RADIOSeptember 18, 2024

Former RFK Jr. running mate: ‘Democrats feel entitled’ to destroy democracy

One of the biggest talking points from the Democratic Party is that they're the party that respects democracy while portraying the GOP as the party standing in the way. But according to RFK Jr.'s former running mate, Nicole Shanahan, the exact opposite is true. In fact, according to Nicole, it's the LEFTS treatment of her and RFK Jr. during his 2024 presidential campaign that made Nicole reevaluate everything after seeing the attacks and attempts to destroy their campaign coming from one side of the aisle.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Nicole Shanahan is joining us. How are you, Nicole?

NICOLE: I'm doing well, Glenn. Thanks for having me back on. I'm good.

GLENN: I'm very good. I'm very good. You know, a few months ago, when RFK was running, and you joined.

I thought, well, there goes the conservative vote.

And anybody, you know, anybody who is watching it, because you are Oakland, California.

You are much more liberal. Or progressive.

And now, I'm reevaluating everything, again.

Because there are people that are on the left. Not left.

Well, that are -- well, lean left. That are -- have different points of view, but still love the country.

And we don't see those people very often. In -- in the -- in the news.

You know, and those people, we can get along with, all day long.

If you love the Bill of Rights, I'm with you.

I'm with you.

NICOLE: Yeah. There's a huge population out there right now. And they don't know where to go. A lot of them were attracted to our campaign. And our campaign was really a place to go, if you were kind of socially progressive or liberal. But intellectually educated. And saw what was happening with the Democratic Party, and just none of it reconciled. I mean, if you look at the Democratic Party, over the last eight years. You can't reconcile their relationship with the economy.

It doesn't make any sense. So if your businessperson went to -- and top educational institution, came out. Got a job.

Spent, you know, 20 years, of your career. In front of spreadsheets.

And you're seeing what's going on, under democratic leadership. Even on the state of California, it does not reconcile.

And so a lot of these folks, and lawyers too. Have nowhere to go right now.

And it's been really interesting for me, just in my personal experience. I'm an attorney. I came out of Oakland.

And I worked hard. And, you know, I did -- I did rely on government safety net.

To catch me. I was on government assistance. At times, as a child.

But it was -- it was never a place to stay. The goal was always to work your way out of that. And those were the foundations of the ethics that I grew up on.

GLENN: Right. Those are the ethics that I grew up on too.

You know, I learned about welfare from my father. He owned a bakery.

And a woman came in. And I was little.

And she used a welfare stamp.

To pay. And I had never seen one before.

And I said, Dad, that's not real money.

And he gave me the look of death. This little old lady, who was buying stuff. And he pulled me back, after she left. And said, don't ever say that. Ever. Ever again.

That woman is struggling. That's what we do.

That's what a government safety net is for.
For people who need it like her. Don't ever embarrass her again.

And I'm like, sorry.

Then later, I don't know, about six or eight months later, my dad happened to come up front.

And it was a guy who had food stamps. And he paid. And my father was pretty nasty to the guy.

I mean, he was very cold. And I asked him. I'm like, well, that guy gave you the same kind of money.

And he said, that man, I know. That man can work. He decides to live off the rest of us.

That's where it goes wrong. I think all of us kind of grew up with that. I mean, most of us.

NICOLE: Yeah. Yeah. Well, except for young people today. And I think that's where the left is cannibalizing the best of itself.

And I think cannibalizing because it's actually working against its own interests for compassion and social growth.

And -- and, you know, trying to figure out how to help people.

Get through difficult times. I think that how it's cannibalizing itself really exists. And the identity politics.

I know you talk a lot about that. But I experienced it as a philanthropist. Trying to go back to Oakland.

And trying to really work on the issues that matter. And identifying them, with just a straight logical process.

I looked at the issues, around homelessness.

Around drug abuse. Around the education gap. And I realized so much of it has to do with nutrition and health.

And so I went about, trying to fix that, and I will tell you, all of the NGOs, I was approached by. And worked with.

None were interested in real food.

A lot of them were interested in activism, and funneling millions of dollars into these regrant programs.

That don't actually help people.

And make them reliant on these nonprofit dollars.

And so the mechanics of social mobility.

And you can look at it, strictly through the lens of economics. You can look at it through social dynamics. And you come out, realizing that you have to invest in -- in schools, in education, clean water say huge one. But also food.

Kids underperform when they don't eat well. And the fact that they're not addressing this on the left. That there's no NGOs. That are sincerely working on this.

Made me realize, that that entire framework. The culture of that -- that thinking about poor versus wealthy. Or black versus white.

It's all wrong. It's just the wrong way of looking at it.

And then realizing, how many people are profiting off of that. Model of the world. That framework of the world.

It's very predatory. It's predatory.

GLENN: It's grotesque.

NICOLE: Yeah. It's grotesque. It's predatory. It actually feeds into the cycle of racism. And it doesn't work. And things have actually gotten worse, as these NGOs have just gotten away with this kind of bad behavior.

GLENN: So, Nicole. What, what moved you to say, I think I've got to go stand with Donald Trump?

I mean, what?

That had to have shocked you, when you thought that.

What moved you there?

NICOLE: Well, you know, I -- there were so many things that have led to it.

But I will say that, when I left the democratic party, there were threats, kind of lobbed my direction.

But they were -- they kind of seemed like silly threats.

Like, oh, you'll never make it.

We'll -- they will do everything they can to ruin your reputation.

The machine is going to be pointed at you.

And I don't think you realize what we have in this machine. And I was like, oh.

Yeah. I can overcome that.

That's all silliness.

And -- and then, you know, and the then the media.

So first they unleash the media on you.

And I'm like, you know, maybe these things can be disproven.

Lost a lot of respect for the media. But I already had lost quite a bit of respect for them, prior.

And you can kind of get over all that name-calling. And once people have a chance to know, they realize that the media really had so much of you wrong. But then -- you know, then came the attack on our campaign directly.

And it all came from the left. None of it came from the right.

And even though, Republicans have actually out earned or out raised the Democrats. Republicans don't spend the money attacked their opponents, the way the Democrats do.

And this is the really underhanded stuff. That really makes you question election integrity.

In ways that I had actually never questioned election integrity.

I didn't believe that, you know, there was election interference in 2020.

I didn't believe the narrative coming from the right. At the election, was stolen.

And so --

GLENN: Do you now?

NICOLE: I do now. I do now.

GLENN: You do now? What brought you there?

NICOLE: You know, lived experience. They say the two things that really get people to change their minds are grief and God.

And I have to say, there are some really heart breaking moments during this campaign. We gave it everything.

And we followed the black letter law.

Very precisely.

GLENN: Yeah.

NICOLE: And we did -- the amount of heart and soul, and tears. And running around.

I mean, people were just constantly sweaty on our campaign. Because everyone wore six different hats.

And, you know, they would be crossing the country, four times every few days. I mean, it was -- it was so much work. And we did. We succeeded.

What many people thought was impossible.

Which was even just getting on and off the ballots. All 50 ballots. And we did.

The day that we did. That same, just within a few hours. You found out that New York. And they had been suing us.

We had won, seven cases. Seven of these ballot cases, where the Democratic Party came in, or they're running PACs, and sued us.

Attempted to sue us, to get us removed from the ballots. Which I can't believe is even legal. That a political opponent can sue you, can take you off the ballot.

But it's apparently common practice for the Democrats.

GLENN: It's crazy.

NICOLE: And Republicans still do this.

Republicans just don't, because they respect third parties. They respect democracy. They respect the things that make democracy a democracy.

So, anyway, we won all seven. We were seven-zero. We were feeling good. We just did this big press event.

Then New York came along. And the case in New York really opened my eyes, because this was a judge that was not acting on behalf of the American public.

This was a judge acting on behalf of the democratic party.

And there was -- there was just no room, for a legal argument. They seemed to have already been made by the time they arrived.

They treated Bobby with a petty criminal.
I later testified. My experience testifying. So it just got awful. Like I had done something wrong, by trying to run as a third party in this country.

And I think through this process and then realizing the extent of how much they're willing to denigrate the democratic process. In this country.

To win, and how entitled they feel, doing so.

And, you know, Bobby and I are -- our personalities are very much aligned with that California liberal mentality.

And to -- to be treated by friends, colleagues. People that know you. Like this.

Made me realize that that, something was very, very wrong.

And so -- I will say Trump. But, sorry, I don't want to cut you off. Go on.

GLENN: Nicole, you were -- you were in the middle of talking. And you were -- you know, when you said, there's two things that change you, God and grief. And you started going down that road. You know, about the grief you felt.

I remember early on, when I realized, oh, my gosh.

This system is not what I thought it was. I actually felt like I was in mourning trial.

It felt like part of me. My belief died.

And it was really hard to get through.

But if you get through it. It makes you stronger.

NICOLE: Absolutely.

And I will say, that the people that I'm trying to reach out to, today.

Are those that have a lot at stake.

These are moms. Who have their life of their children at stake right now.

Who have seen the system failing them, and their kids.

Trying to dissect a way, parental rights from their children.

And they dislike Donald Trump, because they view Donald Trump as a misogynist. And these are the conversations that I will be investing in, over the next several weeks. In the lead-up to the election. It's really digging into people's perceptions of Donald Trump, as this, you know, really kind of unsavory character.

And I have personally been doing my own fact-checked.

I will be releasing some of that soon.

We have -- I did a series with this really wonderful young 25-year-old journalist, Blake Warren, called TDS Therapy Hour.

Where I read letters that I've received from people. With grave concerns about our alignment with Donald Trump. And we impact all of those concerns very patiently, one after another.

GLENN: Great.

So great.

NICOLE: And I think that's how we do it, again. I know you were a Never Trumper. But I think once you realize how manipulated and programmed we are, by the mainstream media, to see Donald Trump, as this horrific personality. And once you start unpacking truth. You can begin to see truly what they've been up against.

GLENN: So, Nicole. I know you're out of time.

I know you have to run as well. I would love to have you back. I think you're absolutely fascinating.

And you are a very important voice to speak to women, who do have that feeling.

And are absolutely convinced to their core, and I would love to have you back.

Nicole, thank you so much.

NICOLE: Thank you. Have a good one.

GLENN: Backtothepeople.net. Backtothepeople.net. Nicole Shanahan.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Why Your Actions Matter More Than Words in the Eyes of God

Glenn Beck and Eric Metaxas expose the spiritual crisis gripping America’s churches — a moment they compare to Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s warning before World War II. As the culture descends into moral confusion, too many Christians retreat into silence, claiming faith while refusing to act. Together, they argue that true belief demands courage — that “faith without works is dead” — and warn that neutrality in the face of evil is itself a form of complicity.

Watch the FULL Interview HERE

Is Socialism replacing the American dream?

The American Dream used to mean freedom and the chance to build your own life through hard work, faith, and independence. But today, it’s been replaced by comfort, consumption, and debt. Glenn Beck breaks down how America traded liberty for lifestyle, why socialism is gaining ground, and what it will take to reclaim the real American Dream before it disappears for good.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: I don't know if you saw the visualizing the American dream, Stu.

You know, what the American dream actually is, is that you can forge your own way.

You can -- you know, you can have a scrap of land, and grow your own food if up.

You can, you know, go to school. Not go to school.

You can find a job. If you're qualified for it, you have an equal chance of getting it, you know, based on merit.

But the percentage of Americans who say the American dream is retirement is 86 percent. Health care, 86 percent. Owning a home, 85. Raising two kids, 78. Owning a car, 72. Vacations, 71. Pets, 66. A wedding, 55 percent. That's the American dream, I can get married.

The American dream, if that's what you think, they've now estimated, the cost per household over the cost -- over the lifetime, retirement is $1.6 million. Owning a home now, 30-year mortgage, 20 percent you want to, is $957,594. Owning a car, buying and finance to begin with new cars every ten years is now $900,000 over your lifetime. Raising two kids to 18, plus four years of public college, $876,092. Two kids. Health care, over your lifetime, spending from ages 22 to 85, $414,000. Vacations, annual vacation from '22 to '85, $180,000. One dog and one cat for 11 to 13 years is $40,000!

That's more expensive than a wedding. The engagement ring, the ceremony, and the reception is now estimated to be $38,200.

There's a reason socialism is doing well. You look at that, and you're like, wow. I mean, if that's the American dream. And for a lot of people, that is the American dream!

That's not what the American dream is supposed to be, but, you know, once -- you know, once Woodrow Wilson and FDR got a hold of us and they started advertising, it became stuff instead of freedom. It became stuff. And, you know, when there's a new report out. Let me see if I have that.

There's a new report out now that shows, first time home buyers made up just 21 percent of the home purchases. That's the lowest on record.

The typical age of repeat buyers hit an all-time high of '62. The median downtowns, reaching 23 percent.

The highest since 2023.

And also, where is it?

The last one is -- the median age for first time home buyers, in 1981, it was 29 years old.

I'm sorry. Yeah. Twenty-nine years old. In 2021, it was 33 years old.

What is it this year?

Median age, first time homeowner, forty.

You're 40 before you can buy any kind of home. That puts these things that people want, dream about, out of reach, until you're 40?

You know, 29 is one thing. But if you're not seeing -- you're not seeing your life really kind of settling down until you're 40, I -- I can understand why you're like, you know what, this system doesn't work.

Because you've never seen it work. It's betrayed you.

Or so you've been sold. It's betrayed you.

And everything is being pushed out of your reach. And when you're young, the one thing you're not is patient.

And at 40, I can see why people are not, you know, yeah. Well, socialism is neat because capitalism isn't working. How would you respond to that?

STU: I mean, it's more lengthy than we have time for. But I would say that the response to, you know, you thinking that you want a home is not to embrace an ideology that murders 100 million people.

That's not -- that's not a good answer to the problem that you think you have.

GLENN: But they're not learning that anywhere.

They're not -- that is our responsibility! To teach those things. Because they're not learning it anywhere.

Glenn Beck Warns of 3 Economic Outcomes That Could Change EVERYTHING | Ep 467

Socialism is spreading fast among America’s youth, and the shocking election of Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani for mayor in New York City marks a major cultural and economic shift. Glenn exposes how runaway debt, record home prices, AI job disruption, and the collapsing stake in capitalism have led many Millennials and members of Gen Z to embrace socialism and communism. He reveals the three possible economic futures for 2026: two that are disastrous and one that could change everything if the Trump administration’s global financial overhaul succeeds. Plus, Justin Haskins, president of the Heartland Institute, joins to reveal some terrifying truths about why young Americans are embracing socialism from a poll he conducted with Rasmussen Reports.

Glenn Beck warns: We're already in World War III

"The world doesn't understand yet. We're already in World War III," Glenn Beck warns. "That foe is not China. That foe is militant Islam." Glenn explains the battle we're currently facing and what's to come if we don't wake up soon...

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: From New Jersey, it's Brian. Hello, Brian.

CALLER: Hello!

GLENN: Hey.

CALLER: Yeah. Thanks for taking the calls today.

GLENN: Sure.

CALLER: Yeah. I'm worried that we are headed towards another French Revolution-style because we have entire generations. Or actually people just not being heard by their representatives.

GLENN: Hmm.

CALLER: And it's not just here. It's around the world.

GLENN: Uh-huh.

I -- actually, I had scheduled for this time, I'll just do it some other time. Talking about what's happening in -- in England.

I think England is headed for a Civil War. And -- and it's very close.

I mean, you can't put 4,000 people. 4,000 people, in jail, or try them for hate crimes. And speech crimes.

You can't -- you can't do it. In England!

You can't do that in one year. And expect people to just put up with it!

You can't -- you know, we're -- we're -- America doesn't understand yet.

The world doesn't understand.

We're in World War III. We're already in World War III.

I don't know when it becomes a hot war. Or even a war that we on our side recognize. But we are in World War III. And that -- that foe is not China.

That foe is militant Islam, period. And, you know, when we have a situation to where people are -- when the government is just like, no. It's not a problem.

It's not a problem. You know. You've got illegals all over.

It's not a problem.

It's not a problem.

It is a problem. Don't tell me what -- what the problems are not!

Because we're the ones living it!

You're the experts, who keep telling us, no. It's going to work out fine.

And it doesn't work out fine. And it just gets worse and worse.

Oh. We can spend this money. No. It looks like we can't spend this money. Oh, we can afford this. No. It looks like we can't afford this.

You know, if we do this with Ukraine, it will work out fine. No, it didn't, did it? These endless wars, all of this stuff, don't tell me what the problem is. Listen to the people and start talking to the people. Honestly, this is the reason why I'm doing this today. I -- I need to hear from you.

I need to know what's on your mind, so I stay focused and -- and clear on what America is saying.

Because I don't think -- look, you know, me taking phone calls is -- is not a true representation of anything, but it does give me a sense of -- of where you are, as an audience. Maybe not as America, but as an audience. And there are lots of things that concern me. But I want to hear it from you.
But I think you're right! We're headed for real, real trouble. All you need is real economic trouble.

You start getting real, true economic trouble. 1930s kind of depression stuff. And we're in Civil War.

Dan, Oregon. Welcome!

CALLER: Hello, Glenn. How are you?

GLENN: I'm great!

CALLER: Yeah. Good. It's been a long time.

I guess it's been over ten years, since I've had a chance to talk with you. I was one of your first insiders. I was listening to you, since you were in Florida.

GLENN: Wow. Wow.

CALLER: So it's been a long -- yeah. It has been. And I can't say I've enjoyed all of it.
(laughter)

GLENN: Neither have I!

STU: I can't say that either, I'll be honest with you.

CALLER: You know, you were talking on yesterday's show, reminiscing with Stu about how you guys started. And I remember those old shows. And, you know, at the end of the -- the fusion of entertainment and enlightenment.

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: Right.

CALLER: And there was a lot more entertainment. I remember I laughed a lot.

GLENN: Oh, yeah. I know. I know. Those days are long dead.
(laughter)

STU: There's nothing to laugh about now.

CALLER: Yeah. I -- I'm 78. I still work 40 hours a week. I love my job.

GLENN: Good for you.

CALLER: Been married for 55 years. I have seven kids.

GLENN: Good for you.

CALLER: I've got a daughter -- I've got a daughter who is in her 40s. And she has severe TDS. She -- we don't -- I mean, we're not cutting each other off. She hasn't done that at all. We're still very close as a family. But she was down visiting the other day, and got into a conversation with my wife. And I wasn't in the room. But Kathy said it was just like listening to one of those young people out on the street that was being interviewed by the news media. And she was -- and she was in tears about it. My wife and my daughter both.

And, I mean, I love her, and I continue to support her. She's a single woman, not by choice. She just never found the right guy.

GLENN: Yeah.

CALLER: And I really think that's part of the problem. Because she started reading -- back when Trump was first running, she started reading all of this stuff about him being misogynistic and all of this stuff.

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

CALLER: And it's just gotten worse. I -- I'm at a loss. I really am. Because I -- like, I see the country doing better. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. But I still feel like that at least right now, we're doing better as a whole. But what do we do about -- what do we do about our kids about -- she went to Portland State University for the last two --

GLENN: Oh, jeez, for the love of --

CALLER: Well, yeah. For the last two years, she went to -- she went to a little college in Idaho called Ricks for the first two years, and Utah State.

GLENN: Oh, yeah.

CALLER: And then she served a mission for our church in Brazil and came home, but then she went to Portland State University. And it just seems to have gone downhill from there.

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah. So, Dan, I think you are suffering from the same thing that almost all parents are suffering from. If you're not suffering from this, then, I mean, God bless you. You know, get on your knees and thank God. Because you are a lucky, lucky family. Everybody has in their family. I have it in my family.

And you have to ask yourself, what is your goal?

My -- what is your goal with your daughter? Your real goal?

CALLER: My real goal is for us to be united eternally. That's my goal. That's my goal as a father and has been to teach her --

GLENN: And how -- and how is that going to happen with politics?

CALLER: We just stay together as a family regardless of what politics does.

GLENN: That's exactly right. Exactly right.

I think we're in a place now where as parents, you can ask your kids, but it has to be honest. It cannot be trying to win. It has to be honest. How did you get there?

I mean, I remember. You know, we've talked about this before. And you didn't believe that before. What has changed?

Can you help me with that?

I would like to see what you're reading, or what that was.

And just ask questions. But they have to be honest. They can't be, you know, because I'm setting you up. Because I want to change your mind.

But keep a dialogue open with them. And just love them!

Just love them!

Because if you do anything else, you're going to drive them away. And then they're really lost. So just love them.

CALLER: Oh, I know that. Glenn, when she was young -- when she was young, I considered her one of the elect. And the Scripture says, that in the last days, even the elect are going to be deceived. And that's what I'm seeing. But everything you've said, I -- I am doing. I'm doing it that way. Because I know --

GLENN: Okay. Good. Then you didn't need to -- I appreciate it. I'm so glad you called me. But you didn't need to -- my advice, you already have it down. You're a very wise man.