The Glenn Beck Program

Episode: Trump vs. Obama Deportations: The ONE Difference The Left Ignores
Guests: Gov. Greg Abbott & Kelsi Sheren
Date: February 16, 2026

Overview

This episode explores the narrative battles over illegal immigration, the real differences between recent and past deportation policies, and the struggle to have good-faith discussions across America’s cultural and political divides. Glenn Beck challenges mainstream media storytelling, dissects how both left and right frame immigration news, and discusses the importance of context and complete facts in public debate. The episode features a deep dive into a viral deportation case, a close look at political rhetoric from figures like Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio, major updates on Texas's new school choice program with Governor Greg Abbott, and a stark warning about Canada’s expanding euthanasia program from veteran Kelsi Sheren.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Power of Storytelling and the Danger of Omitted Facts

• Opening Segment (03:30-15:30):
  • Glenn illustrates how the same immigration story can evoke sympathy or judgment depending on which facts are highlighted—using a real case of an Irishman detained by ICE.
  • Glenn Beck (07:45):

    “You don’t have to lie to change public opinion. You only have to decide what the audience feels first.”

  • The left-leaning media version centers on the immigrant's hardship and his family’s suffering; the untold facts (overstayed visa, previous drug charges, abandoning a family in Ireland) are omitted.
  • Lesson: The order, omission, and framing of facts often manipulate emotions and hinder mutual understanding.

2. Identity, Activism, and Media Echo Chambers

• Confrontation in Minnesota Parking Lot (17:00-22:00):
  • Glenn describes an activist filming and confronting ICE agents—accusing them of hurting immigrants, while the agents see themselves as removing a child rapist.
  • Glenn Beck (19:00):

    “She doesn’t see safety, she sees power... her mind only processes government explanation as an excuse.”

  • Both activist and ICE agents act out their roles, ignoring each other's facts due to tribal identity and the presence of a camera.

3. Breaking Through Polarization

• Building Dialogue (25:35-37:30):
  • Glenn shares strategies for productive discussion:
    • Start with empathy, acknowledge common fears (government overreach, child safety).
    • Ask open questions rather than confront with facts:
      “What would you need to see to believe this case might be different?”
    • Aim to widen the context, not win the argument.
  • Glenn Beck (36:20):

    “The danger isn’t that we feel sympathy. The danger is when sympathy is handed before the whole story arrives.”

4. The Danger of Selective Humanization

• Media Critique (36:50-41:30):
  • Beck warns against stories that evoke compassion through omission, training us to center some victims and erase others.
  • Real change occurs when people see they were missing facts—not when proven “wrong.”

5. Key Moment—Hillary Clinton and Ice Deportations

• Highlight (15:40-16:20):

  • Clinton claims more deportations happened under her husband and Obama “without torturing or killing people” compared to Trump.

  • Glenn points out the real change: mobilization of left-wing activists and politicians actively demonizing ICE and deportation under Trump, not the policy itself.

  • Glenn Beck (16:21):

    “Why was there even one death? The difference is, there weren’t activists trying to thwart every move, politicians weren’t calling them Nazis—facts matter.”

6. Rubio’s Munich Speech: A Blueprint for Persuasion and the Future

• Rubio’s Address (47:30-59:45):
  • Beck praises Senator Rubio’s speech at the Munich Security Conference (48:31), which recounts the Cold War, warns of globalist delusions, and calls for renewal of Western civilization based on shared values.
  • Rubio identifies the post-Cold War “end of history” mindset—outsourcing, dependency, mass migration, and loss of national identity—as the roots of today’s instability.
  • Receives a standing ovation—rare for such an address.
  • Marco Rubio (58:57):

    “…we want to do it together with you... with a Europe that is proud of its heritage... proud of what we achieved together in the last century. But now we must confront and embrace the opportunities of a new one, because yesterday is over, the future is inevitable, and our destiny together awaits.”

  • Key Pattern:
    • Unite around a memory
    • Name the problem
    • State intent and goal
    • Invite partnership
    • Repeat memory, define the promise

7. Revival and Adaptation of Western Civilization

• Glenn’s Commentary (62:00-73:00):
  • Western civilization must remember and adapt core values—like Fisher Body did with carriages-to-autos.
  • Calls for an American and European renaissance grounded in memory and intentional survival, not mindless comfort.

8. America's Political Future: Grassroots Movements

• Rupert Lowe’s New UK Party (68:54-71:00):
  • UK parallels: As establishment parties fail, new patriot movements (like Restore Britain) rise, led by outsiders from business, military, and other sectors.
  • Glenn cautions: similar shifts may accelerate in the US if Congress fails on key policies.

9. Texas School Choice Revolution

• Interview: Gov. Greg Abbott (86:33-99:52):
  • Texas’s Education Freedom Accounts: 100,000+ applications on day one—the biggest rollout in US history.
  • Abbott explains three income brackets benefit evenly; program anticipated to expand, driving competition and quality.
  • Criticism (mainly from teachers' unions) addressed:
    • Protections for public school funding
    • Modest regulatory requirements for private schools
    • Largest public teacher pay raise in Texas history
  • Greg Abbott (88:58):

    “This is the biggest and best rollout of school choice in the history of the United States of America.”

  • Greg Abbott (91:47):

    “Parents desperately wanted… the best pathway to educate their child. Now they have that alternative.”

10. The Canadian Euthanasia Crisis: A Warning to America

• Interview: Kelsi Sheren (109:19-124:27):
  • Sheren, Canadian combat vet and activist, explains Canada’s rapid expansion of legalized euthanasia (MAiD).
  • Shocking statistics: 100,000 deaths in a decade, $117B “saved” by government, pressure expanding toward mentally ill and even minors.
  • US states—red and blue—are quietly rolling out similar policies under euphemisms like “end of life care.”
  • The slippery slope: Coercion and lack of true choices for the disabled, elderly, and traumatized.
  • Kelsi Sheren (113:00):

    “My job isn’t just to teach people about what’s going on—it’s to raise the alarm so you can stop it dead in its tracks.”

  • Glenn Beck (121:27):

    “…is it really free will or choice if their only choice is death?”

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• On the two sides of the immigration story:
  • Glenn Beck (07:45):

    “You don’t have to lie to change public opinion. You only have to decide what the audience feels first.”

• On the nature of modern activism:
  • Glenn Beck (19:00):

    “She doesn’t see safety, she sees power... her mind only processes government explanation as an excuse.”

• On polarization and how to break through:
  • Glenn Beck (25:49):

    “Giving her the facts won’t be enough. You need to know how to talk to people on the other side... Always ask questions.”

• On selective compassion in media:
  • Glenn Beck (36:47):

    “The danger is not that people feel compassion. The danger is when compassion gets steered by omission.”

• Rubio’s speech, and the myth of the “end of history”:
  • Marco Rubio (48:31-53:20, condensed):

    “…The euphoria of this triumph led us to a dangerous delusion, that we had entered the end of history… This was a foolish idea… We owe it to our people to face those facts and to move forward to rebuild.”

• Kelsi Sheren on Canada’s euthanasia law:
  • (109:44):

    “Canada itself has been toying with this since, you know, the 90s… but ultimately in 2016, when a pro-death cult called Dying with Dignity… actually won in the Carter v. Canada case—and that’s when killing began.”

Important Segments & Timestamps

• The Power of Storytelling and Immigration – 03:30–15:30
• Hillary Clinton on Deportation, Glenn’s Reaction – 15:40–16:20
• Confrontation: Activist vs. ICE Agents – 17:00–22:00
• How to Actually Reach Across the Ideological Divide – 25:35–37:30
• Rubio’s Munich Speech (Full analysis and excerpt) – 47:30–59:45
• Governor Greg Abbott on Texas School Choice – 86:33-99:52
• Kelsi Sheren: Canada's Euthanasia Crisis – 109:19-124:27

Tone & Style

Glenn employs a sharp, sometimes sardonic wit, moving fluidly between storytelling, historical analogy, direct critique, and tactical advice. Guests—especially Greg Abbott and Kelsi Sheren—bring first-hand perspective, solution-oriented optimism, and urgency to policy discussions. The overall tone is impassioned, skeptical of mainstream narratives, and committed to transparency and persuasion through both empathy and reason.

Memorable Moments

• Dual-story illustration on Irish immigrant case: A masterclass in how news framing affects public sympathy or scorn.
• Rubio’s rousing Munich speech: Beck calls it “the best speech…from a leader in a very long time.”
• Greg Abbott celebrating Texas's school choice revolution: “Vindicated” after years of political battles.
• Kelsi Sheren’s chilling statistics on euthanasia: Calls out both Canada’s radical expansion and the quiet, bipartisan advance in the US.

Takeaways for Listeners

• Always question which facts are missing and how stories are framed, especially on polarizing issues like immigration.
• Productive dialogue starts with empathy, not facts alone—ask questions and seek shared fears or goals.
• Western civilization is at a crossroads—renewal depends on intentional memory, adaptability, and core values.
• Grassroots politics and outsider movements are rising as establishment parties and policies fail.
• Stark warnings: Social policies (school choice, euthanasia) being debated now have long-term cultural and moral consequences—get involved, get informed.

Useful for anyone wanting to understand the culture-war media environment, immigration policy arguments, how to persuade across ideological divides, and emerging issues in Western democracies.