RADIOJanuary 06, 2025

THIS Made Glenn HATE Daylight Saving Time

Donald Trump has said that he will try and finally end Daylight Saving Time. But where did it even come from? For his whole life, Glenn believed that it was about helping the farmers. But recently, he discovered the shocking – and infuriating – truth. As with everything annoying in our country, you can trace it back to … Woodrow Wilson. Glenn reviews the real history of Daylight Saving Time, from Benjamin Franklin to the Germans in World War 1 to Wilson and FDR. So, can Trump do away with yet another pointless progressive legacy?

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Yesterday, we were kind of having this argument, I think, off-air, of Daylight Savings Time.

And I was like, okay.

I seem to remember, it has something to do with farmers. Okay? They have too much.

They need more sunlight. Or, I can't remember. And I'm like, it's farmers!

I'm sure it's farmers! And so I've got to check this out. Because if it's about farming, I'm for it.

STU: That's a good stance.

That's how we get a giant 500 billion-dollar farm bill every year. Is it about farming? So here is the -- I said to you yesterday, I'll do my homework.

Let me look into where it started.

STU: I'm interested to know where it landed on this.

GLENN: Oh, you won't believe.

Okay. So if you start looking into all the dark corners of human history, you find a man named Benjamin Franklin.

STU: That's not a dark -- he's my favorite founder.

GLENN: Right. Founding father. Inventor.

Love of lightning. Lover of libraries. Pretty good guy, right?

So he's in Paris.

And in 1784. He writes, now, remember in America, he wrote an op-ed, under a pseudonym.

A non deplume. And it was all just comedy, basically.

He was just ripping things apart, comedically.

Okay?

Well, he does this in the Journal de Paris.

And he writes this letter, because he -- he thinks the Parisians are lazy.

Now, who would have thought --

STU: Where did that come from, jeez?

GLENN: How things have changed, huh?

So he said, I've got an idea.

First of all, I can save you a fortune on candles.

And candles, if you woke up a little earlier, you wouldn't need the candle at night.

Because you would be tired.

And you would go to bed.

So in this, he said, and we should tax shutters.

Because if you don't have a shutter, the light would come in, and you would wake up, and you would go to work!

Okay.

And if that doesn't work.

We should fire cannons at sunrise.

Get out of bed!

Okay?

So he's writing this about basically making fun of the French about being lazy and laying in bed.

Okay!

He didn't mean it, but a seed had been planted. So now we have to go 100 years into the future.

Another guy who becomes very serious about the clocks. Is George Vernon Hudson.

He's an entomologist in New Zealand.

Okay? And he's like, you know, Benjamin Franklin was right!

Why?

Because this guy collected butter flies after his job, and it got dark too early.

STU: For his butterfly collection?

GLENN: For his butterfly collecting. I mean, this is insane. So he stirs up a big deal.

He's like, we have to drop our clocks back. But he didn't say an hour.

He said like 20 minutes.

20 -- 20 minutes!

What are you talking about?

You know how screwed up everything would be if we set our clocks.

I want to set them back 16 and a half minutes.

STU: We can't handle the most basic of tasks.

Imagine that.

GLENN: All right. So he's doing this, because, again, he's collecting insects.

All right.

1895, is when he did that.

It didn't come back again, until William Willett in 1907.

He was a wealthy English man.

He said, just like Benjamin Franklin, except he was sincere about it.

Nobody's working anymore. Why can't -- now, this is -- you have to remember, this is a wealthy English man. Why aren't my workers on the plantation early in the morning?

I should be woken up by the sound of hard work.

He said, this is a waste!

And he writes a pamphlet. A waste of daylight.

He also suggests we only turn the clocks back 20 minutes.

All right?

So he lobbied parliament. Nobody listened to him.

Okay?

1916.

1916, the beginning of the great war.

All across Europe, countries are desperate to do what?

What are they doing? They're fighting, right? If you're fighting, what do you need? Don't think daylight. What do you need?

STU: Night.

GLENN: No. No. Forget the time.

What is valuable? What's valuable is armaments! Okay. And how do you make armaments back then!

Coal.

STU: Okay.

GLENN: They want the light to last as long at night as possible.

So the coal plants can -- are taking all the coal, instead of giving it to people for energy in their houses. So they can turn on all their lights.

They can make armaments. So they have a shortage of fuel, of coal. All right?

STU: It's a winding road. I would not have gotten that.

GLENN: This is why I did this dusty, dusty work yesterday.

STU: Yeah. It is.

GLENN: Okay. Suddenly, Germany is like, hey, wait a minute. Remember that guy that was -- Germany did this, not England. Germany said, remember that guy, who was in parliament. Who said, you should set the clock back?

Yeah. Twenty minutes.

And so a German said, how about a full hour?

Would that save things?

April 30th, 1916, Germany was, nothing good comes from Germany.

Sorry. Really good desserts. Really good desserts. Other than that, nothing good -- okay. BMWs are pretty nice. Mercedes, pretty nice.

But other than that, nothing comes out of Germany, that is good.

STU: Aren't you German?

GLENN: There's a few exceptions. Okay.

So all across Europe, the war is raging.

Germany sets their clocks back. So they can have the daylight. So they're not -- they're not wasting coal.

And England is like, hey. Wait a minute.

Six weeks later. England joins in.

Then Europe joins in.

Everybody is doing this, for the war effort.

And Wilson.

Then Wilson comes in. And he does it, as well.

In the United States. So the first time it ever happened. Was under Woodrow Wilson.

I could end the story there, and that explains why I'm now not for Daylight Savings Time.
I could end it there!

So after Wilson, because of the progressives, this is so amazing. Think about this, in history.

The progressives in 1919, were -- became very unpopular.

Because Woodrow Wilson had had a stroke his last year in office.

Was absolutely incapable of running anything in the White House.

He wasn't in charge, his wife was, does any of this sound familiar. And he had taken America and pushed it into socialism.

And we had -- we had lost freedom.

And it scared the American people, because at that time, they knew the Constitution, and it happened in eight years, and they were like, we've got to get away from this. So they reversed it. And all the things he did, they reversed. Including Daylight Savings Time.

And then World War II happened.

And FDR came in. And he called it wartime.

And he did it for the same reason. To save on coal.

Save energy.

So to conserve resources, again, we put in wartime.

And then we never let it go. So 70 countries, now, still observe Daylight Savings Time. That's a third of the world!

Across Europe, the clouds spring forward, fall backward, like clockwork. Pun intended. Over in Europe, it's called summertime.

In North America, United States, Canada, and Mexico, we're still dancing to this tune. Except, Mexico is starting to opt out.

Parts of Australia and New Zealand still observe it. But in Asia, Africa, and most of South America.

They are like, these guys are stupid. What are you doing?

They're like, yeah. That's -- that's not really -- I mean, we don't have candles anymore.

Or coal.

So, you know, I think we're -- you know, I think we're pretty good with this.

And it messes with our bodies. And doctors show, that the time change increases. Heart attacks.

Strokes. Car accidents. And grumpiness. The one thing it is, it's on a Saturday. And you're like, oh, I missed church. Gosh darn it, I didn't set my clock. Now, that's not a very good -- that's not a good reason to be against it. Wilson is.

Your kids miss buses. Anyway, so that is what happened.

Now, if we don't -- if Donald Trump comes in and says, we're getting rid of Daylight Savings Time.

That means, the sun in Boston, will come up at 4:07 a.m.

Like 4:11 in Minneapolis. Around the same in Seattle.

That is significant! 4:20, I think, in Los Angeles.

But it's still light until 7 o'clock at night. 8 o'clock at night.

I'm pretty cool with that. I'm pretty cool with that.

I don't like it when it -- you know, the problem is, in the winter, it gets dark so early.

You -- you kind of like.

Wait. I don't need it to be darker.

You know, at three in the afternoon.

I went to -- where was it? Copenhagen, I think. It was in Sweden. And I was doing a deal on the Muslim uprisings over there. This was years ago. And like the sunrises at like 9:30. 9:45. And goes down at 3:00. You know, 2:45. And it never gets past like the sunset.

It's never above 20 degrees horizon. And so it just kind of circles the edge. It always looks like dawn or dusk. I think I would kill myself!

I don't care how good the chocolate is, or whatever. I think the Swiss Miss would be fashioning a rope for me, really quickly.

Oh, my gosh. I don't think I could handle it. So, anyway, that's the story. Donald Trump, right again!

STU: He is right. On this one.

GLENN: Anything that goes against Woodrow Wilson! And FDR.

I fully 100 percent back!

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.

INSIDE Trump’s soul: How a bullet changed his heart forever

“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.