The Glenn Beck Program – Best of the Program

Guests: Jared Isaacman & Liz Wheeler
Date: January 21, 2026
Episode Theme:
A momentous episode focused on Donald Trump’s historic speech at the Davos World Economic Forum (WEF), the geopolitical shifts signaled by that speech, the origins and influence of Davos, and a groundbreaking conversation with NASA’s new head, Jared Isaacman, about America’s renewed push to the Moon and space leadership.

Episode Overview

This episode dives into two major themes:

• The explosive impact and content of Donald Trump’s Davos speech, especially regarding transatlantic alliances, American sovereignty, the end of the “old order,” and resistance to globalist agendas.
• America’s space ambitions under new NASA leadership, with Jared Isaacman outlining the rapid rescue of astronauts from the ISS and detailing the Artemis 2 mission that signals a return to lunar exploration.

1. Trump’s Historic Speech at Davos

The Speech’s Tone & Content

• Consequential Moment: Glenn opens with his sense of gravity around Trump’s Davos appearance, noting, “I’ve never heard a president speak to the world like this. And he means it. And he knows he is carrying a very, very large stick.” (03:23)
• Trump repeatedly articulated his love and respect for Europe and referenced his European ancestry but delivered sharp rebukes, signaling “Western culture is dying in Europe because you refuse to stand up for it.”
• Trump’s stance: No more American underwriting of European or Canadian security without reciprocity.
• Specific focus on Greenland as a strategic battleground, insisting U.S. strength would be focused on defending interests without force—unless provoked.

The Canada Confrontation

• Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Davos Speech:
  • Carney declared, “The old order is not coming back. We shouldn’t mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy…from the fracture, we can build something bigger, better, stronger, more just.” (08:44)
  • Criticized the “rules-based international order” as asymmetric and over for middle powers like Canada.
• Trump’s Response:
  • Beck paraphrases: “[Trump said] Canada lives because of the US. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements. That’s really direct and clear.” (13:14)
  • Glenn underscores the rarity of such blunt language from an American president: “Have you ever heard a president of the United States speak like that?” (13:26)
• Panel Response:
  • Stu: “Feels good to have a president that stands up and says, no, you’re not doing that anymore.” (13:34)
  • Ricky speculates on Carney’s bravado stemming from a possible China alliance; Glenn insists, “No. I think he believes in the new world order. He believes in the power of the banking community. He believes in the WEF…” (14:39)

Trump’s Style—a “Tough Love” Doctrine

• Jason (Insider analyst): Sums up Trump’s approach as “a eulogy and a funeral right now at the WEF… Daddy Trump…is providing the tough love. This is after the son lost his basketball game, and instead of the dad saying, ‘you’ll get him next time,’ he’s saying, ‘get your butt into the gym, workout and practice your jump shot.’” (07:36)
• Glenn on American Generosity: “You guys have been living off of us and living on our teat since 1945. All of these things…the United States agreed to and developed and made the world stable so you could rebuild Europe…You’ve been sucking us dry ever since. We’re asking for one thing. Give it to us or we will remember.” (16:06)
• On Trump’s Promises vs. Threats: “He says what he means, and starts making promises, not threats.” (15:41)

Key Quote

• Glenn Beck:
  • “I think it is the most powerful speech, most important and impactful international speech given by a president, at least since Ronald Reagan said the evil empire speech. And Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall. He changed the world order today.” (30:47)

2. What Is Davos and Why Does It Matter?

Davos: The Origins and Influence

• History: Founded in 1971 by Klaus Schwab (whom Beck calls “born and bred evil”), Davos evolved from a forum for European CEOs to a shadow “anti-chamber” of governments by the 1990s.
• Shift in Power: After the fall of the Berlin Wall, Davos becomes ground zero for a new elite-driven world order, exchanging elections and public debates for private global management.
• Mechanisms:
  • Davos to think tanks -> NGOs -> government agencies/regulators -> implementation in daily life—without public consent or votes.
  • “They’ve already made the agreement globally. Now all they have to do is get it from the agencies and the NGOs to the regulators, and then the regulators write all of the regulations, and then it’s your life.” (28:21)
• Consequences for Ordinary Citizens:
  • Higher energy costs, ESG/DEI rules, business compliance burdens, suppression of speech—all have roots in Davos-borne policies.

Key Quotes

• Glenn Beck:
  • “The policies that were announced as national decisions were first panel discussions in Davos… Build Back Better was used by seven different prime ministers and presidents in their election in 2020. I mean, that all came from panel discussions. That was not homegrown. That was a globalist panel discussion.” (29:41)
  • “Managed societies don’t remain free, at least not for long. That’s what Davos is.” (30:10)

3. America’s Renewed Space Leadership: NASA & Artemis with Jared Isaacman

The Rescue of Crew 11 & Rapid Response

• First Ever Astronaut Evacuation: Beck frames this as a “first time this has ever happened in space history.” (Introduced at 00:46, detailed at 32:43+)
• Isaacman on the Incident:
  • “One of the greatest accomplishments that we’ve done at the International Space Station is the continuous human presence in space over a quarter of a century…this is why we do extensive training…And it happened. Everyone did an extraordinary job. The incident was stabilized very quickly.” (33:19)
  • Due to privacy, details withheld, but mission exemplified nimble American capability.
• Contrast with Prior Administration: Beck draws a distinction with delays under Biden, praising the swift and decisive handling under Trump-appointed leadership. (35:59)

The Artemis 2 Mission: Back to the Moon

• Launch Overview:
  • “This will be the first time that we have gone and sent people to circle the moon one last time before we actually land on the moon again.” (31:26)
  • Artemis 2 will fly past the Moon and back, deeper into space than any crew prior, using a rocket “more powerful than Saturn 5.” (37:20, 39:02)
  • “It is, it is more powerful than the Shuttle. It is going to be able to accelerate…It is more powerful than Saturn 5.” (39:02)
• Why Go Back?
  • “President Trump with his national space policy, he created the Artemis Program during his first term. And he said, we’re not just going back to the moon to plant the flag and pick up rocks. He wants an enduring presence.” (39:47)
  • “Our children someday are going to watch Artemis 100. I mean, this mission sets up a series of launches to and from the moon, the construction of a lunar base, so we can realize the scientific and economic value of being on the lunar surface.” (39:47)
• Strategic & Economic Imperatives:
  • Lunar mining (eg. Helium 3 for future energy), resource extraction, and establishing U.S. presence against potential rivals.
  • “Who’s making up the difference [in costs]? You’ve got some fantastic entrepreneurs across commercial space industry. Elon Musk at SpaceX, Jeff Bezos at Blue Origin, dozens of other companies putting their resources on the line…” (41:53)

Key Quotes

• Jared Isaacman:
  • “We don’t know what we’re going to find out there that could change things here on Earth. You know, on the lunar surface, you could be mining Helium 3, which has the potential to change things in energy…Do we want to come in second place on that? Because certainly the Chinese are setting out to do this.” (41:16)
  • “It’s step one. I can’t emphasize that enough…this might be Artemis 2 coming up, but our children someday are going to watch Artemis 100.” (39:47)
• Glenn Beck:
  • “This makes me feel like a kid. It is a wonder of the world. If you’ve never seen this, you will not believe your eyes. It is a wonder. You just can’t imagine man is able to do it. It’s remarkable.” (39:18)
  • “Artemis is meant to prove we belong there. We can live there and we can build there. This is historic.” (44:28)

4. Notable Quotes & Timestamps

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote & Context | |--------------|---------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:23 | Glenn Beck | “I’ve never heard a president speak to the world like this. And he means it…” | | 08:44 | Mark Carney | “The old order is not coming back...fr om the fracture, we can build something bigger...” | | 13:14 | Glenn Beck | “[Trump said] Canada lives because of the US. Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.” | | 15:41 | Glenn Beck | “He says what he means, and starts making promises, not threats.” | | 28:21 | Glenn Beck | “Now all they have to do is get it from the agencies and the NGOs to the regulators, and then the regulators write all of the regulations, and then it’s your life.” | | 30:47 | Glenn Beck | “It is the most powerful speech, most important and impactful international speech given by a president, at least since Ronald Reagan said the evil empire speech…” | | 33:19 | Jared Isaacman | “One of the greatest accomplishments that we’ve done at the International Space Station is the continuous human presence in space over a quarter of a century…” | | 37:20 | Jared Isaacman | “You want to know what’s harder? Is 8.8 million pounds of thrust accelerating more astronauts to nearly 25,000 miles per hour. Because now you have to get to near Earth escape velocity…” | | 39:47 | Jared Isaacman | “Our children someday are going to watch Artemis 100. I mean, this mission sets up a series of launches to and from the moon, the construction of a lunar base…” | | 41:16 | Jared Isaacman | “On the lunar surface, you could be mining Helium 3, which has the potential to change things in energy… Do we want to come in second place on that?...” | | 44:28 | Glenn Beck | “Artemis is meant to prove we belong there. We can live there and we can build there. This is historic.” |

5. Segment Timestamps

• [00:00-03:18] – Introduction and episode overview
• [03:18-16:50] – Analysis of Trump’s Davos speech; Canada/Greenland/NATO
• [16:50-31:26] – The history and influence of Davos, global policy pipelines, and critiques of globalist systems
• [31:26-44:28] – Interview with Jared Isaacman, NASA’s renewed leadership, Crew 11 rescue, Artemis 2 deep-dive, economic/strategic implications of lunar return

Episode Takeaways

• Trump’s Davos speech is seen as a direct challenge to decades of globalist policy and a restoration of unapologetic American leadership.
• The WEF’s history reveals a pipeline for elite-driven, voter-insulated policy shaping much of global governance.
• America’s return to the Moon—under experienced, entrepreneurial NASA leadership—is not just symbolic, but strategically and economically vital in a new era of great power competition.
• The episode’s tone is candid, urgent, and patriotic, with a focus on American agency and skepticism toward elite-managed globalization.

Summary prepared for listeners seeking an in-depth understanding of the episode’s content and significance.