Conventional political wisdom would put GOP frontrunner Donald Trump and conservative media kingpin Glenn Beck on the same side in the battle to wrest control of America from the Democrats in 2016. But much to the chagrin of right-wing true believers, the schism between these two larger-than-life personalities runs deep and there’s no sign of détente from now until next November. As if the mutual enmity between the two men wasn’t embarrassing enough to the Republican faithful, Trump and Beck continue to butt heads publicly, underscoring the discord between fans of The Donald’s populism and pro-Beck stalwarts.
The most recent salvos in their public feud came on Thursday when Donald Trump slammed Glenn Beck via Twitter. It’s a recurring pattern for Trump to use social media as the staging ground for his grievances, having previously skewered the likes of Megyn Kelley and Rosie O’Donnell in caustic tweets. As noted by The Wrap , he didn’t hold back in chiding Glenn Beck, referring to the radio and television host as “wacky” and as “a real nut job.”
Wacky @glennbeck who always seems to be crying (worse than Boehner) speaks badly of me only because I refuse to do his show–a real nut job!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2015
Shortly thereafter, Trump poked fun at Glenn Beck’s media involvements, implicitly blasting Beck’s television network, The Blaze, as a failing endeavor. Trump asserted that Beck’s ratings are faltering but didn’t offer any evidence to back up his statements.
I hear @glennbeck is in big trouble. Unlike me, his viewers & ratings are way down & he has become irrelevant—glad I didn’t do his show.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2015
A report by The Blaze , which was founded by Glenn Beck, speculates that Donald Trump’s tirade was a reaction to previous statements that Beck made to the New York Times in which he characterized the tycoon-turned-politician as a “schoolyard bully” who “does not reflect the values and principles that I see from Americans on both sides.”
For his part, Beck didn’t return fire via Twitter, instead responding to Donald Trump’s tweets with a succinct dismissal.
“It is beneath me to respond to this.”
Glenn Beck’s criticism of Donald Trump is a recurring theme for the ultra-conservative pundit, as Beck clearly feels that the Trump phenomenon is more about style than substance. Quoted in a September article by Brietbart , Beck likened Trump’s rhetoric to that of a “dictator” and suggested that the candidate’s supporters were blinded by star power and desperate to carry the election at any cost.
“This guy is just a TV star. That’s what’s happening. He’s a TV star, and people just want to win, and they’ll take anyone.”
A few months prior, Beck denounced Donald trump as “arrogant” and “biggest flaming [ass] that you could possibly imagine,” as reported by Salon.com .
Fueling Beck’s resentment is Donald Trump’s repeated refusal to grant Beck a one-on-one interview. Even Trump himself acknowledges this as a sticking point between the two men. It’s not exactly a matter of Donald Trump being shy when it comes to the media, either, as the outspoken mogul has been interviewed by a number of conservative television and radio personalities, including Sean Hannity, Sarah Palin, and Bill O’Reilly. He has also appeared extensively on CNN morning and prime time shows.
In addition to stoking his long-running feud with Glenn Beck, Donald Trump also took a few shots at his old foe Erick Erickson, gloating over the conservative pundit’s purported sacking from his spot as editor-in-chief at the website RedState . Trump said that Erickson was “fired like a dog,” but Erickson later tweeted that the Republican contender’s statements were false and “defamatory.” The beef between Trump and Erickson dates back to earlier this summer, when Erickson “uninvited” Trump to the RedState gathering in Atlanta over Trump’s repeated attacks on Fox reporter Megyn Kelley. Glenn Beck also condemned Donald Trump over the ugly dust-up with Kelley.
With over a year left to go before the 2016 election, Donald Trump shows no sign of losing the incentive to lampoon and infuriate his detractors with snarky one-liners and assorted nastiness. Glenn Beck has some staying power of his own, too, with a formidable reach across numerous media platforms. The shrinking field of GOP contenders will surely intensify the struggle for the hearts and minds of American conservatives, raising the relative certainty that sparks will fly between Donald Trump and Glenn Beck once again before all of the ballots are counted.
[Images via Isaac Brekken/Getty Images (Trump) Kris Connor/Getty Images for Dish Network (Beck, inset); Kris Connor/Getty Images for Dish Network; Isaac Brekken/Getty Images]