RADIOMay 29, 2025

Did Trump betray his pledge to prove America’s gold exists?

Back in February, President Trump promised to visit Fort Knox and make sure America’s gold was still there. But now, the Washington Times claims that Trump has no plans to visit. So, is that true? Glenn Beck analyzes the situation and suggests something Trump can do to provide radical transparency that would be a great companion to DOGE.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

STU: So, Glenn, what do you make of what seems to be in the news today about Fort Knox? There's kind of like several stories, I saw over the past 24 hours, talking about how, you -- Donald Trump has decided, you know, this is maybe not the right thing to focus on.

Or maybe he's not concerned about it.

There's talk initially about bringing cameras. You were looking to bring cameras to try to document them for people. To make sure they have these reserves.

Is there a change in his position?

Is he just delaying it? What's going on?

GLENN: I don't know. I don't think he's delaying it.

If the story is true. If the story is true, you know, I think what -- let's take it at face value.

What the media is saying, is that because he knows the gold is there. Well, good. I'm glad the president knows the gold is there. I'm thrilled with that.

Now what he should do. Instead of saying, I'm moving on to other things. I think he should do an office of radical transparency.

And because we have to restore our trust in things. And let's just take the gold thing. I don't know if the gold is there or isn't there.

I have no idea.

You can make a great case both ways. That the gold is there and the gold isn't there. You can make a case both ways. That that was all legitimate.

And they just missed a few things. But then the next one seemed to be a little bit more shady and harder to explain.

But you can explain it. And the gold is there.

I don't know. I don't know.

I mean, I used to be much more willing to accept the official line. I'm not willing to accept that anymore.

It doesn't mean I'm saying it's not there. I'm just saying, I'm not going to accept that anymore.

So I won't take a stand on things that I just don't know. I'm not going to give anybody in government the benefit of the doubt.

So I think what he should do is let's say, let's say that the New York Times is -- say, he knew the gold was really there the whole time. So that's why he's backing off. Great. Then what the president should do. Is go to his office in radical transparency. And say, hey. You know what, I don't have any time to deal with this. I want you to deal with this. I want you to open up the vaults. They do this in England, all the time, in the bank of London. So I don't know why we're not doing that here. Let's set it up once a year.

People can go in -- not people. But cameras can go in, and select people.

And every year, we'll take from the audience, you know, from the American people. What are you saying, that we are hiding?

Okay. We'll show you that too next year.

I mean, I just think radical transparency should be the -- the MO of the day. That's why I said that about what I did about the FBI and DOJ on Epstein.

I don't know. I didn't see the evidence that those guys saw. I would like to see the evidence that those guys saw.

I trust them. I believe them.

But I don't believe institutions. But I do believe those guys. And, you know, if Dan Bongino says, guys, I say the evidence.

I believe him.

But to make sure that the entire country heals, they need to show that, and maybe it's an office of radical transparency, needs to show all of that.

And just say, here it is. And, yes, we did go to the moon. And you know how we know? How we can prove it. And just prove it. And I know there will always be naysayers. But at least we will get some of the people back to sanity on the things that we should believe in.

STU: So you're creating an ort?

GLENN: Yes, ort.

STU: Ort. Okay. We have ort.

We had DOGE. Now we had an ort. I'm ort.

So that's interesting. Because I think there is a fascinating balance that people are going the lie right now, trying to understand this stuff. In that, you know, obviously the left just doesn't believe anything that Donald Trump says, right? So they're going to be skeptical of anything that they say. But when it comes to someone who might be a Trump voter who looks at this and said, I listened to Dan Bongino's podcast every day. And I'm a big fan of him and Pete Hegseth, and all these people that he put in control. When they tell me these things, do I just believe them? Or is it a waste of time for them to come out and sort of really prove things that they say are actually true, just so we can all kind of -- you know, where his side might -- again, his side might agree.

Right? But there will still be lots of skeptics.

I don't know. A lot of these theories don't tend to get tamped down by more evidence.

GLENN: I know. I know. No. Because I think we have to make the effort. Whether you choose to believe it or not, you have to make the effort.

And, you know, I choose to believe Dan Bongino. I choose to believe Kash Patel.

Because I know them.

I choose to believe President Trump. I know him. I just don't think they are -- it's part of them in any way, shape, or form. To lie to the American people.

It's just not in their character.

And so I believe them.

But one of the things that is a big problem, is trust. We have no trust in any institution in this country anymore.

We have to do the thing. Remember, what was -- what was hope and change all about?

Remember? Transparency. Transparency.

We're not going to do backroom deals anymore. You're going to read -- none of that came true.

But in 2008, people were saying, I want -- I want some change here. Because there's no transparency.

Do you think that's gotten better?

No. So radical transparency. Is required.

STU: Yeah. I mean -- I think that's a good goal.

You think too, something like, you know, like the Fort Knox show, if you will.

Right? Where you're going and you're saying, hey. Hey, everybody, here's our goal. We swear we have it.

Doing that once a year. Or once every two years. You know, whatever it is.

Could easily be slid into something like the big, beautiful bill. At a very low cost. Obviously, it's not high.

It's not like it's going to cost you a lot to do that.

And maybe does push back one of these theories, a little bit. Right?

You're never going to get rid of everybody that believes these things.

GLENN: I would do this for free. You know how many people would do this for free?

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: And I would put together a group of people on all sides. You know, just get -- it can't be about politics. It just has to be about the truth. I don't care what your politics. I don't care who is harmed by it. I don't care. We have to do a special favor to this or that. We will just show the truth.

That's all we will do. We won't show you our opinions. We will show you the facts as we find them.

Here, they're in the malls. They're in the rooms. This is where it should all be.

There it is. Can you test one? Somebody come over here, pull a random brick, you know, three bricks back, two bricks back, whatever. Don't tell me.

Just pull them. Three random bricks for this pile. And then do it in this one, and then do it in the next room. And then let the chips fall where they may. I mean, that's the only way to cure what we have going on. I think.

STU: Yeah. I don't think -- and I know you noted this. But I don't think it cures it.

I think there will always be people that are skeptical of these things.

GLENN: 10 percent. Yes.

STU: Yes. Think of all the things that we have found on film.

Not to mention, with the rise of AI. Whether anyone would believe these videos as they came out.

GLENN: Yes.

STU: But you can take steps to make sure that people -- who want the truth, can try to find it.

And that is -- I think that would be -- that would be a helpful step. I am a little concerned if they spend too much time trying to track down every theory that's on the internet. And trying to disprove it.

Like, that's not --

GLENN: No. I'm not saying that.

I'm saying, there are some big things that are important. You know, the gold is important.

You know, the moon shot believe it or not, is important.

Do we have any faith in the moon shot anymore. I remember that at 7 percent. That's what I expect.

I expect seven to eight percent of the American people. Will not believe everything that is out there.

There are flat earthers. But when flat earthers become 20 percent. 18 percent.

That's a problem.

That's a problem. You know, you will never get rid of all the flat earthers.

But you should be able to answer some easy questions.

And it's not just by showing the people the facts. The government has to move in a transparent way.

The DOJ. The United States Senate. And the Congress.

They need to find ways to act in a transparent way.

I can ask my architect friend, who I have designed several buildings with him.

And he did something for me, years ago.

And we never published it.

I'll send it out today. I said, redesign the Capitol today, for maximum transparency.

And so he redesigned the Capitol. And the whole front of it is glass.

And so, you know, it just reminds everybody, you can see everything.

There is no dark places to hide here.

And that's the attitude that needs to happen. I mean, I didn't plan on redesigning the Capitol. I mean, I just wanted it for a point.

And it turned out to be a beautiful, beautiful architectural drawing of it.

And I'll send it to you, because it's beautiful.

But that's the attitude.

It needs -- the entire government needs to go, I can't hide anything.

There's no way to hide things. No way.

STU: You know, Hitler redesigned a lot of buildings in his Capitol as well. To point that out to the audience.

No. I think -- so walk me how this works in the age of AI though. You know, because I was watching a video the other day of a kangaroo trying to get on to a plane. And, you know, he was holding a ticket.

And, you know, a lot -- now --

GLENN: Was it real?

STU: Shockingly, it was not. And my thought initially was, this is obviously AI. There's not he really such a thing as a -- a -- it's not like the dogs that you bring on to soothe yourself. The personal support dogs.

The kangaroo is not really in that category.

But it would be an interesting flight.

However, that was my initial reaction. Was like, obviously, this can't be real.

It looked real.

It looked very real.

I will say, almost every comment under the video, was commenting on this is crazy. Can you believe this person, trying to bring a kangaroo to a plane.

Like, seemingly taking it seriously.

Now, the crazy part about this.

I don't know how many of those people were bots.

So I don't know, how many of those people were real that had the question about the thing.

How do you navigate that, in the world that is coming?

GLENN: Okay. Easy. Stop getting your news from social media!

Stop it!

The man who reads nothing at all, is better educated, than the man who reads nothing, but social media!

So many people are reading.

They're getting all of their news from social media.

Stop getting your news from social media. You can start there, and look at some of the things.

But then you have to pursue.

You have to read the stories!

You have to do research is.

It is -- you cannot be spoon-fed this stuff anymore. Or you're going to be a moron. Absolute morons. You cannot get your news from social media. Period.

It's that easy. It's that easy.

STU: But that's like a full-time job to check that stuff out.

I don't know that's that easy.

GLENN: I know. That's where you have to find some trusted sources.

You know, we have to do a better job.

Stu, you know the project I'm working on. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger. And more expensive.

I really need your help. Here.

I'll explain it here in the next few months.

One of the things we have to develop, that is now on the list of things we have to develop, is a way to be able to put a tool in the hands of the average person.

Is this AI?

Is this a -- is this a real video? Or is this an AI generated video?

You know, you won't be able to catch all of them.

But there's got to be a way that the algorithms can spot a fake!

STU: I do wonder.

GLENN: And it will get better and better.

But we have to have some tools that other than just our gut going. Yeah. You know what, that seems crazy.

Kangaroo. I don't know.

Should I check that out.

Should I just be outraged? We need more than that.

STU: I will say, short-term, I think we have that type of stuff. For example, one of the posts -- this is available whenever you're on Twitter.

There's a Grok button there.

And you can -- you can kind of engage Grok on any individual post. And you can ask questions about it. Someone did that. And asked, is this an AI video. And Grok correctly said, it was.

So that's their -- at least now.

GLENN: Perfect. Off my plate. Good.

STU: At least now.

As you point out, this is not a technology that will get worse. It will get much, much better.

Maybe the detection also gets better. And this is just a long -- a big standoff over a long period of time. It will get hard for normal people.

GLENN: Again, one of the things that Grok has going for it. I think it's Grok.

It is all open source.

So you can check the algorithm. I mean, if you know what you're doing.

If you're not open source, and you're not showing these things, again, that's not radical transparency.

Because people will go. I mean, do you trust Grok?

Do you trust AI?

Do you trust Elon Musk?

Do you trust, you know, ChatGPT?

Do you trust any of this stuff?

Because I don't. I have more trust in Elon Musk and X, than anything else.

Because I've seen the hits that he's taken, just to be transparent and truthful. But we need to -- we need to be able to grow trust in one another again.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

Are Epstein's "Blackmail Videos" Being Used for Leverage RIGHT NOW?

What was Jeffrey Epstein's operation all about. If he was at the center of a massive blackmail operation to compromise those in positions of power, who is in possession of that information now? Glenn Beck and ATF Whistleblower John Dodson analyze the details of this situation and give their thoughts on what is the most likely reality surrounding Epstein.

Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with ATF Whistleblower John Dodson HERE

WARNING: How America Elects a Socialist President in 2028 | Glenn TV | Ep 444

The rise of Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old socialist who just won the Democratic primary for mayor, is not just a political earthquake shaking New York City — it’s a warning for the rest of America. Backed by Bernie Sanders, AOC, and the Democratic Socialists of America, Mamdani promises free everything, to tax the rich, and to dismantle capitalism. There’s nothing new about this tired strategy, but the media is propping him up as a new political genius. And with Democrat leaders lining up behind him, it’s clear: This radicalism isn’t fringe anymore. It’s the Democratic Party’s future. Mamdani’s rise is part of a larger movement that’s rewriting America’s values. Glenn Beck explains how New York is the prototype for the Left’s socialist makeover of America. Victor Davis Hanson, senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Standford, gives a terrifying prediction on Mamdani’s mayoral race chances and warns the revolution is coming for mainstream Democrats. He also dives into MAGA’s frustration with the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files.

Salena Zito reveals WHY Trump said “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

“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.