The Glenn Beck Program

Episode: Media OBSESSED with Minnesota Child-Killer’s Pronouns
Date: August 29, 2025
Hosts: Pat Gray & Stu Burguiere (for Glenn Beck)
Blaze Podcast Network

Episode Overview

In this episode, Pat Gray and Stu Burguiere fill in for Glenn Beck, offering their trademark blend of analysis, humor, and sharp cultural commentary. The main focus is on media coverage of a recent mass shooting in Minnesota—a case where the media’s attention to the perpetrator’s pronouns has, in the hosts’ views, eclipsed coverage of motive, victims, or any meaningful policy debate. Along the way, Pat and Stu dive deep into recent polling on Trump, Israel, Ukraine, and social divisions; critique U.S. gun policy debates in light of recent violence; and lampoon the media’s approach to progressive narratives.

With engaging banter, the hosts critique the “nonsense of the mainstream media,” unpack trending political issues, and explore the cultural climate surrounding gender identity, gun rights, and U.S. foreign policy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Quinnipiac Poll Deep Dive

[03:05–26:48]

• Trump’s Approval Ratings:
  • Quinnipiac poll shows Trump at a low 37% approval.
  • Among Republicans, support is down to 84% (“not great…usually you want to be in the 90s” – Stu, [06:53]).
  • Democrats’ disapproval is predictably high (98%).
  • Independents: 58% disapprove, 31% approve.

“That’s about as low as I’ve seen on Trump, even in a negative poll for him.”
—Stu, [05:53]

• Attitudes toward Israel and Ukraine:
  • 60% oppose military aid to Israel; 32% support.
  • Hosts blame social/media-driven narratives for shifting opinions (“the campaign of putting starving children…on every newspaper…it’s been successful” – Stu, [08:43]).
  • 37% now sympathize more with Palestinians than Israelis.
  • Rising support for U.S. ground troops as Ukraine peacekeepers—up to 40%.

“It just shows how effective the propaganda’s been.”
—Stu, [13:38]

• On Shifting Public Opinion:
  • Noted swing among Trump voters back in favor of some Ukraine aid, possibly tracking Trump’s evolving rhetoric ([16:55–18:22]).
  • Discussion on the differences between lending/leasing arms versus direct involvement.

2. Political Tribalism & Family Dynamics

[43:03–44:22]

• New poll: 40% of Kamala Harris voters would cut off family over politics, only 11% of Trump voters would.

“Such is their hatred for Donald Trump.”
—Pat, [44:18]

3. Gun Control, Australian Parallels, and the Minneapolis Shooting

[49:20–64:12]

• Minneapolis Aftermath:
  • Hosts lampoon mayor Jacob Frey’s calls for tighter gun control, expressing skepticism about both feasibility and efficacy.
  • Parody the fixation on “assault weapons” and criticize the disconnect between gun control advocates’ rhetoric and technical reality.

“They can reel off 30 clips in conjunction with a magazine before you even need to reload…”
—Pat, mocking Mayor Frey, [66:40]

• Australian Gun Buyback Comparison:
  • Detailed walk-through of why Australia’s buyback “wouldn’t work here”—constitutional differences, cost, and negligible impact on homicide rates ([56:49–63:11]).
  • Refer to University of Melbourne study finding “little evidence” the buyback reduced firearms homicides ([61:24]).

4. Media Coverage: Focus on Shooter’s Pronouns

[69:25–74:44]

• Media Fixation:
  • Hosts play a montage of mainstream coverage centering the shooter’s pronouns and name.
  • Critique the avoidance of motive or mental health context in favor of identity framing.

"But they're trying not to deadname the dead perpetrator of this heinous event and you're trying to respect their pronouns afterwards. Is that incredible?"
—Pat, [71:58]

• Statistical Rarity & Narrative Bias:
  • Note that, while most shootings do not involve trans people, the disproportionately high number (relative to population) is notable and would be treated differently if it pertained to another group.
  • Quote and praise U.S. Attorney's refusal to name the shooter ([81:00–82:24]).
  • Discuss how the shooter’s “writings were filled with hate…towards almost every group imaginable” ([81:09–82:19]).

5. Gender Identity, Science, and Cultural Satire

[74:44–80:43]

• Satirical Riff on Gender Assignment:
  • Stu and Pat lampoon progressive approaches to gender identity.
  • Satirize the notion of “assigned at birth”, expressing mock awe at doctors’ “miraculous” ability to determine sex.

“I have faith in that community to figure out if a boy is a boy and a girl is a girl. Like, I’m really confident that doctors are able to do that at birth.”
—Stu, [77:30]

• Relating to Trans Crime Discourse:
  • Hosts note that if any other group were overrepresented in mass shootings, the media would discuss it openly.

6. Trump, Chinese Students, and Foreign Policy Tactics

[89:27–104:41]

• Trump’s Announcement on Chinese Students:

  • Trump’s pledge to allow 600,000 Chinese students into U.S. universities is met with skepticism.
  • Pat and Stu argue that Chinese students often “take American innovation and bring it back to China.”
  • Raise concerns about espionage and advocate for more reciprocity or obligation to the U.S.

• Trump’s Negotiating Style:

  • They discuss how Trump’s public statements often target foreign leaders, not U.S. audiences, and how negotiatory posturing tends to be misunderstood as actual policy commitments.

“He’s almost never speaking to us…He’s saying it publicly so you hear it, but he’s talking to somebody else.”
—Stu, [101:01]

7. Personal Anecdote: Tesla Leasing ‘Bait and Switch’

[113:40–125:13]

• Stu shares a personal experience: Tesla’s offer for affordable used car leasing turns into a much higher price after a deposit, which is then mostly nonrefundable—a story he excoriates as “bad business” and a “bait and switch.”

8. Lighthearted Segments & Outtakes

• Alec Baldwin’s “Pig” Grill:
  • The hosts revisit Baldwin’s infamous voicemail to his daughter, segueing into a current NYT profile and pig-shaped grill gift ([107:02–110:08]).
• Satirical High-Speed Rail Segment:
  • End the show by lampooning slow new “high-speed” trains: “I have a dream…man may be able to get from Boston to Washington even faster than seven hours.” —Stu, [128:51]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On Trump’s Approval:
  “That seems really low. Yeah.”
  —Stu, [05:53]

• On Mainstream Media Propaganda:
  “All of the Western media is accepting the numbers that come from a Hamas organization, the health ministry.”
  —Pat, [12:44]

• On Gun Buybacks:
  “If you successfully got those 100 million guns off the street, you’d still have a little problem with 300 million guns still on the street.”
  —Stu, [58:54]

• On Media and Shooter Identity:
  “It’s so predictable. It’s stunning in its predictability.”
  —Pat, [71:50]

• On Gender Assignment Satire:
  “Doctors…do it with 100% accuracy.”
  —Stu, [78:53]

Important Segment Timestamps

• Quinnipiac Poll Breakdown: [03:05–26:48]
• Israel & Ukraine Polling, Propaganda: [08:39–19:03]
• Guns/American Firearms Stats, Mayor Frey: [49:20–66:40]
• Australian Gun Laws Comparison: [56:49–64:12]
• Media Shooter Coverage/Pronouns: [69:25–74:44]
• Comic Gender Satire: [74:44–80:43]
• Trump, Foreign Students, Negotiation Tactics: [89:27–104:41]
• Tesla Lease Scandal: [113:40–125:13]

Episode Tone

• Conversational, satirical, irreverent—the hosts’ banter blends mockery, skepticism, and insight, especially as they lampoon media narratives and political opponents.

Summary Takeaway

This episode offers a panoramic (and deeply skeptical) look at how key national issues—mass shootings, gun control, sex and gender politics, foreign policy, and party tribalism—are filtered through the media, polling data, and everyday experience. Whether dissecting poll numbers, mocking linguistic trends, or personal consumer horror stories, Pat and Stu keep the tone biting yet accessible, making their ideological viewpoints clear while skewering the absurdities of contemporary American public life.