Best of the Program | Guest: Steve Bannon | 6/24/25

Summary

Summary of "Best of the Glenn Beck Program | Guest: Steve Bannon | 6/24/25"

Release Date: June 24, 2025
Host: Glenn Beck
Guest: Steve Bannon
Network: Blaze Podcast Network

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1. Introduction and Context

In this pivotal episode of "The Glenn Beck Program," Glenn Beck welcomes former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon for a deep dive into the tumultuous geopolitical landscape involving Iran and Israel. The conversation sets the stage by acknowledging past disagreements between Beck and Bannon, emphasizing their shared commitment to America's greatness and the necessity of unity over division.

Notable Quote:

Glenn Beck (00:00): "America is a really great place and we need to stop beating each other over the head."

2. Iran-Israel Ceasefire Breakdown

The core of the discussion revolves around the recent deterioration of the ceasefire between Iran and Israel. Beck recounts the formation and collapse of a 24-hour ceasefire agreement brokered by former President Donald Trump, highlighting the strategic maneuvers and military actions that led to distrust and renewed conflict.

Key Points:

• Ceasefire Terms: Aimed for a 24-hour period divided into two 12-hour phases for Iran and Israel to halt hostilities.
• Violation Allegations: Both nations accused each other of violating the ceasefire, leading to intensified tensions.
• Military Actions: Details of Israeli missile strikes and the implications of such actions on the regional stability.

Notable Quotes:

Glenn Beck (05:08): "They took out all they knew right where these guys were and convince them to all gather together. Some of them, you guys should get together and have a little party."

Stu Burguiere (04:43): "He’s going to run and hide and I guess, I don't know, I mean, I suppose if you're standing up for your country, you're not going to do those things."

3. Donald Trump's Role and Negotiation Tactics

Beck and Bannon analyze Donald Trump's unconventional approach to diplomacy, particularly his public declarations and the potential consequences of his negotiation style. They debate whether Trump's actions were a genuine attempt at peace or a strategic maneuver for regime change.

Key Points:

• Public Negotiations: Trump's tendency to announce deals and ceasefires publicly, sometimes before formal agreements are secured.
• Regime Change Implications: Speculation on whether the military actions were aimed at destabilizing the Iranian regime.
• Impact on the American Base: Discussion on how Trump's handling of foreign policy affects his support base and the broader MAGA movement.

Notable Quotes:

Steve Bannon (21:11): "He's worked overtime, went with the Qataris, I think, also UAE, you know, MBZ and got to work at this ceasefire."

Glenn Beck (16:55): "We cannot trust that what is happening in front of us is finished. What we have to ask ourselves, are we still in the final stages of negotiation?"

4. The Complexity of Modern Warfare and Intelligence

The conversation delves into the complexities of modern warfare, especially the role of intelligence in preemptive strikes. Bannon shares his military experience to critique the recent missile strikes, questioning the validity and urgency of the intelligence that prompted such actions.

Key Points:

• Intelligence Discrepancies: Disparities between CIA reports and on-the-ground intelligence leading to sudden military engagements.
• Military Strategy Critique: Bannon's perspective on the logistical and strategic flaws in the missile strike operations.
• Regime Change vs. Defense: Balancing the objectives of defending interests versus pursuing regime change.

Notable Quotes:

Steve Bannon (29:23): "The intelligence is different, and this has been said now by Marco Rubio and other people that the intelligence is different than the intelligence that IC community had."

Steve Bannon (34:05): "President Trump, I think it's one and done. And now he's got a ceasefire and he's very specific."

5. Historical Reflection: World War II Veteran's Story

Beck shares an emotional segment featuring a World War II veteran, Papa Jake, reflecting on VE Day. This interlude serves to draw parallels between past and present conflicts, emphasizing the sacrifices made for freedom and the importance of unity and patriotism.

Key Points:

• Personal Sacrifice: The veteran's recount of the war's end and the relief of returning home without injury.
• Value of Freedom: A poignant reminder of the cost of liberty and the responsibility to preserve it.
• Patriotic Sentiment: Encouragement to emulate the veteran's love for country and mutual respect among citizens.

Notable Quotes:

World War II Veteran (34:47): "How can you land on Omaha Beach on D day and get through that minefield without a scratch?"

Glenn Beck (37:16): "There's something about people who lived back then that is just different."

6. The Future of American Patriotism and Global Relations

In the concluding segments, Beck and Bannon discuss the broader implications of current foreign policies on American patriotism and international alliances. They advocate for a reevaluation of America's role as a global protectorate and stress the need for genuine self-reliance and national pride.

Key Points:

• Support for Israel: Affirmation of unwavering support for Israel's right to defend itself, balanced with skepticism of deep entanglements.
• Patriotic Call: Encouraging listeners to embrace a sense of pride and responsibility towards their country.
• Future Outlook: Hints at upcoming discussions and revelations related to policy and national strategy.

Notable Quotes:

Steve Bannon (27:06): "We're adamant supporters of Israel and the state of Israel and particularly given... they've been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what they're doing."

Glenn Beck (43:24): "I love that. Now, that's not going to go necessarily with all of our interests... make Britain great again."

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Conclusion

This episode of "The Glenn Beck Program" offers a comprehensive exploration of the fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel, the strategic decisions of former President Donald Trump, and the enduring importance of patriotism. Through insightful dialogue with Steve Bannon and reflective segments honoring historical sacrifices, Beck underscores the necessity of informed discourse and unwavering commitment to America's principles.

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For listeners who missed the episode, this summary encapsulates the critical discussions and viewpoints presented by Glenn Beck and Steve Bannon, providing a clear understanding of the complex geopolitical issues at hand.

Transcript

[Glenn Beck]

For the first time on the Glenn Beck program, we have a conversation with Steve Bannon. Steve and I have disagreed on quite a few things in the past. We are together on this. America is a really great place and we need to stop beating each other over the head. We had a great conversation about Iran and Israel and the the peace accords that President Trump is working on. You don't want to miss the conversation I had with Steve Bannon. Also, did President Trump announce a cease fire before Iran and Israel had agreed to it? This is all speculation on Stu's part, but if that were the case, which option is most likely to how it all played out? Stu and I talk about this. Also some information. Also some inspiration from a World War II veteran and a reminder that we need to be for something instead of just a against things today kind of a philosophical kind of program. You don't want to miss any of it. But here is the best of every 4th of July I find myself thinking, you know, less and less about the fireworks and more and more about what the explosions in the skies are supposed to represent. Freedom isn't a given. It's not something you just have. It's something you have to protect. And that starts at home. If you think the world is stable, what is wrong with you? Seriously, what is wrong with you? If you would like to at least consider reality. Yeah, everything's gonna be fine. I don't need to prepare. Start with your spirit and then look at your pantry. Right now my Patriot Supply is having a huge fourth of July sale. You've been thinking about getting prepared for emergencies. This is a great time to do it. Shop the sale right [e-mail] if you believe in self reliance and personal respons, if you believe that freedom is worth defending, shop mypatriotsupply.com Glenn that's mypatriotsupply.com glenn Great deals on all things preparedness. Prepare. Mypatriotsupply.com 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 lead 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. You know, I don't know about anybody else, but I'm kind of glad that Israel's on our side. You know, I would hate to be an enemy of Israel. They really kind of have it down. I don't know if you've noticed. Israeli intelligence operatives apparently placed dozens of anonymous phone calls to top Iranian generals earlier was last week warning them, now's the time to get out. You got to get out right now. Uh, quote, I can advise you now, you have 12 hours to escape with your wife and child. Otherwise you're on our list and we'll hit you, we'll hit your family, with your children, everybody will, will knock you into the dirt. So they made 20 of these phone calls and then they said, you know, if you don't get out within 12 hours, you don't have anybody to blame but yourself. We are closer to you than your own neck vein. Put this in your head and may God protect you. Well, wait a minute, wait a minute. What do I, what do I do? Well, do you want to be one of them? Do you want to be the next one on the list? Do you want to destroy your wife and child? No. Right. So what you should, what should you do? I love this. What should you do? You should make a video denouncing the Iranian regime and send it via telegram and encrypted messaging and social media app within 12 hours. No word on whether they made that app. Can you imagine? You're, you're not making that app, you're not making that video. You making that video? St.

[Stu Burguiere]

No, probably not. No.

[Glenn Beck]

Cuz you're dead either way.

[Stu Burguiere]

You're dead either way.

[Glenn Beck]

You know what I mean?

[Stu Burguiere]

He's going to run and hide and I guess, I don't know, I mean, I suppose if you're standing, if you feel you're standing up for your country, you're not going to do those things. But you should be real. After seeing what Israel has been able to achieve militarily over the past year, year and a half, you'd have to believe it. It wouldn't just feel like an empty threat.

[Glenn Beck]

Last year and a half. How about the last week and a Half. I mean, they took out all they knew right where these guys were and convince them to all gather together. Some of them, you guys should get together and have a little party. You guys should get. You know what. And they did it. They pulled it off. I mean, it is amazing what they have done.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah. And it's so hard to kind of decipher what is going on from minute to minute. Honestly, at this point, I spent hours and hours watching this as the news was breaking of the ceasefire and then all of the immediate reporting, you know, officials seemingly in both countries saying, actually, no, we don't have an agreement yet. And then bombs continuing to drop, and then Donald Trump getting angry at both of them. And it's just so hard to know what is actually going on. Do you have a theory as to what the.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, maybe I've misread the ceasefire, but what I read is there's a 12 hour period that Iran has and then Israel has a 12 hour period, but at the end of the 24 hours, that's it. And so it was kind of like, you know, do your worst, Iran, you got 12 hours. And then this is the plot of.

[Stu Burguiere]

The purge, I believe.

[Glenn Beck]

I know, I know, but wasn't that your understanding of it?

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah, it was weird.

[Glenn Beck]

It was two 12 hour periods and then at the 24 hour period, which ended at 7:00am Israel time, those bombs they dropped were at 3:00 clock in the morning.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah, it's weird because usually there is a time period to stop it. And I guess the theory being, hey, you need to be able to get word to all of your, you know, all the people at the missile stands who are like ready to fire in 30 seconds. So you, you try to give a little bit of a window so that you can say those whatever weapons get fired in that period are not violations of the ceasefire. I've never seen one before that I can remember where one party in the ceasefire had a longer period or a different period to fire than the other country did. Like, hey, you guys get 14 hours and you guys get 11. Like, I've never seen that before. Or I've never seen a period where you guys aren't allowed to fire for their 12 hours and then you get to fire for your 12 hours and they can't respond or whatever. That was was very complicated and strange. And I, you know, I saw this.

[Glenn Beck]

It was the purge. It was the purge.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah, it's weird. I think like, we should target, let's say, for future agreements where we have ceasefires of no period, where you just get to keep firing. I feel like, you know, I can understand back in, like, the 1700s where you needed to get to your generals on the field and let them, hey, don't go to war anymore. I feel like truth social. Most people know what he posts there. My guess is most of the people who are important enough to get the information, they're not supposed to fire missiles get it pretty quickly these days. Let's just stop. I feel like. Let's just give it a whirl. Maybe we have a generalized understanding that if something flies up the next 40 minutes, let's try to ignore that one. It seems to be a very strange way of doing things and it allows for.

[Glenn Beck]

Donald Trump doesn't. He clearly didn't read it this way because he was. He's very upset. He's very upset Iran and Israel for both violating it. But I don't know, I mean, is the, Is this, Is the ceasefire actually off? Because I don't think it is. They've not violated it.

[Stu Burguiere]

He's very.

[Glenn Beck]

7Am is when it was supposed to happen. That was what.

[Stu Burguiere]

I don't know off the top of.

[Glenn Beck]

My head, I don't remember 1am, I think our time.

[Stu Burguiere]

So he was obviously very angry about weapons being fired outside of the windows, that he approved, or at least was of the understanding. And that's another thing I struggled with yesterday of what actually happened, because I think there's an argument to be made, and a believable one. Right. That there was an agreement fully agreed to by both parties and Donald Trump and I guess Cutter overseeing it, and then Iran flaked on the deal and fired anyway. Like, totally believable to me. Absolutely could have been the case.

[Glenn Beck]

That's what they. I mean, you know, the ceasefire without an unconditional surrender, you know, that is a. That's an interesting thing because, I mean, that's what Hamas does. That's what's happened. Hezbollah, that's what Iran does all the time. Yeah, we're not going to. We're not going to do that. Definitely that. We're not going to do that. And then they do it.

[Stu Burguiere]

Right.

[Glenn Beck]

So wait a minute. You just said no, but that was special. That was part of Ramadan.

[Stu Burguiere]

Maybe it's part of Pride Month, as you mentioned earlier.

[Glenn Beck]

That's right.

[Stu Burguiere]

So option A, totally believable. Everyone comes up with an agreement and Iran flakes. Okay. Option B, everyone comes up with an agreement and Israel flakes. Less believable to me, but especially possible. But possible.

[Glenn Beck]

Possible.

[Stu Burguiere]

It's less believable large, considering how important the relationship is between Israel and Donald Trump from Israel's perspective, like, they have gone out of their way over and over and over again to make sure that they're not infuriating Donald Trump on multitude of issues. Even, like, things like tariffs. They just like, okay, we're lowering ours to zero, and it's fine that you're keeping yours higher. That was their point on tariffs before even Liberation Day happened.

[Glenn Beck]

This is an existential threat to Israel. Right. We don't understand it the way they do. And I think the, the, you know, Iran broke the treaty first. They've, they launched missiles and then Israel responded. And I think honestly that I could see Donald Trump saying, you're coming to the table, you're coming to the table. They're like, we are so close. We are this close to completely decapitating them. You know, we're not going to stop right now. You're going to stop right now. And they made, okay, fine, knowing that Iran is going to violate, and then they'll just, they'll just go and finish the job. I think personally, that's most likely what happened, because Donald Trump, I don't think, even though he said it last week, I don't think he wants regime change because it's risky. It's really, really risky. And so he sees this way to go to a kind of a stalemate, and he's happier with that now that he's pushed the nuclear weapon possibility back a few years.

[Stu Burguiere]

Okay. So I think that's possible. By the way, on regime change, I feel like it's something I'm rooting for but don't want to do. And yes, me too.

[Glenn Beck]

Me too.

[Stu Burguiere]

I say the same thing about me getting into shape. Like, I'm rooting for it, but I'm not going to do it. It's that type of thing where I don't necessarily want to be involved in the process of getting into shape, but I root for it to happen, maybe.

[Glenn Beck]

But if some miracle occurs, somebody will do it for I'm all in.

[Stu Burguiere]

I'm all in on that. So that's option two. I have to admit that I had an option three in my head as well, which was, I think I know what it is.

[Glenn Beck]

You tell me it's the same as mine, I bet you it's the same.

[Stu Burguiere]

So my option three was Israel and Iran. They had some talks. They were pretty close, maybe kind of near an agreement, maybe some things had been floated. It looked good. Trump was a little worried that it might fall through. So Just went public with it and said it was done and was like, I'm going on truth social right now. It is done. Both have agreed, period. Knowing that it would put both of them in a very difficult position. Cuz if they kept firing, they'd look like they were the ones involved violating an agreement that had been announced. And I have to say that part of me thought maybe there wasn't a real agreement and he was just wishing it into existence and at the same time putting all sorts of leverage on both parties.

[Glenn Beck]

So I think, you know, it did cross my mind because that's exactly what I thought too. Crossed my mind because of Norman Vincent Peale. Yes. Okay. He went to Norman Vincent Peale's church as a kid. I mean, he grew up listening. The power of positive thinking. That's why he's always speaking. This is going to be the greatest thing ever. Nobody's ever seen anything. He speaks everything into existence and he actually believes it. He believes in the power. So do I. But he believes in the power of positive thinking. He believes in the power of just speaking things into existence. And so there is a possibility they were very, very close. And he's like, we got a deal. We got a deal. They're like, wait, wait, what?

[Stu Burguiere]

Because that's what, that's the way everybody reacted to it when he did it. Everyone was like, oh my gosh. And they were celebrating it. And then you started seeing reports out of like, from like the mouth of Iranian officials being like, we have abs. We haven't even been sent an agreement yet.

[Glenn Beck]

Right.

[Stu Burguiere]

Like they were saying that on the record. And it's like, I don't know, Iran could just be lying about it completely. Like, they could be saying they could have already signed it and, or that guy didn't know. There's, there's other possibilities there, but I think a large one means that Trump was like, we're doing this.

[Glenn Beck]

Right. I have. Let me, let me give you a. Probably a closer, a closer guess than what we're, you know, where we, like I got him on the phone, I at least talked to each of them. We didn't come up. We're doing a peace deal. Okay. That, that's kind of where we are. I think what probably could have happened is we did all of the work, we had all of the phone calls, but nobody had signed. And Trump is like, I'm going to lock them into this before they have a chance to change their mind. I'm just announcing it. I think that's a possibility.

[Stu Burguiere]

Highly possible. I think yeah. And, you know, I go back and forth on this because, you know, Donald Trump's real job, okay, is to come up with the best outcome in God only knows how many situations he's dealing with at any given time, Right? And so the best outcome for America, America first, would be this war to end, Right? And, you know, no flaring up of violence. And that's what he's pursuing. And he wants that to happen. And so he is oftentimes negotiating publicly to the ends that he wants to achieve. And, of course, his job is actually to achieve those ends. That being said, it does put us, as American citizens, in a situation where it is wise to take what he says publicly as not necessarily completely factual and literal. And it's weird to be in a situation where you have to recognize, hey, he might be. Instead of trying to tell me the truth as the citizen, what he's trying to do is influence the situation and negotiating to what might be a great end. But it puts us in a weird position where we're chasing around trying to figure out what's actually occurring, and we can't necessarily. And I mean, this. I'm trying to, like, set this up in a way, because I don't want it to sound like the insult that it might sound like. But, like, we are in a position as American citizens where we really just can't trust what he says as the truth. And I think that is for.

[Glenn Beck]

Let me rephrase that. Let me rephrase it.

[Stu Burguiere]

I think that is just to finish leading towards good ends. I don't think it means. It's like, not because he's lying to us, because he wants to lie to us. It's because he's trying to influence these situations in a positive direction. But it's weird to be in that situation where he says there is a ceasefire signed. And we can't just say there is a ceasefire signed because we don't know that that's true yet. We have to kind of go through other layers of wait, what is actually happening here before we can land in that position.

[Glenn Beck]

So I would say it this way. We cannot trust that what is happening in front of us is finished. What we have to ask ourselves, are we still in the final stages of negotiation? Because everything about Donald Trump is a negotiation. Everything is. Yeah, everything. And he is, you know, it's like, I'm gonna, you know, little boy, fat man and little boy over there in North Korea, I'm gonna bomb the snot out of him. And then next, he's his best friend that was all negotiation. He shouldn't have taken a word he said seriously. That was negotiation to get North Korea to behave. And look what happened in the end. Let me tell you about Relief Factor. I want to introduce you to Jerry. Every morning, Jerry's body puts on a show. I mean, first there's the creaking ankles, then the spine does the impression of a rusty zipper. And then both shoulders perform a duet of Snap, Crackle Pop. It's like he's a bowl of Rice Krispies and the crowd goes wild. But Jerry, Jerry doesn't. He just wants to grab his coffee without sounding like a haunted house. One day, Jerry, listening to this program, found out about Relief Factor. It's a natural drug free supplement designed to reduce inflammation and the root cause of most pain. It works not overnight, but fast enough to make Jerry notice. After a few weeks, the soundtrack is gone, the morning performance is cancelled, and Jerry is taking walks again, lifting stuff without wincing. Even joined his kid in a pickup game of driveway basketball recently and won. Jerry is happy because he feels great again. And it's all thanks to me. I just have to say it's all thanks. All right. Okay. So they're paying me to tell you, you know, about Relief Factor, so it's really about Relief Factor. You're welcome, Jerry. If you're living in pain, why don't you be like Jerry? Try relief factor, their three week quick start. Give it a try for 1995 relieffactor.com or call 1-800-for- relief 1-800-the number four relief relieffactor.com now back to the podcast. You're listening to the Best of the Glenn Beck Program, host of Bannon's War Room, former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon. Welcome to the program, Steve. How are you?

[Steve Bannon]

Hey, Glenn, thanks for having me.

[Glenn Beck]

You bet. What this is like, Stu and I were just saying this is like fast and Furious. I can't keep up with all of the action that's going on. The looks like the ceasefire has fallen apart. Donald Trump is not happy about it, in case you missed what he said. Headed to the helicopter this morning. Can we play that, Sarah? Do we have it? The edited version, please.

[Donald Trump]

They violated it, but Israel violated it, too. Are you questioning if Israel is committing Israel? As soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I've never seen before. The biggest load that we've seen. I'm not happy with Israel. You know, when I say, okay, now you have 12 hours, you don't go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them. So I'm not happy with them. I'm not happy with Iran either. But I'm really unhappy if Israel is going out this morning because the one rocket that didn't land, that was shot perhaps by mistake, that didn't land, I'm not happy about that. You know what we have, we basically have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don't know what the they're doing. Do you understand that?

[Glenn Beck]

Yes, Mr. President, I think we understand where you're coming from. What are your thoughts, Steve?

[Steve Bannon]

Well, Glenn, you know the president as well as anybody, and you can tell he's put a lot of his spirit into this, a lot of his focus, and he is worked up. I mean, I have never seen, quite frankly, this may on any topic, he's really worked up. And I think he, you know, really went overtime, went with, you know, worked with the Qataris, I think, also uae, you know, mbz and got to work at this ceasefire. He wants everybody put down their guns. And of course, they're both slugging it out. And I think that what, you know, Mark Caputo over at Axios was reporting even more than that display, going to Marine One to head to NATO. I think he had a phone call with, with Netanyahu and really got on him about this. So, you know, this thing's very tenuous, but the president has gone the extra yard to make sure everybody puts down their guns and have both sides try to figure this out.

[Glenn Beck]

You know, I saw a tweet from him this morning that said, israel do not, you know, follow through on these bombs. And he, I've never seen him do this before. Do not do it. DONALD J. Trump, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES I, you know, for anybody who ever says that, you know, oh, Donald Trump's being led by those Jews and Israel's telling him no, no, Donald Trump is clearly the one in charge here. Would you agree with that?

[Steve Bannon]

Well, I think let's discuss that. But I think on this right here, people should take that as a papal bull. You know, he, I've never seen him actually ever do that. Even in the Ukraine situation, things we got with the ccp, the Russians, even some of the tougher situations with Soleimani and others before in the first term, this is, with some of those true social posts were pretty blunt. And like I say, when Pete, when President Trump is worked up like this, particularly when he has put so much time and he's Working for peace. He must have already put the guns down. People should take this as a papal bull. I mean, it's that serious.

[Glenn Beck]

I want to come back to what we were, you know, you said, you know, let's discuss that. And I do want to discuss that. But before we do, let me just follow up here. You keep saying that, you know, he spent so much time on. I think he has, I think he has risked more in this last week with his own base then I've seen him put, I mean he put all of the chips on the table. I mean, this could have been an absolute disaster. Who knows, Maybe it is in the end, maybe it's not. Maybe it's, you know, a Nobel Prize that he should, another one that he should win. But he, the, the base is so divided on this. And I think that's part of the frustration too is he put all of the chips on the table. Can we just get people to do what they say they're going to do? Would you agree with that?

[Steve Bannon]

I would agree and I think it's even beyond the politics of the base. I mean, Glenn, you know better than anybody how torn particularly the non interventionists are on this topic. But it's actually, you know, as commander in chief and the resources and the assets and the men and women in harm's way. And particularly, as I've argued, we're already at the beginning of the kinetic part of the third world war. Hell, we got 2 million. If you look at 1939 to 1914 of 41, when the Birmak went to Russia, from Poland to Russia, there's, you know, we've got 2 million people dead or wounded in Ukraine, a million on each side. I mean, look at the Houthis in the Red Sea. I mean, this is much. We're already in the kinetic part of the third World War. And President, now this arc of instability, you've got Kashmir in Pakistan. President Trump is going out of his way to try to be a peacemaker here and to bring this thing to a conclusion so people can start to negotiate. You saw the beginnings of that, of what he did in the Middle east trip. So yes, it's definitely politics and internal politics and the MAGA movement and you're as familiar with that as anybody. But I think it's far deeper than that. And he put it all on the table and we gotta, I think we have to question why the hell we're even here right now. You know, why on the, or the 24th of June in the year of over 2025 we're in the situation with, you know, 10 million illegal alien invaders on Biden's watch that we got to deport from the country. These neo confederates running California, these sanctuary cities, the big beautiful bill, which has got so many huge issues we have to address. We haven't spent a second talking about this in weeks. So many things going on and this is just. It's sucked up all this time as a active shooting war will.

[Glenn Beck]

So, you know, because I've been listening to you and I think we agree on a lot of stuff here. Neither one of us wanted him to drop the bombs. You're stronger on that than I am. But, you know, now that it's been dropped, now we just have to deal with whatever we're going to deal with. But I think we both stand in the same place on my support. When I read in the scriptures, those who will bless Israel, I will bless those who curse Israel. That doesn't mean I go down every path that Israel wants. I don't have to agree with them. I don't have to do anything. The way I believe I'm to bless them is to say they have a right to exist. Let's not do another holocaust and allow them to use their own power for self defense. They've demonstrated they can do that. We don't have to get involved in everything that they're doing. Would you agree that that is a reasonable stance or where's the nuance?

[Steve Bannon]

I'd even take it a little further. I mean, I'm not just personally, but the war room. We're adamant supporters of Israel and the state of Israel and particularly given, I mean, if you think from October 7, you know, if you look at Israel in Gaza, which is messy, we've been a big supporter of their, what they're doing against Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. Our only message has been, you know, when you got to go through hell, go through as quickly as possible, let's get it done.

[Glenn Beck]

Correct.

[Steve Bannon]

In Judea Samaria, what they've done with Hezbollah is monumental because Hezbollah, as you know, Glenn, was considered, I guess, one of the best light infantry in the world. What they've done in southern Syria, the Israelis have done militarily, I think, and geopolitically extraordinary work since the surprise attack. But there's just so many questions about this and so many questions about why we're so tangled up in this thing right now. And I think they just have to be answered. I think they got to be answered for because to continue to support Israel and look, the support to date really, we don't have a formal alliance. We have a special relationship. They're essentially a protectorate of the United States. And if that's the case and we should not be in the protectorate business, we shouldn't. Europe is going to nap right now because they finally guarantee to pay 5%. I mean, think of this. Huge. As you remember, Glenn, they laughed at us for paying 2%, which they agreed to in President Trump's first term. And one of the points was we can't have Western Europe and the elites in Western Europe as a protector of the United States. We just can't afford it anymore. He's making huge moves there. And that's why I think in this situation, we really have to go through and see exactly how this came about and I think will illuminate how we go forward to sort this mess out.

[Glenn Beck]

So do you think we would have dropped the bomb if Israel could have dropped that bomb? I mean, that bomb was made for that particular run, and we have been rehearsing that run for 15 plus years specifically. And nobody else has a weapon that was built for those for that particular drop. If Israel could have had it, do you think Donald Trump would have gotten involved? Because I don't think he would have.

[Steve Bannon]

Let me take a slightly different direction. In 79, my destroyer, I was in the Pacific Fleet and we were going for our second Westpac turn over to the seventh fleet. And we got the call on November 4th, we were in Dezeron 23, the Little Beavers, the famous Arleigh Burke destroyer squadron. We got the call that the hostages had been taken. And it took us a couple months to get there, but we were one of the first. We went with one of the first battle groups ever to get to the North Arabian Sea. And we were there. I think we rotated out a month before the assault, but we practiced the assault every day. And Glenn, you could tell at the time, this is like you're not in Kansas anymore. The scale of the place is so big, it's so forbidding. You know, the ocean and you never see the sun and it's so complicated. As you know, that one was a complete abject failure. And I think every junior officer and non commissioned officer on any of the ships in the battle group could have told you 90 days before the launch that it was going to be a disaster, just given the logistics of it. This the tell to me in this was the Tomahawk missiles that went to the third site and destroyed it above ground. I mean, essentially Israel had done nothing to take out any of the nuclear facilities. Now, let's go back to where I think we have to get to the heart of it is why did this come out of nowhere? The intelligence. And we're told that the intelligence is different, and this has been said now by Marco Rubio and other people that the intelligence is different than the intelligence that IC community had. And today they're going to have, you know, classified hearings with Tulsi, Gabbard and Ratcliffe. And my understanding is Ratcliffe and the CIA presented additional intelligence that said this was absolutely emergency, it had to happen. And that's why the strike had to happen last Thursday. Although it shouldn't be lost to anybody that the strike itself didn't look like it was so much to take out the nuclear facilities. It was essentially a decapitation strike to the senior military, maybe not to the. To the religious that run the state. And I thought that was just very suspicious, including the fact that President Trump had a negotiating meeting set for Sunday. Now, it wasn't going well. He felt like he's getting tapped along. But the first thing we heard is that Radcliffe, I mean, Witkoff couldn't have a meeting because all the negotiators had been killed. Now, it turned out later one of the senior guys was not. But I think we got to find out that, like, what was the emergency? Why did this actually have to happen? What was the intel that said that they were going to get a bomb? Surely, because BB went on Bret Baier on Sunday night and said he was again said they're 12 to 13 months away, which is what he's traditionally said. If that was the case, that's a very different. We had not gone up the escalatory scale and coercive diplomacy. We certainly hadn't gone to economic warfare, particularly Glenn, as, you know, cutting off, not allowing the ship oil to the Chinese Communist Party, which I think is 60% of their cash flow. There's so many things up the escalatory ladder. And if you want regime change, I always think the best way to do it is through economic warfare, where President Trump, you know, got so tough with him when he dropped out of the JCPOA. And that's why in 22, you had the first time, I think they had a major revolt in the streets. Not only lasted for a couple of weeks, but that was become a big part of that was because of sanctions. President Trump. Then we get to the situation after the bombing run, and what's concerned me about the bombing run is why is the. Why are Los Angeles class submarines hitting them with 30 tomahawks on a facility that's above ground. And I would like to see the bomb damage report now. President Trump, I believe we obliterated it, but I haven't seen a ballistic missile capability that could get to the United States tomorrow or San Francisco tomorrow. I think this whole thing was from the beginning. I think if you look at Fox News, which I really fault here, this was clearly about regime change. I think the Netanyahu government saw an opportunity to do regime change. And until I see otherwise and see information otherwise, there was an absolute emergency and had to happen. That's the reason I was really against any type of military engagement. Now it turns out magnificent logistics and people don't realize how complicated that was and how incredible. But President Trump, I think it's one and done. And now he's got a ceasefire and he's very specific. I think he came out today, I think Bloomberg put out that he said there's no regime change. So. But my point is the opportunity cost is this is going to suck us into, if not open combat, this is going to suck us in. Just the mind share of President Trump to have to engage here when we have so many other pressing, massive problems.

[Stu Burguiere]

You're listening to the Best of the Glenn Beck Podcast. Hear more of this interview and others with the full show podcast available wherever you get podcasts.

[Glenn Beck]

So I saw something the other day and I just want to take two and a half minutes and just play something. This is a. An older guy, World War II veteran. This is. This was from a couple of weeks ago on V Day, VE Day. And he was talking about how it felt, VE day felt. Now, 80 years later. Listen to this. Hello.

[World War II Veteran]

Today is May 8th, the anniversary of the victory in Europe. When I found out the war was over, I was already out of the service. I got out on April 13th, the day after President Roosevelt died. I was 22 when I went home after seven years of service. Of course, I joined with my cousin Chick when we were 15 in 1938. Time just goes by and the next thing I knew, the world was celebrating victory in Europe. Here I am at home with my mother and my dad and they announced the war was over in Europe. Hitler was dead. His troops have given up turning all their arms. All their ships were being confiscated. What? Annihilation. No way I'm going back. I'm discharged already. But the release. Anyway, after all those years I was in the service and especially three years overseas, and it's over now. It's crazy. It's hard to think you're free. It's a different life. Yes, there were a few beers drunk that day and a lot of liquor, of course. Plus some sellers with handshakes and glad it's over. That's what I did. I stood by my mother and gave her a hug. So I'm not going back. I gotta remind you guys, I'm here because a whole bunch of my friends gave their life so that I could make it here. It's hard to realize that I came true to the end of the war without a scratch. How can you land on Omaha beach on D day and get through that minefield without a scratch? If you could take the time today or tomorrow or every day for just an instant, have a little visit with those guys that gave their life. So we're winners. That's the reason why we're free today, is because these guys gave their life.

[Glenn Beck]

I think he is fantastic. He has an Instagram page called Storytime with Papa Jake. And I saw that the other day, and it just makes me all soupy. The innocence and the sweetness of a guy who's lived his life. I'm sure he's lived a hard life. I mean, landing on Omaha Beach, I don't know. There's just a. There's something about people who lived back then that is just different. And I wonder if we can ever get back there or if we want to. I don't know. I do. I don't want. I don't want the troubles that they had back then. I don't want the, you know, the bigotry and everything else that they had back then. But I do. Do you think we'll ever get back to a place to where a few beers were drunk that day? I'll tell you some handshakes. Congratulations, it's over. I mean, who speaks like that anymore? I talked to Steve Bannon earlier today. Both of us are very concerned. We don't agree on everything, and we've been at odds at times in our careers, but we both love our country, and we're both concerned about people hammering each other. There's something happening with the. With the right. Right now. And look, we can disagree. It's healthy, I think. I think actually what we've gone through is really, really healthy in some ways. Having the conversations about the control of Deep state, the control of foreign countries. I mean, you know, if we could just sit and say to people, you know, Israel's. You know, Israel's just controlling us. No, no, no, they're not. Well, they're lying to us. Well, of course they are. Of course they are. You don't think we've ever lied to other countries? You know, it's, it's that country's job, that president or prime minister's job to do what's right for his country. Just like, you know, we're discovering now or rediscovering. That's exactly the job of the president to do what's right for our country. And, you know, when our, when our, when Our interests align 100%, there's no reason to shade things. But if you are somebody who needs the other side. Yeah. You're gonna say, you know, this is really good for you, too, and if they buy it, they buy it. You gotta do what's right for your country. And it's, you know, you shouldn't be mad if our presidents are ever duped by another country. Why are you mad at the other country for trying to dupe us? We should be mad at our own politicians who have been duped. So one thing I like about President Trump is I don't. I don't think he's duping or being duped. You know, I think he is. Well, America first. Make America great again. That should be the slogan for every country. Not build back better. Where the hell is that even. God. Dumbest, dumbest phrase I've ever heard. Wouldn't you love it if England was going to make England great again? I was going to say, wouldn't you love it if Germany. No, no, I didn't have to think about you couldn't even get it out of my head. I was thinking, it wouldn't be great, the next one. Wouldn't it be great if Germany was. No, it really. No, because I'm not sure. I'm not sure they define it the same way. That'd be great if Sweden and Holland, they were great again. France, Italy, I mean, Italy is still pretty great, but be great if we took pride in things again. Not, not some garish pride, not some hateful pride, but just, yeah, I'm proud of my country. I'm proud of us. I'm proud of what we do. I'm going to share something with you tomorrow, a little bit more information on, you know, things I've been telling you as I'm working on. And you'll understand in time why I'm, you know, dribs and drabs of things. But I'm going to share some more information with you tomorrow. And I did a lot of thinking about this audience. I've done a lot of thinking about you and how grateful I am for you. But tomorrow I'm going to share some things, some stats about you that you don't know. I didn't know. Some things that are just remarkable. And it's not a boastful pride to say. I'm proud of the people that listen to me. I'm proud of being part of this group. You're amazing. What's wrong with saying that about your country? Listen to this play Cut nine. This is the UK MP who's talking. This is during a reform UK rally last February in Essex. His name is Rupert Lowe. Listen to what he says.

[Rupert Lowe]

Watching Trump and the Americans, it has made me even more determined than ever to restore our unique country through a great repeal act when Labour falls at the next election. I don't particularly care if we're liked by the rest of the world. I care if we're respected. Because right now, Britain is a joke and it has been for some time. I want the British government to put the British people at the top of the agenda. We should make no apologies for that. Learn from trust Trump. Let's be unapologetically patriotic. Slash tax across the board, enforce the border, deport those with no right to be here, Accept biological reality, fight back against wokery, bulldoze nonsensical foreign aid, eradicate dei, deliver sensible infrastructure, carpet bomb, public sector waste, brutally cracked down on crime and plenty more. Let's make Great Britain great again. Thank you.

[Glenn Beck]

I love that. Now, that's not going to go necessarily with all of our interests, you know, but I love that make Britain great again. And I really don't understand, with the exception of a couple of things, I don't understand how you could disagree with a lot of what he just said. I mean, you might, you might say, oh, I don't agree with a Wokeism thing. What did he call it? Wokery. I love that. I swear, if you're English, you just sound smarter. If I said, you know, none of this Wokery stuff, it sound like a hick, but I don't know, when you say it in Abolish Wokery, it just sounds smart, doesn't it? Well, it's not. They're no smarter than us anyway. I hope this is trend. I would love to be. I'd love to be the. The old man that I played for you here just a few minutes ago. I'd love to be his age, Papa Jake, sitting in a chair, 100 years old, still have that bright attitude, still have, you know, love of country and love of one another and for as much trouble as the country is in. He didn't give that off. He just gave this. I don't know how to do this. But he just gave off this love of country and countrymen. Without being brash or angry. I'd urge you today to try to be a little bit more maybe like Papa Jake. Or strive that maybe someday you can be like him. And maybe, maybe on that day, oh, there might be a few beers shared between us, but there'll be a hearty handshake to say, congratulations, it's over.