitting across the -- the -- the aisle.

I think there is a difference there. But when you talk about that question. Those two questions are definitive.

You know, I know what I would want myself to do. I would hope I would act in a way that didn't completely embarrass myself afterward.

But I also think, when I'm thinking of my wife. My advice to my wife would not be to jump into the middle of that situation at all costs. She might do that anyway. She actually is a heck of a lot stronger than I am.

But she might do it anyway.

GLENN: How pathetic, but how true.

STU: Yes. But that would not be my advice to her.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

STU: Now, maybe once the guy has certainly -- is out of the area. And you don't think the moment you step into that situation. He will turn around and kill you too. Then, of course, obviously. Anything you can do to step in.

Not that there was much anyone on the train could do.

I mean, I don't think there was an outcome change, no matter what anyone on that train did.

Unfortunately.

But would I want her to step in?

Of course. If she felt she was safe, yes.

Think about, you said, your wife. Think about your daughter. Your daughter is on that train, just watching someone else getting murdered like that. Would you advise your daughter to jump into a situation like that?

That girl sitting across the aisle was somebody's daughter. I don't know, man.

JASON: I would. You know, as a dad, would I advise.

Hmm. No.

As a human being, would I hope that my daughter or my wife or that I would get up and at least comfort that woman while she's dying on the floor of a train?

Yeah.

I would hope that my daughter, my son, that I would -- and, you know, I have more confidence in my son or daughter or my wife doing something courageous more than I would.

But, you know, I think I have a more realistic picture of myself than anybody else.

And I'm not sure that -- I'm not sure what I would do in that situation. I know what I would hope I would do. But I also know what I fear I would do. But I would have hoped that I would have gotten up and at least tried to help her. You know, help her up off the floor. At least be there with her, as she's seeing her life, you know, spill out in under a minute.

And that's it other thing we have to keep in mind. This all happened so rapidly.

A minute is -- will seem like a very long period of time in that situation. But it's a very short period of time in real life.

STU: Yeah. You watch the video, Glenn. You know, I don't need the video to -- to change my -- my position on this.

But at his seem like there was a -- someone who did get there, eventually, to help, right? I saw someone seemingly trying to put pressure on her neck.

GLENN: Yeah. And tried to give her CPR.

STU: You know, no hope at that point. How long of a time period would you say that was?

Do you know off the top of your head?

GLENN: I don't know. I don't know. I know that we watched the video that I saw. I haven't seen past 30 seconds after she --

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: -- is down. And, you know, for 30 seconds nothing is happening. You know, that is -- that is not a very long period of time.

STU: Right.

GLENN: In reality.

STU: And especially, I saw the pace he was walking. He certainly can't be -- you know, he may have left the actual train car by 30 seconds to a minute. But he wasn't that far away. Like he was still in visual.

He could still turn around and look and see what's going on at that point. So certainly still a threat is my point. He has not, like, left the area. This is not that type of situation.

You know, I -- look, as you point out, I think if I could be super duper sexist for a moment here, sort of my dividing line might just be men and women.

You know, I don't know if it's that a -- you're not supposed to say that, I suppose these days. But, like, there is a difference there. If I'm a man, you know, I would be -- I would want my son to jump in on that, I suppose. I don't know if he could do anything about it. But you would expect at least a grown man to be able to go in there and do something about it. A woman, you know, I don't know.

Maybe I'm -- I hope --

GLENN: Here's the thing I -- here's the thing that I -- that causes me to say, no. You should have jumped in.

And that is, you know, you've already killed one person on the train. So you've proven that you're a killer. And anybody who would have screamed and got up and was with her, she's dying. She's dying. Get him. Get him.

Then the whole train is responsible for stopping that guy. You know. And if you don't stop him, after he's killed one person, if you're not all as members of that train, if you're not stopping him, you know, the person at the side of that girl would be the least likely to be killed. It would be the ones that are standing you up and trying to stop him from getting back to your daughter or your wife or you.

JASON: There was a -- speaking of men and women and their roles in this. There was a video circling social media yesterday. In Sweden. There was a group of officials up on a stage. And one of the main. I think it was health official woman collapses on stage. Completely passes out.

All the men kind of look away. Or I don't know if they're looking away. Or pretending that they didn't know what was going on. There was another woman standing directly behind the woman passed out.

Immediately springs into action. Jumps on top. Grabs her pant leg. Grabs her shoulder. Spins her over and starts providing care.

What did she have that the other guys did not? Or women?

She was a sheepdog. There is a -- this is my issue. And I completely agree with Stu. I completely agree with you. There's some people that do not respond this way. My issue is the proportion of sheepdogs versus people that don't really know how to act. That is diminishing in western society. And American society.

We see it all the time in these critical actions. I mean, circumstances.

There are men and women, and it's actually a meme. That fantasize about hoards of people coming to attack their home and family. And they sit there and say, I've got it. You guys go. I'm staying behind, while I smoke my cigarette and wait for the hoards to come, because I will sacrifice myself. There are men and women that fantasize of block my highway. Go ahead. Block my highway. I'm going to do something about it. They fantasize about someone holding up -- not a liquor store. A convenience store or something. Because they will step in and do something. My issue now is that proportion of sheepdogs in society is disappearing. Just on statistical fact, there should be one within that train car, and there were none.

STU: Yeah. I mean --

JASON: They did not respond.

STU: We see what happens when they do, with Daniel Penny. Our society tries to vilify them and crush their existence. Now, there weren't that many people on that train. Right?

At least on that car. At least it's limited. I only saw three or four people there, there may have been more. I agree with you, though. Like, you see what happens when we actually do have a really recent example of someone doing exactly what Jason wants and what I would want a guy to do. Especially a marine to step up and stop this from happening. And the man was dragged by our legal system to a position where he nearly had to spend the rest of his life in prison.

I mean, I -- it's insanity. Thankfully, they came to their senses on that one.

GLENN: Well, the difference between that one and this one though is that the guy was threatening. This one, he killed somebody.

STU: Yeah. Right. Well, but -- I think -- but it's the opposite way. The debate with Penny, was should he have recognize that had this person might have just been crazy and not done anything?

Maybe. He hadn't actually acted yet. He was just saying things.

GLENN: Yeah. Well --

STU: He didn't wind up stabbing someone. This is a situation where these people have already seen what this man will do to you, even when you don't do anything to try to stop him. So if this woman, who is, again, looks to be an average American woman.

Across the aisle. Steps in and tries to do something. This guy could easily turn around and just make another pile of dead bodies next to the one that already exists.

And, you know, whether that is an optimal solution for our society, I don't know that that's helpful.

In that situation.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Max Lucado on Overcoming Grief in Dark Times | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 266

Disclaimer: This episode was filmed prior to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. But Glenn believes Max's message is needed now more than ever.
The political world is divided, constantly at war with itself. In many ways, our own lives are not much different. Why do we constantly focus on the negative? Why are we in pain? Where is God amid our anxiety and fear? Why can’t we ever seem to change? Pastor Max Lucado has found the solution: Stop thinking like that! It may seem easier said than done, but Max joins Glenn Beck to unpack the three tools he describes in his new book, “Tame Your Thoughts,” that make it easy for us to reset the way we think back to God’s factory settings. In this much-needed conversation, Max and Glenn tackle everything from feeling doubt as a parent to facing unfair hardships to ... UFOs?! Plus, Max shares what he recently got tattooed on his arm.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Are Demonic Forces to Blame for Charlie Kirk, Minnesota & Charlotte Killings?

This week has seen some of the most heinous actions in recent memory. Glenn has been discussing the growth of evil in our society, and with the assassination of civil rights leader Charlie Kirk, the recent transgender shooter who took the lives of two children at a Catholic school, and the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, how can we make sense of all this evil? On today's Friday Exclusive, Glenn speaks with BlazeTV host of "Strange Encounters" Rick Burgess to discuss the demon-possessed transgender shooter and the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk. Rick breaks down the reality of demon possession and how individuals wind up possessed. Rick and Glenn also discuss the dangers of the grotesque things we see online and in movies, TV shows, and video games on a daily basis. Rick warns that when we allow our minds to be altered by substances like drugs or alcohol, it opens a door for the enemy to take control. A supernatural war is waging in our society, and it’s a Christian’s job to fight this war. Glenn and Rick remind Christians of what their first citizenship is.