Best of the Program | Guests: Jonathan Pageau & Gordon Chang | 1/16/25

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Glenn Beck Program
Episode: Best of the Program | Guests: Jonathan Pageau & Gordon Chang | January 16, 2025

---

Introduction

In this episode of The Glenn Beck Program, hosted by the Blaze Podcast Network, Glenn Beck engages in insightful discussions with two distinguished guests: Jonathan Pageau, an icon carver and cultural commentator, and Gordon Chang, author of China Is Going to War. The episode delves into themes ranging from the symbolic significance of UFO phenomena to the geopolitical strategies surrounding China's potential for conflict, particularly concerning the Panama Canal. Throughout the conversation, Beck and his guests provide deep analyses, interspersed with humor and notable quotes that enrich the discourse.

---

Conversation with Jonathan Pageau: The Symbolic Realm of UFOs and Spirituality

Exploring the Unknown (00:00 - 03:14)
Glenn Beck introduces Jonathan Pageau, highlighting his expertise in icon carving and symbolic interpretation. Beck expresses intrigue over discussions about interdimensional beings, setting the stage for a profound exploration of the symbolic meanings behind unidentified phenomena.

Symbolic Structures and Alien Influences (03:14 - 10:35)
Pageau emphasizes the importance of understanding UFOs and UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) not merely as physical entities but as symbols that influence our perception and spirituality. He states:

“We are dealing with something like a monster, that's like a hybrid monster that you don't know what it means.”
(04:37)

He draws parallels between ancient mythological creatures and modern UFO sightings, suggesting that these phenomena act as catalysts for reevaluating our place in the cosmos.

The Intersection of Science and Spirituality (10:35 - 12:05)
Beck raises concerns about society's shift from spiritual to scientific interpretations of the universe, citing contemporary debates on gender identity as an example of "perverse spirituality." Pageau responds by cautioning against conflating scientific exploration with spiritual understanding, warning of the dangers in confusing the two realms.

AI and Modern Golems (12:05 - 14:42)
The conversation transitions to artificial intelligence, where Pageau likens AI to the mythical golem—an artificial being that can turn against its creators. He warns:

“If we encounter aliens like extraterrestrial beings, there will be a great temptation to confuse those with the idea of angels or of gods.”
(10:48)

Pageau underscores the necessity of maintaining a clear distinction between technological advancements and spiritual entities to preserve societal meaning structures.

---

Discussion with Gordon Chang: China's Geopolitical Maneuvers and the Panama Canal

China’s Economic Struggles and Militaristic Aspirations (16:00 - 18:40)
Glenn Beck introduces Gordon Chang, focusing on his analysis of China's deteriorating economy and the potential for Xi Jinping to instigate conflict as a means to consolidate power. Chang elaborates:

“Xi knows that the only way out for him is a misadventure abroad. And I think he wants it for one primary reason, and that is if he has a war, he prevents other Communist Party leaders from challenging him and deposing him.”
(17:06)

He outlines how internal economic pressures may drive China to provoke international conflicts to divert attention and maintain regime stability.

Potential Flashpoints and the Panama Canal (18:40 - 25:19)
Chang discusses possible scenarios where China might target the Panama Canal to disrupt U.S. naval movements between the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. He explains:

“There are any number of ways for China to do that. So, for instance, they could take a ship, they could ram one of the locks, they could scuttle it in the Culebra Cut.”
(19:47)

Chang warns of China's extensive knowledge and penetration of Panamanian infrastructure, making them a formidable adversary capable of orchestrating significant disruptions.

Chinese Influence in the Panama Canal Zone (20:48 - 25:19)
The conversation delves into the extent of Chinese involvement in the Panama Canal, highlighting state-owned enterprises' dual-use capabilities for military purposes. Chang states:

“They have Chinese state enterprises there. When Laura Hutchinson Richardson, who was head of U.S. southern Command, in the middle of 2022, she flew over the canal and she pointed out all of the Chinese civilian, quote, unquote operations... they would be turned into military facilities at a time of war.”
(21:09)

He underscores the strategic vulnerability posed by Chinese-controlled ports and facilities, advocating for proactive measures to expropriate these assets and bolster American presence in critical regions.

Strategic Recommendations (22:03 - 25:19)
Chang outlines potential strategies to mitigate Chinese threats, including:

• Expropriation of Chinese Assets: Encouraging Panama to void existing contracts and expel Chinese businesses from the Canal Zone.
• Strengthening American Diplomatic and Business Presence: Promoting American enterprises to reclaim strategic ports and infrastructures globally.
• Utilizing the Neutrality Treaty: Reminding that the U.S. retains the right to militarily protect the Panama Canal, serving as a contingency against Chinese aggression.

“We've got to make sure that American businesses are interested, alive to the possibilities of actually doing business and making profits in places like Central America, South America, Africa.”
(24:23)

---

Parody Segment: President Biden’s Farewell Speech (29:29 - 35:21)

In a humorous interlude, Glenn Beck presents a satirical rendition of President Joe Biden's farewell address, reimagined with exaggerated and absurd statements. This segment serves as a critique of Biden's perceived ineffectiveness and lack of impact, with Gordon Chang and Stu Burguiere joining in the mockery. Notable lines include:

“We have billionaires and corporations running the shows right now, and it's dangerous.”
(29:33)

“Artificial intelligence. That's what they call it. I don't trust it. One day you're talking to your phone, the next thing you know, it's running your life.”
(32:28)

The parody underscores the hosts' frustration with the current administration's policies and their broader implications on American society.

---

Political Commentary and Future Outlook (35:21 - 39:44)

The discussion returns to serious political analysis, focusing on upcoming legislative strategies and the importance of executive orders. Beck and his guests debate the efficacy of passing measures through reconciliation bills versus executive actions, emphasizing the need for sustainable and legally sound policies to address national deficits and other pressing issues.

“I think there's more to cut than everybody thinks. Yeah. You know what I mean?”
(38:36)

They advocate for Congress to take decisive action in budgetary matters, highlighting areas like the Department of Education as potential targets for deficit reduction.

---

Conclusion

This episode of The Glenn Beck Program offers a multifaceted exploration of contemporary issues through the lenses of symbolism, geopolitics, and political strategy. Jonathan Pageau provides a thought-provoking analysis of how modern phenomena like UFOs intersect with ancient symbolic structures, while Gordon Chang offers a sobering assessment of China's aggressive tactics and their implications for global stability. Interspersed with humor and critical commentary, Beck and his guests deliver an engaging and informative discussion that challenges listeners to consider the deeper meanings behind current events and the strategic moves shaping the world's future.

Notable Quotes:

• Jonathan Pageau:
  “We are dealing with something like a monster, that's like a hybrid monster that you don't know what it means.”
  (04:37)

• Gordon Chang:
  “Xi knows that the only way out for him is a misadventure abroad. And I think he wants it for one primary reason, and that is if he has a war, he prevents other Communist Party leaders from challenging him and deposing him.”
  (17:06)

• Gordon Chang:
  “They have Chinese state enterprises there... they would be turned into military facilities at a time of war.”
  (21:09)

• Gordon Chang:
  “Artificial intelligence. That's what they call it. I don't trust it. One day you're talking to your phone, the next thing you know, it's running your life.”
  (32:28)

---

For those seeking a comprehensive understanding of the intricate interplay between symbolism, spirituality, and global politics, this episode serves as an enlightening and thought-provoking listen.

Transcript

[Glenn Beck]

Well, it is Thursday, Stu and I, I mean, he almost came to blows. Almost came to blows over do Internet, do interdimensional beings exist? I mean, just like every other talk.

[Stu Burguiere]

Show tonight, I'm sure just exactly where Hannity is coming up, of course.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. Jonathan Peugeot is joining us. He is? Well, I, I don't want to explain it. You'll have to listen. Yeah, that's much better. No, because if I explain it then you get into the questions that about it and you're like, well, wait a minute. So you just have to experience it. Also, Gordon Chang is China preparing for war? And what about the Panama Canal? And I had to recap Biden's farewell speech from last night because I know nobody watched it, but I added a little truth into it all in today's podcast. First, Eddie wrote in about his experience with Relief Factory. Says about a year or so ago I was suffering with real awful back pain to the point I dreaded even going to the mailbox. This went on for months and I was starting to lose hope. But once I started taking relief factor, within a week, the back pain was completely gone. There was no more pain. Thank you. Thank you. I am one happy customer. Eddie, so great to hear. Thank you. Relief factor is a daily supplement that helps your body fight pain by fighting inflammation, which is the source of most of the pain in our bodies and a lot of the disease. 100% drug free developed by doctors to help reduce or eliminate pain. Over a million people have tried Relief Factors Quick Start kit and 70% of them have gone on to order it again and again. Make 2025 the year of feeling good and living. Great try Relief factor. It's easy. Get their three week quick start 19.95. Less than a dollar a day. 800 for relief. 800 the number four relief. Or just go to relieffactor.com that's relieffactor.com you're listening to the best of the Glenn Beck. Jonathan Pau is with us. Yes, he's French, but he's French Canadian so it lessens the blow a little bit. He's with us now. He is an icon carver. You can find it at peugeot carvings.com he also writes a lot orthodox artsjournal.org and he speaks on the symbolic world symbol. The symbolic world.com and that's what I want to talk to him about. I want to talk to him about. You know, there's a lot of things I love icons and, and carving. You know, Thomas Jefferson said if you really want to embed the truth you want people to remember who your society was embedded in your architecture and there's a lot of lost meaning in icons. And I was talking about this today with one of my researchers and she said, you know, Jonathan's probably going to be able to talk about this and I don't know how he's going to talk about this, but I wanted to get him on first thing as he's in the airport traveling here for the full show later today. Jonathan, welcome to the program.

[Jonathan Peugeot]

It's good to meet you.

[Glenn Beck]

It's nice to meet you. I can't wait to meet you in person. So we were talking about, I had a conversation with Michael Shellenberger. Do you know who he is?

[Jonathan Peugeot]

Yes.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. So Michael Shellenberger, last night I asked him about the, the UFOs or the UAPs, the flying disc, whatever they are, in all over America, in the world. And I said, what do you think those are? And he said, well, I'll be surprised if they're China. And I said, wow, okay. And he said, I'd be, I'd be shocked if they were ours. And I said, well, we're narrowing it down here, Michael, where are you going? And he said, and I don't think they came from outer space. I said, okay, I'm out of options. And he said, well, I don't know, he said, but the most logical is some sort of other dimensional being. And he said that could be spiritual, that could be scientific, going into the, you know, a fourth dimension. And I went down a rabbit hole last night at 2:00 in the morning just looking at all this stuff. And I mean, we're in for something huge if that's what it is. Game changing. Do you have any comments on this?

[Jonathan Peugeot]

Well, I think the first thing to say in terms of meaning, like the thing that I'm interested in is really symbolic structures and symbolic meaning. The first thing to understand is that this is an unidentified phenomenon that's really important. That is, we don't know what it is. There's a category for that, right? So we're trying to guess, we're trying to understand. It's something like the category of stranger, right? That is because it's like an alien influence. We use that word, alien as well. And so no matter where it comes from at this moment, it's playing an alien influence on us. That is, it's acting on us in a way that it's making us trying to understand what their intentions are, what exactly is the reason for this happening, why it doesn't fit in our normal meaning structure. And that, in some ways, is really important. It's like a monster, right? You encounter a monster, you don't know what that is. You have no idea. A sphinx or something like that. That is the role that a lot of these stories are playing. The alien, the extraterrestrial, the unidentified object, unidentified flying object. And so people try to connect it with all these other stories that. That we encounter. And so, of course, people are going to have religious interpretations of it. They also are going to have kind of scientific inquiries about it. And the only thing we can do is try to figure, Once we figure out what they are, then they won't be that. They won't be alien anymore. They won't be unidentified, and we'll be able to know how to deal with them. But until we are, we have an idea of what they are. Now we're dealing with the problem of something that's like a monster, that's like a hybrid monster that you don't know what it means. So that's the way that I see it.

[Glenn Beck]

You know, I was thinking today, I got up after a fitful few hours of sleep, and I thought, this is Nietzsche. We have destroyed God. And we, you know, so many no longer believe in God. They believe science is God, man is God, whatever. And we are looking at making things. For instance, Abigail Schreiber says, you know, there's now this. This thing that is not part of you, but lives outside of you and inside of you that might tell you that you're a different gender. Well, that sounds like a soul that's misinformed. And so it's. So it seems as though we are creating or recreating a religion in our society.

[Jonathan Peugeot]

That's exactly right. And for sure, the extraterrestrial and the unidentified flying orb lights are a way to kind of reinscribe religious stories and religious imagery into our world with a scientific lens. And so. And often the problem, I think, and that's why I focused on meaning before that, the problem is that we're so focused on understanding what these phenomena are in terms of, you know, what is their physical, mechanical causes. And we. We are not trying to figure out what they're doing in terms of the way we perceive ourselves and the way we perceive our place in the cosmos. And so. And that's what. That's the biggest thing. AI, all of these questions. People are always asking the technical question, but very few people are asking what does it mean for us to be dealing with these types of intelligences that are kind of poking their nose back into the world right now.

[Glenn Beck]

So what would happen to us? I mean, my faith would be fine, but what would happen to us if we did find that we weren't alone in the universe?

[Jonathan Peugeot]

Well, you know, you could ask the question in all kinds of ways. What happened when we discovered that there was a whole continent that we didn't know about and that there were cultures that nobody has ever talked about and no one has ever dealt with? The situation would be the same. It would be catastrophic in some ways. It would lead to the end of a world. It would lead to mass transformation, but it wouldn't change the basic structure of what meaning is and what spirituality is. When we talk about God, what we're talking about, in some ways it would be a big clash, like the Colombian clash, you could say, but it wouldn't destroy religion at all. I don't see why it even affects that.

[Glenn Beck]

Right. You know, in looking at icons that are. That have happened all over the world, you see a lot of the same kind of icons on different continents that look to be like a. Some sort of a alien or something that's coming from the sky. You see the huge icons that can really only be viewed from up above and made at a time when nobody was up above. What do you make of those?

[Jonathan Peugeot]

Well, I think that the idea of something that comes down from heaven is definitely a. You know, it's a universal image. It's universal structure. It has to do with how light is up in the heavens. It has to do with how the stars are like a big clock that, you know, structure our world. And that's really important to understand now. We have to be careful and not confuse that with the kind of scientific worldview that we live in right now. And so there's a kind of inversion that happened at some point during the Copernican revolution where now, you know, how can I say this? It used to be that the Earth was the place in which we stood, and we look at the heavens to kind of. To give us meaning. But now we've changed that. You know, the heavens are as physical and as mechanical as our bodies. And so they're not that. They're not the spiritual thing. They're not the pattern that helps us. At least when you see it from the scientific point of view, the sun still gives us meaning. You know, it still casts light on your day. It's still. It still basically structures your. Your entire existence because you comes up in the morning and goes in the evening. You wake up, you go to sleep. But we have to be careful not to confuse science fiction with spirituality. And I think that that's a big danger.

[Glenn Beck]

And what do you mean by that?

[Jonathan Peugeot]

Well, what I mean is, you know, the idea, for example, that there are alien beings outside in the world is far more similar to the ancient story of what we call the Mariner's Tale.

[Glenn Beck]

Right.

[Jonathan Peugeot]

Or something like going and discovering a new continent in America. So when we do that, well, now outer space has become something like the ocean, or you see that in Star Trek, the ocean that you go out and then you explore and you find these new worlds and find these new beings that you had never seen before. And that's very different from, let's say, a spiritual hierarchy of. Of gods or of angels that are qualitatively different from us, you know, and that are in some ways the beings that provide meaning to smaller beings. You know, like angels are messengers from higher meaning down into us. And so it's. It what. The reason why I say that is because there will be a great temptation to confuse. If we encounter aliens like extraterrestrial beings, there will be a great temptation to confuse those with the idea of angels or of gods. And we already see people talking about it that way, you know, like, as if they have this idea that, you know, the ancient stories of gods and of angels were just extraterrestrials visiting.

[Glenn Beck]

Correct. Yeah, yeah. And you also, I mean, I'll get into this with you later when you come in, but the idea of a golem, I think we're. We're about to enter the word world of a new golem with AI. And the old story of Gollum is like, it's unbelievable. It matches today what we're going through.

[Jonathan Peugeot]

Well, we definitely, I think that humans have had intuition about the notion of artificial life and artificial beings for a very long time.

[Glenn Beck]

Right.

[Jonathan Peugeot]

And for sure, the sword, the golem is a great warning about, you know, how when we try to manipulate intelligence.

[Glenn Beck]

Yes.

[Jonathan Peugeot]

We try to capture it in physical terms, how it can, you know, turn against us. There's also that image in Revelation of, you know, the beast that the. The statue that speaks. Like if we make this creation of ours speak, then everybody is. Is surprised and. And can be deluded by it.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. I'm anxious to talk to you. I can't wait. Have a safe flight here, Jonathan. We'll talk to you a little while.

[Jonathan Peugeot]

All right, thanks, Ben.

[Glenn Beck]

All right, bye bye, Jonathan. Peugeot. He is going to be on the podcast tonight.

[Stu Burguiere]

It's also going to be on a plane in about 10 seconds.

[Glenn Beck]

It is. You know, it's. It's weird because. Do you remember the book we talked about years ago called Hitler's Monsters?

[Stu Burguiere]

Oh, yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

We're repeating that right now. We are beginning to enter this world where perverse spirituality is starting to take hold. People are looking for meaning and things. There is a. There's a bright light that is happening. I think we're at the very beginning of a new great awakening. But at the same time, I mean, it just really freaked me out with Michael Shellenberger yesterday because he's. He's not a guy to. He just doesn't. He doesn't exaggerate. He doesn't chime in on things that he's not sure of. And he made it very clear. I'm not sure, but he's like, if I had to place my money, I wouldn't place it on China or America. That this is Earth technology or technology that mankind has.

[Stu Burguiere]

Gosh, that's unbelievable.

[Glenn Beck]

That's unbelievable.

[Stu Burguiere]

I even know what to think about that.

[Glenn Beck]

I know, I know, I know.

[Stu Burguiere]

But I guess those are the times we're in. Good, good, good. We got that going for repeating Hitler's Monsters.

[Glenn Beck]

Great, great. That was.

[Stu Burguiere]

Needed a sequel.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, well, we didn't. We didn't know the first time. I mean, Nietzsche warned us, but we didn't have. I mean, we can figure this out this time. And I think God gave us a break. I think it's going to be a quick break. Really quick break. But he did give us a break to catch our breath and say, okay, wait, wait, wait. What's really going on? It's going to be everything. Everything should end with this every day. It's going to be interesting to see how we navigate this. Yeah. The convenience of the modern American life sometimes complic replicates our efforts to maintain our values. For instance, not too long ago, if you wanted to have a good cell phone coverage, you had to go with the big boys. Companies like Verizon, you didn't have choice. Um, and they were donating to leftist causes. Still are. Do you have a cell phone? Maybe in the old days you could say, well, I. I mean, I have to because there's no other company. I can't use a landline. Well, no, there is a choice. It's Patriot Mobile. Patriot Mobile, America's only Christian conservative mobile phone company. They work hard to fight for the things constitutionally that you believe in. They're in our own towns, helping us city to city, state to state. They offer nationwide, dependable coverage with access on all three major networks, you'll get the same coverage without sending money to leftist causes. And their customer service is, I believe, better than the others. And it all sounds good. Did I mention you're saving money? 972 Patriot 972 Patriot patriot mobile.com Beck get your free month of service with the promo code. Beck switch today patriot mobile.com beck972, Patreon now back to the podcast. This is the best of the Glenn Beck Program.

[Gordon Chang]

All right.

[Glenn Beck]

Gordon Chang is with us now, author of China Is Going to War. Gordon, welcome to the program. How are you?

[Unnamed Guest]

I'm fine. Thanks, Glenn, and thank you so much.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, I've wanted to talk to you about the Panama Canal. There's a lot of things I want to talk to you about with China. You know, you have been saying for a long time China is a paper tiger. They've got, you know, real problems with their economy, which has proven to be absolutely right. They're in real trouble, which kind of makes me nervous because when somebody is backed into a corner and because of their economy, they're starting to have uprisings, or at least people vocalizing that we're not. With everything that China is doing, they're going broke. They're losing all of the money they've put towards housing, et cetera, et cetera. They need some sort of a nationalistic kind of movement to galvanize the population behind the party. At least that's the way I look at it. Do you think that's accurate and what is coming?

[Unnamed Guest]

Xi Jinping clearly needs a war, and the reason is that he is being held responsible for China's simultaneous crises, which is not just a crumbling economy, but it's also, as you point out, plunging property prices. That's really important because 70% of the wealth of the Chinese middle class is in property, and they're losing double digits every year. But you go through the list of all the problems, and Xi knows that the only way out for him is a misadventure abroad. And I think he wants it for one primary reason, and that is if he has a war, he prevents other Communist Party leaders from challenging him and deposing him because he knows that they can't move against him in a warlike situation with the Chinese people. I suppose he wants to galvanize them, but we've got to remember that the Chinese people right now are really unhappy. They don't want a war. They just want peace and prosperity. They know the Communist Party is responsible for taking away those two things, and they're not very happy right now.

[Glenn Beck]

So a couple of weeks ago, I did a show on what I thought might happen in 2025, and one of them was China's going to war. But I thought it would be something that was not the Panama Canal. It would be something where we wouldn't get involved, but it would. It would help them and their people. So they. They would go into one of the countries around them and just take it and go to war. Do you think that's likely? Or more likely, it's going to be something big?

[Unnamed Guest]

Well, right now we've got proxy wars that China is waging in Ukraine, North Africa, and in the Middle east, in Israel. So one more war looks like global conflict, World War Three. So anything can happen, Glenn. And so we have to be prepared for anything at any place, at any time. I think that Xi Jinping is going to stumble into a war someplace in East Asia. South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, something like that. But the first sign that we will have of a war could be an incident in the Panama Canal, because the Chinese want to prevent the US Navy from taking ships and submarines from the Atlantic Fleet to the Pacific Fleet. So we may know about this first, and this war may start in our own hemisphere.

[Glenn Beck]

And you've. You've written that you think that an accident, something that. Like what happened at the Francis Scott Key Bridge, where something just goes wrong with a ship and then just. Just destroys the Panama Canal for at least a few days. Is that what you think, how it would begin?

[Unnamed Guest]

Yes. There are any number of ways for China to do that. So, for instance, they could take a ship, they could ram one of the locks, they could scuttle it in the Culebra Cut, which is a narrow portion of the canal. They could also take down a bridge. They're building the fourth bridge over the canal. They can design that bridge to come down easily, or they could construct it so that it falls apart. These are things that we've got to be worried about, because the Chinese have a thorough knowledge of, and they penetrated Panama so they know what to do. You know, one thing that we learned in New Orleans on New Year's Day, and that is when you have a determined adversary who knows a lot about the territory, the place is crowded. It's very difficult to prevent a terrorist act. It's the same thing with the Panama Canal. The Chinese are there. They've thoroughly penetrated everything. They know what to do. Yes, we can think about contingencies, but the Chinese will be one step ahead of us.

[Glenn Beck]

So explain to people, because China says they're not there, but there's. What is it? CK Hutchinson or something like that? A company that was from Hong Kong has been there for a long time and they're saying that, no, that's not the Chinese. Explain what they actually have in assets there.

[Unnamed Guest]

They have. Well, you talk about Hutchinson. They've got ports at both ends of the Canal, at Balboa on the Pacific end and San Cristobal on the Atlantic side. But they've also got Chinese state enterprises there. When Laura Hutchinson Richardson, who was head of U.S. southern Command, in the middle of 2022, she flew over the canal and she pointed out all of the Chinese civilian, quote, unquote operations. She said they were dual use, they would be turned into military facilities at a time of war. Now, Hutchinson is a private Hong Kong company, but the point is, in the People's Republic, no company, regardless of ownership, can disobey an order of the Communist Party. So Hutchinson, port operations in the Panama Canal Zone will be military bases, as will other Chinese facilities in the area.

[Glenn Beck]

So what does Donald Trump. I mean, when. When he told me this and I started looking into the Panama Canal, he told me this months ago and he said, do your homework. And I did. And I saw him as somebody who actually knows what's going on and cares about the country and was way ahead. What is he, what does he have to do? Because people are pooh, poohing everything he's saying about the Panama.

[Gordon Chang]

Oh, he wants a war in Panama.

[Glenn Beck]

No, he doesn't. He just doesn't want that canal to block everything we need in case there is a war. What does he have to do?

[Unnamed Guest]

It's going to be very difficult, but I'm sure Trump can do it. And one of the things is we've got to make sure that China doesn't have port operations in the Canal Zone, which means Panama expropriating them. That means we need to have American businesses who are willing to take it over.

[Glenn Beck]

Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. How do they do that? Didn't they just sign a big contract?

[Unnamed Guest]

They renewed for 25 years the franchise for both of those port operations. But a country can expropriate. They can void contracts. We can do it. China can do it. Any country has a sovereign right to do it. So does Panama. And we've got to convince Panama that it is in their interest to do that. So we've got to get the Chinese businesses out of the Canal Zone. Not easy. It's going to take a lot of effort. But when you know what the problem is, and you're determined to protect the United States, you can do it. The other thing, and this is last resort, and that is that when we turned over the Panama Canal to Panama, there were two treaties. One of them was called the Neutrality Treaty, which is the treaty that survives, still in existence. We believe the United States, when we ratified that, we had a reservation that allowed the US Military to move into the Canal Zone to protect it from a third country. So that is our ultimate card. Panama won't like that, but there's nothing they can do about it. So clearly we've got a lot of cards to play, but hopefully we don't have to use that one.

[Glenn Beck]

Right. We wouldn't necessarily use that if we convinced Panama get cancel those leases, right?

[Unnamed Guest]

Absolutely. And we've got to make sure that American businesses are interested, alive to the possibilities of actually doing business and making profits in places like Central America, South America, Africa. American businesses have, I think, made poor business decisions in allowing those regions to be taken over by the Chinese. We have a strong diplomatic presence in Latin America. These are things that we need to do. And by the way, it's also the Caribbean, just to give you an example, talking about port operations, China has a port operation 87 miles east of Palm Beach, Florida, that's in Freeport in the Bahamas. That container port could be turned into a naval base in an instant. So we really need to make sure that we look at all of these Chinese port operations in our hemisphere. They've got 40 of them, Glenn. 40.

[Glenn Beck]

I will tell you, Gordon, I look at what's happening, and again, I credit Donald Trump for bringing attention to this in a global sort of way. It feels as though we are possibly headed towards a kind of a Cuban Missile crisis moment. You're streaming the Best of Glenn Beck.

[Stu Burguiere]

To hear more of this interview and others, download the full show podcasts wherever you get podcasts.

[Glenn Beck]

All right, so Joe Biden and I know this is all going to come as new news to you stuff because I'm not gonna lie, it came to me as new news this morning when I. When I read it in the show prep. This is not something I would even care about from this president, but I think it's important just to notice how he's leaving office. And there's a couple of things. One, have you ever seen a president that nobody gives a flying crap about more than this one?

[Stu Burguiere]

I don't think so.

[Glenn Beck]

I don't think so.

[Stu Burguiere]

I mean, I'm. Have I. No. Has it ever occurred in American history? I think is more the question.

[Glenn Beck]

Right. It could be like, you know, John Tyler or Taylor.

[Gordon Chang]

I don't even know.

[Glenn Beck]

Tyler. Tyler, right.

[Stu Burguiere]

That was the one I didn't even realize existed.

[Glenn Beck]

Right.

[Stu Burguiere]

John Taylor, I think, is the basis for Duran Duran. John Tyler.

[Glenn Beck]

Okay.

[Stu Burguiere]

Former president.

[Gordon Chang]

Right.

[Glenn Beck]

So, former president. I care about what's happening in this administration just a little bit more than John Tyler.

[Stu Burguiere]

Or John Taylor.

[Glenn Beck]

Or John Taylor. Either, either. I mean, I care a little bit more about John. Yeah, I do.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

Because he had. I mean, they did have some great songs.

[Stu Burguiere]

He had some great songs.

[Glenn Beck]

So, I mean, I just don't care. I don't care. The only reason why I do care is because what is he doing today to destroy our country? Okay.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah. You know, we've been doing the series of Biden's parting shots on our show, Studios America, by the way, Blaze tv. And there's a lot you could say. He's not doing anything because you think he's incoherent and falling asleep on the.

[Glenn Beck]

Job, which is not doing anything.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah. It may very well be true, but it also doesn't matter. He is doing a lot to the country here as he walks out the door, but it does not seem like anyone seems to really care.

[Glenn Beck]

Like, there was another, what, $500 billion forgiveness of loans yesterday?

[Stu Burguiere]

Not that much. No. How much was it he did? 150,000 people and then another 200,000 people, I believe, over the past few days.

[Glenn Beck]

A lot of money and a lot of people.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yes.

[Glenn Beck]

And this one he's saying, because the university scammed them. Oh, okay.

[Stu Burguiere]

So, yes, I think that's just. It's amazing. It's like, okay, if the university scan them, you go through legal proceeding. That's how they get their money back.

[Glenn Beck]

That's how you get your money back.

[Stu Burguiere]

They don't get the money back just because we don't have to take that on as a country.

[Glenn Beck]

Correct.

[Stu Burguiere]

And again, none of this is legal. None of this is constitutional. Most of this will be overturned after he's out of office. Most of these poor people who believe they no longer have these loans will wind up having these loans.

[Glenn Beck]

Right. But they're still going. They're still going. I mean, they're filing all kinds of suits in courts. And you're like, that's not gonna stand under Trump. They're not going to pursue that.

[Gordon Chang]

It's just, okay, well, then stop it.

[Glenn Beck]

Spend the time to stop it. That's what. That's what he's doing. He's just lighting little brush fires everywhere. Thank goodness Donald Trump is not California.

[Gordon Chang]

He'll put them out quickly.

[Glenn Beck]

I think. Now, the Biden gave a speech and I just rewrote it. I'm sorry. I rewrote the speech because, you know, I said everything that he said, but I added a little bit of the truth. Okay, so let me give you what he said last night. I mean, first, I mean, do we have the. The Hail to the Chief or something? That makes it sound official? Because it was a very official. It was in the White House. He was sitting on. I'm not kidding. He was sitting on a pillow last night. Yeah, no, real. And just go ahead. And so he's now. A message from the President of the United States.

[Gordon Chang]

My fellow Americans, folks, I'm serious.

[Glenn Beck]

This is it.

[Gordon Chang]

This is my last address as your president. No joke. I've been in public service for 50 years now, maybe more. I've seen a lot in my time, but I got to tell you, still believe in America. But there's some things we need to talk about, things that really worry me. I'm not kidding. As a serious stuff. First of all, the oligarchy thing. Yeah, it's bad, folks. We got billionaires and corporations running the shows right now, and it's dangerous. I mean, come on, we can't have people, billionaires that think they can run everything. Like George Sort. Well, no. Okay, probably he deserves a medal. But other people like that, that vote differently than the way we want them to vote. That's just gotta stop. Gotta stop. He's a good guy mostly, you know, And Big tech. Don't even get me started, folks. Don't, don't. It's like my dad used to say when I was growing up in Scranton, you know, just an average scrappy kid hanging out with black people and minorities, mainly. Uh, you know, my dad used to say to me, don't trust Big Tech. He was way ahead of the game. Way ahead. I loved my dad. I'm gonna cry. By the way, California, I can relate because I've had a kitchen fire once. Anyway, back to big tech. Don't even get me started. We had to work with them, you know. You know, to protect democracy.

[Glenn Beck]

That's why we had an open line.

[Gordon Chang]

To Facebook and Twitter. Some people called it censorship.

[Glenn Beck]

That's malarkey, okay?

[Gordon Chang]

It was just. What's the word? Guardrails. Yeah, guardrails. For democracy. That's what that was.

[Glenn Beck]

And misinformation, folks, I'm serious.

[Gordon Chang]

It's everywhere. No joke. Americans are buried in misinformation. But let me be clear. We Weren't part of that. Okay, maybe a little bit, but not very much. I mean, not that you know of. It's coming out. Okay. Well, all right, maybe a little. I mean, we did say Hunter's laptop was fake. Turns out wasn't. That was a surprise. No joke, people. I had no idea. You know, maybe we got a few things wrong about COVID you know, like the origins, the lockdowns, the vaccines, you know? But come on. Come on, folks. I'm serious. It was confusing. You try keeping it straight. Come on. Look, I know some of you are mad about my family making a few bucks overseas, but, folks, let me tell you, that's how business get done sometimes, you know? What are you gonna do? My son, Hunter. Good kid, smart as a whip. Oh, my gosh, what a talented painter he is.

[Glenn Beck]

Did you hear?

[Gordon Chang]

$500 million of his paintings have been lost in it. But a good thing we had insurance on all of that art, you know, he got some deals, you know, China, Ukraine, whatever. But it was all above board. I mean, I'm serious, folks. It's fine. Totally legit. And here's the thing about AI.

[Glenn Beck]

It'S scary.

[Gordon Chang]

Artificial intelligence. That's what they call it. I don't trust it. One day you're talking to your phone, the next thing you know, it's running your life. That's why I wanted Congress to ban stock trading for government employees. No joke. No joke. You can't have senators buying stocks when.

[Glenn Beck]

They know stuff about stocks.

[Gordon Chang]

It's just wrong, folks. Never. I mean, not recently. I've not recently benefited from stock trading. No joke. My family made it the old fashioned way through bribery, okay? That's what we did. All right? And that's America. Let me tell you about America and unity, folks. We need unity now more than ever. But you know what's stopping us? And I mean it. People who don't listen, they spread lies. They stir up division.

[Glenn Beck]

Some of them even vote for the other guy. And I'm not kidding.

[Gordon Chang]

These people are dangerous, folks. I'm not kidding. Makes me so mad I could. I don't know. You know the rest. Now, I know I've made some mistakes. Nobody's perfect. I mean, I'm pretty damn close. But come on, folks, give me a break. I'm just doing what's right, you know? You got to trust me on this. In closing, I want to remind you of the Statue of Liberty. That lady's been swaying in the wind for years, but she never falls. Just like America. She might lean a little to the Right or to the left, but she stays upright. No joke. It's a miracle. They wouldn't let me change that torch to an ice cream cone, which I think would have been great, you know, in her feet. We should have given her some socks or something because her feet got to be cold. They're made out of metal, you know. Seriously, Seriously, folks, I'm not joking. What's her hair smell like? So now it's your turn to stand guard. Keep the faith, protect democracy. And remember, I love the little children. Hey, God loves the little children. He keeps them in the palm of his hand. I've got my palm of my hand on little children. It's good, folks, come on. I'm being serious. It's real. I love it. I'm serious. God bless you. And God bless something else. I don't remember what it was.

[Glenn Beck]

So that is the summary of his speech last night. And then he walked off into the. The sunset with. And there pretty close. He had the seniors come in, you know, from his senior center and ride up. It was pretty good. Ow. That one hurt there. Hey, he was trying.

[Gordon Chang]

No, folks, seriously, they're trying their best. They're seniors. And look at them go. Look at them go.

[Stu Burguiere]

The Joe Biden players, ladies and gentlemen.

[Glenn Beck]

And we're gonna miss. Yeah, we're going to miss them. We really are. We really are. You know, I was thinking, I really don't care except for the destruction. And I think Democrats kind of have it in the exact right place because they don't care about the destruction. I don't think, you know, at least the ones in Washington, and they're not paying attention to him at all. They do not care what he's doing. They don't care. Okay, Isn't this exactly the way we should all feel about our president all the time, without the fear of, good God, what is he doing behind the scenes without that fear? He should not have that big of an impact. Nor should all those clowns in Washington. You know what I'd like to do? I'd like to go back to doing comedy. Like, remember Stu, in The old days, 25 years ago, before 9, 11, we were doing comedy.

[Gordon Chang]

Wouldn't that be nice?

[Glenn Beck]

That would be nice. Love to do that. But we suddenly had to care because these people are completely out of their mind and out of control. The way the Democrats care about Joe.

[Gordon Chang]

Biden right now is the way we.

[Glenn Beck]

Should care about every president, okay?

[Gordon Chang]

They should have such little power. Not. I'm not joking, folks. I'm not being serious. Such little Power. We don't care.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah, yeah.

[Gordon Chang]

Now let's go have some ice cream.

[Stu Burguiere]

I mean, that's, you know, what the founders kind of wanted, right?

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

They wanted a country in which you wouldn't. You didn't have to think about the king all the time.

[Glenn Beck]

And you would say, shut up. Shut up a you. That's what I think. Our founders. Our Italian.

[Stu Burguiere]

Italian founders.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Gordon Chang]

Shut up a you.

[Stu Burguiere]

Shut up a you.

[Glenn Beck]

Shut up a you.

[Stu Burguiere]

Because, again, it's easy to think about it now as someone you probably like is coming into office. Right. So you might, you know, like the focus on him, but like.

[Glenn Beck]

Well, I like the focus on him because he's going to fix it.

[Stu Burguiere]

He's going to undo a lot of the things that Biden.

[Glenn Beck]

And then we need to. We need to care enough to get those things out of an executive order and, I don't know, passed as laws. Otherwise, four years from now, we could have somebody, even Karl Marx, they might bring back from the dead, and they'd be like, Karl Marx, you know, his.

[Gordon Chang]

First time around didn't go well. But I'm serious, folks, he's great now. And look at that beard. I mean, that's a great beard, especially for being dead for so long.

[Glenn Beck]

And they could bring him back and we'd be facing again. He'd be like, I'm going to do a few executive orders, but what's the problem, you know? No, we need to pay attention. So they actually pass these things as bills.

[Stu Burguiere]

Interesting thing, development on that front. The Republicans are trying to talk Trump out of doing some of these executive orders when he first starts, because of basically a technicality that comes with this law that they want to pass this reconciliation bill. This is coming up. This is their one big bill. Right. And to do that, they can pass this bill with only 50 senators if it's cutting the deficit, essentially. And so some of these executive orders that Trump wants to do will help that. Right.

[Glenn Beck]

But they need to have them in.

[Stu Burguiere]

The bill to make sure the scoring is right so they can pass it.

[Glenn Beck]

I gotta tell you, I think there's more to cut than everybody thinks. Yeah. You know what I mean?

[Stu Burguiere]

I'm with you.

[Glenn Beck]

You know, oh, gee, we've gotta. We've gotta reduce the deficit. And you're gonna cut a lot of places. I think you can find more.

[Stu Burguiere]

I think you can.

[Glenn Beck]

I think you can.

[Stu Burguiere]

I mean, again, if you're gonna do it anyway, I prefer, like, if it's a good measure.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

And it's going to improve the budget situation. I would rather have it in the reconciliation bill than as an executive order for the same reasons you're talking about.

[Glenn Beck]

So I would like to not give away the stuff that we could get also through executive order. Yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

Like, if you can get it through the law.

[Glenn Beck]

Get it through the law.

[Stu Burguiere]

Get it through the bill.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah.

[Stu Burguiere]

Get it that way. If you. If it's not available there, that.

[Glenn Beck]

Yeah. Then take it out, because there's a lot that can be cut. I mean, gee, I don't know. We're a few hundred billion dollars away from, you know, being able to save, you know, in the deficit and pass this bill. I don't know. Department of Education. Where are the keys?

[Stu Burguiere]

You can't do that by executive order, though.

[Glenn Beck]

No, no, I'm saying Congress.

[Stu Burguiere]

Yeah.

[Glenn Beck]

I'm saying, oh, we can't do it in the bill because we, you know, it's. We can't pass it with just 50 because there's not enough. Where are the keys to, you know, the Department of Education? But, you know, I just like to see them right now. Let's put them in the pile.