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Joe Kent's Resignation: The Questions We SHOULD Be Asking | Guests: Daniel Horowitz & Rachel Bovard | 3/18/26 - The Glenn Beck Program | Wave AI Podcast Notes

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Joe Kent's Resignation: The Questions We SHOULD Be Asking | Guests: Daniel Horowitz & Rachel Bovard | 3/18/26

The Glenn Beck Program

Wed Mar 18 2026

Summary

The Glenn Beck Program: "Joe Kent's Resignation: The Questions We SHOULD Be Asking"

Broadcast Date: March 18, 2026
Guests: Daniel Horowitz, Rachel Bovard
Episode Focus: Joe Kent's high-profile resignation from national intelligence, its political and cultural implications, the MAGA movement's future, Islamism in the West, and U.S. political strategy.

Episode Overview

On this episode, Glenn Beck dissects the explosive resignation of Joe Kent, a decorated veteran and director of the National Counterterrorism Center, who accused the U.S. administration of being manipulated into war by Israeli interests. Glenn navigates the facts, speculation, and underlying political power plays, especially as they relate to the evolving MAGA movement and upcoming 2028 political succession. The program also features broad discussions on the Islamist threat to Western values, shifts in American urban and economic landscapes, and insight into current legislative maneuvering.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Joe Kent’s Resignation: Facts, Context, and Allegations

Setting the Stage (05:00–12:00)
Glenn breaks down the sequence leading to Kent's resignation:
- Kent resigns, stating Iran posed “no imminent threat.”
- Accuses Israel, its allies, and the American media of pushing the U.S. into a war for Israel’s benefit.
- This is the first major senior break in the administration over this conflict.
- Trump dismissed Kent as “weak on security” while Tulsi Gabbard defended the President’s judgment.
Kent’s Background and Shifting Alliances
Glenn discusses Kent's reputation:
- Decorated war hero, former Special Forces, CIA, known for "America First" and libertarian stances.
- Criticized by the left for his association with far-right figures.
- Glenn provides context about Kent’s personal life, including the death of his first wife (killed by ISIS) and the potential influence of his new wife, who has written for The Grayzone, a controversial media outlet (13:00–18:00).
Glenn’s Analytical Approach
Glenn stresses discernment between fact and opinion:
- "Facts matter. They matter. So I want to go through some of the facts, but I also want to start with a couple of disclaimers." (08:37)
- Refuses to “judge by association” but highlights “ideological drift” in Kent’s recent positions.

2. Accusations, Evidence, and Impact

The Weight of Accusation (21:40–26:00)
- Glenn underscores the gravity of Kent’s allegations, stating such claims “require extraordinary proof.”
- "If he has a charge like that, he has evidence of manipulated intelligence or political deception. That evidence belongs before Congress, Inspector Generals and the American people. Show me the proof." (24:01)
Political and Social Context
- Allegations like Kent’s fuel anti-Semitic and conspiratorial sentiment, with Glenn warning about the dangers of unfounded claims in a volatile cultural climate.
- “Opposition to a war... can be principled. But claims that the Jews or Israel's lobby secretly dragging America into a war require extraordinary proof. Why? Because history teaches us exactly where this language leads.” (24:40)

3. MAGA Fragmentation and 2028 Political Positioning

Power Dynamics and 2028 (29:59–39:00)
- Glenn and Jason Butrill debate the true meaning of Kent’s break and the upcoming split in the MAGA movement post-Trump.
- "Everything is about power. Everything is always about power. Power, money, control. And you have the biggest movement in America in my lifetime, MAGA, and it's going to be handed off to somebody." (30:37)
- Notably, Kent’s criticism sidesteps blame for Trump directly, suggesting a calculated move to retain MAGA support.
- "If you believe Donald Trump is smart enough to recognize that situation in others, then you have to say, if you believe what Joe Kent did, you have to say, Donald Trump's smart enough to recognize he's in bed making the same mistakes that all the other presidents made, but they don't do it. This is all about politics. This is about the next election." (34:18)
Political Strategy – JD Vance & Marco Rubio (46:12–54:00)
- Glenn explains how Trump is quietly setting up potential MAGA successors:
  - Rubio is tied to foreign policy outcomes with the Iran/Israel situation.
  - JD Vance is positioned as a domestic anti-fraud crusader.
- "This is how you build a successor without naming one. You give them a lane, you give them a mission, you give them victories to see and feel, but you also give them a place to fail." (54:00)
- The outcome of the Iran war and anti-corruption efforts will define Republican leadership heading into 2028.

4. Islam, Islamism, and Western Values

Preview of the "Islam & Islamism" Special (25:26–27:12, 68:56–70:07)
- Promotional focus on Glenn’s upcoming special exploring political Islam’s “blueprint” and its threat to Western civilization.
Expert Perspective: Daniel Horowitz (70:07–83:00)
- Details concerns about assimilation and anti-Western sentiment among Muslim communities in America, spotlighting the mayor of Dearborn Heights and local mosque rhetoric.
- “There is zero expectation that the Christian or Jewish victims of those attacks... would go into a mosque and try to ram… a school of children. And that is exactly the difference...” (73:08)
- Glenn and Horowitz discuss the constitutional tensions between freedom of religion and open anti-American activism, expressing concern that the U.S. is enabling the creation of “unfiltered Islamic states” within its borders.
- "If we allow the political aspects of it to form their own independent state, we will be worse off than any Islamic country in the Middle East." (80:50)

5. Urban & Economic Decline – The Case Study of Seattle

(87:10–105:20)

Glenn laments Seattle’s dramatic decline, linking failed progressive policies, over-taxation, regulatory overreach, and ideological mismanagement to the collapse of its business core.
- “Seattle is now flirting with the same downward spiral. Commercial real estate…the values…have fallen 30 to 50%. Banks holding those loans are restructuring billions in debt. Local governments…watching their future budgets shrink. So they're going to tax you, the little guy.” (98:00)
Warns of a coming “tipping point” and collapse in other blue states if similar policies remain unchanged.
Strongly advises listeners: "If you have any hope of ever making money, you have money. You have a family. Get the hell out. They will trap you." (101:20)

6. Senate Politics and the Save America Act

(109:55–121:13; Guest: Rachel Bovard)

Rachel Bovard unpacks complex Senate procedures, noting renewed debate and a rare “open floor” on the Save America Act.
- “Just that simple fact means that right now, the Senate floor is the most open that it's been in maybe a decade. It's remarkable.” (113:49)
Rachel and Glenn agree that real legislative action, not mere performance, is necessary to regain trust and energize voters ahead of the election.

7. Bonus Segment: Tommy Robinson Interview Excerpt

(63:39–66:56)

Glenn airs a moving exchange with UK activist Tommy Robinson about the existential cultural crisis in Europe and the need for “uniting the Western world.” Robinson is brought to tears discussing the cultural and personal cost of his activism.
- "We want to unite the kingdom and unite the West. This is far bigger than us…If you have uni of all Western civilizational groups across every Western nation, we're going to lose." — Tommy Robinson (65:01)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Evidence
- "When you say these things, you're required to step to the plate with truth. Why? Multiple sources inside the White House now…confirmed that he had been kicked out of every classified briefing on Iran for weeks." — Glenn Beck (24:45)
On Political Blame
- "Nobody's duping the President. Nobody is. This is not the fault of Marco Rubio, not the fault of Pete Hegseth, not the fault of. Of the CIA. It is Donald Trump. He deserves all the credit and all the blame." — Glenn Beck (35:34)
On Islam & Assimilation
- "Ironically, in America…they’re creating an unvarnished, unfiltered, unadulterated Islamic state state that they cannot create…in the Middle East." — Daniel Horowitz (80:20)
On Economic Mismanagement
- “Instead of asking why companies are leaving, city leaders ask a different question entirely. How do we punish the people creating jobs? How can we make their life even harder?” — Glenn Beck (98:22)
On Congressional Action
- “Just that simple fact means that right now, the Senate floor is the most open that it's been in maybe a decade. It's remarkable.” — Rachel Bovard (113:49)
On Cultural Threats
- "We want to unite the kingdom and unite the West. This is far bigger than us…It's time we celebrate it and we put back our identity.” — Tommy Robinson (65:01)

Timeline of Essential Segments

[05:00–12:00] — Kent’s resignation, personal/professional context, initial reactions
[13:00–21:00] — Glenn reviews ideological affiliations, marriage influences, open questions
[21:40–26:00] — The nature of the accusation: proof, evidence, responsibility
[29:59–39:00] — MAGA split, 2028 jockeying, strategy, Trump’s response
[46:12–54:00] — Political chessboard and the rise of potential MAGA successors
[68:56–83:00] — Discussion on Islamism, cultural conflict, legislative remedies with Daniel Horowitz
[87:10–105:20] — Seattle/urban decline as policy outcome, broader national implications
[109:55–121:13] — Senate deliberation and the Save America Act with Rachel Bovard
[63:39–66:56] — Tommy Robinson on Western civilizational unity, activism, and hope

Final Thoughts

Glenn consistently returns to underlying themes:

The necessity of fact over opinion in public policy and national debate.
The dangers of political opportunism in the post-Trump MAGA landscape.
The threat posed both by external ideological infiltration (Islamism, communism) and internal political sclerosis (incompetence, performativity, economic self-destruction).
The urgent call for proof, clarity, and accountability in public discourse:
- "I don't trust it. But I am open to seeing any proof. Not hearsay proof. This requires proof." (25:45)

This episode is essential listening for those following national security, U.S. conservative politics, and the deep cultural struggles shaping America's near future.

For more:

Full Tommy Robinson interview: [Torch, 6pm EST]
Glenn's special on Islamism: [stoptheconquest.com, 8pm EST Mar. 19]
Ongoing updates: [glennbeck.com/torch]

End of Summary

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Transcript

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Glenn Beck (2:55)

The fusion of entertainment and enlightenment and empowerment. This is the Glenn Beck program. Hello, America. Welcome to the Glenn Beck Program. We're glad you're here. We're going to start with Joe Cannon. Joe is a guy who is, you know, high up in national intelligence and came out yesterday with a, a stunning letter accusing the president of, you know, just being duped by the Israelis. Yeah. So we got that to deal with today. We got that and so much more. I spent an hour, what, 90 minutes yesterday with Tommy Robinson, and that was fascinating. We're giving you highlights of that and so much more. We have our big special coming up tomorrow night on Islam and Islamism, political Islam. What is the blueprint? Because there is one, and we're going to show it to you tomorrow. You don't want to miss it. Coming up, we'll have all of that information. We start with Joe, ken here in 60 seconds. First, let me tell you about tax season usually starts with a few questions you're not sure how to answer. And it's scary. I mean, maybe there's a return you never finished. Maybe you notice that you, oops, did I set that aside? Maybe that feeling isn't just something, you know, that something's just not fully buttoned up. And the longer it sits there, the heavier it gets because, you know, it's the kind of problem that doesn't stay the same over time. Penalties build, interest adds up. And what started as somebody, you know, something manageable, something that you might have just been able to handle quickly at the beginning, now you can't handle it. And that's exactly where Rush Tax comes in. They work with the people who are dealing with unfiled returns, back taxes, situations that have gotten more complicated than expected. And they'll sort through it in a way that actually makes sense. And when you mention my name, they're going to provide a free IRS transcript investigation. That's something that other services, you know, typically charge about $500 for, often without even confirming that they can help you. Rush offers this upfront and for free, and they will only take your case if they know they can help you. So get a Rush Tax attorney now. Protect yourself. Call 877-554-RUSH 877-554-7874 or go to rushtaxresolution.com all right, before we start with the Joe Kent thing, I want to make things really, really clear. My convince you of one thing or another. And I've been saying since this war began, I am tired of people with their opinions. I have my opinion. I will tell you when it is my opinion. But it is important to establish facts first. And not a lot of people are doing that. And facts matter. They matter. So I want to go through some of the facts, but I also want to start with a couple of disclaimers. I want you to know that as I take you through this, I did not buy nor use. They're just days away from having a nuke as justification for this war. In fact, I rejected that right off the top. Um, you know, I've done several monologues on this. The day, the first day I was on the air with the. With the war, that's one of the first things I said. I don't accept that as a reason for going in, because fool me once, shame on you. Also, I am not questioning anyone's right to question this war, question the government, question our spy agencies, question anything all the way down to me. That is important in a republic. I also don't fault anyone for questioning this war, whether it's in the best interest of the United States of America, especially after the debacle that was Iraq and Afghanistan. I also don't fault anybody for looking at the actual motives of all of our allies. We should, because allies are not the United States of America. They have different motives, just as we do. And that's why I caution not to judge against things that, you know, that others may do that we, ourself, with our own State Department do to further our own national interests. You know, if. If, if you're going to fault somebody saying they're trying to convince us to do something that's not in our national interest, your problem is really not with that government, because that's the job of their secretary of state or foreign minister, just like Marco Rubio. That's Marco Rubio's job. He goes in and Donald Trump says, get him on board with this. Well, it may not be in their best interest. Find a way. Get them on board. That's what they do. So if you have a problem with somebody being duped, the problem is with the politicians, not the other country. And this is where I believe Joe goes way awry on this. If true, his beef should be with our CIA as well as the President of the United States. Now he's making a beef with the CIA, but not with the president. But that's where the buck stops. You know, if China dupes our leaders, is that their fault or our fault? And I just want to direct you back to Donald Trump. He's been very, very clear. How did we get into all of these wars? How do we lose all these financial deals? What does he say over and over again? Because we had idiots running our country. We had presidents who just didn't get it. So that's where the fault would lie. But this is an incredible charge that he made and has deep ramifications. Now, I want you also to know I have pretty good deep sources on this issue, but none of them will go on record due to security clearances and everything else. So I dismiss those things. I have to when I'm talking to you because I can only give you as evidence in something this important, what I can find in open sources. I want to be as fair as possible. So let me look at the facts of what happened yesterday with Joe Kent, okay? And give you the cleanest read I can give to you. Jo Kent's resignation is real. We have to start with that because do you even know what's real anymore? This is real. And at the core, it is explosive. He resigned as the director of the National Counter Counterterrorism Center. He said Iran posed no imminent threat. He accused Israel and its allies in America and American media for pushing the United States into war that benefited Israel. Okay? That makes this the first major senior break inside this administration over this conflict or really pretty much anything in this term. Now, Trump yesterday came out and brushed him off as weak on security, yada, yada, yada. The White House and Tulsi Gabbard. Gabbard defended the president's judgment and said he acted on compelling evidence. Now, Joe Kent is not some random bureaucrat. He is and should be honored as such. But it doesn't give you blanket immunity from questioning. He is a decorated veteran, a war hero, former special forces, CIA officer, two time congressional candidate candidate, and also a man long identified with American first and anti interventionalist wing of the right. He is a much more of a libertarian, okay? He's also been controversial for his association with, you know, far right figures, talking about the election in January 6th and everything else. And so that's why the left has given him lots and lots of criticism as a conspiracy theory, a theorist, et cetera, et cetera. So the public, the American public have two truths to look at him, okay? He's a serious combat veteran, deep resume. He's also spent years moving in circles where grievance and extremism and ideological drift are also visible. Now, I wouldn't normally bring this up, but he's got something else I'm going to bring up here in a second. That is important to say that ideological drift. Okay? He has a deep tragedy in the center of his life, and that is absolutely real. His first wife, Shannon, Kentucky, highly decorated Navy cryptologic technician. She was killed in, I think, 2019. An ISIS suicide bomber came into Syria, blew himself up, and that was during Operation Inherent Resolve. Official Navy and NSA memorial materials describe her as, you know, killed in the line of duty. ISIS claimed responsibility for that attack. Now he has a new wife. And this is important, and normally I would not get into, you know, somebody's wife unless it's an influencing factor. And there is something that is very different about the wife. Okay. His current wife, multiple reports identify her as Heather Kayser and say that she has contributed to something called the Gray Stone. This is an outlet, a media outlet, founded by Max Blumenthal. Who's Max Blumenthal? What is this outlet? Blumenthal wrote for something called Al Akbar that is a pro Hezbollah, pro Assad outlet. Now, he resigned in 2012 over the Syria coverage, but he's also a contributor to Russian state media, RT, and Al Jazeera, which is Qatari money. The gray Zone, which he edits, has been criticized as anti west, anti Israel, pro Russia, pro Iran. Also, he was platformed at an Alexander Dugan linked event. If you've listened to this show, I've been talking about Alexander Dugan and how dangerous this guy is since before the turn of the century. I mean, I first found him when he said that America would break up into 10 different zones and they were trying to create a civil war in America. And that was like. That was like 1997 or 8. Started talking about him. He is very, very dangerous. Okay? This event called the Forum of the future of 2050, was in Moscow in 2025, and that's where Blumenthal spoke on the same stage with Alexander Dugan. Now, I want you to know, crimes of the wife are not crimes of the husband. There's no crime with his wife, but it's a saying. But I learned a very important lesson in my Big Fat Greek Wedding, and that is, the man may be the head, but the wife is the neck, and she turns the head. And anybody who is married knows, you know, if your wife is on a path, dude, you got a choice, okay? Now, I don't find any solid reporting that proves that she's an employee of Blumenthal, you know, in the formal sense, but she did write for the site, so I don't know any deeper than that. Those connections are being argued online but the evidence available does not, does not support she is a Dugan puppet or a supporter of the Red Green alliance. As established fact, however, you can draw an inference from that. But that's not fact. That said, the ideological ecosystem that he is in and his wife is in, it is curious to me that he has taken 180 degree turn after they got together and very, very recently. I can't use that information. Let me just go back to 2020. He tweeted in 2020. We should not sit and wait for the next attack. Wipe Iran's ballistic capability out. Another one. I personally think we should have crushed their ballistic and nuclear capability. But Trump has a plan and he has earned the trust of any clear eyed observer. So he wanted to go further at that time. Why the change? Could it be the influence of Duganites? Dugin is widely described by scholars and analysts as far right in the scary sense. Ultra nationalist, anti liberal Russian ideologue whose work argues for civilizational struggle and it's against the west and the American power. And he's calling for chaos. He is absolutely aligned with different theological endings. He is absolutely aligned with the mullahs in Iran. He is not just a Russian professor with opinions. He has long been treated as an intellectual node in a broader anti Western network that seeks really bizarre alliances across the far right and the far left. And it's all united around anti liberal democracy, anti NATO, anti the United States. Okay, so here's all of the. That's that. Those are the facts. So what is actually happening here? Let me give you that in 60 seconds. First, burn a launcher. You're at home in the middle of the day, going about normal quiet afternoon when something stops you cold. Not a doorbell, not a knock, but the sound of somebody testing your doorknob. And at first you might wait, you know, thinking it as a mistake. And then you hear footsteps moving along the side of the house. Whoever has decided to try to get in has tried to get in another way. And in that moment, everything becomes very, very clear. This isn't some somebody you know at the wrong address. This is someone seeing if your home is an easy target. And that's when you realize how important it is to have an option that you know doesn't require you to escalate to legal force. It still gives you ways to protect yourself and create distance if you need it. And that is a burner launcher. That's what it's designed for. It's a compact device that fires kinetic and pepper projectiles designed to stop a threat without using a firearm. And it is legal in all 50 states and you don't need a permit. Go to Burna.com Glenn learn more try before you buy a sportsman's warehouse located near you. It's byrna b y r n a berna.com glenn 10 seconds station ID. Okay, so what you'll find on social media and other broadcasters or podcasters is, you know, the sky has a wind sock. He's a total fraud. No, he's a man of principle and a decorated war hero. That's not the deepest question we should be answering here. This guy chose to make an accusation of the highest possible consequence, that the United States was pushed into a war by Israeli pressure and misinformation. Key without presenting the proof required for a charge that large. He is not a podcaster guessing from the bleachers. This is a guy inside the intelligence community. Inside, at the top of the, you know, spy apparatus. If he has a charge like that, he has evidence of manipulated intelligence or political deception. That evidence belongs before Congress, Inspector Generals and the American people. Show me the proof. It's important because I can't dismiss you. But I also can't accept it without you coming with proof. You can't just say when you call fire. Fire. Everybody has to pay attention, okay, and run because there might be a fire. That's not the same as this. This. When you say these things, you're required to step to the plate with truth. Why? Multiple sources inside the White House now on record confirmed that he had been kicked out of every classified briefing on Iraq or, sorry, on Iran for weeks. He lost access at the beginning of the year due to him being suspected of leaks. So he was already on the out. And then when they started taking briefings on this, he was not in any of those briefings. So how would he know what the President was basing things on? You know, honestly, due to his leaks, I'm wondering if anybody else has been burned by leaks from him in the past. You know, what is real, what is not. How accurate were the past leaks? I don't know, but let's get back to the proof. The American system does not ask you to prove you're innocent. It asks you to prove the guilt. That's up to the accuser. So if his allegations are true, he must present proof and they must be looked into. However, if he doesn't have that proof, then what he just released was not a principled warning. It was an accelerant. I said this yesterday. You know, the country is all already on fire with Hatred and suspicion and real antisemitism. And an accusation like this is just gasoline. Now, Tulsi Gabbard statement. Let me talk about her for a minute. It's revealing for the same reason she defended Trump's authority and the chain of command. But she appears to have framed the conclusion as the President's judgment after reviewing intelligence, rather than saying the intelligence community had clearly established an imminent threat. Now, I don't know if that is why she didn't do that. Is that a possible setup? Is she going to run for president? Does she need this? I don't know what's happening. Many people are reading her statement as institutional cover rather than a full throat throated factual rebuttal of Kent. It's kind of the middle ground, but again, that's. It's just being inferred, but it's a grounded one. So what is actually happening? This looks like a collision to me of three different forces. First, a real fracture inside the American first coalition over Iran and Israel. Second, Kent's long standing anti interventionist instinct, sharpened by the trauma of losing his first wife. Third, an information ecosystem that too often slides from skepticism about war into conspiratorial narratives about hidden ethnic or foreign control. And that last step is where republics get poisoned. Opposition to a war, this war, or any war, can be principled. Opposition against Israel can be principled. But claims that the Jews or Israel's lobby secretly dragging America into a war require extraordinary proof. Why? Because history teaches us exactly where this language leads when it's flung into a frightened public without any evidence. So I can't tell you anything other than those things are facts. Now, let me give you my opinion. Something's not right here. He changed his opinion dramatically. He has connections to Dugan, like people, which is very dangerous and very hard to spot and get away from once you've been sucked into that, that event horizon, if you will. Something's wrong. I don't trust. Trust it. But I, I am open to seeing any proof. Not hearsay proof. This requires proof. All right, let me tell you about rough greens. Your dog, you know, never went to culinary school, and I had German shepherds, and they're pretty good. I mean, they could have gone to me anyway. His body, you know, knows the difference between real nutrition and food that just fills the bowl. But he can't tell you what it is. You know, it's. He shows you what the problem is with things like energy, his coat, how, how he moves, how he recovers, how he ages over time. And most of us we feed our dogs same things every day and we try to do our best, but if we're feeding them kibble food, that's dead food. It's been so highly processed and, and baked at such a high temperature that it can sit on a shelf for over two years and not have any kind of mold on or anything. I mean, that, that's not real food. You would never feed that to your kids. We just feed it to our dogs because it fills them up, but they need the nutrition put back in. And that is exactly why Ruff Greens is here. Ruff Greens is now offering a free Jumpstart trial bag. You just cover shipping. Use a discount code Beck Claim your free Jumpstart trial bag@roughgreens.com it's full of all the vitamins, minerals, nutrients, probiotics, all the stuff that your dog needs. You just sprinkle a little bit of this on top of your dog's food. They love it. And you'll see a difference in your dog. Roughgreens.com promo code Beck tomorrow night is the big night.

Glenn Beck (31:45)

I can guarantee you. I know, I know. The man surrounds himself. The guy spent 30 minutes on the phone with me one time, which he did not have to do, talking about trade. I want to hear your argument against trade. Tell me, tell me, why are you against. Why are you against tariffs? He didn't need to do that, but he actually listened and engaged. He surrounds himself with people who have his worldview, but he also, equally as important, brings people in that have a different point of view. So there's no way he just took all of the. He's too smart. But he, he knows that was the reason we got into Iran. I'm sorry, Iraq. Weapons of mass destruction. He has been preaching inside weapons of mass destruction. Live George W. Bush since the day he said it. So somebody walks into his office and says, you know, weapons of mass destruction, what do you think he's going to say? What do you think he's going to say. He's going to say, no, I don't believe that. Show it to me. Okay, so your argument has to be about Donald Trump. If you're Joe. If you're Joe Kent. But notice it's not. Why wouldn't you make it about Donald Trump? Why would you say, and you are the best president ever. You just got us into a war that is serving only Israel and not America. If that's what you believe, why would you say, and it's an honor and a kissy, kissy, kissy, I love you so much. You wouldn't say that unless you're trying to hold on to him, to be able to hold the people who are maga, notice Donald Trump, They're MAGA on both sides. They're not split on Donald Trump. Okay. They're split on the policies. But he is the policy. He is the guy making the policy. But everybody who splits from him, they know. Split from his policy. They know. Keep him happy. Keep him in line. He's our guy. He's our guy. He's our guy. But look at this policy. This is horrible. This is the worst thing ever. It's the Jews that are doing that. Well, no, excuse me. If you believe that, then you have to say, Donald Trump is in with the Jews because he's not a moron. So he must knowingly be doing these things because that's what Donald Trump always said about politicians. Why do we get into these wars? Why do we get into bad trade deals? Because our presidents don't know what they're doing and they're idiots. So if you believe Donald Trump is smart enough to recognize that situation in others, then you have to say, if you believe what Joe Kent did, you have to say, Donald Trump's smart enough to recognize he's in bed making the same mistakes that all the other presidents made, but they don't do it. This is all about politics. This is about the next election. Right now, you are being shaped. I want you to start looking at the news in a different way. I want you to start looking at the news. This is so cynical and I hate this. But I want you to start looking at all of the news when it comes to MAGA as who wins. If I believe this, what do they gain? If I believe this, they gain half of maga because there is that split going on right now. Am I wrong, Ricky? You see where I'm going?

Glenn Beck (35:34)

Exactly right. So you can stay on his good side. You have to have his good side. You have to remain on his good side if you want to hold any part of maga. And both sides of MAGA now love Donald Trump. And I've not been able to work that out in my head how you're. You're going against all of his policies, but he is the policy. I mean, I stood in the hallway with, with J.D. vance and Marco Rubio and had a conversation with Beau, and I've never seen any. I've had conversations at this level before, and I've never seen politicians do this ever before. What is happening? You guys are on fire right now. Both of them. Separately. One JD Came in after I was talking to Marco, but Marco was there when JD Said it. And I said, Marco just said the same thing. It's not us. We go in every morning and he tells us, this is what we're doing today. We're just doing it. It's him, it's him, it's him. So nobody's duping the President. Nobody is. This is not the fault of Marco Rubio, not the fault of Pete Hegseth, not the fault of. Of the CIA. It is Donald Trump. He deserves all the credit and all the blame. If you don't like it, you can't give him all the credit and none of the blame. Otherwise, he's not the guy you think he is. And believe me, he is the guy you think he is. So, again, I don't have anything to back this up, in fact, so don't take my word as gospel, but I'm looking for things that make sense. This doesn't make sense. He turned on a dime. Turned on a dime. So that is either outside influence, which it could be, or it's more cynical than that. It's. I see a way to play a role in MAGA after this president is done. I'm positioning myself to play some role in MAGA 2028, and I'm putting my chips in the anti Israel Maga movement. I think that's what's happening. Could be wrong again, I just say we could solve this. Show me the proof. Show me the proof, Joe. And by the way, Ricky just gave me a tweet that said. What was it that you said? It was a tweet. Or was it?

Glenn Beck (38:26)

you can have an opinion, but you need the facts first. You have to have the facts first. That is something I've been saying for the last few weeks. Once we got into this war, I said, I have been watching the news, and everybody has an opinion. Everybody has an opinion. Can you give me any facts first? Then tell me what it means. I don't need your opinion. You don't need. I said in that monologue yesterday, I don't. I don't want to be somebody where you're taking my opinion and just running with my opinion. My opinion is my opinion. As I said yesterday, I have an ass and an opinion, and they're both worth the same thing. When it comes to things like this, when we're trying to figure things out, when we are looking at, at all of this, something this important, you have to start with the facts. And again, because I know one of them said, glenn, why don't you produce your facts that it didn't happen? Did you grow up in Russia? Where'd you grow up? Because I grew up in the United States of America. The accuser presents the facts. The accused is innocent until proven guilty. So you could make that case. I might even believe you if you have the facts. I might even without facts, be inclined to believe you. That, Yep, I bet you the CIA is doing that kind of stuff. Might even be inclined. But that doesn't make the person guilty. That doesn't mean that what you said is true. Produce the facts, prove the guilt. I don't have to prove the innocent. You have to prove the guilt. That's the way it works in America. Back in a minute. Something happening right now. A lot of people hoped they would see, they wouldn't see again in their lifetime. And that is rampant anti Semitism. I mean, I was just talking to Tommy Robinson yesterday, and, you know, we were talking. He said, glenn, you weren't saying that this was coming, you know, in the early 2000s, when he was just getting money just as he was first getting arrested. And, you know, everybody said that was nuts. It is here, gang. It is here. And it's getting worse. And for a lot of Jewish families, that has changed the feeling of everyday life in places that used to feel safe, places that used to feel like, you know, everything is normal. Well, it's not normal anymore. And in Israel, it's really different. Moments like this is why standing with the Jewish people right now matters so much. You don't have to support Israel, the wars, or anything else. But do you believe that the Jewish people have a right to exist and live? I do. Join me, will you? International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. They've been around for a long time and they have been helping people in Israel and Jewish people around the world live a safer life. 888-488 IFCJ 888488 IFCJ or go online, find out what they do and give join take a stand. IFCJ.org that's IFCJ.org Glenn.

Glenn Beck (46:12)

Glam. The fusion of entertainment, enlightenment and empowerment. This is the Glenn Beck Program. Hello America. Hello America. Welcome to the Glenn Beck Program. There's a lot going on today. We've got our big Special, special happening tomorrow night on the destruction of the Western world. And we've. My staff keep saying, Glenn, this is, this is amazing. This is amazing. We did a walkthrough yesterday, doing another rehearsal today. It's a live documentary. We've never done anything like this. Chalkboards are back. Everything that you need to learn and to really get a handle on. Oh wow, they really are trying to destroy America. And there is such a thing as the Red Green Alliance. This is something that you should watch with it with a somewhat open minded friend, somebody who's not necessarily paying attention because when you see it, you can't unsee it. And that is tomorrow night, 8pm by the way, it's on Torch now. You can go search Glenn Beck on Roku and you can get Torch on Roku as well. So you can watch us there. But make sure you join us, tell a friend, gather some people and watch it together. 8pm tomorrow. Also, Tommy Robinson just had a fascinating interview with him yesterday. I don't know what I thought about Tommy. I guess I didn't know about Tommy yet. You know, you can watch things, but when you're seeing somebody from across the ocean and they are, are, they are not rooted in American principles. That's the problem with Europe. When they don't have the Bill of Rights, they don't understand all men are created equal, endowed by their creator. So they don't have these things and so they can go awry quickly. And then when you have the media saying they're a far right white supremacist, blah, blah blah, and you're not over there, you don't know. I have to tell you, I walked away really respecting you. I really like, liked him. You know, he started out as a, as a, a football thug and explained his whole story to me. And I mean, it's a fascinating interview. So we'll get to some of that here in just a second. I also want to continue our conversation from hour number one of the podcast today where we were talking about Joe Kent and I want to get off the Joe Kent thing. But I said last hour, I want you to start looking at everything through the eyes of 2028. If you do that, you might start understanding stories. And I think that's what the Jo Kent story is about. As I laid out last hour, I think that this is really about 2028. This is the, the MAGA movement is up for grabs. Who is going to get it and what does that mean? And so that's why MAGA is being split. And notice they're not splitting Donald Trump. Both sides love Donald Trump. I don't know how that works exactly, but okay. But they're splitting Maga and it's because of 2028. I'm convinced of it. And there's. There was something that happened, I think it was maybe on Monday that was really small. In some ways. It was fabulous to hear. But there's something small that happened that was a tell. And it was all about 2028. And I'll explain this in just 60 seconds. First, there's a word people don't use very often when they talk about their cell phone service, and that's loyalty. Because most of the time it's a one way relationship. You stick with the same company for years, you put up with the occasional drop call or customer service headache, and in return you get service. And there's no sense that the company on the other end knows who you are or is loyal to you or what you believe. None of that matters. And it probably doesn't matter to you on the surface until you start thinking about it. Patriot Mobile was built on a different idea, that a company can actually be loyal to its customers, not just in service, but in what it stands for. For more than a decade, they've provided dependable coverage on all three major U.S. networks. So you're not giving up quality. They've also considered consistently supported causes that defend freedom and faith and the values that many Americans still care about. And that relationship changes when you are in a relationship with somebody who actually stands up for you and is loyal to you and what you believe in. So go to patriotmobile.com beck or call 972patriot 972patriot use the promo code Beck free month of service. Patriotmobile.com Beck 972patriot so there are moments, like I said, where something small is the tell here. And it's a quiet move that reveals the whole strategy. And what happened just a couple of days ago was one of those moments. A task force was announced on fraud. And if it were any other administration, it would just be, you know, housekeeping. It would be, you know, another headline, another promise to clean things up in Washington. You know, Washington creates task force all the time and they never solve any of the problems. But this one is different. This one is different not because of what it says on paper, but because who is standing at the center of it. Donald Trump started a task force on corruption led by J.D. vance. So who's standing there at the head of it is important. And just as important is who is not. I want you to think of everything through the eyes of 2028. And let's look at the board the way a strategist would look at it. Where's Marco Rubio right now? Marco Rubio has more jobs than anybody I have ever, anybody I've ever met. He is right now exactly where you'd expect him to be. Deep in foreign policy, standing shoulder to shoulder with Donald Trump and the administration. In one of the most volatile geopolitical moments in my lifetime. This thing could be a miracle, could be a massacre, could be horrible in the end. Don't know yet. Iran, energy, global alliances, the risks of escalation into World War three. This is the highest stakes I've ever seen a president play at. High visibility, high risk. And whoever is with it is either a hero or a villain. And if it works, there's stability, there's loyal, there's lower, lower oil prices, there's a real peace dividend. By 26 or 27 and Rubio will look like an amazing statesman. He becomes the natural heir, the man who helps steady the world. Okay, but if it doesn't, what happens to Rubio? If the war drags, if the costs mount, if Americans feel it in their wallets and their son and daughters start coming home in boxes, that position is an absolute anchor. Now, shift your focus here for a second. We got Rubio, but I started talking about JD Vance. So let me go back to JD Vance. Where's JD Vance right now on this issue? Where is JD Vance? I've heard rumors he's not really with the President on this one, but I haven't seen any statements and I haven't seen the President say, yeah, he's kind of weak on this.

Glenn Beck (54:03)

Normally he would say something like, J.D. vance is just not anywhere near this storm. He's standing somewhere else entirely. Donald Trump, say what you want about him, but the guy is a frickin genius. He is going to make sure that the America first idea, that MAGA goes on well after him. Because what did he do? He's put J.D. vance at the same time the war, fraud, corruption, government waste. That's not accidental, that is positioning. Because what Trump said almost offhandedly is actually, I think, the thesis of the next election. He said, and I quote, if we found half the fraud, we'd have a balanced budget. That line is not about accounting, that line is about framing. It reframes the entire economic argument away from the painful choices. Cuts, taxes, austerity, all the things that everybody else in every other country, their Politicians talk about, we've got to cut our way through austerity. We have to start. Doing this would be emotionally unifying. The message is, someone is stealing from you, and all we have to do is stop the threat and stop the theft and we're gonna be okay. And not, in theory. The story out of Minneapolis. Billions of dollars siphoned from programs meant for the vulnerable. I mean, it just couldn't get any. I mean, if I were writing a script, it couldn't get any better. Wait, you're taking the money from children who are hungry? If I'm writing a script, I've got my bad guy. It gives the argument teeth, faces, numbers, outrage. And now Vance is being handed the mandate to go find more. Not quietly, publicly, relentlessly. Trump even telegraphed this. He said, this is not going to be ceremonial. It won't be symbolic. He said that, quote, there's not going to be another czar with no title or with a title and no teeth. Basically not going to be Kamala going down and trying to figure out what's happening with our border. And that's the contrast he uses. He defined in advance what leadership is supposed to look like, and he assigned Vance the role of proving it. Now, let's step back from the whole board and look at the whole board again. You have one potential successor tied to global outcomes that he can't fully control, but he's going to be tied with that, another one being given a domestic mission that can be prosecuted daily, case by case, headline by headline, building a narrative that feeds directly into the next campaign. JD Vance is going to be the guy against Gavin Newsom because he's going to find the corruption in California, so that pits him against Newsom. By 2028, we'll know what the Republican message will be. Not just growth, not just strength abroad, but this. Your government was looted. The biggest theft in American history happened. Somebody robbed our treasury, and we can prove it, and we stopped it. That's a pretty powerful argument against governors like Gavin Newsom or any other Democrat running on expanding programs and increasing. Increasing spending and promising more systems. Because the counter is going to be simple. Before you do more, can you explain why the system wasn't protected in your state the last time? Can you explain where the money went? Can you explain why no one in your state stopped it? And advance is the one uncovering those answers. If he becomes the face of that accountability, then he isn't just part of the administration, he becomes the argument. Same thing with everything that is happening with Marco Rubio. Marco Rubio will become the face of whatever it is that happens with this. Not only this war, but the entire strategy of our foreign policy. You have the pot. If it goes well, you have the possibility of the two best candidates I've ever seen in my lifetime. Because we will know on record what they are capable of doing. We will have seen them in action. This is how you build a successor without naming one. You give them a lane, you give them a mission, you give them victories to see and feel, but you also give them a place to fail. If they're not the. If they're not going to be presidential, if they are not the ones for the job, we'll know it because they will have failed. You let time do all the rest. There's one condition that determines whether any of this works, and that is the economy, because it always comes back to that. If people are working, if wages stabilize, if the inflation cools, then the fraud narrative becomes gasoline already on a moving engine. If the economy is struggling, then even the most compelling corruption story isn't going to be enough. But make no mistake on what is happening here. This is not just about fraud. This is about defining the battlefield of the next election. And quietly, without a speech, without a rally, without a declaration, Trump just put two pieces on the board. You watch those two pieces more in a minute. Let me tell you about relief Factor. There was a time when my hands hurt so bad, I couldn't hide it anymore. I mean, I couldn't write, I couldn't paint. One of the most humiliating things of my life, and as a man, you might know this, if you've ever had to do it, is waking my wife up. Waking my wife up early in the morning and asking her to button my shirts because I couldn't button my own shirts. My hands hurt so bad. My wife came to me and said, why don't you try relief factor? I said, honey, we have been to every doctor on the planet. You think really, relief factor, a bunch of natural herbs and grasses or whatever the hell is in it is going to change? She said, I don't want to hear you whine about your pain unless you're willing to try everything. So I did. And I did it exactly as directed. I had no expectation that it would work. I wasn't advertising for him because I didn't know that it worked. I had friends who said it worked, but I didn't know. I got back. It was Christmas vacation. I got back three weeks later, and I was a believer. In three weeks, you will see whether it changes. Your pain at all, but take it as directed. Please try it. If you're already taking it, you're going to your next update. You're going to get the enhanced formula that it is working even smarter with your body now. They've added some new ingredients that help it really get into your system. So call 1995 relieffactor.com 800 for relief 800 for relief or relieffactor.com get the quick start trial 1995. Do it now relieffactor.com 10 seconds. Station ID. Let me the Charlie Kirk question. Yeah, let me play something. Do I have five, five minutes here, Sarah? Okay. I don't know if I can get to the whole thing, but Tommy Robinson I interviewed yesterday and you want to feel good about America. Listen to the question and his answer. He actually was brought to tears by the end of this. His answer. He was crying. It was amazing. Listen to this from the podcast coming out this week. Cut nine. I had a conversation with Charlie Kirk three years before he died. And we were just having a private conversation talking about what was coming. And he asked me and I said, the only thing that's left is war and assassinations. And he said, wow. And I said, he said, do you think they would go after Trump years before? And I said, oh, yeah. But I said, charlie, I think they're going to go after people like us as well. And we talked about that for a while and I regret now not saying to him. A question I want to ask you. First of all, you seem pretty committed to go all the way no matter what comes your way. True.

Tommy Robinson (63:55)

Do I believe that in history, defining moments change the course of the nation. That's what happens. Bloody Sunday changed the course of the conflict in Northern Ireland. No one knew what that moment would be. A moment will come that's going to change the direction of Europe. We've been working for it for 15, 16, 17 years to try and awaken the public. We're at a stage now where the public are awake. I think that when they put me in jail in 2017, I was put in there to be killed. I've been in, as I said, six Muslims got called guns. I just got named in this month's ISIS publication to be killed. I think that when they put me in jail in 2017, they realized that if I was killed, they might spark a revolution in Britain. So I've detailed everything they've done. I think that the public have been pushed so far. We don't allow them to dictate to us who we are. We are organizing peaceful rallies, celebrations, cultural identity, music, art, love. We love our country. We're not going to give it away. And they are, they are trying to give it away. They've successfully destroyed it in 60 years through weakness and cowardice. I want a. I want. Which we're in the process of doing now. We've built the United Kingdom movement which is now at millions on the streets. We want to unite the kingdom and unite the West. This is far bigger than us. It's far bigger. This is Western civilization. That's what this is about. Now, unless you have uni of all Western civilizational groups across every Western nation, we're going to lose. So our, our future beyond. Our next event on May 16 is to unite the West. And for all of these groups, I've traveled. I went to see Salvini in Italy. I went to see Eric Zamor in France. I've been contacted the leaders of Vox. I've contacted the members of the AfD say listen, we need to celebrate our identity. And that's what we're trying to do. Instead of being against something, we. We're going for something before the best civilization the world has ever seen. We're for our culture and identity, individual nations. And it's time we celebrate it and we put back our identity. Because I believe that these people who aren't voting, they're not voting because it's politics. And I don't think you're going to get them through politics. You're going to get them through culture and identity. So our goal is to.

Daniel Horowitz (78:25)

So I think the bigger distinction is Islam as the religion and a Muslim in that respect you could have, just like you have with Catholics, Jews, anyone else, where, you know, your parents, grandparents, kept certain things, but you're not really much of a Catholic. You know, you might have one or two customs you like, and that's what it is, but you're not keeping the religion. So they have people like that that move away from it or don't really keep it, but the religion is the religion. I mean, there is only one path to it. I think the more relevant discussion is the fact that whatever semantic debate we have about what percentage and, you know, what types there are, every single major Muslim NGO and mosque is run by the Muslim Brotherhood. And that is a problem that is not protected. And Jews and Christians aren't protected either if they had their infrastructure run, run by that or the Chinese Communists. That. That is the distinction there. So you have the right to practice whatever you want. But the reality is when you have these epic, you know, complexes in Plano, Texas, it's not some freelance moderate Muslim ponying up the money for that. And I think that is where there is no constitutional right. I also think Glenn, connected to this discussion of why I believe Islam is the same at its core is we need to understand Islam is a greater problem, paradoxically now in America and Europe than in the Middle East. Yes, see, in the Middle east, and you see this especially in the uae, but really in most of the countries, Islam is a state. It's an entire system, except there, because they're all Muslim. Well, they have to have their own somewhat secular state, because an Islamic state is dysfunctional, and at the end of the day, they want to prosper. So they have to clamp down on it and modify it and change it. So you don't get the decaffeinated version. Well, you get a decaffeinated version of it. But ironically, in America, in a place like Dearborn, where they use our Constitution, where we say, oh, it's all religion, it's all Islam, you could do whatever you want. They're creating an unvarnished, unfiltered, unadulterated Islamic state state that they cannot create, certainly in the uae. But even in a place like Pakistan, where inevitably, if you have a guy crash into a place to kill 140 people and a mayor would say, you know, oh, yeah, yeah, that's okay. You know, what would happen to that guy there? They're not going to put up with that. So I think that's what we need to understand. A lot of people thought, oh, in America, they would assimilate. They'd be more of, again, a decaffeinated version. Actually, the opposite is true. If we allow the political aspects of it to form their own independent state, we will be worse off than any Islamic country in the Middle East.

Glenn Beck (87:10)

Glam. The fusion of entertainment, enlightenment and empowerment. This is the Glenn Beck program. You know, we have talked a lot about the green and red alliance. Green, Islam, red communism. And I started talking about it before I even knew what that was in a chalkboard. When I said the communists, the anarchists, the socialists and the Islamists will all work together for the destruction of the west, the Western world and the United States of America. Well, that's where we are now. And if you look at our cities, Dearborn green, you look at Minneapolis green, but also a lot of red there. You look at Seattle, parts of California, it's all red. You don't need the green. The red is destroying it. So let me talk a little bit bit about that red that is destroying Seattle. Let me just tell you what's happening in Seattle and anybody who happens to be listening and you're in Seattle, Washington state, get the hell out now. Get out. Soylent Green is people. Don't eat it. Get out. It's bad. And I'll explain in 60 seconds. First, most people set up their financial life at a specific moment in time. They make the best decisions they can with the information that they have without really thinking about it. You kind of left everything to continue on autopilot for years. I was just talking to my mother in law. She's 83, she's still living under the will that she did with her husband who has now been dead for quite some time. And I'm like, mom, this is going to go into probate. You got to revisit and you know, you just leave things on autopilot and then life happens and you know, you might have taken a on a loan and now is that loan still right for you? Now that you've got credit cards that are 25% American financing can really make a real difference with you, okay? Because it can help you step back and reevaluate your entire structure of where your money's going every month. Your mortgage, your equity, your debt, and find a way to rework it so it actually reflects where you are now, not where you were years ago. No upfront fees. To find out if you qualify, just call American Financing at 800-906-244-0800 9062440 go to american financing.net nmls182334 nmlsconsumeraccess.org APR for Ritz in the five starts at 6.799% for well qualified borrowers. Call 800-906-2440 for details about credit costs and terms. I have to tell you, I say something and I always, I never used to, but I always say, please don't hold this against me before I say the next phrase. I grew up in Seattle. Please don't hold that against me because now Seattle is insane and it's full of insane people. But when I grew up, the skyline meant something. You know, it was, it was different. The glass towers had just started to go up and the, the global companies and, and, and Boeing. I remember, I remember when they were going to name the, they were looking for a name for the Seahawks and they had a contest name, name the football team for Seattle. And I was driving in the car with my father and I said, dad, and it must have been 10. Okay, what 10 year old boy says, this is dad. It's the home of the, this home of Boeing. They should be called the Jets. And he just looked at me like, you are not my son. I don't know how you are actually a boy. But anyway, apparently that was already taken by some other team. But I remember growing up and it was a really cool place and it stood for something. It was the headquarters of innovation in a city that was all about America's future, you know, and it was rough and tumble that the loggers were there and they're the ones who started it and the pioneers. Now in Seattle, nearly one third of the office space is empty, 35% at the core. More than a quarter of all of the office space all across the city is vacant. Entire buildings are dark at noon. Elevators that carried thousands of engineers and lawyers and designers and now move janitors and security guards through hollow floors where the lights never come on. This is New Orleans without the hurricane. It's not war damage. This is policy that is doing this. And the response from the city leadership shows something that is far more than incompetence. It is intentional destruction. They just passed a new tax in Seattle. If you make over a million dollars, which go ahead, try to live in Washington state, in Seattle in particular, for under what, 150,000. If you have a family, you're at poverty level. Okay, so a million dollars there, you get an extra 10%. No, sorry, not 10%. That would be madness. 9.9% extra tax, another 10%. Okay. They don't have any understanding of how an economy works. Seattle's incoming mayor, Katie Wilson, proposed what she calls a solution. Now to the just the hollowing out of Seattle. Okay, here's what I would do. Fix the problems. Get the poop off the scree streets. Get the people pooping off the streets. Get the drugs off the streets. Clean the city up, and you won't have this problem. But that's not the solution. The solution is, though, all the buildings are empty. So let's tax the empty buildings a vacancy tax. On commercial property. On commercial property that the owners can't fill. They can't fill because of all these other problems. And so the city. I mean, think of this. You're already losing money because nobody wants to rent your building. And the city is going to fine you for it. Like, you want the empty building, you're getting fined. Because I want the empty building. I don't want the empty building. I'm trying to pay for the building. I'd love to have people come in, but I, you know, I've got a huge mortgage on this thing. I have conditions from the bank. I can't just give it away. You're going to get taxed. Okay, so you got property taxes, insurance, all of the. All of this stuff. Vacancy is the last thing any owner wants. Empty space, space means bleeding money out single month. But the political theory running in Seattle assumes something else entirely. It assumes the owners are choosing vacancy. Why? Why? Just think of this for 10 seconds, like you're a thinking human being. Who would do that? What would be the motivation? Yeah, yeah. They're just refusing tenants out of greed. Waiting for some. I got, I don't know, some imaginary payday to show up. So the government steps in of Seattle. The government of Seattle steps in with a punishment. Pay the tax or lower the rent or be fined. That's the economic incentive. Lower the rent or pay the fine. I mean, it would be really almost funny if it wasn't happening in one of the greatest cities in the west coast. The real building, the real problem in Seattle, it's not a mystery. I don't need the Scooby Doo van to pull up. Why did all the businesses leave? I don't know, Shaggy. Why? They left for reasons that everyone in the country understands. Seattle is not known for technology. It's known now for open air drug markets, sidewalk encampments, retail theft treated as a nuisance instead of a crime. A regulatory climate where. Where starting running or expanding a business requires navigating a maze of taxes and mandates. You feel like a criminal. If you're going to run a business, you feel, you know, the city is against you and the state is against you. Even now, Seattle businesses, they face one of the country's most aggressive business and occupation taxes. Then you have layered regulations, the permitting system that can stall development for years on end. Well, companies noticed. They're like, I don't think so. So they start, first thing they did. Let's go to. Let's go to Bellevue across the lake, Short drive away. Lower taxes, safer streets, predictable rules. Okay, so everybody migrated over to Bellevue. The employees all followed. The buildings emptied out. And now they're doing it in Bellevue. This. Now the state is doing what Bellevue may not have even wanted to do, do what Seattle may not even want to do. The state's just getting involved now. We're in places where some of the richest people and most innovative people in the country live. The shores of Lake Washington and all the surrounding areas. Houses that would have been sold before they even hit the market. Just a rumor that this house was up for sale. They've been sitting quietly on what are called pocket listings, some of them, for over a year. Nobody's buying. Why would you. You know what? We should tax the sellers because nobody's buying their house. So maybe they just didn't lower it enough. We should tax them. Good heavens. What is wrong with you people? Instead of asking why companies are leaving, city leaders ask a different question entirely. How do we punish the people creating jobs? How can we make their life even harder? This whole policy is built on the assumption that markets are not signals, they're enemies. And that's where ideology enters the picture. The political leaders now running major west coast cities and states, all trained in economic frameworks that view markets as fundamentally unjust and systems that need either constant correction or just need to be destroyed and profit becomes exploitation. Property ownership is nothing but privilege. And by the way, if you say one more time that you are on stolen land from these damn Indians, I'm gonna. I'm gonna lose my mind. Then give it back to them. Then give it back to them. You were on stolen land. Doesn't help me if you stole it from me. It doesn't help that you're rubbing it in my face every single day. You stole it from me. Shut up. How could you be the mayor of a city that's on stolen land? You have no intention of giving it back, so shut up. Oh, government intervention is. You know, Reagan said it. Government is not the solution. It is the problem. And in Seattle, they think it's the solution. You know, the problem is economies don't respond well to ideology. They respond to incentives. And the incentive in Seattle and Washington state, they are sending a very clear message. If you build here, we will tax you more. If. If you want to create jobs, we're going to make your life a living hell. If your tenants leave because you bought that building years ago, because you thought it would be filled with people, because you thought the city was going to be sane. Now, when you're trying to sell it or rent it and no one will come in because we're not doing our job, we'll find you. If your property struggles, we're gonna punish you for it. What do you think people are gonna do in Seattle? Bye. Bye. The investors sell. If I could. If I had a building downtown in Seattle, I would have sold it long ago. But if I could sell it, I'd be selling it right now. Sell it. And who's going to buy it? Employers? Relocate. This isn't speculation. All of this is happening all across the country. California is doing the same kind of stuff, and the pattern is unmistakable. States that reduced regulatory barriers, lowered tax burdens. After the pandemic, what happened to those states? What happened to Texas? What happened to Florida? What happened to Tennessee? Everyone's moving there. And quite honestly, makes me a little nervous because do you even know why you moved? Are you just gonna bring your same damn politics with you? All the corporate relocations, the construction cranes fill the skylines in Texas, in Tennessee and Florida, meanwhile, what's happening to your state? What's happening to your city? Well, we don't have as much traffic. Enjoy that while it lasts. You can't get a. A rental car to go back into Seattle or a U Haul that go back in. You get them, get them, go out. Good luck finding one, because nobody's bringing them back. Nobody's moving back in. Nobody's renting property. Downtown, you have declining commercial property. What happens to the person that owes all that money and now can't sell that building? Building and the tax base just eroding underneath them. Seattle is now flirting with the same downward spiral. Commercial real estate. I mean, the values in some west coast cities have fallen 30 to 50%. Banks holding those loans are restructuring billions in debt. Local governments depend on property tax revenue. They're watching their future budgets shrink. So they're going to tax you, the little guy. The political answer is always tax more. Always. Major employer in Washington state called the governor to explain how difficult it is. And he's like, you know, dude, you know, I'm a friendly, but it's so hostile here. Costs are so unpredictable. Everything you guys are doing, you're running us out. I have to leave because I have to take my country out. You, because I can't do this anymore. Hey, you know, he's told, good, get out and make room for others. Who says stuff like that? What Company studies Seattle's vacancy rates, the tax policies, the crime, the out of control crazy in the city. Who says, you know what? I think we're going to move our company to Seattle. Capital does not behave that way. Entrepreneurs do not behave that way. Investors don't behave that way. And when policymakers who are just dumb as a box of rocks assume they do, entire economies fall. It's not a mystery, Seattle. It's the result of. Of you being communists. You treat wealth creation as something that has to be managed, controlled or, or punished. And that's why you're being hollowed out. First the company's leave, then the jobs, then the tax base and finally the property values. People watching from outside assume this all happens slowly. That's not how it happens, Irma. Decline moves gradually and then all of a sudden it's going to happen that way. You watch Seattle. It's going to. One day you're going to wake up, you'll be like, when the hell did this happen? It's happening now. It's the tipping point. Enough businesses, families and investor decide, I can't live this way anymore. And once that momentum begins, you're not going to be able to reverse it because capital has memory, capital has options. Rich people have options. The tragedy is Seattle didn't have to be like this. Seattle is a great play. Washington state is a great place. A little depressing. You probably kill yourself because of the rain. But other than that, if you can get past the killing yourself because of the rain, you'd love it there. Innovation, opportunity, growth. That's what you should be looking into. You cannot tax your way into growth. You can't regulate your way into prosperity. You can't punish people for doing well and creating jobs. Attract builders. How do you do that? You get public safety in line. You create conditions where people want to stay. But Olympia and everybody else in Washington state don't see it that way. I'm telling you now, if you have any hope of ever making money, you have money. You have a family. Get the hell out. They will trap you. They will trap you and your money. You mark my words. If these people get control of Washington D.C. what they do in your states, they're going to railroad the hell out of you. Get out. Get out. All right. Legacy boxes are sponsor. Spring is When a lot of people finally get around to projects that they've been putting off, you start opening closets, cleaning out drawers, and digging into boxes that haven't been touched in years. And every now and then, you come across one that you stop and look at for a minute. Old home videos, photo albums, maybe a stack of tapes or films you haven't looked at in a long time. And suddenly you're not cleaning anymore. You're just sitting there remembering. 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