Evolutionary Biologist Bret Weinstein used to be a Democrat but now has since flipped to support Donald Trump. What was the final straw that caused him to look at his party and say, 'Enough is enough'? Bret laid it all out for Glenn here: "It wasn't one thing. It's a consistent pattern of hostility to the things that make the West so productive, vibrant, and innovative." But Bret also explained how we can convince our Democrat-leaning friends to make the same change he did.
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: I wanted to bring Brett Weinstein on.
He's an evolutionary biologist.
Co-host of Dark Horse, the podcast.
He is also one of the founding members of the team, putting together. Join the resistance.
And you can find out all the information at jointheresistance.org/donate. It's September 29th in Washington. So that's a week from this weekend.
I know how you probably feel about going to Washington.
Kind of the same way I feel about going to Washington.
But I'm doing my best to clear my schedule. And be this. Just to stand in the crowd and be there with everyone else.
Because I think this is really, really important.
Brett, welcome to the program.
BRET: Thanks so much. It's great to be with you. On.
One minor correction. The website is jointheresistance.org. The name of the event is Rescue the Republic.
GLENN: Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.
Rescue the Republic. So tell me what Rescue the Republic is, for people who don't know.
BRET: Rescue the Republic is more than an event.
It is really, in my opinion, the furthest meeting of the vast unity coalition, that is forming, in large measure, in response to the tyranny, that is clearly unfolding. And planned by what I call the blue team.
I'm embarrassed to say, that's the party to which I still belong. The Democratic Party which has obviously gone rogue. And opposes all the values that are foundational to the West.
So many of us, across the political spectrum, have recognized this hazard. And are putting aside our political and ideological differences. In order to protect the civilization.
Which has been so good to us.
And to stave off the disaster, that will untold, if it is -- it is destroyed.
GLENN: So, Brett, I mean, what?
Eight years ago. You and I wouldn't have been talking. I don't think.
We would have seen each other in the opposite camp. What is it that -- I know what brought you out of that. And decided to go to say. You know, I need to stand on my own here.
Because some things don't make sense, and they're not right.
But what turned you?
What was the turning point for you to say, this -- my own party, is so dangerous to the republic. That I have to -- I have to sign up, and be on the side of Donald Trump.
BRET: Well, it wasn't one thing. It's a consistent pattern of hostility to the things that make the West so productive, vibrant. And innovative.
And, you know, any one of those things could be just myopia of some sort.
But the consistent pattern suggests that we are under the control of people, who do not value the system. For what it is capable of.
And find the rights that we are guaranteed by our Constitution.
So I can't stand by, and watch that happen. I have children. I love them.
They need to have a nation and a world, that is livable.
One in which, they are not seen, as a host to some parasitic force.
But they are understood to be citizens, with rights.
So in light of what we are up against, what possible the difference could there be, between us, that would matter?
GLENN: Hmm. How do you talk to people?
Because you must hear it all the time. You must hear from people who is, you know. Things. Crazy things like you're a traitor.
How could you possibly do that? I mean, Donald Trump is out of his mind crazy. He's a danger. And we're all going to be in shackles and chains.
How do you -- how do you talk to those people, and -- and get them to see the -- the hypnosis in some ways, that they're under.
BRET: Well, I have a couple -- a couple different approaches. But I would say, the key thing is to recognize that this is a kind of hypnosis of some sort. And I believe that literally.
Which means, that the -- the people you're talking to, to say that. Nine out of ten of them. Maybe 99 out of 100 are victims of something that they don't understand. They don't see it. And the way to reach them, is incrementally. The first job is always to let them see your humanity.
GLENN: Yes.
BRET: And let them understand. Know what it is, that they feel.
And that you're concerned about it too. And what you want is to leave them with the question, if the person I'm sitting across from. Sounds reasonable to me. They don't sound crazy. They don't sound like they have bizarre objectives or values.
How could they possibly have reached such a different conclusion about what we must do now? That's the question to leave them with.
And then when you return, hopefully, they will be curious. There will be a lot of questions about how you could possibly be doing something that in their mind, is the height of insanity.
And that's a conversation that most people would have. You would be surprised. If you could break through the first layer, and get past the instinct to either avoid the topic. Or shut down the counterarguments.
GLENN: Right.
BRET: There's a lot of room to discuss where we are, and where we should be headed.
GLENN: So we're running out of time.
What do we have, about 50 days before the election?
BRET: That's about right.
GLENN: We're running out of time.
And I've had really great hope. I mean, you look at the people, who are coming to rescue the republic.
It's Bobby Kennedy. And it's Tulsi Gabbard.
You're going to be there. Russell Brand is going to be there. Charlie Kirk is going to be there.
I mean, it's -- it's a lot of very different people. Some of the best doctors are going to be there.
Some of the best people on -- on economics, is -- they're going to be speaking.
Very short bursts from everybody. On all of the things that are being violated. And how we have to -- and how we have to fix it.
How -- how do we do this in 50 days?
BRET: Well, it's obviously a heavy lift, but it's also easier than you would imagine.
And I -- I'm not sure how to make this point to people. But all of the political analyses about the election are inherently wrong.
If they calculate what the -- the race is going to look like on Election Day, based on what we think of as voters.
Because there's a huge collection of people, who are not voting.
Some of them don't vote because they're tuned out.
There's nothing to be done in 50 days. About those people.
But a huge fraction are actually not voting because they're fed up. Those people can come off the bench. And if they do so, in significant numbers, they can swing any election.
So from my perspective, as somebody who has frankly thought it wise, to vote against both parties, in almost all of the elections that have taken place. Or presidents, in my lifetime.
This is not the moment to do that. And it is certainly not the moment to sit out of the election.
This is the moment to come off the bench. And to stand up for the values, that make our marvelous nation possible.
If we can get people to recognize that, we can actually make a decisive enough victory, that it can overcome, what is presumably, the margin with which the blue team is capable of cheating.
GLENN: The -- you know, Elon Musk has said, repeatedly now. That he feels, this is pretty much it.
Western civilization is at stake. This time.
Now, that sounds like hyperbole to a lot of people. But on September 11th, you know, of 2001, we -- we all instinctively knew that. When we were hit that day, we all thought, oh, my gosh. This thing is fragile. It could come apart at any minute. And what they were trying to do on 9/11 could be done at the ballot box, this time. And -- and destroy, not just America, but the entire Western world.
How do you convince people, that that is -- that's not hyperbole.
Because most people don't that believe that could ever happen.
BRET: Yes, I -- I truly believe it's not hyperbole.
And, in fact, I believe that we are being slowed down, in our recognition, that it is actually an ongoing process.
What we are living through, is the looting of our system. The resources are being drained out of it. Because those orchestrating it. Understand that they are pulling the plug.
So we need to wake up faster. That all this money printing is not the result of foolishness. This is the end game.
The same that could be said of the bubbles that we see in our markets, and the fact that they have come up with rationalizations for incriminating our most fundamental right. Freedom of speech.
Tells you, that this is the end of the process. This is the point at which they don't want us to be able to talk about what they're doing. Because it's going to go on and fast forward.
So I don't think Elon is being hyperbolic at all. I think he's right on target.
GLENN: I do too. And I'm so glad to see, people that are open-minded. And, you know, generally don't vote the same way I certainly was.
Come to the same conclusion. And understand where we are.
So tell me, a little bit about the event on September 29th in Washington.
BRET: So the event is a free event. We're hoping for a very large turnout for a couple of very different reasons.
One reason is that it will make it obvious, that the Supreme Court for it is the new unity coalition is tremendous. And that will make it very hard to sell the story, that Kamala has -- has been swept to victory by a wave of support.
The other reason though, is that seeing people. Flesh and blood people. Gathering across political differences.
Putting the ideology aside. Is going to be meaningful to the large number of people, who are debating in their own minds, whether or not to vote, or sit this one out. We need to motivate them, and motivating them in large numbers will do two things. One, it will make it possible to win this election, decisively.
And, two, it will make the point to the new administration, that really, governing from this vast storehouse of talent and insight, that exists in the unity coalition, is the right way to accomplish the job.
This needs to be a new era, in which frankly the Republicans --
GLENN: Hmm.
BRET: From power.
GLENN: I'm sorry. You cut out the last second or so. What did you say?
BRET: I said, that if we get a large turnout, that this will make the point that this unity coalition, which contains so much talent and insight, is the proper team, to usher in a new era, in which the Republican Party is transformed into something new. And the Democratic Party is removed from power.
GLENN: That is remarkable.
And I have to tell you, I am so excited for Elon Musk. And Robert F. Kennedy.
And Tulsi. And all of the people now. We're getting the real innovative thinkers, to join with Trump.
And I think that -- it promises to be, a completely different world. If he takes advantage of it, and the American people take advantage of this team, that is -- that is growing.
Thank you so much.
I -- I want to encourage you to not only go, to Rescue the Republic. It is happening September 29th in Washington, DC.
But also, if you can. You can show your support, by donating. This is a very worthy cause.
This is honestly, this is the 9/12 Project.
From, you know, the people we would have said are the other side.
They agree with the principles that we put out.
This is -- this is so incredibly hopeful and important. And I know what it's like to put this together.
Especially with the names that they're bringing in. My gosh, you have everybody under the sun. They asked me to speak, and I was like, no. I think I can go and listen.
I don't think I can speak. RFK Jr. Russell Brand. Tulsi Gabbard. Matt Taibbi.
Laura Logan.
Everybody is going to be there. If you can donate, please jointheresistance.org/donate.
Join the resistance.org/donate. It is critical, as the government always makes things more and more expensive, as you get closer and closer. Jointheresistance.org/donate.
And it's happening next weekend. September 29th. Right at the Washington Memorial, in Washington, DC.
