The Glenn Beck Program – Best of the Program | January 22, 2026

Podcast Overview

This episode of The Glenn Beck Program features Glenn’s incisive examination of recent political and cultural developments in America, focusing on policy changes in Virginia, a contentious gun rights case before the Supreme Court, and civil unrest in Minnesota. Glenn connects historical context, constitutional principles, and current events in his trademark candid and often impassioned style.

Virginia’s Dramatic Policy Shift: “Full-Fledged Marxist” (04:12–17:30)

Key Discussion Points:

• Major Tax Policy Proposals:

  • Expansion of the sales tax base to include everyday services (gym memberships, vehicle repairs, home repairs, food delivery, etc.).

  • Progressive income tax brackets with higher rates for those earning above $600,000.

  • Federal employee tax cuts offering special tax subtractions or incentives for retired federal employees, effectively encouraging government employment at the expense of private workers.

    "What is the purpose of that tax? Remember, you cut taxes on things you're trying to encourage. What are they trying to encourage? More people working for the federal government." (07:54)

• New Gun Control Initiatives:

  • Mandatory waiting periods for purchases, a ban on leaving a firearm unattended in vehicles, a state licensing system for firearms, and an 11% tax on guns and ammunition.
  • Civil liability introduced against gun industry participants if crimes are committed with firearms they've sold or built.

• DEI and ESG Expansion:

  • Proposals to increase racial bias and diversity training for professionals, including law enforcement, nurses, and real estate agents.

    "The scariest people in Nazi Germany did not wear the black uniforms. They wore the white coats. They were the nurses and the doctors. Do not train them in any of this DEI. It's very dangerous." (13:45)

Insights & Analysis:

• Glenn sharply criticizes these policies as “full-fledged Marxist,” arguing they foster government dependency and resentment among the population. He contextualizes the changes as a warning ahead of the midterm elections, urging listeners to remember these developments.

• He frames progressive taxation as punishing success, eroding the principle of equal treatment under law and sowing division through resentment.

  “A progressive tax tells the most productive people your success is tolerated, but we don't respect you. Your effort is useful, but it's not fully yours. It belongs to us.” (16:01)

The Progressive Income Tax: Moral and Constitutional Warnings (17:31–28:28)

Key Discussion Points:

• Moral Foundation of Progressive Taxation:

  • Glenn dissects the philosophical danger of taxing "outcomes" (income) rather than "behavior," warning that it replaces individual achievement with group resentment.

  • He references the Founding Fathers—James Madison and Alexander Hamilton—stating their core fear was not taxation itself, but arbitrary and unequal taxes that divide citizens into classes.

    “Equality under the law dies and this is why you start with the taxes. Everything else follows from here.” (20:26)

• Historical Context:

  • The origin and perils of the income tax, noting it was absent until 1913 and that tariffs and indirect taxes once funded government in a “uniform and visible” way.
  • He critiques the 16th Amendment and argues for a flat or consumption tax, emphasizing that progressive taxes violate the deeper constitutional understanding of equality and judge outcomes, not actions.

Notable Quotes:

• “Once you accept the principle that you don't care how honestly the dollar was earned, what you really care about is who earned it... You've accepted the reverse in this country because we have been taught over and over and over again, you’re not going to be able to make it... and all of those people over there, they're all so greedy.” (22:08)
• “Resentment, dressed up as policy. Does that sound like anything that we’re dealing with today?” (22:48)

Supreme Court Spotlight: Hawaii’s Deeply Flawed Gun Control Argument (29:35–38:10)

Key Discussion Points:

• Overview of Hawaii Case:

  • Hawaii law: Gun owners cannot carry on private property open to the public unless the owner explicitly consents.

  • State justification: Invoked post-Civil War “black codes” as historic precedent, codes that were originally enacted to disarm newly freed African Americans.

    “Hawaii steps up to the microphone, says, yeah, your honor, don’t worry. History supports us...we found in 1865, Louisiana had a black code… meant to disarm newly freed black Americans so they couldn’t defend themselves from mobs or the klan...” (31:36)

• Supreme Court Reaction:

  • Justices Gorsuch, Alito, and Kavanaugh challenged Hawaii’s reliance on racist, discredited laws as a basis for modern limits, asking pointed questions about the morality and legitimacy of citing “the darkest moments” of American legal history to restrict rights.

    "Isn't it the height of irony to cite a law written to destroy the Second Amendment as proof of what the Second Amendment allows?" – Justice Alito, paraphrased by Glenn (34:21)

Glenn’s Insights:

• The essence of the case, Glenn argues, isn’t about guns but about permission-based vs. inherent rights.

  “It’s about whether your rights exist before government or only after permission is granted. Hawaii says, your right exists if someone else allows it. The Constitution says, no, your rights exist because you exist and you're free.” (35:18)

• Glenn condemns Hawaii’s logic as “intellectually unserious” and “historical cherry picking,” warning that if evil precedents are allowed to define American tradition, no right is truly safe.

  "If you allow evil to define tradition simply because it existed, then no right is safe, no injustice will ever truly be condemned." (37:15)

Minnesota Unrest: The Barabbas Trap and Crowd Psychology (39:06–43:58)

Key Discussion Points:

• Recent Developments:

  • Glenn reviews recent protests and economic blackouts in Minnesota, sparked by ICE actions and compounded by left-leaning NGOs and unions amplifying unrest.

    “These are being paid for by George Soros of the world. And you're comfortable with that? And I don't understand that, other than to say it's because you haven't thought it through...” (42:15)

• Crowd vs. Justice: The Barabbas Allegory:

  • Glenn draws on the biblical narrative of Barabbas and Jesus to illustrate how crowds often choose destructive, immediate “hope” (revolution) over difficult, principled change (repentance).

  • He calls this pattern the “Barabbas Trap”—where anger at an enemy clouds moral judgment, resulting in blind support for dangerous actors simply for being oppositional.

    “Crowds are like a weather system. They move on pressure, not principles... They chose revolution, not repentance, because they hated Rome more than they hated sin.” (41:03)

• Warning Against Moral Inversion:

  • Glenn urges listeners to judge situations case by case, warn against blind devotion to movements, and maintain the ability to “name evil, especially when it’s standing right beside you.”
  • He cautions that “blindness is not neutrality. Blindness is recruitment... It turns ordinary people into shields for causes they don’t fully understand.”

Memorable Moment:

• “The discipline that feels boring until it saves your life is this: judge things separately. Hold two thoughts at once without losing your mind. A government can overreach... and criminals can be criminals. And protecting criminals is not resistance, it’s surrender.” (43:03)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Progressive Taxation:
  “A progressive tax does not tax behavior. It taxes the outcome. Once you accept that principle, equality under the law dies.” (20:34)

• On Historical Precedent in Law:
  “The Constitution is to correct those things that man has done for a very long time that were immoral and say, no, that violates human rights.” (36:55)

• On Societal Blindness:
  “The moment you cannot name evil, especially when it's standing right beside you, cheering at the same volume, you've entered a new level of trouble. Not political, but spiritual trouble.” (43:44)

Segment Timestamps

• Virginia Goes Marxist: Policies and Taxes: 04:12–17:30
• Progressive Tax Critique & Founders’ Vision: 17:31–28:28
• Hawaii’s Supreme Court Gun Case & Black Codes: 29:35–38:10
• Minnesota Unrest & The Barabbas Trap: 39:06–43:58

This episode exemplifies Glenn Beck’s commitment to contextualizing current policy debates within America’s constitutional and moral heritage, offering analogies from both history and the Bible, and warning against the dangers of reactionary policymaking and blind, emotionally driven activism. His urgent tone invites listeners to apply discernment, resist the lure of tribal resentment, and remember that the defense of liberty requires clarity, integrity, and the courage to distinguish justice from the mob.