Category: Civil war
Missionary Ridge and a Legacy of Courage
One hundred sixty-two years ago, on November 25, 1863, 18-year-old Lt. Arthur MacArthur picked-up the Union flag from the second…
Joe Rogan says we’re at ‘step 7’ on the road to civil war. Is he right? Glenn Beck answers
On November 12, Joe Rogan made a comment on an episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience” that gained significant national attention. Referencing the sadistic celebrations of left-wingers after the death of Charlie Kirk, Rogan asked, “Where are we right now on the scale of one to civil war? … I thought we were like four or five. But after the Charlie Kirk thing, I’m like, ‘Oh, we might be like seven.’ This might be like step seven on the way to a bona fide civil war.”
Glenn Beck says Rogan’s words ring true. We are indeed inching closer to civil war, but just how close are we?
On this episode of “The Glenn Beck Program,” Glenn breaks down the nine steps of civil war and explains exactly where America is.
Step 1: Loss of civic trust
“Every civil conflict begins when people stop believing that the system is fair,” says Glenn, calling America “so far past the doorway” on this one.
Recent Gallup and Pew polls reveal that faith in Congress, media, judicial courts, the FBI, and government are “at record lows.” The most recent report from the Edelman Trust Barometer classifies the United States as “severely polarized.” Republicans at large distrust federal elections, while Democrats at large distrust the Supreme Court.
“Americans are really united on one thing, and that is the other side is corrupt,” says Glenn.
Step 2: Polarization hardens into identity
“Political disagreement is normal; identity conflict is fatal. But that’s what Marxists push – identity politics,” says Glenn. “This is when politics stop being about policy and start being about who you are as a person.”
The more people adopt the oppressed vs. oppressor mindset, the more society fragments into “incompatible tribes.” Now “opponents aren’t wrong anymore; the opponent is dangerous,” says Glenn.
Sadly, “We’re neck deep in this.” The fact that the Public Religion Research Institute found that nearly a quarter of the population believes political violence may be necessary to save the country proves it.
Step 3: Breakdown of the gatekeepers
“The gatekeepers are kind of like the referees of society. It’s the media, political parties, churches, civic leaders. When they fail, extremism fills the vacuum,” says Glenn.
When you consider how the media has turned into “team coaches,” how tech platforms made rage its most lucrative commodity, how universities became Marxist indoctrination mills, and how churches have been utterly “useless,” it’s clear the nation has moved beyond step three.
Step 4: Parallel information realities
“Civil wars don’t require different opinions; they require different realities,” says Glenn.
Conservatism and progressivism are undoubtedly rooted in antithetical worldviews. One sees gender as immutable; the other sees it as a social construct. One believes experimenting on children is evil; the other calls it “care.” One says crime rates are surging in blue cities; the other blames spikes in violence on poverty, guns, and systemic inequities. One sees secure borders as a critical protection for citizens; the other calls it inhumane and xenophobic.
Then social media platforms capitalize on this divide by curating “customized political universes” that only cement the partisan factions. Dialogue, not to mention resolution, becomes impossible, as the paradigms of each camp are so radically opposed, they can no longer co-exist.
“Step four is complete,” says Glenn.
Step 5: Loss of natural rule of law
Glenn calls step five “the pivot point.” It’s the moment when civil war starts to look not just possible but promising. Once people at large begin believing that “the law is no longer neutral,” “the republic stands on borrowed time.”
Based on recent polling, America has ticked this box. A YouGov poll found that “67% of Americans believe the judicial system is used for political purposes.”
Glenn lists several examples that explain the loss of faith in the country’s justice system: “January 6 defendants given years in prison. 2020 rioters were released. High-profile political figures prosecuted or shielded based on party. FBI whistleblowers alleging pressure to inflate domestic extremism numbers. States like Texas directly defying federal directives on border enforcement and now leading the way with the federal government.”
Step 6: Normalization of political violence
“This is where violence stops shocking the system,” says Glenn. He points to Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones, who was elected after it came out that in 2022, he sent text messages fantasizing about Republican House Speaker Todd Gilbert getting “two bullets to the head” and expressing hope that his wife would have to “watch her own child die in her arms.”
Couple that with the dismissal of 2020 BLM rioters and the widespread celebrations of political violence, and it’s clear: We’re beyond step six.
Step 7: The rise of militias and parallel forces
This happens “when a state loses its monopoly on force” and political factions “start forming their own police forces,” says Glenn.
We’re seeing the beginnings of this with the organized groups that target ICE, but we haven’t moved past step seven quite yet, he says, confirming that Rogan’s estimation was dead on.
Step 8: The trigger event
“Civil wars don’t begin with a plan; they begin with a spark,” says Glenn. “We’re not here yet either, but the conditions are right.”
A “disputed election,” a “political assassination or a major attack,” a “Supreme Court decision that ignites mass unrest,” a “financial crisis or dollar crisis,” or a violent “state federal standoff” are all things that could light the match, he warns.
“Nothing is ignited yet, but the room is soaked in gasoline.”
Step 9: The point of no return
Once “police, military, or federal agencies split,” the war is on, says Glenn.
While this hasn’t happened yet, we can certainly hear foreboding rumblings. In New York City, police officers are leaving the force or relocating after socialist and defund-the-police advocate Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor. Glenn also points to the “tension between the state National Guard and the federal directives.”
“States openly defying federal rules on immigration, drug laws, sanctuary policies, whistleblower claims of internal politicization — all of these things are in play,” says Glenn.
He pulls it all together with a stark verdict on where America stands: “Steps one through four: completed. Step five: happening. Step six: happening. Step seven: beginning. Step eight: just waiting for it. And step nine: avoidable only if step eight never happens.”
“I’m not telling you for doom purposes. This is diagnosis,” says Glenn.
“The nation that refuses to look and wake up and stop calling their neighbors enemies is the nation that fails.”
To hear more of Glenn’s analysis, watch the video above.
Want more from Glenn Beck?
To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
Is it time to prepare for civil war? Glenn Beck’s answer might surprise you …
As the gap between the right and left continues to widen, whispers that we’re on the verge of civil war are rumbling across the nation. Some people are even wondering if they should start preparing.
Is this wisdom or folly?
Glenn Beck’s answer: Both.
“We must win the midterms, and we must win 2028,” Glenn emphasizes.
President Trump designating Antifa as a terrorist organization and vowing to investigate and potentially prosecute George Soros via his Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, and other nonprofits for allegedly funding Antifa and related left-wing violence is a public declaration of war.
“When they have the opportunity to punch back, they are going to punch back. God help us,” Glenn says ominously.
He warns that if Trump doesn’t completely “wipe [the Antifa network] out,” retribution will rain like fire when the political tides turn.
In other words, civil war won’t look like citizens fighting in the streets; it’ll be warfare at the administrative level.
In some ways, it’s already happening. “They are blocking the feds from actually doing constitutionally what they’re supposed to do,” says Glenn. “And that then triggers the Constitution on an insurrection, which would mean the government then has the right and the power to go into those states and put down an insurrection.”
The fact that we’re even having to ponder the possibility of a civil war means that we’re close to one, he says frankly. “The likelihood of going into a civil war is higher than any other time in my lifetime because we’re all asking that question of is this going to lead to a civil war?”
The fact that Democrat officials are “using police to go against federal police” is a sign things are headed in the wrong direction.
Glenn estimates that the chances of civil war breaking out are sitting at about 15%-20% right now. “We now have proof that they are doing a color revolution here in America,” he says.
Meanwhile, X is saturated with posts encouraging people to riot and loot if SNAP benefits run out in the midst of the government shutdown.
“The perception here for a lot of people on the left is: The only way to solve [problems] is through violence,” says Glenn.
“That number is growing, and the apathy toward political violence is growing probably faster than the actual people that would commit the violence,” he adds.
But even if all of this does point to imminent civil war, Glenn urges his listeners to hope and pray against it.
“They’re dead serious about color revolution. … We have to go the opposite direction and try at all costs to hold things together, keep people peaceful as long as possible, to hopefully turn this corner because a corner is being turned,” he warns.
To hear more, watch the clip above.
Want more from Glenn Beck?
To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
