Best of the Program | Guest: Rachel Bovard | 3/18/26

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Glenn Beck Program

Episode: Best of the Program | Guest: Rachel Bovard | 3/18/26
Date: March 18, 2026
Host: Glenn Beck
Guests: Jason Buttrill, Ricky, Rachel Bovard

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Main Theme

This episode of "The Glenn Beck Program" examines key political and cultural battles unfolding in America, focusing on the intensifying internal dynamics within the MAGA movement, complex questions around U.S. foreign policy, and detailed insights into Senate deliberations over the Save America Act. Glenn Beck, joined by Jason Buttrill and later by expert analyst Rachel Bovard, explores issues of shifting political allegiances, the positioning for MAGA's future leadership, and the renewed (or performative) efforts of the Senate to legislate in a transparent, deliberative way.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Islamist Threat in America

(00:29 - 05:08)

• Glenn opens with a warning about the evolving threat of political Islam within America, emphasizing that Islamist ideology has reached into political and city leadership.
• Jason Buttrill underscores the difference between "Islamic terrorism" and the broader project of "economic jihad"—a cultural and political strategy.

Memorable Quote:
"Terrorism is a symptom. The disease, the cancer, is political Islam. It's incompatible with everything that America and the Western world stands for."
— Glenn Beck (04:00)

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The Joe Kent Controversy & the MAGA Succession Struggle

(05:08 - 16:02)

Joe Kent’s Political Shift

• Jason Buttrill details his frustration with people shutting down criticism of Joe Kent due to his status as a veteran, noting Kent's inexplicable and dramatic recent shift in foreign policy positions.
• Glenn challenges listeners to consider that Kent’s change may be strategic and tied to ambitions within a post-Trump MAGA realignment, rather than a reflection of principle or fact.

Key Insight:
Glenn suggests all MAGA-related moves right now are about controlling the movement’s future when Trump is no longer at the helm.

Memorable Exchange:

• "This, his shift in ideology is something that I cannot explain. I don't think anyone can explain right now."
  — Jason Buttrill (06:33)
• "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.”
  — Glenn Beck (08:00)

Analysis of Trump’s Role:
Glenn notes that critiques of Trump’s Israel policy or US engagement in Iran are really critiques of Trump himself—yet politicians like Kent dodge direct confrontation with Trump, maintaining loyalty to him while criticizing his policies. This is identified as pure political positioning.

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MAGA 2028: Trump’s Play between Vance and Rubio

(16:15 - 28:38)

Strategic Succession

• Glenn breaks down how Trump is setting up a rivalry or vetting process between J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio to shape MAGA beyond his own tenure.
• Rubio is depicted as managing volatile foreign policy risks; success could make him a hero, failure could sink him. Vance, meanwhile, is tapped as the anti-corruption czar, building a daily, headline-driven crusade against government waste.

Memorable Quote:
"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."
— Glenn Beck (27:20)

Key Political Insight:

• Trump’s move positions Vance as the face of domestic reform (corruption-fighter) and Rubio as the face of America’s global stance, with both being tested in full public view ahead of 2028.
• The effectiveness of these strategies is ultimately tied to the health of the economy by 2028.

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State & Local Politics: Progressive Overreach

(28:38 - 30:43)

• Brief discussion about new laws in Washington State—state takeover of essential businesses and the push to allow non-citizens to serve as police officers and prosecutors—serves as a segue into the interview with Rachel Bovard.

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Deep Dive: The SAVE America Act & the Revival of Senate Deliberation

Guest Expert: Rachel Bovard, CPI Vice President of Programs
(30:43 - 40:02)

What's Happening?

• Senate Republicans have finally moved to consider the House-passed SAVE America Act, with John Thune proceeding in a way that opens Senate floor debate beyond the minimalist, procedural approach of recent decades.
• Thune used procedural maneuvers to block Democratic amendments and instead introduced Trump-endorsed changes: restrictions on mail-in balloting, bans on gender-transition surgeries for minors, and protections for women’s sports.

Key Explanations from Rachel Bovard

• The current process is the “most open” the Senate floor has been in a decade, with true deliberation possible for the first time in years.
• There is skepticism about whether this is real or just election-year showmanship designed to placate conservative voters.

Memorable Quotes:

• “The Senate floor is the most open that it's been in maybe a decade. It's remarkable.”
  — Rachel Bovard (32:39)
• “People don't remember what you've done. Right? They remember what you're doing. That's the old political adage.”
  — Rachel Bovard (35:39)

Political Strategy & Skepticism

• Rachel argues that ongoing, visible debate serves Republican interests, providing a rallying point for voters.
• Glenn voices skepticism that the Senate will “just keep talking,” riding out the issue until after the election.

Notable Moment:
Glenn vents his frustration that passing a popular bill seems so hard for the Senate, even when Trump has set a clear legislative priority, contrasting the difficulty with the gravity of presidential wartime decisions.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Political Islam:
  "Terrorism is a symptom. The disease, the cancer, is political Islam." — Glenn Beck (04:00)
• On MAGA Succession:
  "This is how you build a successor without naming one..." — Glenn Beck (27:20)
• On Facts vs. Opinions:
  "You can have an opinion, but you need the facts first. You have to have the facts first." — Glenn Beck (16:13)
• On Senate Process:
  "The Senate floor is the most open that it's been in maybe a decade. It's remarkable." — Rachel Bovard (32:39)
• On Legislative Strategy:
  "People don't remember what you've done. Right? They remember what you're doing." — Rachel Bovard (35:39)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Islamist Threat in America: 00:29 – 05:08
• Joe Kent, MAGA and Trump’s Leadership: 05:08 – 16:02
• MAGA 2028 and Trump’s Succession Planning: 16:15 – 28:38
• Washington State Overreach Discussion: 28:38 – 30:43
• Interview with Rachel Bovard (SAVE America Act & Senate Process): 30:43 – 40:02

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Episode Flow & Tone

• The episode moves briskly across national security, internal party struggles, and legislative technicalities, always foregrounding Beck's blend of skepticism, strategy, and insistence on facts over opinion.
• Rachel Bovard’s segment is especially clear in separating the performative from the substantive in Senate proceedings—a rare look inside Congress for listeners.
• Tone remains candid, occasionally cynical, and leavened by Glenn's trademark wit.

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Summary for the Uninitiated

This episode is a fast-moving, insightful exploration of America’s latest political power plays: the contest for MAGA’s soul post-Trump, how Trump is hedging his bets on different successors, the dangerous drift of left-progressive state policy, and the rare (possibly fleeting) revival of traditional Senate debate on the Save America Act. Throughout, Beck and his guests urge listeners to focus on facts, not just opinions, and pay close attention to what politicians are actually doing—not just what they say.

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For ongoing analysis and original source content, listeners are welcomed to visit GlennBeck.com and follow the unfolding debates on air and online.

Transcript

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[Glenn Beck]

Subject to change so the letter that came out from Joe Kent, was it a power play? Was it about the next election? What does it all mean? I just go through all of the facts and separate facts from opinion. Also MAGA 2028 how Trump is allowing a decision on who's going to replace him between Vance and Rubio. Two separate paths and I think a lot of people have missed this week. Also, what is happening with the Save America Act. That and so much more on today's podc. 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. You know, none of that even 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 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 patriot mobile.com beck or call 972-patriot972patriot Use the promo code Beck Free Month of Service patriotmobile.com Beck 972 Patriot hello America. You know, we've been fighting every single day. We push back against the lies, the censorship, the nonsense of the mainstream media that they're trying to feed you. We work tirelessly to bring you the unfiltered truth because you deserve it. But to keep this fight going, we need you right now. Would you take a moment and rate and review the Glenn Beck podcast? Give us five stars and leave a comment. Because every single review helps us break through Big Tech's algorithm to reach more Americans who need to hear the truth. This isn't a podcast. This is a movement. And you're part of it, a big part of it. So if you believe in what we're doing, you want more people to wake up, help us push this podcast to the top rate, review, share together, we'll make a difference. And thanks for standing with us. Now, let's get to work. You're listening to the best of the Glenn Beck Program. This whole time, we've feared we fought against Islamic terrorism. But the Islamist threat is even more terrifying than that. They're here. They've been here. They've waited. And faster than ever, they're making their moves. They're Islamists. Islamists want the United States to resemble

[Jason Buttrill]

Islamic republics in the Middle East.

[Glenn Beck]

Our goal is to make America Islam, real good Islamic state. They're among us. They're among our politicians, among our city leaders. There's a template and a playbook that is in motion. We're living here to shift this country's political direction. Engaging in Dawah and Dawah is essential. And most of the Western world isn't even aware of what's happening. As a doctor, I don't just treat symptoms. Terrorism is a symptom. The disease, the cancer, is political Islam. It's incompatible with everything that America and the Western world stands for. Honor violence, honor killings, child marriage. We have this idea that, oh, we can't judge other cultures. And it's happening in more ways than you could imagine.

[Jason Buttrill]

This is economic jihad.

[Glenn Beck]

Which side will win the ideological battle for the West? Tomorrow night at 8pm you can find out all the information and join us on Torch at stop the conquest.com stop the conquest.com that's tomorrow night, 8:00pm live. By the way, we're on torches now on Roku. Thank you, Roku, for getting that done for us for the special. We sure appreciate it.

[Ricky]

But how do they find the app? Is it through Torch or Glenn Beck? Do you search for Glenn Beck on Roku?

[Glenn Beck]

I don't know.

[Ricky]

Yes, you do. Okay, search Glenn Beck. That's one of the questions that the insiders were asking. Search Glenn Beck app.

[Glenn Beck]

Has anybody used it yet? I know it's.

[Ricky]

Oh, they're using it.

[Glenn Beck]

They're using it. Good so you can get Torch now. Just search for Glenn Beck on the app with Roku and you can watch it on your Roku. As of today, I wanted to bring Jason Buttrill in with us. Chief researcher and also kind of head military guy. Been watching all of the stuff for military. Love to hear your take on Joe Kent and what you think is happening.

[Jason Buttrill]

Well, first of all, it really annoys me that some people are trying to just shut down all conversations on Joe Kent because they refer back to his veteran stat than what he has done in the past.

[Glenn Beck]

And he's done great stuff.

[Jason Buttrill]

Which he's done great stuff.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. And again, hold two thoughts in your head at the same time. You can do it. It's called chewing gum and walking. You can do two things at once. He can be a great military hero and something that you gotta go, wait a minute. What is happening here?

[Jason Buttrill]

Right. Cause otherwise, I am also a veteran. I also served in a foreign war in Afghanistan. I can break every single FCC rule that's out there right now. I'm gonna start right now. No, let's. No, I thought that was absolved.

[Glenn Beck]

No, no. You don't absolve. You don't get absolved because you are a veteran.

[Jason Buttrill]

That was my one shot.

[Glenn Beck]

I was gonna go for it. I was it. No, no. Really bad idea.

[Jason Buttrill]

So that, for one, irks me. But for two, this, his shift in ideology is something that I cannot explain. I don't think anyone can explain right now. You can't go from having the mindset that you had just a few years ago, probably just a few months ago. I don't know when this shift happened. But you can't go from knowing that Iran is the global state sponsor of terror. The number one. Which he has said in the past. You can't go from saying, look, we have to support Israel in this fight against Iran because they are so bad with their proxies. Everything has destabilized the entire region and they threaten us. You believe that. You say that Donald Trump during his first term, should have gone farther. And these are the things he lists off. Attacking nuclear sites, attacking their ability to project power outside the country. Attacking proxies. You have to do that. Almost not a direct quote, but pretty much around. What he was saying was, you need to address those things. I wish he would have, but he didn't. But I trust that the president has a plan. Everything he was describing a few years ago is exactly what the war is looking like today.

[Glenn Beck]

So let me ask you, As we look for an answer on what happened. The guy is crazy, the guy's anti Semitic, blah, blah, blah. There might be a really simple answer to this. 2028, the. The MAGA world is up for grabs. Donald Trump is not going to be the head of maga. So what does MAGA mean? That's what's being defined right now. This, all of this just may be. I hate to be so cynical here and again, my opinion, but looking for things that make sense to me. 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. Somebody is going to take this. Now, there are those that would say split it. So there is the left that would love to see a split, but there are also those who have such different viewpoints on what MAGA should do. They will not take on Donald Trump. And this is my, this is my key point with, with Joe. Joe, your argument is actually with Donald Trump. If what you say is true, then your argument is with Donald Trump because he's not a moron, he's not a patsy, he's not senile, he's not stupid. 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 for. 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 were 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?

[Ricky]

Oh, I. I see where you're going. And honestly, there's probably some of these folks that would love nothing more than to have President Trump's endorsement.

[Glenn Beck]

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 going against all of his policies, but he is the policy. I mean, I stood in the hallway with J.D. vance and Marco Rubio and had a conversation with Bo, 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. 1. 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?

[Ricky]

Oh, there was lots of tweets about yesterday's commentary that went viral. People are saying, I've never heard you tell anyone else. I don't want your opinion. I want facts. Until just now.

[Glenn Beck]

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. 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 is 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 burna.com glenn now back to the podcast. This is the best of the Glenn Beck program. So there are moments, like I said, where something all 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. 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 going to 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, 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 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 spending and promising more systems. Because the counter is going to be simple. Aha. Aha. 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 president, they're not going to be presidential. If they are not, the ones for the job will 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. This is the best of the Glenn Beck program. We're just talking on the. On the insider podcast. That is what happens during commercials. And usually we're filling in with stuff that we just didn't have time for. And I didn't get a chance to talk about how if you have a grocery store now in Washington state, you're not allowed. You. I mean, you leave, but they're claiming now that that can be the state's property because it's essential. So you can't sell the grocery store and leave you. You're providing an Essential service. So the state will just take it. The other, the other thing is there is a bill in Olympia, Washington. Get this one. Okay. They can't hire any police officers in Washington state. Why? Oh, I don't know. Police just don't want to work here. So for some reason, I wonder why. So they can't hire any police officers. So what are they doing? They are actually making it full police powers, carrying a weapon, enforcing the laws of Washington state, making arrests, all of that. If you are a non citizen. According to Senate Bill 5068 legislation allow non US citizens to become law enforcement officers and prosecutors. People who are here illegally enforcing the law and being the prosecutors. Oh, my God. What? Get out, get out, get out. Okay, let me go to Rachel, Rachel Bovard. She is CPI Vice President of programs and she has made the best case online. She can make all of this bull crap Senate speak understandable because, you know, we've got the SAVE act coming and we've got John Corden on our side. Now it's fixed. John Thune, he's still a little skeptical, but Cordon's on our side. So Rachel is here to tell us exactly what is happening with the Save America act, how this is working and what we should expect. Rachel. Hi, Rachel.

[Rachel Bovard]

Hi there. Great to be back. Thanks for having me.

[Glenn Beck]

Thank you. So what is actually happening with this?

[Rachel Bovard]

So after months at this point of the Senate Republicans resisting doing anything on the Save America act because, you know, they have, they don't have the votes. They can't do it. John Boone, to his credit, has actually moved to proceed to the House passed bill. He did that yesterday. So what that means is the Senate is what we call on the bill. It is the pending business before the Senate and they are now debating it. So once they got on the bill yesterday and that took the votes of Mitch McConnell voting yes, even though he opposes the bill, Lisa Murkowski voting no, and Thom Tillis taking a walk and not even showing up to the vote. But they got the 51 votes necessary to be on the bill. And at that point, John Thune came down to the floor and filled the amendment tree, which is just a fancy way of saying he blocked Democrats from being able to offer any, any amendments. And he put before the Senate the changes that President Trump has asked to see in the bill. So mail and balloting, limitations on or bans of trans surgeries for minors, protecting girl sports, things like that. So the Senate is now in a period of deliberation and I will say, because the way the Senate has operated for the last 20 years is a historical aberration from the way the senate operated for 200 years.

[Glenn Beck]

Yes.

[Rachel Bovard]

What normally happens is you bring the bill to the, you know, in the last 20 years is they brought a bill to the floor and the leader immediately files cloture, which is how the Senate ends debate. He does this before the Senate has any debate. Right. And then the bill dies at 60 votes. We all shrug our shoulders and go home. This is John Thune.

[Glenn Beck]

Hang on. This is the way I remember the Senate working. The Senate was the great deliberative body and they would stand there sometimes for days and debate stuff. I haven't seen this since maybe, maybe George W. Bush.

[Rachel Bovard]

Right. People still have living memories of the Senate actually functioning. It's amazing. But, you know, the fact that John Thune went down to the floor and didn't file closure, he did fill the amendment tree, which limits what can happen, but he didn't file cloture immediately. 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. So what the Senate Republicans do now is up for debate. Right. Like, they actually do are debating the bill, but like, we want to see them actually put some effort into this deliberative process, which many of the senators themselves on the Republican side have never seen. Right. The newer senators have never witnessed a Senate like this. So we'd like to see them lean into the process. But I think, you know, I'm not willing to give John Thune a million bucks of credit, but he does get some from me in my book by just actually doing this, starting the process.

[Glenn Beck]

So do we stop calling them or writing or. I mean, what is this, just a show?

[Rachel Bovard]

Well, that's the question. And I think, you know, we are only in this position because the conservative movement demanded it, and they demanded it without ceasing. And John Thune again, you know, I think felt like he had to do something. And so that's the question now, is this all going to be performative or are we going to actually see the Senate trying to liberate? Because what deliberation is, is the Senate doing what it's for, trying to build consensus, trying to physically punish obstruction. Right. By forcing Democrats to the floor to talk, forcing them into this negotiation, letting them know as a matter of procedure and a matter of time that Republicans are not going to let up here, even if they have to pivot to fund DHS or they have to pivot to confirm. Mark Wayne Mullen or, you know, pass fisa, they can still come back to this bill. And I think that's what we now want to see Johnson telegraph that this is just not a one and done exercise, that, yeah, the Senate will be on this bill for the next week, but if he puts up a cloture vote at the end of it and it doesn't get 60, that's just the beginning of the process because remember, a cloture vote, which is how the Senate tries to end debate, doesn't kill the bill. It simply says we don't have enough senators to end debate yet. Let's come back to this. You know, Johnson should telegraph to all of us this year we are going to do our darndest to pass this bill. And it takes weeks, it takes months. We're here to do it.

[Glenn Beck]

Rachel, can I just be a little black rain cloud?

[Rachel Bovard]

Yes, of course.

[Glenn Beck]

I've been around long enough to know it's an election year. They're going to just keep talking about this. We're doing our darndest. Boy, we're in here fighting like crazy and then the election will happen and then it's over. I mean, that's the way it always happens. I mean, I hope this is different, but.

[Rachel Bovard]

Well, one of the reasons I think myself and a lot of people have been proposing initially the talking filibuster on this bill in particular, is because setting aside the merits of the bill, which are very good, I just think it's good politics for the Republicans.

[Glenn Beck]

I do, too.

[Rachel Bovard]

Right. I don't think they've given the voters anything to turn out for. And people don't remember what you've done. Right. They remember what you're doing. That's the old political adage, I think, that matters right now. And so my hope was always Republican senators would see the benefit in actually putting their backs into it and seeing the benefit of actually trying to pass this bill. And once you start that momentum, you hope they pick it up.

[Glenn Beck]

So why don't they?

[Rachel Bovard]

We'll see. I think one, I think there's a level of detachment that exists between Republican voters and their base, particularly in the Senate. But two, I think honestly, the chamber and the Republicans have just been so inured to, they've been habituated to this cycle of just they don't do anything. Right. The Senate works 2 1/2 days a week. They don't amend things anymore. They don't deliberate. So this is a muscle that hasn't been flexed in a very long time, which is why simply starting the process was Important to prove that they can do things. And you hope that in the process

[Glenn Beck]

they remember, Donald Trump hasn't been this clear on something in a while. Last time he was, it was the, the other big, beautiful bill. And he got that. He got that through. Is he leaning into this as hard as he needs to? And is J.D. vance. Is there a possibility that J.D. vance can just come in and hijack this thing and just go, okay, look, I'm in charge now?

[Rachel Bovard]

Well, I mean, Trump has said in very clear terms, I don't want to deal with any other legislation until you get this passed. You know, it was fascinating to me that he said that. And then John Thune goes to the press and says, oh, the only supporters of this, it's just really an online paid influencer ecosystem. Well, I'm sorry, the President of the United States just said this is a major priority. So do you take him seriously or not? So, you know, I think Trump may have to get a little aggressive with Senate Republicans and show them he means it. You know, in terms of Vance's role, he does have a role as the president of the Senate, but there's not much he can do on the floor. Right. He can sit in the chair, he can make parliamentary rulings as they come up, but at the end of the day, this still lies at the feet of John Thib. He is the only person who can corral his conference as the leader to get them to do this. And I think this is his biggest test so far.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. I have to tell you, when Donald Trump said that, you know, we're bombing Iran, I thought to myself, thank God I'm not the President, because I don't have. I don't have the stones that it would take to start something that could end up really, really well or could end us up being, you know, World War iii. I just. I just don't have that kind of confidence. I'm not that guy. And, you know, look at, look at the difference. We have that, and then we have, you know, probably the, the toughest, hardest thing any president has done is to make that call, knowing what he knows about endless wars and the, and the way the politics are going to shake out if it goes wrong. He knows all that, yet he still makes that. And then you have John Thune, and all he has to do is support the most popular, bipartisan, popular bill I've seen in probably 30 years. And he's like, well, I don't know. It's going to be kind of tough. What a wuss. What an absolute Worse.

[Rachel Bovard]

Well, that's just. It kind of goes to the point of what is the Senate for? Right. People, to your point, to earlier point, have living memories of when the Senate was, you know, had titans. Right. When the Senate moved history just by coming to the floor and exercising the muscles of the institution to deliberate, to persuade, to build consensus, to muscle things through by sheer physical effort. Because that is what the chamber allows. And it's been so neutered that, you know, we are again, even as voters, people think the sense that bills pass The Senate is 60 votes because every single silent syllabus is simply, oh, clotures invoked. We didn't get 60. We just shrug our shoulders and go home.

[Glenn Beck]

Yep.

[Rachel Bovard]

That's not the end. It's never been the end for 200 years.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Rachel Bovard]

So we're trying to get the Senate to restore itself.

[Glenn Beck]

Well, Rachel, thank you for explaining it in a way that I think everybody can understand. I was reading your tweets and I'm like, okay, okay, I get it, I get it. Cuz there's so much bull crap in. Oh my gosh, their language is so screwed up. But it's, it's, it's the way it is. So thank you, Rachel. I appreciate it. God bless you.

[Rachel Bovard]

Happy to help.

[Glenn Beck]

Thanks, Glenn.

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