The Glenn Beck Program – Best of the Program

Guests: Gov. Greg Abbott & Leland Vittert
Date: October 13, 2025
Episode Theme:
A wide-ranging look at recent historic Middle East peace developments under President Trump, U.S. domestic policy with Texas Governor Greg Abbott—especially regarding National Guard deployments—and a deep-dive into journalist Leland Vittert’s personal story of overcoming autism, as told in his new book Born Lucky. Glenn Beck leads the conversation, focusing on American culture, international affairs, and the formative power of family.

Main Topics and Structure

1. President Trump’s Middle East Peace Deal: Legacy & Meaning (03:44–16:00)
2. The Prisoner/Hostage Swaps and Ramifications (11:16–15:54)
3. Governor Greg Abbott on National Guard, Border Security & Cartels (18:02–32:01)
4. Leland Vittert on Middle East, Anti-Semitism, and His Journey with Autism (32:17–49:27)

1. President Trump’s Middle East Peace Deal: Legacy & Meaning

(03:44–16:00)

Key Points

• Trump’s Disruptive Foreign Policy

  • Glenn Beck recounts how Trump challenged the status quo in U.S. foreign policy by removing traditional “calcified” advisors and introducing a business-like, negotiator’s approach.
  • "He broke all of the rules and he's a negotiator and a business guy and a builder. So he thinks differently. And look at the difference." — Glenn Beck (05:11)

• Peace Through Strength, Iran’s Role, and Breaking Conventional Wisdom

  • Trump’s philosophy of “peace through strength” is highlighted. Instead of the U.S. and Israel being solely responsible for responding to threats like Iran, the expectation now is for the coalition of Arab states to take initiative.
  • Glenn discusses the significance of Trump’s outreach to Arab states—even towards Iran—to reframe the region’s alliances.

• Historical Comparison and Critique of Other Presidents

  • Trump stands out as one of the few recent U.S. presidents who has not entangled America further in foreign wars, contrasting with the record of his predecessors.
  • "Name the president that has not moved us closer to war or brought us into war in the last five, where we've had troops on the ground?" — Glenn Beck (10:58)

Notable Quotes

• "Nothing in his history points to him being a maniacal hawk. He hates war." — Middle East Analyst (08:01)
• "There is always a completely ridiculous ratio of how many Palestinians get released compared to how many Israelis... always 50, 100, 150 to 1." — Middle East Analyst (12:16)

2. The Prisoner/Hostage Swaps and Ramifications

(11:16–15:54)

Insights

• Imbalanced Exchanges

  • The analysts and Beck discuss the recurring pattern of disproportionate prisoner exchanges—many more Palestinians released for each Israeli hostage.

• Long-term Risks

  • Concerns are voiced about the risk that some released Palestinians are or become hardened militants:
    "There is certainly a risk, as we've seen after 9/11, that when you take terrorists and you put them in Guantanamo for a few months and then release them back, they become the heads of ISIS. Like, this stuff does happen." — Middle East Analyst (13:50)

• Arab-Israeli Coalition: A Path Forward

  • The team expresses hope that a solid coalition between Israel and Arab countries may provide longer-term stability in the region, beyond simply managing groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.
    "If we have a place where Israel and many of these Arab nations are in a good place together, trading with each other... it's a totally different dynamic." — Middle East Analyst (14:36)

• Historic Change

  • The Abraham Accords and recent diplomatic breakthroughs are highlighted as once-unimaginable.
    "100% of the time, I was convinced this was never going to occur where there would even be a chance where Arab nations and Israel would be buddy, buddy." — Middle East Analyst (15:36)
  • Even Hillary Clinton’s rare bipartisan commendation is cited:
    "I really commend President Trump and his administration as well as Arab leaders in the region for making the commitment to a 20 point plan..." — Glenn Beck quoting Hillary Clinton (15:54)

3. Interview: Governor Greg Abbott on National Guard, Federal Authority & Border Security

(18:02–32:01)

The Illinois National Guard Controversy

• Federal vs. State Authority

  • Abbott explains the constitutional basis for deploying the Texas National Guard to protect ICE under President Trump’s order, despite pushback from Illinois officials and courts.
  • The legal case rests on whether military deployment prevents interference with federal law, not for “police duties.” "The President doesn't have the authority to call up National Guard to act like police officers... but that's not what he's doing." — Gov. Abbott (22:58)

• Criticism of “Sanctuary City” Governors

  • Abbott is critical of Governor Pritzker and Gavin Newsom, accusing them of promoting chaos by opposing National Guard deployments intended to protect ICE. "It's just disgusting that we have governors in this country who actually promote crime and chaos in their own community." — Gov. Abbott (23:11)

Texas National Guard’s Special Role

• Why Texas?

  • Trump’s choice is due to the Texas Guard’s reputation for being experienced and large enough to handle both out-of-state and in-state missions. "President Trump knows that the Texas National Guard is the most elite National Guard that we have in the United States..." — Gov. Abbott (24:33)

• Rules of Engagement

  • Guard members are trained to use non-lethal force to protect federal agents, but not to engage in law enforcement actions except in extreme cases (e.g., to stop an assassination attempt). "Their mandate is to protect the ICE agents... they would have tear gas, flashbang, pepper ball capabilities, less than lethal force..." — Gov. Abbott (26:03)

Border Security & Cartel Threats

• Baja Cartel Threats & Technology

  • While extreme cartel violence like declared “war on Americans” hasn’t reached Texas, Abbott mentions preparations for drone warfare and expands on physical border barriers. “Trump has publicly stated...he is looking to take out the heads of the cartels in Mexico, and he has not backed off of that in any way whatsoever.” — Gov. Abbott (28:58)

• Innovation: Water Buoys

  • Trump administration deploying 80+ miles of water buoys to secure border crossings—a cheaper and effective alternative to walls. "They're about a tenth of the cost of a border wall." — Gov. Abbott (29:50)

• Long-term Security

  • Abbott emphasizes that security initiatives should last well beyond the current administration, securing the border "for the next 30 years." (31:02)

Additional Highlights

• Glenn commends Abbott’s swift action against attempts to establish “Sharia law” municipal enclaves in Texas cities. (31:39)

4. Leland Vittert: Middle East Analysis & Memoir “Born Lucky”

(32:17–49:27)

Middle East: Historic Shifts and New Threats

• Trump’s Disruption & Iran’s Weakening

  • Vittert underscores the “seismic” change as Trump (thanks to Kushner's insight) isolated Iran, shifting the regional paradigm away from the Israeli-Palestinian binary. "Jared Kushner understood and explained to Trump that the root of all the problems in the Middle east is not the Israeli Palestinian conflict, it is Iran." — Leland Vittert (32:42)

• Caution Against Predicting the Region

  • "If you want to predict the future in the Middle east, you must be a prophet himself. You will be proven a fool." — Leland Vittert (33:55)
  • Emphasis on unforeseen consequences—such as the rise of antisemitism globally, contrary to what many expected post-October 7.

• Confronting Modern Antisemitism

  • Beck and Vittert discuss the troubling mainstreaming of anti-Jewish sentiment on both political extremes. "It's not some new age critical way of thinking. It's rank anti Semitism and Jew hatred." — Leland Vittert (35:43) "There is good and evil in the world...once you start raping and pillaging and waging war against civilians, I don't care what your grievances are. You must be destroyed." — Leland Vittert (36:23)

• Marxist Roots of the Pro-Palestinian Movement in the U.S.

  • Leland asserts the recent U.S. Palestinian movement is less genuine advocacy and more a front for neo-Marxist, anti-Semitic ideology. "It was an anti Jew movement...they're neo Marxist anti Semites." — Leland Vittert (37:24)

Personal Story: Overcoming Autism ("Born Lucky")

• Autism Diagnosis and Early Hardships

  • Vittert shares his struggle with severe learning and behavioral disabilities as a child, being told by experts that “there's not much” that could be done.
  • His father took extraordinary, unconventional steps to adapt Leland to the world, rather than expecting the world to adapt to him.

• Key Lessons and Triumphs

  • The importance of self-esteem through hard work: daily push-ups, focus on effort and character, and granular social coaching. "Hard work, effort equals achievement. It's something you can take pride in." — Leland Vittert (41:10)
  • His father’s strategy: immersive teaching of social norms, using actual interactions to explain and practice emotional intelligence. "He would tap his watch, and that was my cue to stop talking...‘How do you connect with him?’” — Leland Vittert (46:09)

• Enduring Struggles and Success

  • Openly discussing ongoing challenges: “Autism is not something you’re ever cured of.”
  • Emotional recounting of his sister’s role, sibling effects, and childhood isolation:
    "Liberty said, the first memory of my brother ever was every day when he got to the woods, he would start crying. And I would hold his hand as I walked home with him." — Leland Vittert (44:13)

• Standing Up to Bullying

  • A turning point: physically defending himself against a relentless bully, shifting from victimhood to resilience. "I slammed his head down on the desk. But it was the beginning of me starting to fight back." — Leland Vittert (48:58)

Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• "He broke all of the rules and he's a negotiator and a business guy and a builder. So he thinks differently. And look at the difference." — Glenn Beck (05:11)
• "There is a lot to come here. This is not a—it's a victory lap for a very small piece, but a very important piece of it." — Middle East Analyst (14:00)
• "President Trump knows that the Texas National Guard is the most elite National Guard that we have in the United States..." — Gov. Greg Abbott (24:33)
• "They would have tear gas, flashbang, pepper ball capabilities, less than lethal force... to maintain crowd control." — Gov. Greg Abbott (26:03)
• "Jared Kushner understood and explained to Trump that the root of all the problems in the Middle east is not the Israeli Palestinian conflict, it is Iran." — Leland Vittert (32:42)
• "It's not some new age critical way of thinking. It's rank anti Semitism and Jew hatred." — Leland Vittert (35:43)
• "Once you start raping and pillaging and waging war against civilians, I don't care what your grievances are. You must be destroyed." — Leland Vittert (36:23)
• "Hard work, effort equals achievement. It's something you can take pride in." — Leland Vittert (41:10)
• "Liberty said, the first memory of my brother ever was every day when he got to the woods, he would start crying. And I would hold his hand as I walked home with him." — Leland Vittert (44:13)
• "I slammed his head down on the desk. But it was the beginning of me starting to fight back." — Leland Vittert (48:58)

Final Thoughts

This episode demonstrates Glenn Beck’s knack for weaving together international policy analysis, spirited debate on current events, and deeply personal storytelling. The conversations move from global politics (Trump and Middle East peace), to the nuts and bolts of American federalism and security (Governor Abbott), and finally to human resilience and family (Leland Vittert’s memoir). Each guest brings expertise and candor, making this a richly layered episode for listeners seeking insight, history, and hope.