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THIS lesson from the 1970s rings true TODAY

The chaos of 2023 reminds Glenn a lot of the chaos of the 1970s: economic turmoil, despair, an energy crisis, rampant crime. In the 70s, many people stopped believing in America. But in 1978, Glenn heard something that he believes still rings true: Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait," featuring Henry Fonda. After re-listening to it, Glenn used it as a model and rewrote the speech in his own words for our time.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Sometimes, all the time, when you listen to this program. It can kick you to the curb.

It can just kick you in the head, repeatedly, and repeatedly. And you feel like everything is out of control.

Let me start with something that will give you perspective.

In 1978, at a time that was much like this one. See if this sounds family. The country was in shambles. Stagflation. Despair.

Energy crisis. Rampant crime. People were hopeless. Disillusioned. They stopped believing in America. They stopped believing that things will get better.

The greatest city as was declared in the early 1960s. Detroit had fallen from its perch.

The car industry, once the greatest in the world, was in shambles.

America was now being clobbered by a country in the Far East, who were coming here buying our land and our landmarks.

Americans felt America was over.

Does that sound familiar at all?

So at that time, 1978, one of the greatest American composers, Aaron Copland, joined with Henry Fonda, just to remind Americans of who they were, where they came from.

Aaron Copland wrote -- he's just written some of the greatest American music of all time. He had the Philharmonic, playing all of his beautiful music.

And Henry Fonda took to the stage, and spoke. He spoke of the dark times, and the hope of Abraham Lincoln. I listened to that, over the last few days.

And the feeling of 1978, because I remember hearing that, when I was a kid.

And the feeling of that time and the words that he was speaking, rang true to me. I don't have the license to be able to play the Aaron Copland thing with Henry Fonda. But you should look it up and listen to it.

Now, I don't have Aaron Copland backing me up, and I don't have Henry Fonda's voice or credibility. But I do have mine. And I do have my thoughts. And I do know history.

So I took his speech, as a model. And I wrote it anew.

Now, his whole story of Lincoln, but I chose the words of three presidents and one average citizen to tell the story of you and me.

And all of us who are lucky enough, to dare call ourselves American.

In the early dawn of our nation, we stood at freedom's threshold.

That is what he said. That is what George Washington said.

Citizens of a young nation, behold, our path of freedom.

We in this fledgling republic, carry the weight of a new world on you're shoulders.

Our actions, humble or grand, will forge a legacy beyond you're lifetimes. The responsibility of freedom.

The duty of honor. These are the burdens that we bear, for future generations.

Let the standard of the wise, the honest, guide us under the watchful end of providence, he said.

This is what George Washington said. In times of peace and uncertainty, our resolve must never falter.

The sacred fire of liberty, entrusted to the American people, demands our vigilance. In this great experiment of government, our actions will echo through the ages.

Citizens of a young nation, behold the path of freedom.

That is what he said. He was born in Virginia, land of rolling hills and boundless skies.
And this is what he said. This is what George Washington said.

Let us raise that standard to which the wise and the honest can repair. The event is in the hand of God.

Duty, honor, country, these are not mere words. They are the foundations of a life well-lived.

In stature and in spirit, he stood tall. And this is what he said: The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destination of the -- the destiny of the Republican model of government, are entrusted to the hands of the American people. If we falter, and lose our freedoms, it will only be because we destroyed ourselves.

A leader, a reluctant general, a president, a man of deep honor and integrity. A father of a country. George Washington was a man of few, but powerful words. But when he spoke of duty and honor, this is what he said.

He said, labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.

George Washington, the first president of these United States forever etched in the annals of history.

In the winter at valley forge, this is what he said. He said, perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.

Let us therefore, rely on the goodness of our cause. And the aid of the supreme being.

In whose hands victory is. To animate and encourage us, to great and noble actions.

Later, admits the turmoil to end an ancient evil, try to right the nation's wrongs. A voice rose again.

A beacon of hope, amidst the sea of despair. And this is what he said: This is what Abraham Lincoln said.

Fondly do we hope. Fervently do we pray. That this mighty scourge may speedily pass away.

Yet, if God wills that it continue until all of the wealth piled by the bondsmen 250 years of unrequited toil, shall be sunk, until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword.

As it was said 3,000 years ago, still it must be said. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

He said, with malice toward none, with charity for all. With firmness, in the right as God gives us, the right to see it.

Let us strive, to finish the work we're in, and bind the nation's wounds. The storm passed. But our nation's wounds were deep.

This time, it took a king to pull us back together. Not like the kings of old, who claimed God gave them the right to rule and be master over men.

This king, quietly, meekly, peacefully, became the servant of God and man.

Martin Luther King, who told us to love and forgive, and live up to our own ideals. To live as one. Not seeing the color of skin.

Almost a century after that great and bloody war, evil in the heart of man, dared showed its face again.

And this king joined Abraham Lincoln, as he too was crowned in glory as a martyr.

But this is what he said: He said, when the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note, to which every American was to fall heir.

This note was a promise that all men, yes. Black as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And it is obvious today, that America has defaulted on this promissory note, in so far as her citizens of color are concerned.

But we refused to believe that the bank of justice is abrupt.

We refused to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.

And so we come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand, the riches of freedom, the security of justice.

This is what he said. This is what Martin Luther King said.

I have a dream today. That all men can live together, live as one. And not be judged by the color of his skin. But by the content of his character.

In the quest for freedom, we stand as one. That is what he said.

That is what Ronald Reagan said. In the quest for freedom, we stand as one. Across the globe, wherever tyranny cast its shadow, here or abroad. It is the duty of every American to be a beacon of hope.

Our nation conceived in liberty, carries the torch that enlightens the world. And in the face of oppression, we shall not waver.

Our resolve is strength. Our unity, our shield.

Born in Illinois, who like Washington, Lincoln, and MLK, never lost his God-given optimism.

Reagan had found it in his upbringing. And he too dreamt of a world unchained.

And this is what he said. This is what Ronald Reagan said.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.

We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for. It didn't be protected.

And then handed on for them to do the same. Standing firm, he looked beyond the horizon, and this is what he said.

He said, evil is powerless. If the good are unafraid.

We are a nation, that has a government, not the other way around.

This is what makes us special among the nations of earth.

Ronald Reagan, once a Democrat, then a Republican.

An American Financing president and leader. A man who saw America not just as a country, but as an ideal.

But when he spoke of Americans duty, this is what he said.

He said, we must always remember, we must always be prepared.

So we may always be free.

Our cause is noble. And it is the cause of mankind.

In his words at the Brandenburg Gate, this is what he said. Let us be a force for good. A force for freedom. A force that fights for peace and justice, in a world too often scarred by the opposite.

And as the dream of freedom endures, its guardians emerge in new forms. This is what Ronald Reagan said. In the quest for freedom, we unite against darkness. The darkness of tyranny.

Our nation, a beacon of hope, stands resilient against the bullies of the world.

We inherit not just a land. But a legacy of freedom. That we must defend with unwavering courage.

He said, let us be unafraid in the face of evil. Our unity is our strength. And in that strength, lies the power to shape a world that cherishes freedom and justice. Our destiny is not predetermined. It is only crafted by our own hands, our hearts, and our unwavering spirit.

And the symphony of our nation's history, these voices blend into a single enduring Melody. From the foundations laid by the vision of Washington to the unyielding resolve championed by Reagan, and the enduring hope of justice. That was articulated by Lincoln. Our journey is one of continuous striving.

We as a people have weathered the storms of change, and stood as a pillar against the tides of oppression.

Together, these voices echo. Our legacy is not merely in the battles won. But in the unrelenting pursuit of a world where freedom reigns supreme.

The spirit of America, resilient. Bold. Inspires us to uphold the ideals of democracy and humanity.

So in unity, we must affirm. As heirs to this great legacy.

We must carry forward the torch of liberty. Let us here and abroad be the keepers of this flame. A light that guides the world, toward a brighter, more just future.

For in unity. In our courage. In our commitment to the ideals that have always defined us. We will find strength to build a world where freedom, justice, and hope flourish for all.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

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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

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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.

RADIO

Did CLOUD SEEDING cause the Texas floods?

Did cloud seeding cause the 4th of July Texas floods? Rainmaker founder and CEO Augustus Doricko, who has been blamed for the flooding, joins Glenn Beck to make the case that it’s impossible for his July 2nd operation to have caused the disaster.

RADIO

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.