Best of the Program | Guest: VP JD Vance | 5/15/25

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Glenn Beck Program | Guest: Vice President J.D. Vance | May 15, 2025

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Introduction

In the "Best of the Glenn Beck Program" episode released on May 15, 2025, host Glenn Beck engages in a dynamic and insightful conversation with Vice President J.D. Vance. The discussion delves deep into pressing American cultural and political issues, including the dynamics of the far left, trade policies, Middle Eastern geopolitics, artificial intelligence (AI), and fiscal strategies. This summary captures the essence of their dialogue, highlighting key points, notable quotes, and the overarching themes explored during the episode.

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1. The Far Left and Political Dynamics

Glenn Beck opens the episode by questioning the trajectory of the far left, referencing recent protests against RFK Jr., a figure traditionally seen as a leftist. This segues into a broader discussion about the shifting political landscape.

• RFK Jr. Protests:
  • Beck (04:37): "People have no idea what they're actually paying in interest... it's really quite obvious and we are oblivious."
  • Vance (05:00): Explains RFK Jr.'s stance on Medicaid cuts, emphasizing the fight against fraud and abuse.

The conversation highlights the radicalization of certain leftist factions and their impact on national discourse. Beck expresses concern over alliances that blur traditional political lines, questioning the consistency of leftist figures like RFK Jr.

• Stu Burguiere (05:07): "Too many umbrellas in this country for sun and for rain."
• Beck (05:02): "Everything."

Key Insight: The fusion of traditional leftist policies with radical actions is causing confusion and concern among conservatives, as political identities become increasingly fluid.

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2. Medicaid and Fiscal Responsibility

A significant portion of the discussion addresses Medicaid reforms and fiscal responsibility, with Vance advocating for cuts to prevent fraud and ensure sustainability.

• Vance (07:16): "We cannot allow people to defraud the Medicare and Medicaid system or it's going to bankrupt this country."
• Beck (07:36): Criticizes California's approach to Medicaid, suggesting it will lead to economic collapse.

Notable Quote:

• Vance (30:18): "When you cut the trade deficit or you raise revenue through tariffs, that goes a long way to making the country on a more sustainable fiscal pathway."

Key Insight: The conversation underscores the importance of tightening Medicaid eligibility to prevent misuse and ensure that funds are available for genuine beneficiaries, thereby maintaining fiscal health.

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3. Trade Policies and Economic Cooperation

Beck and Vance explore the evolution of American trade policies, emphasizing a shift from imposing ideological standards to fostering economic cooperation based on mutual interests.

• Vance (19:00): "America wants not to remake the world in America's image. We don't want to force our allies to adopt our exact form of government."
• Beck (43:40): "There's nobody who has been more outspoken on the anti-trade up until recently than me."

Notable Quote:

• Vance (20:21): "We could have some shared economic relations with a conservative African country where we wouldn't want to tell them how to live their lives. We would actually just want to enter into a partnership with them."

Key Insight: Transitioning to a trade policy centered on economic benefits rather than ideological conformity can enhance international relations and bolster America's economic standing globally.

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4. Middle East Geopolitics

The duo discusses the recent Riyadh speech by President Trump, analyzing its significance and implications for Middle Eastern relations.

• Vance (19:00): Applauds the speech for signaling a shift in America's foreign policy towards mutual economic cooperation.
• Beck (21:16): References historical relations with European allies and expresses uncertainty about current alliances aligning with new policies.

Notable Quote:

• Vance (22:02): "Things that start in Europe sometimes come over to America... What we have to do is continuously protect American interests."

Key Insight: Emphasizing economic partnerships over ideological imposition in the Middle East can lead to more stable and mutually beneficial relationships.

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5. Artificial Intelligence and National Security

AI's rapid advancement and its implications for national security are hot topics, with Vance stressing the urgency of maintaining technological superiority.

• Beck (23:59): Questions America's position in AI development compared to China.
• Vance (24:33): Acknowledges a slight lead but warns against complacency, emphasizing the need for investment in AI to stay ahead of China.

Notable Quote:

• Vance (24:33): "AI is a critical part of staying ahead of the Communist Chinese. It's something we're very focused on."

Key Insight: Sustained investment in AI and related technologies is crucial for maintaining national security and technological leadership in the face of global competition.

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6. Nuclear Energy and Power Generation

The conversation shifts to energy policies, highlighting the administration's push for nuclear energy as a cornerstone for future power needs.

• Beck (26:28): Mentions the President's initiative on nuclear power and questions the lack of media attention.
• Vance (27:16): Discusses regulatory reforms to facilitate the construction of nuclear plants and emphasizes the need for increased power generation capacity.

Notable Quote:

• Vance (27:24): "If you look at a chart of electricity generation, the PRC is producing about three times as much electricity as we are, and we flatlined over the last 20 years."

Key Insight: Expanding nuclear energy is presented as essential for meeting future power demands and reclaiming America's energy leadership.

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7. Fiscal Strategy and Budget Cuts

Beck and Vance deliberate on the necessity of budget cuts to achieve fiscal stability, addressing both domestic spending and trade deficits.

• Beck (28:53): Highlights the importance of cutting the budget and criticizes Congress for inaction.
• Vance (29:40): Confirms ongoing efforts to rein in spending and emphasizes the interplay between budget cuts and reducing the trade deficit.

Notable Quote:

• Vance (30:18): "Once we get the final package out of the House and the Senate, we're going to have something that's serious on budget cutting."

Key Insight: Comprehensive budget reforms, including spending cuts and trade deficit reduction, are pivotal for ensuring long-term fiscal sustainability.

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8. The Role of the Vatican and Global Influence

The discussion touches on the Vatican's soft power and its influence on global peace negotiations, highlighting its diplomatic role beyond religious leadership.

• Vance (31:25): "The Vatican has played a very constructive role in some of the peace conversations... They have that soft power."

Notable Quote:

• Vance (32:00): "While the Pope doesn't have an F35 standing behind him, he does have the prayers of a lot of faithful Catholics."

Key Insight: The Vatican serves as a critical diplomatic player in global peace efforts, leveraging its moral and spiritual influence to mediate conflicts.

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9. Embracing Diverse Political Figures

Beck and his co-host Stu Burguiere reflect on the challenges of integrating political figures from different ideological backgrounds into the conservative movement.

• Burguiere (37:34): Discusses the integration of Tulsi Gabbard and the complexities of embracing formerly left-leaning individuals.
• Beck (41:46): Acknowledges personal changes and the importance of standing by one's updated beliefs.

Notable Quote:

• Beck (41:46): "I have to stand here because this is my current understanding of what's best."

Key Insight: The conservative movement is grappling with incorporating individuals who transition from left-leaning positions, balancing ideological purity with pragmatic alliances.

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10. Conclusion and Final Thoughts

The episode concludes with reflections on societal conformity, the dangers of over-reliance on AI for information, and the importance of critical thinking.

• Beck (47:09): "Question everything, always be diligent."

Key Insight: Emphasizing the need for vigilance and critical analysis in the age of AI to prevent misinformation and maintain intellectual independence.

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Final Remarks

This episode of "The Glenn Beck Program" offers a comprehensive examination of contemporary political and economic issues, guided by Glenn Beck's probing questions and Vice President J.D. Vance's informed perspectives. From fiscal responsibility and international trade to AI and energy policies, the conversation underscores the complexities of navigating a rapidly changing political landscape. Notably, the episode emphasizes the importance of adaptability, critical thinking, and strategic alliances in addressing the multifaceted challenges facing America today.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Beck (04:37): “People have no idea what they're actually paying in interest... it's really quite obvious and we are oblivious.”
• Vance (07:16): “We cannot allow people to defraud the Medicare and Medicaid system or it's going to bankrupt this country.”
• Vance (19:00): “America wants not to remake the world in America's image. We don't want to force our allies to adopt our exact form of government.”
• Vance (24:33): “AI is a critical part of staying ahead of the Communist Chinese. It's something we're very focused on.”
• Vance (30:18): “Once we get the final package out of the House and the Senate, we're going to have something that's serious on budget cutting.”
• Beck (41:46): “I have to stand here because this is my current understanding of what's best.”
• Beck (47:09): “Question everything, always be diligent.”

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Conclusion

This episode serves as a vital source for understanding the current state of American politics and the strategic thinking of its leaders. For listeners seeking a nuanced perspective on the intersection of politics, economics, and national security, Glenn Beck and Vice President J.D. Vance provide a compelling and thought-provoking dialogue.

Transcript

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[Glenn Beck]

Hey, on today's podcast, how far left will the far left go? I mean, they've decided to protest RFK Jr. One of the furthest left voices, what like 10 minutes ago. Also, JD Vance joins the program. Today we talk about trade, the Middle east and so much more. It's fascinating to hear him talk. Also, our views are changing on many things, but has the right accepted too many left leaning positions or are we now on the right track? You'll have to decide all on today's podcast. First, most people have no idea what they're actually paying in interest. It's not an accident. Credit card companies, banks, mortgage lenders, they all hope you never really do the math because if you did, you'd be shocked. Totally works out in their favor, you know, and it's really quite obvious and we are oblivious. We're not paying close enough attention to what's going on. The mortgage rate that you got years ago, it might be bleeding thousands from your family's future. Those credit cards originally got, you know, got for emergencies only. They're quietly stacking up interest faster than you're paying them down. And American Financing is waiting for your call. Maybe they have the wake up call for you. They could help you consolidate the debt. They can lower your payments, actually get you to a place where you can start moving forward. And there's no upfront fees, there's no pressure, just real help from people who work for you, not the banks. They're not on commission, so they're not pressured to sell you anything. And it takes 10 minutes to find out if you're throwing money away. And if you are, you'll never look at a bill the same way again. There's absolutely no good reason why you shouldn't be getting your financial house in order with American Financing right now. American financing.net, americanfinancing.net 8009-0624-4080-0906-2440. 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 and 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 Blend Back program. All right. Hello, Stu.

[Stu Burguiere]

How are you? Wonderful. Everything is awesome.

[Glenn Beck]

Peachy. Great.

[Stu Burguiere]

Everything is cool when you're part of the team.

[Glenn Beck]

Oh, my gosh. And are we part of the team? Well, yesterday, things went a little nuts in Washington. There were some unhinged leftist. Now, that's a little redundant. Um, but some unhinged leftists were at the RFK hearing where he's, he's talking to the House Appropriations Committee, and some crazy protester erupted, you know, in just what they do. And if you're watching the blaze, I want you to watch this or listen to it if you're on radio. Here we go. The witness will suspend.

[Stu Burguiere]

The committee will come to order.

[JD Vance]

Capitol police are asked to remove the individuals from hearing roof.

[Glenn Beck]

Members of the audience are reminded disruptions will not be tolerated. I guess they were saying rfk lies and people die. I, I, I don. Maybe it was about Hamas. Maybe it was about too many umbrellas. I don't.

[JD Vance]

It was.

[Stu Burguiere]

It was too many umbrellas.

[Glenn Beck]

Too many umbrellas.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yep. Far too many umbrellas in this country for sun and for rain.

[Glenn Beck]

It's everything.

[Stu Burguiere]

I'm with them, frankly.

[Glenn Beck]

Too many. So we have, so we have JF or RFK now. Did you, did you see. If you're watching it, did you see his reaction? Watch again. Just the very beginning of it. Stop.

[Stu Burguiere]

He looks terrified. He looks like he's about to get shot. Yeah, he's as a Kennedy.

[Glenn Beck]

Kennedy.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah, you can see that.

[Glenn Beck]

You don't do that to a Kennedy. Now, here's what's crazy. These are radical leftists. Stu, when did people stop considering his radical leftist lifetime record?

[Stu Burguiere]

I don't know. I'm as perplexed as anybody on this one.

[Glenn Beck]

He has been a radical leftist for a very long time.

[Stu Burguiere]

I mean, I would think that there's probably examples of other hearings back in the day where people were doing that type of protest on his behalf. Yeah, right. Maybe not that he asked for it, but like thinking that they're aligned with him, certainly on climate issues. And now all of a sudden, I guess you get involved with Donald Trump and everybody turns.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. So let me go back to the testimony. Cut one, please.

[Stu Burguiere]

So do you disagree with the cuts that are being proposed for Medicaid right now?

[RFK Jr.]

Oh, the cuts. You know, this is a. I don't know if you understand this or whether you're just mouthing, you know, the Democratic talking points. Cuts to Medicaid are for fraud, waste and abuse. And I'll tell you what that means. It means that the. Because of Doge, we were able to determine, and it's about 8 million people who would be affected. Because of Doge, we were able to determine that there are a million people who are claiming Medicaid from multiple states. That's illegal. It's theft. You're not allowed to do that. There are another million people who are collecting both under Obamacare and Secretary, that.

[Glenn Beck]

Has nothing to do with the budget that's made.

[RFK Jr.]

These are the only cuts that are being made to Medicaid.

[Stu Burguiere]

That's not true.

[RFK Jr.]

Yes, it is. Another million illegal aliens. We announced a law yesterday, yesterday, a rule yesterday. We're not going to pay illegal aliens anymore. And guess what Gavin Newsom did this morning? He said we're going to take all the illegal aliens off the California Medicaid rolls because the feds aren't paying for them anymore. So the compassion.

[Glenn Beck]

Let me, let me focus you. It's incredible how no one is actually listening to facts anymore. I mean, it's one thing when you're not listening to facts, you know, from Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Right. We can argue about facts all day and we, you know, whatever. This is rfk arguing with Democrats about Medicaid fraud, abuse, and he's saying we're just taking people off that are illegally using Medicaid. Who, who is against this? Honestly, Again, who is against this now? Gavin Newsom is putting everybody on California aid. Excuse me, California. How are you going to afford that? Every taxpayer left, right center, every taxpayer in California should be raising holy hell. Will they? No. No, they won't. They won't. How are you going to pay for that? Your. Your state is going to collapse economically. Now, you know why the Democrats are not worried about that? Is because that's part of the plan. That is cloud and piven collapse and overwhelm and collapse the system. And they. They've already done it. They did it in New York City back in the 70s, and New York City collapsed. Now they're doing it to states, and it's going to happen the same way. And I'll be damned if I am going to send my taxpayer dollars to California because. Because you didn't have the balls or the brains to stand up. Not doing it. I'm not doing it. Hey, dummy. Only one of us is going to be right in the end about your financial collapse. And everybody who can put two plus two equals four down on a table. Not seven, even if you show me your work, but four. This is simple math. You are going to collapse. Why am I going to pay for it? You come to the United States of America and you ask us to bail. Bail you out. And anybody in Congress that is from my state, I will. I will make it my mission to put you out on the street. I will make it my mission if you vote to bail California out. Oh, but we have to have California. Do we? Do we? Do we really? Do we? Honestly, I'm not. I didn't sign up for a suicide pack. I moved to Texas for a reason. Uh, I didn't. I didn't. I didn't want to be part of the suicide. Well, no, they're committing suicide, so we all have to. What kind of cult are you in? My gosh. And. And look what the Democrats are doing. Look at what the left is doing. The left is becoming so incredibly radical. You had. In Newark. You had. What was her. What was her name? The congresswoman. I wrote it down. Congresswoman. Shoot something. Lamonica. MacGyver. This week on MacGyver, we assault ICE agents in Newark, New Jersey. So MacGyver went out, Congresswoman goes out and it's pretty clear. Assaults these officers and tries to storm in as part of oversight. That wasn't oversight. That was an oversight. And you know what? It really was a setup. Because I want you to play the AOC comment from a couple of days ago where she commented on this. Because Homan says no fact. Plague Homan first. No one's above the law. Listen to this.

[Stu Burguiere]

Do you want the congresswoman who was caught on camera assaulting ICE agents to be arrested for that.

[Glenn Beck]

If you assault an officer, absolutely no one's above the law. These men went and put their lives online every day. We should be supporting them, not assaulting them. Especially in a facility like that. That guardian, some of the worst of the worst. You can't lose control of the facility. And when you. When you caus what they caused up there causes the safety and security of that facility to fall, that's not what they want. And I said from day one, you can. You can not support us. You can support sanctuary Shame, mind you, but you have that right. But don't cross that line, and you will ask for criminal prosecution. Okay, so the. The government, you know now, the government that's sane at least is saying, look, I don't care who you are. Left, right, pink, purple, black, white, doesn't matter. You assault a police officer, you're going to jail. Well, that. I mean, that's just something I've always grown up with.

[Stu Burguiere]

What about January 6th, Beck?

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

January 6th.

[Glenn Beck]

You don't like those people, go to jail. Yeah. I'm going to have another conversation with you about the rule of law and due process, but that's for a different time now. What are they doing now? AOC comes out with this warning.

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And now what DHS is trying to say again, they're using public intimidation because they know that they cannot come for us all. They know that they are not that they cannot come for us all. And recently, what they said is that DHS is allegedly looking into arresting members of Congress showing up for their legal and constitutional obligation to conduct oversight. If anyone's breaking the law in this situation, it's not members of Congress. It's the Department of Homeland Security. It's people like Tom Homan and Secretary Kristi Noem. You lay a finger on someone, on Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, on Representative. Or any of the representatives that were there, you lay a finger on them, we are going to have a problem because the people who are breaking the law are the people who are not abiding by it. And it is enshrined in the law that members of Congress who show up to ICE and CBP facilities are required to be granted access. Legally required to be granted access. And they legally cannot be inhibited from accessing these facilities to conduct their constitutional obligation to. To investigate and conduct oversight. So if Kristi Noem wants to break the law, that's on her.

[Glenn Beck]

Okay?

[Stu Burguiere]

How can anybody take this person seriously?

[Glenn Beck]

I know. I know.

[Stu Burguiere]

She was.

[Glenn Beck]

I know.

[Stu Burguiere]

They just Did a poll. Who's the face of the Democratic Party?

[Glenn Beck]

Her.

[Stu Burguiere]

She was number one.

[Glenn Beck]

I know.

[JD Vance]

This.

[Stu Burguiere]

This complete moron bartender from five years ago is the face of the party now.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. What.

[Stu Burguiere]

Which is. I mean, perfectly just.

[Glenn Beck]

It's reasonable.

[Stu Burguiere]

It should be.

[Glenn Beck]

If you've been watching the Democratic Party, it's reasonable that she would be the leader now. They're socialist, they're stupid, they're nothing but activist. They're nothing but. They're. They're nothing but chosen puppets for. I don't know who's pulling all the strings of the Democratic Party, but that's what she is. She's just a little puppet. She's just a little chosen puppet. Hey, you know what, bartender? We can make you a star. And we have that all backed up. We did a show on her early on, how she was selected, how she was elected. I mean, she was selected. She's a little puppet. So, you know, it makes total sense that she is the face of the Democratic Party. But what's happening here? What's happening? Dhs, the Hamas, the. The riots now of everybody standing up and saying, you know, you can't. You can't export illegal aliens. You can't send them back home. The riots that are just itching to start. Now we have. What's his name, the failed vice presidential candidate. Little short, Elmer Fudd, Hunter guy. Oh, gosh, what was his name?

[Stu Burguiere]

The guy in wolf.

[Glenn Beck]

No. Tom. No. What was. Anyway, you know him.

[Stu Burguiere]

Oh, Tim Waltz. Tim Waltz.

[Glenn Beck]

Oh, are you sure? You sure he was the one who ran?

[Stu Burguiere]

All right. I think so.

[Glenn Beck]

Okay. All right. I'm not sure anymore. But he's now come out and said, you know, the government's going to release Derek Chauvin. No, there. There's no. There's no evidence of that. There's none. Donald Trump has said, no, we're not doing that. But what are they doing? They're itching for a race riot. They're setting something up. Canceling Netflix takes about an hour, three passwords and an existential crisis. But switching from your current mobile provider to Patriot Mobile, it's easy. And unlike Netflix, it actually makes a difference. Patriot Mobile is America's only Christian conservative wireless provider, and they give you the same nationwide coverage as the big guys, but without funding. You know, the causes that undermine your values. No woke agendas, no hidden activism buried in your phone bill. Just faith, family, freedom and great service. And the switch. It's seamless. They make it stupidly simple. They really do. You can keep your number. You can keep your phone if you want to. The only thing that changes is where your money goes. And that part matters because when you choose Patriot Mobile, you're not just paying a bill. You're supporting pro life organizations, veterans, first responders, Second Amendment first, all really pretty much all of the Bill of Rights. And it'll actually help make America stronger. If you've already got a phone, isn't it time you put that to work, you know, and put it to work on what you believe in? Right now I want you to go to patriot mobile.com beck or call 972-patriot. 972.patriot use the promo code BECK. Get a free month of service right now at patriot mobile.com/beck 972 Patriot. Now back to the podcast. You're listening to the best of the Glenn Beck Program. Welcome to the program. The vice president of the United States and somebody who I think has a presidency in his future, JD Pants. Welcome to the program, Mr. Vice President.

[JD Vance]

Glenn how are we doing?

[Glenn Beck]

I'm great. I'm great. What an amazing few days the president has had. First with all of the, the foreign wins before he left with the wars, you know, and everything that the State Department and Marco Rubio's doing. And now this speech, I think this Riyadh speech is historic on so many levels. How would you describe what's going on in the Middle east this week?

[JD Vance]

Yeah, so I agree with you, Glenn, about that particular speech. I mean, when I listened to it and I obviously knew a little bit about what the president was going to say, and it changed a little bit, I would say, over the last couple of days. But the core message is very simple, that America wants not to remake the world in America's image. We don't want to force our allies to adopt our exact form of government. We actually want to be in the business of shared interest and shared economic cooperation. And so long as you're not trying to kill anybody, and so long as you're interested in building wealth for your citizens and working with America, then America is open for business. And I think that's a very important signal to send to the world. You know, the Obama administration economist Larry Summers had a very smart point a few years ago. He said, you know, when the Chinese show up in the developing world, they show up with a bag of money. When Americans show up in the developing world, they show up with a lecture. And if you're, you know, given a choice between a lecture and a bag of money, you're going to choose the bag of money. Every step of the way I think what the president is saying is that era of American preachiness and America telling other countries how to live their lives, that era is over. And I think it's a very important point for the Middle East. It's a very important point for the whole globe. And, you know, in some ways, only President Trump could have made that argument at this point in time.

[Glenn Beck]

Are we stopping with the bags of money, too?

[JD Vance]

I think we're stopping with both, but we are really looking at economic cooperation. You know, in Africa, for example, Glenn, you have American diplomats sent by the Biden administration who are telling very conservative Christian African countries that they need to fly the LGBTQ flag, but they're not engaging in any economic arrangement where, you know, the Africans have critical minerals that we need, they have other industries that we could be participating in, we could be partnering on. And I think that's. That's the bags of money point. It's not that we're going to give them money, but that we could have some shared economic relations with a conservative African country where we wouldn't want to tell them how to live their lives. We would actually just want to enter into a partnership with them. And that's, again, a big, big change. It's a big shift, but it's an important shift from a very dumb American foreign policy to a very smart one that I think is going to benefit this country for the next generation.

[Glenn Beck]

There was this old TV show, it was a game show when I was a kid called the $20,000 Pyramid, and they would allow you to say pass, and you could skip the subject of the question. And I give you that we're playing the $20,000 pyramid. Here is. You know, I look at the reaction of your speech in Europe, then I see the moves that they're making. I see the new Prime Minister of Canada, who was the architect of the Glasgow Financial Accords. And I'm not sure that we're on the same page anymore, is we can be friends with everybody, but I'm not sure we're walking down the same path anymore with those countries.

[JD Vance]

Well, it worries me, Glenn, because, look, there are certainly some economic benefits and friendships that we can have with a lot of our sort of Western European and obviously our Canadian friends, but in Western Europe in particular. My view on this, Glenn, is our relationship with Western Europe is always going to be unique. You know, America, of course, started as an English colony. We're always going to have a special relationship with the United Kingdom. But what that means fundamentally is that if we see certain Western European countries in Germany, for example, where we have 38,000 troops, if we see Germans doing something that is incredibly offensive to America's values, I think Americans are to recoil a little bit at that. And, you know, I went to Germany very recently, very briefly, Glenn, just to, you know, visit the troops and say hello. And I was hearing from Germans, even during that very brief visit on the ground, saying that they were worried about free speech policies in their own country. Well, if we've got 38,000 troops there and we're living amongst the Germans, we're literally defending their country. I think you can expect Americans to at least express some negative opinions about some of the free speech policies they're seeing in Europe. And, Glenn, you know this as well as anybody. Things that start in Europe sometimes come over to America in the same way that things that start in America sometimes make their way to Europe. The kind of social media censorship that we've seen in Western Europe, it will, in some ways already has made its way to the United States. That was the story of the Biden administration silencing people on social media. So we're going to be very protective of American interests when it comes to things like social media regulation. We want to promote free speech. We don't want our European friends telling social media companies that they have to silence Christians or silence conservatives. And I think there is going to be that friction over the next 10 years. It's not that we're not friends, but there are going to be some disagreements you didn't see 10 years ago.

[Glenn Beck]

So, you know, they have decided they're not going to pursue being a leader in AI, but they're going to make all the rules. How confident are you that we are in a. In a winning position here on AI? It is advancing so rapidly. And the things I hear that comes out, that come out of China, it's either now they're way behind, it's all a paper tiger, or they're way ahead. Where are we, do you think, on AI and, you know, AGI?

[JD Vance]

Well, I think that we're ahead, Glenn, but nobody, nobody who says that we're way ahead should be believed. You know, in artificial intelligence, six months is a lifetime. Twelve months is a generation. We're probably 12 months, maybe two years ahead of where the Chinese are when it comes to critical hardware, when it comes to the necessary infrastructure, when it comes to the engineering talent. But that is not very far ahead at all. And we're really going to have to invest a lot in developing America's next generation of scientists. Glenn, we're going to have to make sure that our hardware companies, that we stopped regulating them to death, that our energy infrastructure, that we stopped regulating it to death. Because if we allow the Chinese to catch up, we may never, ever have an edge on China in this space again. And I think a lot of people, you know, artificial intelligence, it's a chatbot. It's something that maybe helps a college student write a paper. No, no, no, no. The artificial intelligence that I'm worried about, Glenn, is the kind of intelligence that helps them develop next generation weapons, that helps their rockets and missiles hit their target 99% more accurate than the weapons that aren't using artificial intelligence. There are just massive defense technology implications of this, that it's kind of like, you know, what would have happened if the English army had fought the Americans in the Revolutionary War and we had M16s and they had muskets. We don't want to meet on a battlefield of the future and have, you know, we have the muskets and the Chinese have the M16s. I think AI is a critical part of staying ahead of the Communist Chinese. And it's something, look, we're very focused on. We've got a great guy in David Sachs of the administration who's leading this effort, but it's full pedal to the metal, Glenn. We have to constantly be innovating and staying ahead of the game. We can't follow the European lead of regulating. We want America to innovate and that's what we're doing.

[Glenn Beck]

I spoke to the President a couple of weeks ago and he, you know, I was going to ask him about nuclear energy and he just volunteered. You know, I said, you know, what about energy with AI? And he, he went into saying, you know, we're going to, we're talking about making them their own, their own utilities, they can build it. We're going to clear. Even if they wanted to make nuclear power plants that didn't print, I mean, I thought that was one of the bigger headlines of my lifetime and nobody seemed to pick that up or care about that. And we do lose if we don't have these power plants, are we, what are we doing to accelerate? I mean, they need 99% of our power by 20, 28, 99% of the power that's currently being made. We need power plants.

[JD Vance]

Yeah, you're a smart guy, Glenn, because I don't know what else the President said during that interview, but I doubt it was as important as that point.

[Glenn Beck]

Nothing.

[JD Vance]

This is a critical issue. And you ask what we've done, we've had Lee Zeldin at the EPA and all of our environmental folks look at how we cut through the red tape and make it possible. Because, you know, the market would do this, right? These companies would like to do this, but it's the environmental bureaucrats that have told them you can't really attach a power plant off grid to a pure, you know, artificial intelligence hardware facility. We're tearing down those regulations and making it possible again. And then, of course, Glenn, part of this is not just building these facilities, but is powering them with the fuel that we need. And the President, you know, you hear this term all of the above. The President has really said, we're in all the above. Like, you know, reducing regulations on coal. We're empowering the natural gas folks. Petroleum, obviously, nuclear. Like, this is a president who said all power that we have we need to put into this prospect. And, Glenn, one more important point on this. If you look at a chart of electricity generation, the People's Republic of China versus the United States, 20 years ago, we blew them out of the water. Right now the PRC is producing about three times as much electricity as we are, and we flatlined over the last 20 years. That's innovation. That's development. That's got to change, Glenn. We have got to be producing more power for the next wave of innovation. It's maybe the most important part of the puzzle.

[Glenn Beck]

So I did a show last night on just that a reset is coming. It's inevitable that a reset is coming. And we have to hurry, cut the budget onshore, fix the tariff or the trade deficit, or we don't really have a chance of doing anything. And as I was looking at, we ran three different models through AI and they all came back with the same stuff. And we're doing those. The President is doing those things, except for the cutting of the budget. I mean, Congress won't even pass the Doge cuts. When will the White House become strong on you must cut the spending.

[JD Vance]

Yeah, great question, Glenn. And I will say the big beautiful bill text just came out last week. That's going to change a lot from now until then. We've already had conversations with House leadership that we want to see some more significant efforts to rein in spending here. The President also believes, Glenn, and I think he's right about that, that if you cut the trade deficit or you raise revenue through tariffs, that you actually go a long way to making the country on a more sustainable fiscal pathway as well. But you're right. You can't do it without cutting domestic spending. We're going to have to do it and get serious about it.

[Glenn Beck]

I mean, I think the red making.

[JD Vance]

That as clear to congressional leaders as possible. But look, I, you know, knock on wood here, but I think that once we get the final package out of the House and the Senate, we're going to have something that's serious on on on budget cutting. And there's one final point on this, Glenn, what no one talks enough about. When I talk to Elon, I talk to the Doge folks, where they think they're going to get the most cuts is in taking people, illegal aliens and other people who are defrauding the Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security system. You think about two people, right? A guy who's paid into Social Security for 40 years, obviously we want that guy to get his Social Security benefits. You compare that person to an illegal alien who's engaged in Medicaid fraud, obviously we don't want that person to get their benefits. I think Democrats are going to fight us on this. But this is such an important point. We cannot allow people to defraud the Medicare and Medicaid system or it's going to bankrupt this country. It's also just fundamentally unfair. I don't want people who shouldn't even be here to be on the public dole.

[Glenn Beck]

Right. I know you're headed over to the Vatican. You're going to be celebrating the inaugural Mass of Pope Leo this weekend along with Senator Rubio, who's also Catholic. You had one of the last conversations with the last pope. Why does the pope matter so much to the world? And I want to talk beyond faith and religion. Why is he so important?

[JD Vance]

Well, you know, obviously, right, he is the leader of 1.4 billion Catholics. And so there is just a lot of soft influence, right? He doesn't have a military, he doesn't have an army, but he does have a lot of influence through those Catholics. And, you know, a lot of those Catholics, I think we won a majority of Catholics in the last election, but a lot of those Catholics continue to vote Democratic. And so, you know, there is just a natural influence in having the ear of 1.4 billion faithful people, including, you know, 100 million or so in the United States. I also think, Glenn, something I picked up on, and you don't see a lot of headlines about this, but the Vatican has already played a very constructive role in some of the peace conversations that we've been having all over the world. They've been trying to facilitate negotiations between the Russians and the Ukrainians, they've been trying to facilitate other peaceful negotiations between various countries. And so, you know, they have that soft power. Right. They have the ear of those Catholics, but then they also have an ability to use that soft power to play a mediating role in some of these disputes. So, you know, while the Pope doesn't have an F35 standing behind him, he does have the prayers of a lot of faithful Catholics. And that matters when you try to insert yourself into these conversations. So we welcome that engagement. As you know, the President really does believe that we can have less conflict in the world if we just have cooler heads prevail. So, yeah, we welcome that engagement and we'll continue to do so over the next few years.

[Glenn Beck]

Thank you so much, Mr. Vice President, for all you do. If you don't know why he picked Leo as his name, you in particular will be fascinated by it. You'll have to ask him because it's, it's. You'll love. You'll love the reason why he did. Have a safe trip. Thank you for everything that you've done and Godspeed.

[JD Vance]

Thanks, Glenn. Take care, man.

[Glenn Beck]

Bye. J.D. vance, our vice president.

[Stu Burguiere]

This is the best of the Glenn Beck program.

[Glenn Beck]

SCOTUS is listening to arguments on birthright citizenship. The focus really is on the judge's power to block policies nationwide. That's got to stop. That just has to stop. But we'll see what the Supreme Court has to say.

[Stu Burguiere]

That's really the focus of this, too. It's really not as much about birthright citizenship.

[Glenn Beck]

Right.

[Stu Burguiere]

Like, they. From what I'm understanding, this one is more about the injunctions.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. And it's going to be very narrow, even on the injunctions, I think.

[Stu Burguiere]

Really?

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. So we'll. We'll see. We'll see. So welcome to the program. We're glad you're here. You know who's not here is Ben and Jerry.

[Stu Burguiere]

He's here in my heart. I mean, in that way. But I mean by, like the calcium built up from, from all of the heart disease.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

That I've received from the company over the years. But, yeah, no, he's not here. He was at the, that big hearing. He was. I'm getting. It's difficult to understand where everyone is anymore. Like, I feel like at the time this was easier back in the day, you know, like, you could kind of, like, you hear Ben and Jerry, you knew left. Right. Like, it was easy. Now I, you know, I, I miss.

[Glenn Beck]

The days when we had just put labels on people and it was easy it was easy.

[Stu Burguiere]

It made things a little bit easier to keep track of. You know, like, some people have put the label anti Semite, for example, on Ben and Jerry in their company over the years. That was a label that I thought was interesting.

[Glenn Beck]

Right.

[Stu Burguiere]

You know, it's. But it's. He's like, now opposing rfk, who.

[Glenn Beck]

I mean, I think it's on probably Ben and Jerry's side on many things, almost everything.

[Stu Burguiere]

Right. Like, there are some things RFK has obviously changed on when it comes to the WOKE stuff, and I think some of the censorship stuff, although I think, you know, I think I could be wrong on this. But maybe Ben might even be one of those old school socialist types that would. Would maybe even agree with us on some of the censorship stuff. Right.

[Glenn Beck]

Maybe.

[Stu Burguiere]

Maybe. You know, because, I mean, it's part of the set. The socialist movement in the United States was kind of built on the opposition. Right. Was kind of built on the opposition to, like, the McCarthyism.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

And. And so there was. There's some right.

[Glenn Beck]

Ideological for that. When they were the ones being shut up.

[Stu Burguiere]

Of course, that's the way it always works.

[Glenn Beck]

And now that they're not the ones being told to shut up, they're like, we have every right to tell you to shut up. Yeah. Oh, okay.

[Stu Burguiere]

Let me ask you this, though, because he's also been embraced by some parts of the right, and Tucker did an interview with him. That's not an embrace. You can talk to whoever you want to talk to. Right. There's nothing wrong with that. We've done it. We've talked to people on the far, far left, even much farther left and crazier than even Ben or Jerry over the years. I. No problem with that. As a journalist, you should do that. I mean, Tucker talked to Vladimir Putin. Right. So did Megyn Kelly.

[Glenn Beck]

I would talk to America's biggest enemies, but I would be like, right.

[Stu Burguiere]

You would ask tough questions. I'm sure Tucker did in the interview. But I've noticed this thing that we're doing, and I'm a little concerned. Let me see if I can articulate this. Us on the right, the conservative side of the spectrum. Find someone who has some crossover with us in some way, but is really a figure of the left. Okay. And we kind of give them this warm embrace and say, hey, come on over. We've got this thing that we agree on. It's wonderful. And then they sort of become part of the movement, and that's totally fine. Like, let me give you an example. Tulsi Gabbard, I really like Tulsi Gabbard. She's been on the show a bunch of times. She's in the administration right now.

[Glenn Beck]

I encounter as a friend, she's great.

[Stu Burguiere]

So this is not a criticism. I'm glad Tulsi Gabbard has had this awakening over the years. I'm excited about that.

[Glenn Beck]

But.

[Stu Burguiere]

So she comes over, she supported Bernie Sanders, ran the Sanders campaign in Hawaii back in the day, not that long ago. But she's had a transition. She's come over and obviously is in the Trump administration now. And so we look at that and we say, hey, that's great. We brought someone from the left over to our side and that's great if that's what you're doing. If you're convincing someone on the left to convert their ideas into something closer to your ideas, that's a positive change. You're widening the tent in a way that we all can support. But really what Tulsi's doing in the government right now is she's being consistent with her old left wing views on things like stopping wars and not. And being tough on intelligence issues with the government.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, because we woke up on that.

[Stu Burguiere]

Well, because we've changed. Right.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

And that's what I'm getting to here. What seems to be happening is we're embracing things on the left, and it's not us changing their views into ours, it's us changing our views into theirs. And then. And then embracing some of those people. That's not necessarily bad if we were wrong the whole time.

[Glenn Beck]

Right. And I think we were on the Endless Wars. Yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

I mean, some of that I agree with. Right. The phrasing of it and maybe the scope of it, maybe I'm not fully there, but generally speaking, I think, you know, we've definitely overstepped our bounds at.

[Glenn Beck]

Times, but a lot of times, yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

I don't think that's improper to say, but I mean, again, I look at the way Trump handles that and it's different than what Tulsi's vision of this is. I think Trump is tough.

[Glenn Beck]

I think Trump is Ronald Reagan. I'll pound you into the sand. I will. I will turn your sand into glass. Don't screw with us. But then he's like, but we're buddies right now, so you don't want to be buddies. We'll be buddies.

[Stu Burguiere]

I mean, I like to. For example of this, his Syria move, I think is fascinating. And I think. I think the right move, I'm not 100% sure.

[Glenn Beck]

I'm not 100%.

[Stu Burguiere]

Sure. It's a very complicated situation. But like, I think it's worth taken a stab at this. It's a new regime. The guy used to be literally in Al Qaeda.

[Glenn Beck]

I know, okay.

[Stu Burguiere]

However, maybe he's changed. I think the chances of it are low. But why not pull that lottery ticket? Because the downside is what we already had. So give a shot. You give the guy a handshake, you say, hey, we're gonna drop these sanctions. We're gonna give you a chance to not turn yourself into the old regime. And I think that's right. I think it's the right approach. I think it's.

[Glenn Beck]

Nobody is ever turned by lectures.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah. Or like opponents lectures in particular.

[Glenn Beck]

Right. I mean, you turn people through love and understanding and giving them the benefit of the doubt until they prove you wrong.

[Stu Burguiere]

It's a great point. And I think it ties back to my previous way where we started this conversation, which is a lot of people in our movement are being won over to previous left wing positions by new friends. And that is not bad in and of itself. But we've done it a lot lately.

[Glenn Beck]

And I'm giving some better examples because I changed. Not because of Tulsi.

[Stu Burguiere]

No.

[Glenn Beck]

You know, but the movement. And the reason why I like Tulsi at first was I like the fact that she was willing to stand up to her own machine and say, no, you guys are wrong. You guys are going down this fascistic route and I won't go there with you. You are changing all the rules. You're. You're not who you said you were. That's why I originally liked her, because she'd take on her own people and that takes courage. So it shows you something about her character. Then when you get to know her, you realize, oh, we might disagree on taxes and everything else, but she loves the country. She loves and reveres the Constitution of the United States. If I can get you on the Bill of Rights, we don't have any differences too big to not be able to bridge.

[Stu Burguiere]

And again, I don't think Tulsi is a problem. No, I don't. That's not what I'm saying. But, you know, you have.

[JD Vance]

Let's.

[Stu Burguiere]

Tulsi is in DNI. You have RFK Jr HHS. It's a big one. Right. Like, I mean, you know, you look at the way RFK Jr. Approaches. I mean, look, he's awfully close to someone who, like Michael Bloomberg on public health issues. This is something we. Now, he was kind of a Republican in New York at One point. But obviously it was something that I know we oppose in the audience. Loudly opposed when he was trying to control what you eat. Now he has some. I think there's some differences. I'm not saying there aren't any, but like going after food companies and changing the way that's a change for the. If that's what the right is, that is a change for the right. We were always in favor of people making their own choices and having companies be able to produce the products within some guidelines.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, as long as they are not killing people or harming.

[Stu Burguiere]

There are guidelines. There's guardrails, of course, to all of this, but generally speaking, ours were wide. The lefts were small.

[Glenn Beck]

Right.

[Stu Burguiere]

And now we've taken the guy who was the voice of the left's view on those, RFK Jr. And put him in charge of the right's view of it. Is that a good thing? Maybe it's great. Maybe he's been completely right this whole time and we should have been approaching things that way.

[Glenn Beck]

I think if our society was not getting sicker and sicker and sicker, then.

[Stu Burguiere]

There'S reasons for all this stuff. But like we should notice those things. You know, he's a really, I think, big example of that because that is, it's a massive change to the way that we've, we've done these things. Another one is trade. Peter Navarro ran as a Democrat over and over and over and over again on these trade ideas. Now Donald Trump has been consistent with these trade ideas since the day he was in the public eye.

[Glenn Beck]

There's nobody, there's, there's nobody who has been more outspoken on the anti trade up until recently than me. And you, you're still outspoken on it. I think, I think we have to give it a shot because we're, we're behind the eight ball here.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah, I mean, I don't, I don't like the policy. I don't agree. But again, it's separate from whether each individual one of these is right. But there's a lot of these. And over time I think you'd acknowledge it's going to add up to a completely different formula. It might be the right thing for us to do. But isn't this, but we should notice each one of these changes.

[Glenn Beck]

I think isn't this. And I think you're right on that. But isn't this the same as, I mean, you're not the same guy I met 30 years ago totally. That I hired.

[Stu Burguiere]

We all change.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, we all change. And that's Good. And we should notice when we change because then we learn from. Wait, why did I just change? Did I change for the right reasons or did something happen to me? Is somebody around me that's changing this? You. You do. We do have to pay attention to the change. But I think change is good.

[Stu Burguiere]

It can be.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

You know, I mean, if it's, if.

[Glenn Beck]

It'S, if it's well thought out, if it is still built on principles and an evolving understanding not of truth, but how to get to the truth. Like I, for instance, the foreign war thing, I just know right now what we've been doing is not working. It's not going to make the world safer ever, ever, ever, ever. It's not.

[Stu Burguiere]

However, sometimes it has, obviously in previous wars. But yes.

[Glenn Beck]

Meddling of everybody trying to.

[Stu Burguiere]

You can't control everything.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. And this, it just doesn't gonna, it's not gonna work. And it making, it's making things worse now. Pulling all the way back and saying, you know what? We don't, you know, we don't want to be involved in the rest of the world. That doesn't sound good to me.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah. And I don't think that's what Trump is doing.

[Glenn Beck]

Right. And it, but it might be the right thing. Thing. I just know, I know for sure that what we had been doing doesn't work. And I really believed in what we were doing now. I believed in what I thought we were doing. You know what I mean?

[Stu Burguiere]

For sure.

[Glenn Beck]

And so we have to make changes and changes in almost everything. And as long as it's logical, as long as you have really thought things out, as long as you're not just conforming. You know, the real, the really scary thing is when people begin to conform for any other reason other than logic. I've reasoned this out. I've asked critical questions and I'm sorry, I'd love more information that might change me out of this position. But this is where I find myself out, find myself at. And even if I'm uncomfortable, I have to stand here because this is my current understanding of what's best, you know, and as long as you keep an open mind and you're constantly seeking to have a better understanding of, of deeper truths, then I think you're, then I think you're fine. But, you know, one of the things that we're going to face, especially with AI, is all of a sudden we're going to conform because Google would give you page after page after page after page of different information. ChatGPT. Chat GPT gives you one answer and you just assume it's right. Yeah. They don't give you any. They don't.

[Stu Burguiere]

It's gonna be a fascinating development in our society.

[Glenn Beck]

And it's already there.

[Stu Burguiere]

You just totally is.

[Glenn Beck]

You googled and you had to go and reason and look at different things and everything else. This is one answer. I know it's right because it came from AI. Very dangerous. I guess the thing is just the part I guess we really agree on is question everything, always be diligent.