Glenn Beck Says Obama Made Him a 'Better Man,' Calls His Past Beliefs a 'Sham,' Voted for McMullin
Conservative political commentator Glenn Beck has revealed that he has undergone some changes to his past beliefs as of late, and said that President Barack Obama, who he criticized many times in the past, has actually made him a "better man."
Beck also revealed on Tuesday, Election Day, that he did not vote for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, but for independent candidate Evan McMullin.
"For those who care, I voted for a guy I think has real character, who will stand for religious liberty and the Reagan test of 70% agreement. Evan McMullin," Beck, who is a Mormon, said on Facebook.
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"One day I will be able to vote for a candidate I respect that will win. Just not this year," he added, noting McMullin's lack of realistic chances to win.
"My vote is a pact between me and my God. His scriptures tell me what these days will look like and what to do in regard to the kind of men we will find ourselves surrounded by. (2tim 3). He promises His protection for my children and grandchildren if we do as He says."
Beck's introspective on Obama can be found in an article for The New Yorker, where the conservative commentator said that he regretted past comments where he called Obama a "racist."
"I did a lot of freaking out about Barack Obama," Beck admitted, and added: "Obama made me a better man."
He also praised First Lady Michelle Obama's speech while campaigning for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in a New Hampshire gymnasium, criticizing Trump's "disgraceful" and "intolerable" remarks on women.
"It doesn't matter what party you belong to — Democrat, Republican, Independent — no woman deserves to be treated this way," Michelle Obama said, which Beck noted moved him deeply.
He called the First Lady's remarks "the most effective political speech I have heard since Ronald Reagan."
Beck expressed his disillusionment with the U.S. political system, warning that politicians have become crooks, the wars America participates in "meaningless," and "our values lost."
"I'm at a Dadaist time in my life," he said. "So much of what I used to believe was either always a sham or has been made into a sham. There's nothing deep."
Several media outlets reacted with surprise to Beck's comments, with Vox.com writing: "If you needed a pre-Election Day sign that the apocalypse may be upon us, here's one: Glenn Beck, once an inspirational figure for the Tea Party movement, is now saying nice things about President Obama."
The Washington Post added: "On Monday, fans, followers and foes of Glenn Beck alike were probably left lifting the lower halves of their jaws from the floor when they read the New Yorker's profile of the conservative media figure."
Back in October, Beck clarified that he is not supporting either of the two frontrunners for president, shooting down other media reports that suggested he was backing Clinton.
"Let me be clear I am firmly against both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as potential presidents of the United States of America. I believe that neither candidate has the values, decency or principles to be the leader of the free world. And for the millionth time (though I presume not the last), I reject the notion of a binary choice. I will not vote for the 'lesser of two evils,'" he wrote on his personal website back then.
