Podcast Summary: The Glenn Beck Program
Episode: "Bitter Lib ATTACKS Elderly Charlie Kirk Fan, but Justice Is Served"
Guest: Rep. Chip Roy
Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Glenn Beck (with regulars Stu Burguiere; guest Rep. Chip Roy)
Podcast Description: Analytical and opinion-based discussion on U.S. culture, politics, and current events with an emphasis on conservative perspectives, media critique, and storytelling.
Episode Overview
This Glenn Beck episode centers on a viral incident involving an elderly Target employee (Jeannie) in Chico, CA, who was berated by a customer for wearing a Charlie Kirk-themed shirt. The discussion uses this as a springboard for broader reflections on American division, social media toxicity, faith, cultural endurance, and immigration reform (including an extensive interview with Rep. Chip Roy discussing his proposed 'Pause Act'). The episode weaves together personal anecdotes, historical context, music, and commentary on topical news stories.
Key Segments & Discussion Points
1. Intro & Reflections on Social Media Negativity
Timestamps: 03:29 – 16:47
- Glenn Beck opens up about a late-night "doom-scrolling" session on X (formerly Twitter), describing the platform as a "cesspool" and lamenting the state of online hatred.
- Quote: “What is happening to us? …what are people even talking about? Why is everybody hating one another?” (05:00)
- He reads and reflects on Longfellow’s poem, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” paralleling its Civil War context with modern social and spiritual turmoil.
- Quote: "It is as if an earthquake rent the hearthstones of a continent..." (08:00)
- Beck warns against despair stoked by social media algorithms and urges listeners to seek hope and purpose through faith and community.
2. Analysis of the Chico, CA Target Incident
Timestamps: 06:49 – 13:00, 22:12 – 23:53, 88:58 – 99:16
- Incident Recap: An elderly Target employee named Jeannie is filmed being aggressively confronted by a customer over her Charlie Kirk ("Freedom") shirt. Jeannie's calm, composed response is praised.
- Key Quotes (transcripted):
- Woman: “Why are you wearing that shirt? You support a racist.” (07:10)
- Jeannie: “He’s not a racist… That’s your opinion.” (07:25)
- Beck: “Hats off to Jeannie for just being so cool about it.” (91:57)
- Key Quotes (transcripted):
- The incident sparks wide support for Jeannie, including a GiveSendGo fundraiser reaching more than $71,000.
- Burguiere: “She will get a pretty sweet vacation with $71,548 so far… She deserves a nice vacation.” (22:47)
- Beck notes he'd like to contribute as well.
- Beck criticizes the woman who filmed the incident, noting her background as a healthcare worker and describing her actions as unempathetic:
- “Nurses have to be filled with compassion. And I’m sorry, but there’s no compassion here.” (92:50)
- The broader point made is about the loss of civility and increasing public harassment fueled by ideological divides.
3. Historical Reflection & The Christmas Truce
Timestamps: 97:00 – 104:40
- Beck draws on historical events, such as the Christmas Truce during WWI, using it as a metaphor for rediscovering shared humanity even amidst conflict.
- Quote: “We remembered that we’re humans. And that’s what we’re missing.” (97:47)
- A custom song about the Christmas Truce is debuted (Sam), intended as a new historical teaching tool.
- Beck: “Trying to remind us of our humanity. That is my goal…” (104:37)
- Listener feedback to the song and its educational purpose is discussed, with Beck referencing the use of music and storytelling to instill empathy and historical memory in upcoming projects like 'The Torch'. (104:47)
4. Reflections on Hanukkah & Endurance Amidst Darkness
Timestamps: 26:21 – 35:07
- Beck offers a monologue on the meaning of Hanukkah, especially its “fourth night”—symbolizing perseverance in the midst of uncertainty, applicable to all, regardless of faith.
- Quote: “History isn’t decided at the beginning of a fight... it’s decided right here in the middle when the cost is real and the outcome is unclear.” (26:52)
- He reflects on Jewish vulnerability in the current era, the resurgence of anti-Semitism, and the importance of traditions and standing firm in identity and values.
5. Discussion on Social Media & Mental Health
Timestamps: 38:30 – 44:39
- Stu Burguiere and Beck discuss the toxicity of X, emphasizing the harmfulness of the For You tab versus using a curated Following tab for a less algorithmically-driven experience.
- Stu: “The 'for you' sucks…It’s the most infuriating and the most outrageous and the most likely to make you engage or throw your computer…” (40:38)
- Beck: “We have a responsibility… We have to stop shoveling garbage into our own heads.” (42:02)
- Both agree on the need for purposeful information consumption, self-protection from manipulative media, and reclaiming positivity as an act of resistance.
6. Rep. Chip Roy Interview: Immigration Policy & The ‘Pause Act’
Timestamps: 47:14 – 63:44
- Rep. Chip Roy details his legislative proposal ('Pause Act'), which seeks a moratorium on most legal immigration until current policies regarding diversity visas, chain migration, H-1B visas, and birthright citizenship can be reformed.
- Quote: “We should pause legal immigration until we fix a lot of things. Fix diversity visas, fix chain migration, fix H1B.” (50:39)
- Roy explains the distinction between assimilation and maintaining national culture, referencing historical immigration waves and comparing them to current challenges (absence of assimilation, welfare state, lack of common values).
- Roy: “When you come here to annihilate and change our culture, then you’ve got to approach that… If we don’t freeze [immigration] and reset who we are as Americans… we’re not going to save the country.” (54:19–56:38)
- The bill includes explicit proposals: denying entry to Sharia law adherents, Chinese Communist Party members, and terrorists.
- Beck: “This is a civilization on a suicidal path if that can’t happen. That’s crazy that that’s not already happening.” (56:51)
- Both Beck and Roy emphasize their concern for national security, cultural preservation, and what they perceive as the existential threat posed by both legal and illegal mass migration.
7. Current Events Briefs
Timestamps: 69:35 – 83:55
- Coverage of recent campus violence (Brown University shooter, MIT physicist murder), commentary on increased public violence, judicial inaction in political cases (Mar-a-Lago raid, Clinton Foundation), and general institutional distrust.
- Beck decries a lack of accountability in government and law enforcement:
- Beck: “We just need people who actually mean [it] when they swear to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” (82:11)
- Discussion of cultural and family struggles, including public reactions to mental health crises such as the incident involving Rob Reiner’s son (111:22–117:42).
8. Final Thoughts, Faith, and the Human Condition
Timestamps: 117:00 – 117:55
- Personal reflections on parenting, adolescence, and letting go—using these experiences to return to a theme of hope, patience, and trust in a divine plan, even if that plan is inscrutable.
- Beck: “It’s just this most amazing God trait that pushes the youth out of the house… Otherwise they’d be living with me forever.” (115:24)
- Stu: “God doesn’t seem to run any of his plans by us in advance.” (117:05)
Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)
-
On Social Media’s Impact
- Glenn Beck: “You see a civilization that is coming apart at the seams. Our children are lost. Suicide is at record levels.” (09:00)
- Stu Burguiere: “The ‘for you’ [tab] sucks…It’s as if I’d rather light myself on fire.” (40:38)
-
On the Chico, CA Incident:
- Jeannie (Target employee): “That’s your opinion.” (07:38)
- Glenn Beck: “Hats off to Jeannie for just being so cool about it.” (91:57)
-
On Hanukkah and Perseverance:
- Glenn Beck: “The fourth day is…the hardest night. This is the hardest place to stand. History isn’t decided at the beginning of a fight, and it’s rarely remembered at the end; when history is truly decided is right here in the middle when the cost is real and the outcome is unclear.” (26:21–27:06)
-
On Immigration:
- Chip Roy: “We have 51.5 million foreign-born people here…The vast majority did not come here illegally. But they’ve been abusing the process…We should pause legal immigration until we fix a lot of things.” (50:09–51:29)
- Glenn Beck: “This is a civilization that is on a suicidal path if that (denying terrorists entry) can’t happen… That’s crazy that that’s not already happening.” (56:51)
-
On Rediscovering Humanity:
- Glenn Beck: “We remembered that we’re humans. And that’s what we’re missing.” (97:47)
- Sam (song lyric): “On Christmas morning, even enemies can remember they’re human for a night.” (100:40)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Opening & Social Media Reflections: 03:29–16:47
- Chico, CA Target Incident (audio and commentary): 06:49–13:00, 22:12–23:53, 88:58–99:16
- Hanukkah Monologue: 26:21–35:07
- Social Media & Mental Health: 38:30–44:39
- Rep. Chip Roy Interview: 47:14–63:44
- Current Events (Campus Violence, Accountability): 69:35–83:55
- Christmas Truce Story & Song: 97:00–104:40
- Final Thoughts on Family, Faith, and Letting Go: 111:22–117:42
Tone & Language
- Candid, often melancholic, but leavened with humor (e.g., self-deprecating banter with Stu).
- Reflective and personal, especially regarding faith, parenting, and hope.
- Emphatically conservative, with frequent critiques of mainstream media, liberal activism, and government institutions.
- Storytelling approach, combining historic parables, poetry, and original music to frame political and societal analysis.
Summary for New Listeners
This episode offers a deep dive into the cultural challenges facing America, from viral incidents reflecting social fracture, to the toxicity of social media, to divisive debates on immigration. Through personal confession, poetry, and song, Glenn Beck urges listeners to seek out hope and rediscover humanity, especially as the holidays approach. The featured interview with Rep. Chip Roy outlines a hardline immigration bill, while other segments remind listeners of the need for perseverance, faith, and compassion—even when the world seems mired in anger and confusion.