RADIOApril 18, 2023

Is our IRS system WEAPONIZED against us?!

Happy Tax Day! Glenn, for one, is very excited to perform his patriotic duty of paying taxes. And he's not at all upset about how complicated and corrupt the IRS system has become or what our government is wasting all this money on! But is the fear of an audit the point? In this clip, Glenn and Stu discuss how the government has weaponized our tax code to be able to go after whoever they want, as well as some of the most un-American taxes out there ...

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Stu, I have known you for, oh, 27 years. That can't be possible. Really?

STU: No. It's not that long, is it? I hope not.

GLENN: Yeah, well.

STU: Twenty-five. Something like that. Too long. Too long.

GLENN: Anyway, too long.

I've never known you to pay your taxes on time, ever.

STU: I don't think I've done it in that time period.

Now, it's possible at some point.

GLENN: At some point.

You always file for an extension.

STU: Always file for an extension.

GLENN: Why?

STU: Well, part of it is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Let's say you're 2013. And you file for an extension.

You have to pay that by October. Then you're like, two months away from the forms coming in.

So it's like, it just feels really close. You just did this them.

Then all of a sudden, you have to do them again. It's too close. I need an extension.

So you wind up shifting the entire calendar. To October to October instead of April to April like everyone else.

GLENN: Yeah, got it. Okay. Yeah. Sure.

STU: I will say, as time has gone on, there have been -- you know, I don't like to admit, that a couple of good things have happened. In my working career with you, and things have improved in some ways.

And in those ways, they have -- while a lot of good things come from maybe some extra income and such.

GLENN: Sure. Right.

STU: It also complicates your tax forms.

And now my full-time job is doing my taxes, and my part-time job is this.

GLENN: Go to the bank more now. Gosh, I feel bad.

STU: I mean, your ATM card gets worn down. I mean, honestly

GLENN: I know! He has to build a pool now.

STU: Compared to you and your taxes, my arc, super simple. Right?

GLENN: So I pay taxes in all 50 states.

STU: Well, probably not all 50. Because some of them don't have state income tax. Thank you, Texas. Thank you, Tennessee. Thank you, Florida.

GLENN: Good. Thank you.

So I pay any state, that is charging tax.
And I think, I don't even know how it works.

I think it started, when I started traveling and doing shows in states.

And you sell tickets. Now, if we sell T-shirts of anything in any state. I think I have to pay for it. I don't -- I don't really know.

I think it's a scam myself.

STU: We're just driving in each state. Do not come after us.

GLENN: Yeah. So usually, it's no big deal.

I owe the state of Georgia, like $23,000.

I don't think I was in Georgia last year. Georgia, what are you doing to me!

What did I do? Did I sell like a whole bunch of TheBlaze's socks or something.

Because I don't get that money. So maybe you should -- seriously, what did we sell or -- was I in Georgia?

STU: I don't remember you being in Georgia, but it's possible you were there.

GLENN: I don't think so.

STU: One of the things they do, especially for -- they call it the jock tax.

And it started really because of like baseball players. And, you know, baseball player. You live in Texas.

But you go play a game in California. And California is like, oh, wait a minute. That guy makes a lot of money. And he was here for a weekend. Jokers I pay New York. New York State, New York City, and California, if I ever broadcast, they make me pay tax for the number of days that I have been there.

STU: Yeah. They act like you worked there for one day, and therefore, you owe us income tax. Which is of course a completely ridiculous standard, but of course they apply it. And they apply it largely to people in the media, or who are playing for sports teams, because everyone knows where you are. Right?

If you're a person who is working a normal job.

GLENN: Nobody. Really cares.

STU: You're filing some spreadsheets out in California, no one does anything.

GLENN: And likely, your boss is not asking, is Fred here today? Where is Fred?

STU: Exactly. And especially with the homework thing. It's a totally different scenario. I know people who just bought campers during COVID. And just we're working every day from a different location, and investigating, and going through the United States. And checking out new areas.

GLENN: That's why campers are so cheap right now. They really are.

They're like crazy cheap.

STU: Why --

GLENN: Because everybody bought a camper.

They're like, this is the end! I got to get into a camper. And they got a camper, and now they're like, okay. It wasn't the end.

STU: I'll never use this again. I don't like driving those roads.

GLENN: Right. I actually went to the national parks. Holy cow. We'll never do that again.

STU: But back to the taxes part of this.

I'm now at the point where I have five forms that I know I have, that have not come in.

And I'm getting notes from the people. Yeah. I couldn't get this done. It's -- we'll get it to you in a couple of months. It will be to you before October, though, don't worry about it.

It's like, okay. Thank you. I guess that is extension time. And the best part about an extension, Glenn. I don't know you've enjoyed it, I'm sure you have. But I know you try to avoid this stuff as much as possible.

GLENN: I keep so far away from anything. Extension. I don't need an extension. Why would I need an extension? I wanted to do my patriotic duty. I stay so far away from anything gray!

STU: To be clear, an extension is not gray.

GLENN: Oh, I know it's not. I know it's not. But to me, it's just one of those things. Why didn't he pay his taxes? Why didn't he do it?

STU: But you have to do basically a guestimate.

How much do I owe these people. And you're like, okay.

And, of course, if you don't want to get penalized, you have to overestimate how much you're paying. So you have to dump a bunch of money to the government. And then overpay them a little bit, because you don't want to get to the point where you underpaid. Because even if you underpay on a real normal misunderstanding, they'll act as if you did it on purpose, and penalize you for it.

GLENN: This is so absolutely unAmerican. This whole thing is unAmerican.

STU: It really is.

GLENN: You know, the IRS coming to audit you. Do you have a warrant? Specifically, what are you saying I did?

This is one of the reasons why we broke away from the king of England. I think it's a writ of retainer, or something like that.

Writ -- I can't remember. But the king would just hand these out.

And it was a general warrant. And it was like, Stu was doing something in his house. Go in and look for it.

Okay? You can't do that. You could. But that's one of the first things we stopped. Well, the IRS does that. Looks like Stu must have done something. Give us all your receipts for the last seven years.

STU: Yeah. It's not even that. They don't have to have a belief of what you did wrong or if you did anything wrong, which is, we're just going to check all your work.

GLENN: And you know what, who are you to tell me you're going to check my work? I would like to check yours. Did you see that the inspector general's office for the IRS came out and said, you need to do a study. Because all -- these people are making the same mistakes over and over again. What are you guys doing that is causing these people to ask the same questions and have the same mistakes.

And their answer was, no.

STU: No, we're not going to do the study.

GLENN: No. I'm just suggesting you look in, because it will be easier. No. They don't care. They don't care.

STU: They don't care.

GLENN: This would be so easy, if it was a flat tax. So easy. I made this, subtract this from that. Put it in an envelope, send it.

Okay? I mean, that's how easy it is. This has become so complex.

I'm sitting with attorneys. And I'm trying to do the right things. And I'm sitting with the tax attorneys, just a couple of weeks ago. And I'm like, okay.

So what is the law on this?

Well, nobody really knows. Some people think this. Some people think that.

And I'm like, what kind of law is this?

Because if you have -- now, luckily, we don't have one. If you have a country, that is a little lawless, and just applies the lay differently, to different people, you can go after your enemies.

Just through the tax law.

Because nope. That's not the way I read it.

STU: Yeah. Everybody likes to praise the old Al Capone. Oh, they have him on tax evasion. Yeah. They could do that to anybody.

GLENN: They got him.

They got him on money laundering.

He was laundering the money. And didn't pay the taxes on the money, from the laundry service.

STU: Right. But they basically put him in a position, where it was impossible.

Because if he put the money on the tax forms, it would have been, he's laundering money. If he doesn't put it on there. It's tax evasion.

GLENN: Right. But the basic thing is. The basic thing is, he was making illegal money. I have no problem, if the IRS -- if I'm selling drugs, you know what I mean?

And I'm laundering it through a laundromat. The only way to stop me from selling drugs to kids.

I'm clearly a bad guy breaking the law. Is because the only thing you can find on me, is income tax, where I'm taking all that money and laundering it. I have no problem with that.

STU: I think though, when you think of that story, fundamentally.

Of course, anyone does something illegal. If you're laundering money, you should -- you should be penalized for it. If you've done something illegal. Obviously, we're all against that.

The way that story is used is, when somebody is doing something really bad and you know it and can't prove it, go after him on something else.

Eventually on taxes or something, you'll get him. That's how that story is often utilized.

GLENN: Yeah. No. No longer. So let me take it from Al Capone. And make it Hunter Biden.

The reason why Al Capone, they couldn't get him on anything, is because he was protected. He had a complete lock on the press. He had a complete lock with those who were doing any kind of banking with him.

He had thugs to silence people.

He had the power to get away with it.

So it's not like, I think somebody is doing some wrong. It's somebody that you know, but no one will step up, to the plate.

And it's such a heinous crime, guys, find the window into this.

I mean, this is -- this is the way I am beginning to feel about the Bidens.

Look, I don't want to go after anybody -- for anything -- if you've committed a crime. We go after you for the crime, you may have committed.

STU: Yeah, uh-huh.

GLENN: This is so clear, that the FBI and everybody else is just turning a blind eye, that you kind of -- you can look at it and go, you know, the only way you'll get justice, is if you get some -- you get somebody like what was his name that led the Treasury Department on this?

Gosh, what was his name. Eliot Ness.

STU: I thought you were talking about the Bidens.

GLENN: No, no, no. When you have Eliot Ness, you need somebody like an Eliot Ness to step up and say, no, I'm not with the rest of the Treasury.

STU: Yeah. I'll give you who Eliot Ness is right now. Alvin Brag.

That is exactly what is going on with Donald Trump right now.

They have decided he is so evil, they have to find something on him.

GLENN: Yeah. No, no, no, no. But they're part of the corrupt system that today's Al Capone is running.

They're part of that corrupt system.

STU: You're seeing it from the other side I'm seeing it from.

You're always the guy who says, how is this going to be used essentially against us?

It is being used against conservatives right now.

Look, I'm not being critical of the Al Capone thing.

GLENN: No, I know.

STU: But I do think this is what governments do. What they're doing with Trump right now is this man is so evil, he's so Hitler. He's so Satan.

That it doesn't matter if the things we're charging him with are real or not.

We just go after him.

Find something in this 65,000 pages of law, that we can convince a couple of people, that he's evil on.

Then we'll throw him away forever.

GLENN: That's the corrupt system.

Okay? That's the corrupt court system of Al Capone.

Donald Trump, there is no crime.

And if it is a crime, it's a misdemeanor.

This is like -- this is like Al Capone, the worst thing he ever did was jaywalk.

GLENN: Yeah. And they get him for income tax evasion. That's a legitimate laundering. What are you talking about? I'm a laundromat. You know what I mean?

STU: There are two sides of the story, here.

Obviously, the Al Capone thing was a lot more serious.

You do see how these governments, when you give them this tax code, with 100 million rules. That nobody understands.

To the point that I talk to my accountants. And I ask them, I said, how is this supposed to be treated? They go, as you point out, I don't know, some people say this. Some people say that.

There's nothing clear in the law. How does a society operate under this?

GLENN: You don't. It causes you to be fearful of the -- that's why people are fearful of the IRS.

I know I've never cheated on my taxes. Never.

And I would say that -- would I cheat on my taxes?

No, I wouldn't. Because then I would be a dishonest person. But I've never cheated on my taxes. Never. But still, you have the fear of, oh, man, they could come knocking on my door.

I mean, they audited me once. The first year that Obama was in. I got an audit in.

Clear. I think they even owed me money.

So I was clear. But it's still that you're something like, oh, no. Not the IRS.

STU: Right. And I know because of this job, I go way above and beyond, of what I even think is legitimate or fair. Because I'm terrified they're going to come --

GLENN: Right. I do too. For a political purpose. For a political purpose.

STU: I just assume it will happen every year. So I go way out of my way to make sure. But still, that's insane.

How Trump Can PUNISH Trudeau Without Angering Canadians

"It's been a bumpy few weeks" for US-Canada relations, ‪@RebelNewsOnline‬ founder Ezra Levant tells Glenn. But do Canadians actually hate America after Trump's tariff announcement, his talk about making Canada the 51st state, and the brutal US-Canada hockey game? Ezra joins Glenn to give his perspective as a Trump-friendly, Trudeau-hating Canadian. Plus, he explains why "Justin Trudeau wants a trade war" in his last few weeks as Prime Minister and how Trump can punish Trudeau without hurting the Canadian people, and it all resolves around oil ...

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: All right. Let's go to Canada. And one of our good friends up in Canada.

Ezra Levant. Hello, Ezra, how are you?

EZRA: Hi, it's great to be on the show. You know, I love America. And I love Canada too. And I don't think I have to choose. And I also love Trump, by the way. So it's been a bumpy few weeks because Trump said, hey, Canada, we will have a problem, or we will slap you with tariffs.

GLENN: Yeah.

EZRA: And when you think of open borders. You think of the Mexican border, right?
And it's true, the vast majority numerically of the smuggling of people is on the Mexican side. But Canada is not perfect. And it's getting worse. There's actually more would-be terrorists that are nabbed on the Northern Border than the Mexican border.

GLENN: Yes, a lot of Chinese as well.

EZRA: Exactly.

And the cartels are active in Canada, including not just Mexican cartels. But, you know, there's big meth labs being found in Canada every week.

Here's the thing, if you look at the announcement that Trump made. This was back I think in November. He said, look, by the time I'm inaugurated on January 20. I want you, Mexico. And you, Canada. To basically do the preparatory work to seal the borders. Start working on it now.

Or else, I'll slap you with a tariff. So I think a grownup would say. He wants us to seal the borders. We should probably do that in our own interests anyway.

And he has. But let's just do the work. Because it's in our interest too. Trouble is, Trudeau said, no. I'm not going to seal the border.

I'm not going to crack down on illegal migrants and illegal drugs even if that's something we should do. I am going to focus on the "or else," and I will get into a sort of staring contest with an ally ten times bigger than us.

GLENN: Right.

EZRA: And I've watched Trump's announcement. He wants the border fixed, the tariff is the "or else."

But here's the thing. And I don't know if Trump has really ever thought about this, because he's dealing with bigger fish.

Like, he's dealing with Ukraine. He's dealing with the economy and the fires in LA. And getting his nominees through the Senate. So he's dealing with huge things.

I don't think he's following the minutiae of Canadian politics.

Because let me tell you one thing I think Trump didn't count on here. Some master negotiator. And the thing about a negotiation, is, the other guy, you know, you've got to be willing to walk away. And you have to make it so the other guy sort of doesn't want to walk away, because his alternative is worse. Here's the thing about Trudeau, Glenn. In January, Justin Trudeau announced, he will resign. And that will take effect on March 9th. That's like three weeks from now. So Trudeau doesn't have the interest of getting a deal. He wants his final few weeks as Prime Minister to be, you know, an epic superhero coming to save Canada. He wants to be captain Canada fighting against the big, bad Trump.

He doesn't actually want a deal, Glenn. Because that's boring. And that looks like he's taking orders from Trump.

If he fights Trump. If he says, no, no, no. I don't want to spend a few billion on border security.

I want to get in a hundred billion-dollar trade war. See, Trump is not used to negotiating with a guy who actually wants to hurt himself. But why would Trudeau want that? Two reasons: Number one, to change the narrative. He's the Captain Canada, saving our country from the big bad -- we have Trump Derangement Syndrome here.

But number two, Trudeau has wrecked our economy through taxes and debt. And inflation. And cost of living. So if Trump actually does bring in punitive tariffs. Trudeau can say, uh-huh.

This is on Trump. Not me. I didn't wreck the economy. Trump did.

So Trump is dealing with a guy who is acting in bad faith.

Justin Trudeau wants a trade war. He wants our countries to fight.

GLENN: So let me ask you this. I've been watching the reaction of some Canadians. And they're like, we're not going to become the 51st state. Do you guys understand trolling. Donald Trump is calling Trudeau the governor of the 51st state to minimalize him. As a mock of Trudeau.

We're not -- we're not thinking about buying you. We're not offering to buy you. And we're certainly not buying troops up there to take you. Do the Canadians just not understand that?

EZRA: I think it's a combination. Because here's the thing, for the last ten years, Trudeau has tried to denature Canada. Our founding prime minister is named John A. McDonald's. John A. McDonald's, our version of George Washington.

He's on our 10-dollar bill. There's statues of him everywhere. Trudeau stripped him off the 10-dollar bill. Trudeau presided over his statues being knocked down. Trudeau has told us, that we are a country that committed genocide against Indian people. Trudeau calls us sexist. Racist. He says. He told the New York Times, we have no core values.

We're basically a hotel. So he has been -- he changes our national anthem. Who asked him to do that?

Like, he's doing all these things.

GLENN: Wait. Wait. Wait. He changed your national anthem from O Canada, to what?

EZRA: It's still O Canada, but he changed the words. He went on Anderson Cooper's show. And Anderson Cooper said, well, what's a Canadian? Okay. Well, that's a question you would expect the prime minister to answer.

He said, well, we're not Americans. That's not -- that's not an identity. That's sort of an attitude. And so he -- here's a guy who for ten years has derided what it means to be Canadian. He's given away citizenship to millions.

So I think Trump in his uncanny way, detected within Trudeau a bit of an inferiority complex. A bit of a weakness. That 51st state thing. That governor thing.

It actually stings, because Trudeau has spent ten years destroying our national identity. And Trump must have got that somehow. Because every time Trump says that, it actually hurts. Because we have spent ten years destroying what's made us Canada.

And Trump figured it out.

GLENN: Well, he's very good.

He's very good at knowing where people's weaknesses where R.

I think that's one of his -- one of his real skills in negotiating.

He knows what the other side is thinking. And what they're afraid of. Let me -- let me ask you this: Are we -- is this going to turn into something?

EZRA: Well, you know, there was some booing. There was a hockey game going on.

GLENN: Oh, no. We're very well aware of it.

EZRA: Some people are very startled. The idea of fighting with Americans is unthinkable.
Really, you almost can't tell the difference between a Canadian and American. Words like about.

GLENN: Right. How long you'll wait for health care. Yeah. There's just a few things.

EZRA: There are some differences, of course. But I can't think of two countries that are more similar.

GLENN: Right.

EZRA: So the idea that we're in some battle with America, it's confusing. But here's the thing. Let me say a quick thing about the 51st state. You know how California, is this huge electoral college that always goes Democrat every time. Let me say this to my brothers in the United States.

You don't want another 41 million people who will vote Democrat.

GLENN: Oh, we've made that point. We've made that point. That's...

EZRA: I myself, would be a Trump supporter. And maybe the problems of Alberta, from where I am, would.

GLENN: Right.

EZRA: And, by the way, I know you have some challenges from Spanish bilingualism. You know, it's French. Get ready for French to be spoken.

I'm just saying, you know, there are a few details. But let me tell you, what -- what actually matters.

I don't know if you know, but the -- our free trade agreement. That Trump renegotiated with Canada.

It will give us he went you want. We have 170 billion, with a B, barrels of oil in our oil sands.

And you have access to it. You have preferential access to it. And so when Trump talks about slapping that with a tariff. My phrase is, is it America first? You're the customer. You need to displace the conflict oil you're buying from OPEC. How about instead of slapping oil with the tariffs, that's just going to your refineries? We're the number one source of American oil under America. You make about half of your own oil in Texas and other places. But the other half, we're your number one source. Then comes Mexico and Saudi Arabia. How about replace that OPEC oil with more Canadian oil?

And I know Trump is a deal-maker. Art of the Deal. How about do a 50-year deal with Canada?
You could buy every one of those 170 barrels of oil. 170 billion.

And that would last you 50 years. You would be able to displace every foreign barrel of crude. $13 trillion deal. That's a bigger deal than Greenland. You have access to your oil. It's yours.
Most of the companies operating there, are American-owned. The Canadian companies are all listed on your stock changes.

You own the companies. American all the way down.

GLENN: Right. Right.

EZRA: And you don't want China to get access to that oil? China is poking around Canada's oil. What does China want? China wants to you push Canada away. Don't. Don't, don't do it. And I just, I think Trump is shooting at Trudeau, but hitting us. Don't do that. Look, I have a creative way to get back at Trudeau. But don't do it by attacking Canada.

GLENN: What's your creative way?

EZRA: Well, I'll tell you, I mentioned before that Justin Trudeau has said that Canada has committed a genocide against our native peoples. But he says that in the present tense. He says, we are committing a genocide.

Really? That sounds like a crime against humanity.

What about issuing an executive order saying, taking notice of Justin Trudeau's confession, that he's presiding against over a genocide, we hereby put sanctions on Justin Trudeau and his cabinet.

They may not enter the United States. They may not fly over our country. They may not do this. So just like Trump is doing with that international criminal court.

GLENN: Yes.

EZRA: They wanted to arrest Netanyahu. If you smack Justin Trudeau around, he loves going to New York. He goes down to New York and parties.

And he sort of does what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Trudeau loves going to America. If you took that away from him, Trudeau would be floored.

Go after Trudeau. You want to punish Trudeau, me too. I've got some ideas. But Canadians -- get all the oil you want. Let's be good friends. And, by the way, you do a 13 trillion-dollar deal to buy oil for 15 years. Now we have money to build up our own forces. And be our best buddies like we were on D-Day. But we were in Afghanistan.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

EMERGENCY PODCAST: Save ‘Baby Sparrow’ from the Taliban | The Glenn Beck Podcast | Ep 246

A 5-year-old sits at the heart of an international controversy involving Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, the U.S. State Department, and even Hunter Biden’s law firm. In what Glenn describes as maybe his “most important” episode of "The Glenn Beck Podcast" yet, Stephanie and Joshua Mast detail the unbelievable story of rescuing an injured infant from the war in Afghanistan and their uphill battle to bring her safely to America during the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal under President Biden’s administration. Now, their 5-year-old daughter’s fate again hangs in the balance, and she is just days away from a Virginia court case that may change her life forever. The Mast family believes their daughter is the biological child of foreign fighters. If they’re correct, then her mere existence unravels the foundations of the peace agreement between the U.S. and Afghanistan, which stipulated that there were NO foreign fighters in Afghanistan. In a tangled web of motivations, Glenn is shocked by the possibility that the U.S. State Department may have placed a baby girl in the hands of people without any evidence of biological relations and with potential ties to the Taliban. The Masts make a public plea to the Trump administration to save their little girl from a custody battle with international implications but deeply personal ramifications for this little girl.

The American Freedom Law Center is defending the Mast family against what they describe as a "massive, full-spectrum media, litigation, and government agency 'lawfare' campaign." Support them and Baby Sparrow in the fight by donating HERE.

The INCREDIBLE Story of How Biden Gave Trump the “Gift” of Mass Firings

Every government official who is fired by President Trump should blame Joe Biden, former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer tells Glenn. Spicer tells the incredible story of how Biden's "pettiness" led Spicer and Russ Vought to sue him in a case they didn't think they'd win. But they DID - and now, it has set the precedent that allows President Trump to fire anyone in his administration! This has since led to the reformation of the Kennedy Center and will allow Trump to make many of DOGE's recommendations a reality.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: My friend Sean Spicer, how are you, sir?

SEAN: I'm fantastic. How are you?

GLENN: So good. So good. I don't want you to tell the end of the story yet. I want you for start at the beginning.

SEAN: No, no, no.

GLENN: What happened when you left the White House, and Biden took over as president?

SEAN: I'll take you one step further. So I stepped out as White House Press Secretary, and the president has always been kind and offered to appoint me to a couple of boards.

He appointed me to two of them!

One of them was the White House Commission by the Commissioner there. And then he also was kind enough to make me one of the -- his appointees to the board of visitors in the US Naval Academy.

So I was sworn into office. Joe Biden came into office. And so January 20th, myself and all of the White House commissioners at the -- resigned. And because it's a White House commission, and the new president has a right to have people for White House commissions. Fair enough.

GLENN: Sure.

SEAN: Well, September 1st, I get an email 2021, and it says, Spicer, thank you for your service on the US Naval Academy of visitors. By 6 o'clock tonight, will you submit your resignation, or will you be fired? And I thought, whoa. What?

Just for context. Remember, Glenn. September 1st, my term ended November 1st. Sixty days later. I was like, you couldn't wait 60 days, just to have it for free?

GLENN: Wow.

SEAN: So I was like, I've been sworn into office. My term was ended at that time. I wasn't going to get reappointed. Biden had his right to appoint his people, great.

So it turns out he fired everybody. Myself, from the Naval Academy board. Russ Vought from the Naval Academy board. And then a guy named McMaster from the West Point Board.

Who, by the way, H.R. McMaster, you remember, was the national security adviser to Trump.

Three-star Army general, who was a graduate at West Point as a distinguished professor at West Point.

And the Friday after that Tuesday email, was going to be honored at West Point as a distinguished alumni in their awards ceremony. So, anyway, he fires us September 1st. I don't resign. I said, I'm not resigning. You can fire me if you want. And then Steven Miller and America First came to me and said, we have an idea. I said, okay. What's the idea? We want to sue Biden. Now, Glenn, I'm not a lawyer. I said, guys, I watch a lot of Law and Order. How in God's earth if we sue the guy in September?

I mean, my term ends November 1st, we're never going to get back on the board. And they said, no, no, no. Let's go to court and make Joe Biden argue that he has the absolute authority to fire anybody. And because we're not going to win the case. They'll rule against this. And I thought, oh, this is brilliant.

So the only people. But here's the kicker. The only people who were running willing to put their name on that lawsuit performance myself. And Russ Vought. Of all the people who were so honored that President Trump had appointed them. And they went and they said, aw, thanks, we're busy.

So they became Spicer et al. It goes up to the court. The court says, the president has the absolute authority to that. We appeal the decision. It goes to the appeals level. And the court again, reaffirms the decision that Joe Biden and the president of the United States have the absolute authority to fire everyone. And the media started calling, Glenn, and said, you lost the case. And I said at the time, did I?

So Donald Trump gets elected, and this is where it gets really fun. You'll love this.

GLENN: Yes. And now you know the rest of the story.

SEAN: Yes. Thank you, Paul Harvey. So I read this story in the op-ed in the New York Post. Saying, hey, guess what? Spicer, Joe Biden has given President Trump the authority to fire anyone he wants. I hope that President Trump executes it, and the White House is tweeting, you know, sending me messages back after we just fired him, and I'm living this. Well, I write this piece for the New York Post. Explaining, hey. Here's what we did. Here's the legal basis. All these people who are about to get fired by Trump should thank President Biden for this.

Now, here's where it gets fun: The New York Post in the editing process says to me. Okay. Well, was it just the service academy?

They said, no, they had the right to fire them. They said, well, give us some examples. And so I got the list of commissions that the president can appoint too. There's like a couple hundred. And I start reading one of the editors.

I said, they can fire -- there's the battlefield commission. There's the Truman scholarship. There's the Kennedy senators.

Put that in the op-ed. People will identify with that. We went. We added a couple other examples to the op-ed.

So the op-ed gets published in the New York Post.

And it gets a lot of coverage. Whatever. And President Trump continues to fire people. And when they fire the board of the Kennedy center, the Washington Post calls -- you know, the spokesman for the Kennedy Center. And he says, are you going to be opposing President Trump firing you?

And on the record, the spokesman for the Kennedy Center says, we can't. Spicer v Biden sets the precedent for this. It gives the president the authority to do this.

Now, the here's the kicker. The Washington Post calls me. And says, what do you think about what the Kennedy Center thinks? Now, I have a hard enough time keeping up with President Trump.

I don't focus on what the Kennedy Center is saying.

I'm sorry. That's really not my thing. So I said, I don't know. And they go, are you serious?

You don't know that they just cited your case as the reason that they can't oppose or -- or object to what President Trump just did. I said, oh, my God. I'm glad to have played a small part in it. Later, the reporter calls me back and says, I went and read all of the court documents, and you're right.

And, of course, I'm -- yeah. I wasn't lying to you. And he said, I've got to write this big story. And I said, to my team at the time. My family. I was like, oh, my God.

This isn't going to go well. The Washington Post wants to write a story about Spicer v Biden, and why it's giving the president the authority.

And then I get a text. And it says, hey, we're putting the story up.

And I go, oh. These things don't end well for people like me and people like you. It's like getting a call from the IRS. It doesn't go well. Hey, I'm from the Washington Post, and I'm writing a story about Glenn Beck. Yeah, thank you.

GLENN: Yeah.

SEAN: So I click on the story. And I'm reading it, and I'm like, okay. Okay. Okay.

Like, when is the bad part coming? And the only part is -- I normally. You know, there's that phrase, Glenn. Where people say, they hate watch MSNBC or something. And I hate the comments. I had to do it. I had to do it.

I will not -- I will not read the Twitter replies or whatever. But I read the comments. And these snowflakes, they're so offended. They're like, Sean Spicer is an evil person for suing the president. I'm like, wait a second. You have to understand the context. Never in the history of the United States has any president ever removed somebody from a service academy board, prior to their term being done for anything less than malfeasance. And even that, we can't find an example. Never!

Joe Biden was so petty. And the point is, they're mad at me?

The comments, there's like thousands of comments when you click on the Washington Post story. I posted it on my social media story if someone wants to go read it. And I'm like, wait a second. You're mad at me.

They're like, I can't believe you did this. Wait. Wait. I did nothing. I literally had 60 days to go. Sure, I would have gotten some medallion from the Naval Academy.

Thanks for your service be on your way. And yet, here they are, like all these snowflakes putting comments in the Washington Post that like I'm the bad guy. Because why?

Because I stood up and said, hey. You want to argue that you have to do this?

Then give the future Republican president.

Now, at the time, myself and Russ Vought had no idea. President Trump hadn't even been declared for reelection yet.

But we thought to ourselves, hey. You know what. We'll stand up. I watch a lot of Law and Order. But that's my legal prowess here.

So the idea that this case now, which we fought at the time, hey, let's try it.

Has now become the basis for which President Trump can run around and say, hey, you're fired. Legit is amazing.

And the Post wrote in the story, that I was giddy. I think that's an understatement. I'm so ecstatic. Not just that President Trump can execute on this tragedy, and that it was Joe Biden that set the precedent and gave us this 50 was such, sweet, poetic justice.

GLENN: You know, whenever somebody tries to force their way. It never ends well.

SEAN: Think about this. They tried to deplatform Trump. They did it civilly and criminally. It backfired. Backfired.

Learn your lesson, folks. Like, to me, I get such a kick out of this because the dumdums keep thinking, if we just go after it one more time, and it works. And it doesn't.

GLENN: So what is the strategy now?
Do you think they have? What -- I mean, because none of this is working.

SEAN: No, I hope it continues. I mean, I just love the fact that it -- they double down on stupid. And they're like, what if we just try it one more time?

And I'm like, God bless you. But the idea that at some point, you know, you take -- I was -- you take the loss. And just say, let's regroup.

Let's retreat. He's not running again. Maybe we stop making it about him, and we think about what we're for.

I don't intend to give advice to the Democratic Party. But at some point, recognize that for ten years, you try to say that Donald Trump is the problem. We are going to come up against them, and it hasn't worked.

So maybe, just maybe you try to rethink this whole strategy. Look, I don't really care.
That's their problem. Not mine.

GLENN: I -- you know, I performed at the Kennedy center ten, 12, 15 years ago.

And it was like -- it almost took an act of Congress to make that happen. You can rent out the Kennedy Center and do whatever you want on there.

Well, they had a problem with me.

And they told me at the time, I was the first show ever done at the Kennedy Center that displayed the American flag on stage.

I found that incredible.

But I don't care what happens at the Kennedy Center. It doesn't matter to me.

But the left is freaking out. They're just freaking out!

SEAN: See, here's the thing. There's a bigger arc, that I think is taking place. In the first term, we were somewhat apologetic. Remember, just think about this. And remember, the Kennedy Center is just one thing. So the president can keep firing everybody. But in 2017, we came into office. The Kennedy Center honors, right? Which was supposed to be this annual thing. And they celebrate each other. They said, we won't come if Trump shows up.

So Trump was actually magnanimous. And said, you know what, you guys go on. Have your event, I won't go. And I think there was a lot of feeling around. And trying to understand.

And like I said, it was -- it was just -- it was new. What do we do?

How do we approach this? This term, he says, screw it. You're all fired.

I'm taking over the board. I'm in charge.

And I love this.

This idea that we have learned. And this what I mean about the arc. it means, don't be afraid. Don't be apologetic. Fight! Go out there. Why are we ceding ground and pretending to be better? Why is it that Glenn beck is the only person that puts an American flag on it?

Why aren't we saying, you know what, let's bring in more people that do that. Let's be proud. Let's be patriotic.

Let's use this institution to celebrate America.

What I don't understand.

Like, the mentality is so different now.

Let's fight. Let's do this.

GLENN: I think it's -- I think it's absolutely fantastic. I thank you for what you did. And, you know, the only thing that would make it better is if you or I were on the board of the Kennedy Center and we could announce that Lee Greenwood's residency was taking place at the Kennedy Center.

SEAN: Now that you know, that definitely won't be the last time we hear that.

We may be meeting for presidency, of like several other country artists.

GLENN: It would be fantastic.

Thank you so much, I appreciate it. Sean Spicer.

Why the US-Canada Hockey BEATDOWN was More than Just a Game

Does the world hate America under Trump, or are we gaining more respect? Glenn takes a look at the latest headlines: Trump and Putin have agreed to begin negotiations for the war in Ukraine, India wants to “make India great again,” Vice President JD Vance ripped into European elites over censorship, Trump has announced plans for reciprocal tariffs, and the United States absolutely pummeled Canada in a hockey game after Canadians booed the US National Anthem. But this game, which started with 3 fights, was more than just a victory. Glenn explains how it’s a defining moment of the “new era” we have entered and, much like the 1980 “Miracle on Ice”, it has helped revitalize the American spirit.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Well, does the world hate us, or are we gaining respect?

Let's look. Last week, Trump was busy with the world leaders. On Wednesday, Trump said he had a very lengthy phone call with Russia president Vladimir Putin in which they agreed to begin negotiations on Ukraine. On Truth Social, Trump posted, good possibility of ending this horrible, very bloody war. They also discussed the Middle East, energy, and other issues. And agreed to make visits to each other's country. The president also spoke to the Australian Prime Minister. They discussed defense. Trade investment. Mineral supply chains. And concerns about China's aggressiveness.

Also, last week, the world came to the White House. King Abdullah of Jordan.

He was at the White House.

They discussed the situation in Gaza. And then late in the week, it was the turn of India's Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Modi. He visited the White House.

They talked about launching a new initiative on military partnership, commerce. And our countries are going to work together on semi conductors. And AI. In the end, the Prime Minister of India said, we're going to make India great again as well.

The 51st governor, the that one runs Canada is still not happy with Trump.

It played out this weekend, in a Canadian soul-crushing event. I'll get to that in just a minute. In Germany, over the weekend, they were listening to our new vice president. J.D. Vance. They were a little upset. Because he said, the control of thoughts and free speech has to end.

It actually made one of the leaders of the group, weep. Openly.

Saying, that it just showed how far apart Europe and America really are.

And, yes. As the Germans bust down doors for a -- for a retweet. I agree. On free speech, we're quite fire apart. Sixty minutes did a segment on it. That's our topic next hour. But the Germans are now claiming it was free speech that led to the Holocaust.

Excuse me. In Paris, European leaders huddled behind closed doors over the weekend, debating Ukraine's future. Official statements, spoke of unity. But is that the reality?

France and Germany, they're whispering peace talks while Poland in the Baltics brace for something much, much worse.

It's a war of words, at this point now. But history suggests that words don't end wars.

Back then, Washington in its own battlefield, this time over tariffs. The president announced last week, a simple plan. Whatever you charge us. We will charge you.

China was very upset.

Boohoo. Wall Street panicked. In the heartland, farmers remembered fair trade means fair play.

Over the weekend, storms rolled in, as well. They came in fast, and they came in hard. It was Kentucky. West Virginia. Tennessee, and Virginia. Four states that are now digging out from flash floods that swallowed roads and homes and lives.

But among the storm clouds, there was a little parting, some good news.

Small-town America doesn't wait for Washington. Neighbors showed up.

Churches opened doors.

And somewhere, a farmer with a backhoe is already clearing a neighbor's driveway. That's America.

Back in Washington this week, President Trump is delivered on his promises, while even attending the Super Bowl and NASCAR. He's done all kinds of things, including last week, a decisive 25 percent tariff on foreign steel and aluminum, aiming to protect American jobs and industries. Those jobs and industries here in America took a leap on the stock market. Critics are grumbling, but Main Street applauds, as finally a leader puts America first.

On Capitol Hill, Republicans are capturing a six-point agenda. This is all about the budget, and a looming shutdown. Budget resolutions and reconciliation bills aimed to bolster defense, secure our borders, all the way while keeping a keen eye on the deficit, it's a tough balance.

Democrats support the -- the -- the Democrats support is absolutely needed to keep the government from running post-March 14th bipartisan cooperation that is a necessity.

It seems, because we're going to lose some stupid RINOs.

Meanwhile, the Justice Department is undergoing transformation. Seven prosecutors have resigned after being corrected to drop corruption charges against New York City's mayor Eric Adams, acting deputy attorney -- attorney general, Emil Bove cites governance concerns for the dismissal.

Critics say, it's a political maneuver. It's Nixon's Saturday Night Massacre. We'll see, as Kash Patel should be confirmed early this week.

And as he is, if he is, on day one, you expect the Epstein client list to follow within hours of him arriving at the Hoover building.

The budget committee, back to them. They have approved in the Senate, approving a fiscal year 2025 budget. The plan emphasizes bolstering border security, military strength, independence, and an annual allocation of 85.5 billion, an offset by corresponding spending cuts, reflecting a commitment for fiscal responsibility.

House Republicans are navigating their internal debates over their budget approach. The Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, advocates for comprehensive bill.

That combines Trump's tax cut agenda with increased funding for border security, military priorities.

Our friend and serious budget cutter, Chip Roy, is with the House package. We'll see if they can bring them both together.

Both chambers are working on this. Because funding expires on March 14th. Gee, have we ever heard that before?

We can't shut down the government! Really? I don't know.

Democrats are licking their chops. At a government shutdown as usual. But wouldn't it be them, that shut the government down? And, quite honestly, really? I've had enough of this game. Would anybody notice?

Maybe this time, the Republicans won't blow it. Trump sent the Pentagon a Valentine on Friday. That Valentine just pretty much said, be mine. He sent a -- he sent the DOGE team out to the Pentagon on Friday. Their mission is to cut the waste. Cut the crap at the Department of Defense. I think they're going to do that.

Last night, I don't know if Stu watched Hollywood.

They took the stage. Saturday Night Live. Celebrated 50 years of laughs, or depending on who you laugh. Fifty years of finishing returns.

The golden age was when Main Street was in on the joke.

Not the joke.

Tom Hanks is in trouble. He played a MAGA supporter. Oh. And the liberal laughs ensued.

Is it 2016 again?

And the hockey game. I don't know if you saw the hockey game between the US national team and Canada this week. Normally, I'm -- I'm not really into sports.

But sports sometimes, because it's part of culture, has a way of transcending and defining the era we live in.

Sometimes, it says out loud, what we're all thinking. And like the horns of Jericho, it announces our arrival and our future. So let's see if we can find any echoes in the past, that sound an awful lot like this weekend.

In 1980, the United States was in the same situation, we're in right now. And it was a hokey game that changed everything. By and large, the world had lost respect for us. Because just like now, we lost respect for ourselves. Our nation had gone through some of the intense movements in civil unrest, that we had ever seen.

The left seized on it, keeping us in a perpetual cycle of class, and societal warfare. Patriotism and trust, in the government was spiraling out of control.

Three years after Jimmy Carter accepted the Democratic nomination for president, he addressed these concerns in a televised speech.

It happened on July 15th, 1979. He said, there was a threat to the nation. And let me quote! The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It's a crisis of confidence.

It's a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national are.

We can see this crisis in confidence, in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives. And in the loss of unity and purpose for our nation.

Erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and political fabric of America. Wow, does that sound familiar!

And isn't it amazing how Carter could see what all of these policies were doing. He could deliver impassioned speeches on the dangerous results.

But then he would go back and double down on the policies that continued the spread of the virus.

The great inflation of the 1970s. It's what they used to call it. It hit a fever pitch by 1980. Interest rates spiked. They fell briefly. Then they flew up from there. Does any of this sound familiar? Banks stopped lending. Unemployment skyrocketed. The economy was clearly in a recession. The geopolitical landscape, pretty much the same.

We had lost respect for ourselves. So the world didn't respect us. Soviet Union appeared to be winning the war for global hearts and minds.

And then hockey!

Hockey came in to play. It was the battlefield of the Cold War. By 1980, the Soviet Union had taken home the gold in five of the six past Olympic Games. But then came the night of February 22nd, 1980.

The game had already happened. Hours earlier, due to a broadcast delay, Americans were expected to lose the mighty Soviet national hockey team.

But then we heard Al Michaels. Maybe the greatest sports call in modern history.

VOICE: You've got ten seconds to pass that ball. Five seconds left, and the game is over. I believe in miracles? Yes! Unbelievable.
(applauding)

GLENN: Do you believe in miracles? It was called the miracle on ice. Movies had been made about it. It was an announcement party was what it really was. It was the changing of the guard. It was the birth of the new era. Herb Brooks brought together a group that everyone said could not win, at a time, when America was convinced, it could not win.

And what it announced is: America is back. And we're not going to be pushed around anymore.

We will no longer be taken advantage of. We would no longer allow people just to laugh at us, or belittle us, because we were back!

Reagan, came in shortly after. Now, like 1980, we have just spent four years under a political ideology, as Carter put it. That strikes at the very heart and soul, and spirit of our national will.

Our young people, they don't care about America anymore.
They don't have pride or love for the country. Because we haven't raised them that way, in most cases. School is saying, there's no reason to be proud of your country. People take it for granted. They're ashamed of the accomplishments of America. Her history.

And the very ideology on which she stands. Now, before I get into this last part, I will say, I don't like the arguments between us and Canada right now. I don't like it.

We've always been friends. And it's a beautiful country. It's cold. I don't want to live there.

And I don't want it to be the 51st state. I actually think it's pretty funny that our president is calling the Prime Minister the governor. But the Canadian government, lead by their progressive Prime Minister, our Governor Justin Trudeau is an annoying mascot for everything that is wrong with global politics.

Well, he was at the hockey game on Saturday in Canada between the national Canadian team and the US national team. Rumor was, our boys were a little sick and tired of being booed, every time the national anthem is sung.

And they weren't going to take it. Why would they? Our country under the government leadership has been toothless and apologist for four years. We've been taught to be ashamed of our country. Why not boo the national anthem? And boo they did.

If you saw it, it made your head explode.
When the puck finally troped, at the start of the game, the American center, he barely looked at the puck. He didn't care about playing the game that the point. He immediately tore off his gloves. Dropped his stick. And clocked his opponent, taking him to the ground. When the referees pulled the American away, he skated with his head high, glaring at the hostile crowd. The message was clear. Screw Old Glory. To your peril! It was kind of awesome.

There were a total of three fights in the first nine seconds. Again, which I didn't like.

But the Americans were on a mission. The intensity through the game was brutal.

And the Americans delivered an old-fashioned American beat down. The US team delivered a message and won three to one. I don't know. Was it the miracle on ice of 1980?

Because that was more than a hockey game. And I couldn't help, but feel the same way on Saturday.

I think America is back. We're not ashamed. We're not going to be intimidated. Nor cower anymore.

But we don't hate our neighbors. We just love our country.

What she stands for.

And the birth of a new prosperous, and proud era, I think is upon us.

Congratulations, team USA.