Episode Overview

Podcast: The Glenn Beck Program
Episode Title: What ACTUALLY Led to the Alex Pretti ICE Shooting | 1/26/26
Date: January 26, 2026
Host: Glenn Beck (Blaze Podcast Network)
Main Theme:
This episode explores the accelerating civil unrest in Minnesota, culminating in the controversial ICE-related shooting of protestor Alex Pretti. Glenn Beck analyzes the broader themes of law and order, the dangers of political and social destabilization, and the global financial crises manifesting through gold prices and international debt. The discussion extends from critiques of political leadership and protest tactics, through granular analysis of the Pretti incident, to practical advice for Americans in turbulent times.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Current State of Civil Unrest in America

• Glenn opens with concerns about the breakdown of law and order, especially in Minnesota, tying today’s unrest to a larger pattern he predicted in 2009 (02:00-06:00).

  • He connects current street protests and violence to a coalition of "socialists, communists, Islamists, and anarchists" working to destabilize Western civilization.

• Law and Order Hypocrisy:

  • Beck criticizes Governor Tim Walz's statements about Minnesota's supposed commitment to law and order. He argues it's “proven by what you tolerate and what you punish,” not by “yard signs or press releases.” (07:00-10:40)
  • “Law and order is not a yard sign that you put up...it’s discipline; it’s quiet. Honestly, it should be very boring. It’s relentless, and yeah, sometimes it’s really unpopular.” (Glenn Beck, 08:44)

• Escalation & Vigilantism:

  • Beck recounts reports of protestors/radical groups using databases to stalk and harass individuals they believe to be ICE agents or collaborators, sometimes resulting in vigilante actions (19:00-23:00).
  • He warns this is the “Bubba Effect” in action—a breakdown of trust and the rise of self-styled justice on both left and right.

• Connection to Global Instability:

  • Rising gold prices (over $5,100/ounce) are highlighted as a signal of elite and widespread fear of disorder and distrust in financial systems (44:50-47:00).
  • Beck explains Japan’s and China’s debt crises and their impact on US stability, warning that financial turmoil abroad feeds unrest and uncertainty at home.

The Legitimacy Crisis and Its Dangers

Blurred Line Between Protest and Insurgency (24:30-36:50)

• Three Facts About the Acceleration:

  1. Growing, Connected Movement: More people now believe society is beyond repair, institutions are illegitimate, chaos is legitimate, and violence is an “accelerant.”
  2. Protest/Insurgency Line Blurring: Protest is protected, but “when any group begins to coordinate to obstruct lawful operations…to intimidate…to justify targeting state actors as morally necessary,” it crosses into insurgency.
  3. Cities as Laboratories: Political polarization, uneven enforcement, activist funding, and media create “stress tests” that probe law enforcement’s limits.

• Dangers of Normalization:

  • “When violence is excused as contextual…when prosecutors calculate politics before justice…the center doesn’t hold.” (Glenn Beck, 15:40)
  • “A movement only needs to convince a small percentage that the system doesn’t deserve obedience. Once that idea spreads, violence starts to sound like a tool, not a taboo.” (31:40)

What Must Be Done

• Uniform Consequences:
  • “No ‘never our side’ exceptions, no moral licensing, no ‘mostly peaceful.’ Uniform consequences for political violence, period.” (37:35)
• Lawful, Restrained, Visible Enforcement:
  • Overreach creates martyrs; weakness creates paramilitaries.
• Radical Transparency:
  • After incidents: body cams, timelines, independent review—“vacuum lightning fast.”
• Expose Funding/Networks:
  • Shine light when money, organization, and street pressure merge into coercion.
• Retabooing Political Violence:
  • “You don’t understand it. You condemn it. You prosecute it. You deny it any cultural permission, period.” (39:30)

Analyzing the Alex Pretti Shooting (90:00–106:00)

The Incident

• Summary:

  • Alex Pretti, a protester, is in a confrontation with ICE agents at a Minnesota protest. Video shows agents and protestors pushing; Pretti is pepper sprayed, wrestled to the ground, and shot by a federal agent after a gun is discovered in his waistband.
  • Multiple video angles, including BBC’s, clarify that Pretti never drew his firearm, though he was legally carrying (97:00–98:12).

• Key Analysis:

  • "He is resisting arrest, but his hands are down on the ground, his head is down on the ground. Then another agent ... reaches into his back where he sees an exposed gun, pulls it out ... right after that, somebody yells 'gun, gun, gun,' that's when the police officer fires at him." (Glenn Beck, 98:00)
  • Beck notes Pretti had a right to carry, but also acknowledges the police are in a "chaotic situation."
  • “He did not reach for the gun. He did not ... so this idea that ... he was foolish for walking into ... this protest with a gun— well, you have a right to carry it and quite honestly, if I'm walking into places like that and I'm not going to get involved, I probably do carry my gun. If I'm going to get involved, I think of the consequences and think, boy, that’s probably going to get me killed unless I'm planning on killing somebody...” (Glenn Beck, 101:15)
  • Beck sides both with Pretti’s right and the cop’s tragic mistake, emphasizing the dangers of rhetorical escalation and the need to “speak the truth at all times, even if it hurts our side.”

The Media Reaction and Narrative

• Stu, Executive Producer, compares right and left reaction to the Pretti shooting and recent ICE stories:
  • The right attempts case-by-case analysis; the left treats every incident as “Gestapo/Nazis/murder,” regardless of fact. (112:22–116:26)
  • “If somebody is reacting the same way even though the facts are different, but they're reacting the same way, they're telling you something: the facts don't matter. What they’re saying has to be done is the only point.” (Glenn Beck, 115:24)

Societal & Financial Resilience Advice

Preparing for Unrest and Instability

• Long-term Practical Advice:
  (80:00–88:50, 120:00–124:00)
  • Universal rules: equal justice, personal financial runway, eliminate variable-rate debt, grow skills, strengthen local networks.
  • Age-wise Advice:
    • 15-25: Build portable skills (engineering, trades, medical, logistics).
    • 20-40: Stack skills, avoid being “house poor,” invest in communities.
    • 40+: Reduce big liabilities, transfer skills/knowledge, focus on durable assets.
  • “I am telling you that trouble is coming, and you have to mentally shift into that gear now.” (Glenn Beck, 120:30)

The Bigger Picture of Global Instability

• Global debt (US, Japan, China) and gold spikes are signs that global financial trust is evaporating.
  • “Gold is a barometer of belief. What happened last week at the [World Economic Forum] was a consensus ... that what the West has built no longer is any good, and it won’t work.” (Glenn Beck, 47:46)
  • If sustained unrest hits the US, foreign investment dries up, hurting families—not elites.
  • “Civil disorder does not punish the system. It punishes the family.” (Glenn Beck, 68:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On Law and Order

• “Belief is not proven by slogans or words from some leader; it’s proven by what you tolerate and what you punish.” (Glenn Beck, 08:44)
• “It’s not a coup; it’s a shrug. Most people don’t pay attention.” (Glenn Beck, 16:30)

On the Danger of Excusing Violence

• “You don’t understand [political violence] into a safer country. You don’t—you condemn it, you prosecute it, you deny it any cultural permission, period.” (Glenn Beck, 39:30)

On the Need for Even-Handedness

• “If you don’t prosecute both Republicans and Democrats ... with the same laws, nobody’s going to believe in anything.” (Glenn Beck, 17:45)

On Protest and Political Violence

• “Once a movement believes it can control outcomes by making enforcement too costly, too dangerous, too politically radioactive, then law becomes optional. And when the law is optional, what is the next step? It’s escalation.” (Glenn Beck, 34:20)

On the Alex Pretti Shooting

• “He did not reach for the gun ... he did not ... so this idea that ... he was foolish for walking into ... this protest with a gun—well, you have a right to carry it ... [But] that's why this didn't happen with Martin Luther King protests. Because they didn't create this situation.” (Glenn Beck, 101:15–102:10)

On How to Respond to Civil Unrest

• “[Our] administration has got to be surgical in its language. ... You have to guard your credibility at all costs. You have to be telling the truth.” (Glenn Beck to Stu, 117:40)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• Civil Unrest & Minnesota Law and Order: 01:42–19:00
• Accelerationalism & Coordination Among Protestors: 24:13–37:00
• How Civil Unrest Connects to Global Financial Instability: 44:50–67:31
• Practical Resilience Advice: 80:18–88:50, 120:00–124:00
• The Alex Pretti Shooting Analysis: 88:50–106:00
• Media & Narrative Comparison (with Stu): 112:22–119:00

Conclusion

Throughout the episode, Glenn Beck ties street-level unrest in Minnesota to deeper structural problems in law enforcement, political leadership, and global finance. The Alex Pretti shooting serves as a flashpoint for discussing everything from protester rights and police accountability to the importance of resisting political violence from any side. Beck insists on nuance, credibility, and even application of the law—and warns that if these are lost to partisanship and chaos, America's days as a stable country may be numbered.

Further Listening

• For Glenn Beck’s detailed analysis of accelerationalism and financial collapse, check out his Chalkboard Specials at glennbeck.com/torch.
• Key segment: The Alex Pretti shooting discussion (88:50–106:00) for full breakdown and contrasting perspectives.