RADIOOctober 01, 2024

How the port worker strike will affect YOU

Port workers along the East and Gulf Coasts have gone on strike, demanding higher pay and job security with AI on the rise. But how long do Americans have before this strike affects the economy? Should you rush out and stock up before groceries become scarce? Or is there no need to panic? Glenn reviews what will likely happen week by week if the strike continues, including how long it will take for this to have months-long effects that impact the holidays. Plus, Glenn asks, why is this happening right before the election?!

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Okay. Let me take you first to another issue. You get up this morning, scrolling through your phone. Checking your news feed. Have a cup of coffee. Then there's this headline. US port workers begin nationwide strike.

Hmm. Okay. Good. Good.

Now, we could -- you could just blow this off, because of the ports, and, you know, dock workers sounds distant.

STU: It was the worst season of the wire.

GLENN: Okay.

STU: It's kind of the one you skip, I feel like.

GLENN: Okay. This one is about to reach out into your home. Your wallet. Your daily life.

So I need to explain what's coming our way.

First, in week one, in the first week, you might not notice much.

So there's no reason to panic. You can go and, you know, go to the store. Stock up on some things. But there's no reason to run out and do that, this week.

Your online orders are still arriving. Maybe you hear a blip on the news. About some ship stuck offshore. For a few industries hinting at some delay. But for most people, life will go on as normal, during week one. It started last night.

Now, behind the scenes, things are starting to shake and crack a little bit. Retailers, manufacturers, and businesses, that depend on regular shipments are beginning to feel the pinch, in week one.

The just in time supply system, you know, that we all learned about in COVID. That's beginning to have a little bit of a strain. And it's starting to wobble a little bit.

And while the shelves are still full for now, the stockrooms in the back are running thin. By week two, by the second week, you're going to start feeling things.

So next week, maybe midweek. If it's still going on, maybe you head for the store, and something as simple as bananas or a pair of new shoes. Suddenly the shelves aren't as full, some items just aren't there.

Fresh avocados or berries that you've gotten used to, are sitting on ships waiting to dock. And it's not just food. It's electronics. It's clothing. Even toys for your kids. They start becoming harder to find.

Prices, by week two, they may start on some items to inch upward.

Businesses are now scrambling to get their hands on what's left.

And the competition drives up cost.

That cheap TV, that you were thinking of buying, you may have to add anywhere from ten to 30 percent to the price tag.

By the end of week two.

If you were planning on doing some home repairs or upgrades.

Good luck.

All of the tools and materials are sitting in crates, gathering dust at the ports.

This is also a problem. Because of the hurricane. Had anything that you get at Home Depot is going to be in short supply, because of the hurricane, and by week two, the dock worker strike.

Now, by the third week, if it goes on that long, now we're getting into some problems.

It's no longer just a shortage of bananas or phone chargers. Entire industries begin to slow down. Factories that rely on parts from overseas. Just in time.

Can't keep running. So the workers in those factories. People you might know. Maybe it is you.

Are getting furloughed. Sent home without pay. Because there's nothing for you to build.

Grocery stores begin to ration some items. And limiting on some items how much you can buy.

Now, at this point, the strike is not a nuisance. This is week three. This point in week three, it becomes a crisis.

The online orders you placed, delayed. Weeks out. Businesses are pleading with the government for help by now.

But even if the strike ended, in week three, it would take weeks to untangle the mess at the ports. By now, inflation is beginning to rear its ugly head. Everything from groceries to gas to clothes is more expensive, than it was just two weeks ago.

Week four. This is -- this is when it becomes the full weight of the strike, is unavoidable.

And I believe it becomes a national security problem. And possibly by this time, in week four, it is just one part of what I am looking for. And will explain later on in the show.

A polycrisis. A polycrisis is what will take us out in a knockout blow. And you already have a little bit of a polycrisis with the dock workers and the hurricane.

Small businesses are now closing their doors. Because they can get their inventory. Grocery store shelves are sparse with some items missing altogether.

Your favorite brands might be out of stock. Maybe you head to the hardware store. Only to find that the building materials that you need are either unavailable or so expensive, they're out of reach.

Now, let's talk long-term. Timing couldn't be worse. Because we're heading into fall. And you know what that means. The holiday season.

Retailers are counting on the next few months for a huge chunk of their sales. And the Christmas gifts you've been eyeing. There's a good chance, they won't make it in time for Christmas. Toys, electronics. Clothing. They're sitting in ships. Or back ordered in factories. They can't get the parts. Even if the strike ends after four weeks. The backlog will last for months. Shipping will be slow.

And prices, you'll be paying a premium for anything you can find. So here's -- here's what you need to know: Week one, just be aware.

If you want to get some fruit. And you have some extra fruit in the house. You know, for week two, if it goes on that long, great.

I can't imagine, that strike goes on very long.

Because it will create a national emergency.

However, I'm not sure if our president is too busy lathering on sunscreen at the beach.

Or if his goals are just not the same as our goals.

To keep America safe and healthy.

So I don't know why. Remember the train negotiation?

You know, when you kept the trains running. He got involved immediately.

And he made sure that strike didn't happen. Well, where is he now?

And the media is saying, well, he can't really do anything.

He can't really -- maybe in a couple of weeks. Really? Maybe in a couple of weeks.

He stopped the train thing from going in to strike. Why isn't he involved this time?

He's Mr. Labor Union.

So I don't know. What's happening. In -- in a normal America, the president would make sure this strike was settled. But wait until you hear what they're asking for. And what they've already turned down.

So for, if it goes four weeks, truckers, rail workers. Warehouses will be overwhelmed, trying to just move everything.

Prices will stay high through the holiday season.

Supply chains will struggle to recover. Holiday shopping season will be lienor, fewer options on the shelf.

Less to spend, because inflation will chip away at your budget again. The economic hit, won't be limited just to higher prices.

Jobs will be lost, as industries scrambling to adapt disruptions. Companies may start to shift operations to avoid reliance on our US ports in the future.

That's great, huh.

Potentially relocating manufacturing or looking to automate more of their processes to reduce reliance on labor.

That will mean fewer jobs for the very workers that are striking today in the long-run.
So when you hear about the port thing. Know, this is a very serious issue.

Not today, but if you want to be prepared. You might not go crazy at a Costco.

Just make sure you have what your family needs, in case things get worse.

Because I have no idea, what will happen.

Okay. So, you know, when you hear what the dock workers are striking for, maybe you think, it's reasonable.

But let's get into the details. They're striking for two big reasons.

One, they want higher pay. Everybody does. They want assurances, that their jobs won't be taken over by machines. By automation. Everybody wants that.

Got it. So on the surface, it sounds reasonable.

Everyone wants better pay. No one wants to lose their job to a robot. But when you start unpacking what they're asking for. And comparing it to the average American worker. And when you consider the long-term effects on our country's economy, especially in competition with China, picture gets a little more complex.

Okay. First, let's talk about the pay raise.

The average longshoreman, the dock workers already make about 100,000 to $200,000 a year. Six figures. Some even earn more when you factor in over time.

Now, if you compare that to the average American worker who pulls in around $56,000 a year. That's quite a gap. Now, they're not not just asking for more.

They are pushing for significant raises. Sometimes ten to 15 percent a year, or even higher, depending on the location and the union negotiations. For someone already making $100,000, that could mean a ten to 15 or 20,000-dollar raise, every year.

Meanwhile, the average American worker, we're lucky to see a two or 3 percent raise. Lucky!

In fact, with inflation running hot, many workers are losing purchasing power. And wages are not keeping pace with inflation and the cost of living.

But it isn't a small pay raise. Over the term of the next six years, they are asking for a 77 percent pay raise, over the six-year life of the contract.

Now, they've been offered a 50 percent increase, and have turned that down.

Now, the -- the dock workers in California, and the west coast, they've got a 34 percent pay raise over the course of their -- their contract.

These guys are asking for 77 percent increase over the next six years.

Been offered 50 percent, and have turned it down, walked away.

Okay. I mean, that -- I mean, that's going to be hard for people to swallow.

And understand, I get it. Dock work is tough. It's physically demanding. It's risky.

It's not an old man's game. But the pay is already far above the national average. And their demands for even more, seem a little out of sync with what most people are experiencing in their lives. And I am for people making as much money as they can, but we're all connected and everyone has to remember, this is a business. All of this stuff has to work for business. Everyone has to win, because if it's just the dock workers, nobody wins.

Even at a 50 percent pay increase, that is going to be passed on to you, in higher costs.

And that's not the real problem. The real problem comes in what their second demand is.

The dock workers want ironclad guarantees, that the ports will not replace any of them, with a machine.

Now, think about that for a moment.

They're asking for a commitment, that even as technology advances, ports won't introduce things like automated cranes, or self-driving trucks or robotics to do the work faster, cheaper, more safely and efficiently. This is a conversation that America and the world should have had 20 years ago, and I talked about it 20 years ago.

And I talked about it every year since. We're going to come to a time, where if you don't know, what the meaning of life is, you're going to be kind of upside down.

Because people are going to start losing their jobs. Maybe we should start looking at the jobs of the future, and start training people for those.

Because the average job is going away. Well, now you're in it.

This is like AI. Should have had -- should have had that discussion 20 years ago.

But now we're all scrambling.

Why?

Because there is no leadership in this country.

That's why. There's no real leader. And without vision, without a leader, with vision. The people will perish. And that's what's happening. So I can sympathize with the dock workers. No one wants to be told, we have a machine that can do your job faster and without breaks, good luck. But here's the thing, automation is happening. Just like AI thousand. It's too late to stop it.

It's happening. So now, we have to figure out, how do we retool instead of just saying, you know what, you're out. How do we retool?

Because if we don't retool, if we are acting like people who said, the horse and buggy have to be kept, we lose.

China, their ports. Have you seen the video, that's circling the world now?

The ports in China are highly automated.

It's like one office. And the whole port runs in one office.

They move goods faster. More efficiently. Than we do.

They have automated cranes. AI-driven systems.

The robots work around the clock.

Minimal human influence.

It is safe safer, faster, cheaper.

This allows China to process millions of more containers, than we do, at a fraction of the cost and time.

Why do you think people buy their products from China? Because through slave labor and now through automation, they can make it cheaper.

If we don't automate our ports, we are putting ourselves in a advantage for a long-term knockout punch.

Global trade is cutthroat.

Companies will ship through countries and ports, that can move their goods faster and cheaper.

And if the US sticks with old, labor intensive methods, shipping companies will look elsewhere, to countries like China. That can get the job done more efficiently. This will mean lost business for US ports.

Fewer goods flowing through our economy. And ultimately, fewer jobs for dock workers in the long run.

We, I'm sorry, gang. Have to automate.

To be able to compete in today's world.

If you're willing to go back and live like the old timey days, where, you know, back in the -- you know, back around the turn of the century, 80 percent live below the poverty line.

Okay. 80 percent of Americans. So if you want to go back to that, that's fine.

But we have a Brave New World, that we are facing now.

And these dock workers are in trouble.

THIS is what the media should show you from Gaza

Hamas has released footage of a starving hostage who says he’s digging his own grave… so, where is the media outrage? Glenn Beck reviews the photos, which look eerily like they were taken at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Plus, he reviews the story of an East Jerusalem resident who found a way to give aid to the Gazan people while bypassing Hamas and private contractors, who have turned hunger into “a business.”

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Now, I don't know if you saw the living skeleton hostage, the video that came out on Friday. Of the Hamas hostage.

It is -- it's really sick. I've only seen the pictures. I haven't seen the video.

But the pictures of this guy, who was buff. And really healthy looking. I mean, he looked really -- like he was really in shape.

He was out at the -- you know, at the concert, there in -- there in Israel.

And at the concert, he's one of the guys that was grabbed by Hamas.

They released a five-minute clip of him.
He's 24 years old. He's in a tunnel, he's standing in this tunnel with a ceiling as high as he is. They show him crossing off dates on a calendar, and digging a grave. He says, I haven't seen for a few days in a row. And if you look at him, he's nothing, but skin and bones.

I haven't seen a Jewish person look like this, since the Holocaust.

I mean, that is the image that I think -- that Hamas is trying to send to the world.

Because I think they're proud of all of this. In the middle of the video, a person behind the camera hands them a can of beans. And David said, this can is for two days. This whole can is for two days, so I don't die. This is the grave that I think I'll be buried in. Time is running out.

This is the deliberate starvation, of this hostage.

And you would say, well, the kids are starving. Now I -- let me tell you another story. I want to read this one verbatim.

When much of the world had written off Northern Gaza as unreachable, 30-year-old east Jerusalem resident, Sara Awatta and her team, carved out a lifeline. Under the umbrella of Mena Aid, a regional partner coalition operating through the multi-faith alliance and in coordination with Israeli authorities, she built a system, that moved hundreds of trucks of food and supplies into Gaza bypassing Hamas and private contractors, who had turned hunger into a business.

Did you catch that line? Bypassing Hamas and private contractors, who had turned hunger into a business. More than 100,000 families have been fed.

The cost? Her own safety.

Quote, I never imagined, that I would be creating safe, independent, humanitarian route, would become the reason my life might end, said Sara.

After delivering 346 trucks of aid, between September '24 and February '25, we have reached 100,622 families. We decided to scale up distribution on June 30th, at a time when no one was able to get anything into Gaza because of looting, chaos, and multiple layers of obstruction on the ground.

Operating through Mena Aid, her team designed an alternative route to deliver food and essential supplies.

In Israel, a trusted logistics company transported the goods from the Port of Ashdod to the Curam Shalome (phonetic) and Zitkum (phonetic) crossings. Inside Gaza, another logistics partner handled the transport, while her staff, coordinating to realtime with Israel shadowed every shipment.

Once the aid crosses into Gaza, it's picked up by another trusted logistics partner.

Our teams are present, during the off-loading, and accompany the aid from the crossing to secure warehouses. Inside the warehouses, we begin distribution immediately, aiming to deliver everything the same day. And at most, within two to three days.

Nothing is allowed to sit idle.

That level of control, allowed them to achieve what few others could, reaching northern Gaza where people had not seen a stable supply of food for months.

Her breakthrough exposed a darker reality.
An economy where hunger itself has become a business.
Now, this is reporting. That she says, quote, there's a lot of private sector businessmen.

Some associated with Hamas. And other political groups.

By the way, this is not somebody who lives in the Jewish quarter of Israel.

She's living in the Islamic quarter of Jerusalem.

They tried to use -- they try to use aid to make millions of dollars.

Because there's such a shortage of goods, and prices are so high.

Some steal aid, and sell it in the market.

Others try to take over the supply route, so they can resell it. Her team's success, threatened by those who profit from scarcity.

By flooding the market with free goods, they not only fed families, but also drove down the inflated prices charged for basics like sugar and flour.

If there's no sugar in Gaza, and we bring it in for free. They can't keep selling it at outrageous prices. So we became their problem.

Israeli authorities also tried to cut off these private sector schemes, by shutting down the routes that allowed commercial profiteering. Listen to that. Did you -- have you heard anywhere, New York Times?

While this helped curb some corruption, it also made the remaining humanitarian channels, more dangerous. The private sector was blocked. And so those who lost their profits, started trying harder to threaten and infiltrate the humanitarian route.

They couldn't control it. So they tried to break it, and me. The attacks on her came quickly.

I began receiving death threats, not just from Gaza, but from the West Bank. Heartbreakingly, some came from people I once trusted. One of the most painful betrayals come from someone close to her. She said, I even discovered I was in a relationship full of lies. That person was part of a game, that wanted to exploit the aid operation, and he tried to use me too.

But I stood firm. I made sure he and people like him never got near it.

And now my life is at risk. Because I refuse to let the private sector hijack aid for commercial gain, or let political actors bend it to serve their goals.

The families she helps, are the reason she refuses to quit, she said.

We've created distribution model, based on verified beneficiary lists, using ID checks to ensure fair and dignified access to food. People stood in line calmly, organized, and even in impossible conditions. That's something the media just doesn't show.

The dignity and patience of the people.

Now, why isn't everyone covering this woman?

I want to get this woman on the phone, if possible. I want to talk to this woman. I would feel very comfortable in helping raising money for her. She's somebody who understands that there is a problem.

That's the only reason why people are not saying, hey, we can't -- we can only do so much with the food thing in Gaza. Because it's hijacked. It's hijacked, and used for political purposes. Do you think the Hamas fighters look like the guy in the tunnel?

No, of course not. Absolutely not. Why?

Because they have the food.

They're only giving it to people, they want to give it to. They're controlling everything.

They're -- they're -- honestly, Hamas, they're animals. They're animals.

But I don't have a problem with people from Gaza. Children. Women.

Now, I don't know if they're part of Hamas or what.

But, I mean, I don't mind helping feed them, if the food is actually being distributed.

But it hasn't been.

This woman seems to be distributing the food.

Carving out a lifeline. And risking her life to do it.

Thank you, Fox news, for bringing this story to my attention.

It's fabulous!

43-year-old prediction proves how WRONG the media is

Glenn and Stu review a 43-year-old prediction from CBS’ Dan Rather, where he claimed that much of Florida would be underwater soon due to global warming. Plus, they reveal the reason we KNOW the global elites don’t really fear climate change.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: All right. This is not going to age well.

It's something that should have been said to Dan Rather about 43 years ago. Stu just found this video.

STU: Yeah, it kind of went viral over the weekend, and I just happened to notice it. And it was just a callback.

It's interesting to always look back at what people were saying, the people you were supposed to understanded and trust had been -- the evidence about what could go on in the future.

They outline many, many times, what they believed is going to happen. And every once in a while, they are a little too specific. Like, they get into specifics. If you're going to make claims of future doom, the appropriate way, if you want to maintain your -- you know, save face if things go wrong.

Is to kind of keep it general and vague.

Which a lot of times they'll do in the global warming world.

They will say really bad things are coming.

And they won't be particularly specific.

Just general horror is around the corner.

GLENN: Right. And they will do it within 100 years. And you'll see the beginning of his in 100 years. So all of us will be dead.

STU: Yeah, so Dan Rather -- this is back in the '80s, forty-three years ago, talking about, what was around the corner here with new evidence from scientists, and look out for what's coming.

VOICE: Concerned about rising temperatures on planet earth, heated up a hearing here in Washington today.

For years, scientists have theorized about the dangers of the so-called greenhouse effect, the warming of the earth's atmosphere, due to the burning of coal and oil. And in recent months, as David Cowan reports, research has uncovered facts to support that theory.

STU: Oh.

VOICE: Many scientists claim that the temperature of the earth's atmosphere has been rising over the past 100 years. That the great sheets of pack ice in Antarctica are melting at a much more rapid rate than previously. Finally, that the sea level has been rising with increasing swiftness over the past 40 years.

If these scientists are correct, about 25 percent of Florida would be flooded, along with low-lying areas all over the world.

Climate changes could produce widespread destruction of agriculture.

The American farm belt might be too dry, and the weed and corn crops would have to move to Canada. Scientists blame the odorless, colorless, carbon dioxide gas for these potentially dangerous changes around the planet. It is the greenhouse effect. The gas allows sunlight to filter down and warm the earth.

But like the glass of a greenhouse, the carbon dioxide tends to trap heat so that it cannot rise into space.

STU: Oh, no. Oh, no.

GLENN: The scientists maintain that the coal, oil, and gas that we've been burning for 100 years have produced more and more carbon dioxide, and helped overheat the earth.

Now, some political leaders endorse the demands for more CO2 monitoring stations like this one in Hawaii.

STU: By the way, the politician was Al Gore in 1982. Making these claims.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh.

STU: So 25 percent of Florida, underwater. Glenn, I don't know if you could look around.

GLENN: We laugh, because it showed the map of the United States, and then it showed the map of Florida.

And Florida was just like this little stick that came out of the bottom. It's ridiculous. It was like America had a bike stand all of a sudden. Just ridiculous.

STU: Yeah. Basically, only if you were in Central Florida, would you have any civilization left. Now, you see, we would not have any agriculture in our country. All of it would have to go to Canada, which you might know. Consider we have been talking a lot about international trade lately, we actually have -- we produce a heck of a lot when it comes to agriculture here in this country.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: All of these claims, of course, didn't come true.

In fact, the coastline of Florida remains one of the best places to buy a home, in the country.

GLENN: Yeah. Yeah.

STU: Most expensive places to buy a home in the country.

People are moving to Florida by the millions.

GLENN: You know, if global warming was true. And the coastlines were going away. No bank, and no insurance company in the world, would underwrite a loan.

STU: Right.

GLENN: Nobody. Nobody would.

Why would you write a 25-year-old mortgage on a house, that if in 25 years, it would be 10 feet underwater. That would be the dumbest thing you could ever do.

Why would you do it?

Because they know.

You know, money doesn't talk, it screams.

And when money is still says, no. Go ahead. Build their 25-year loan. You know this is a bunch of bullcrap. It's just bullcrap.

STU: Yeah. These aren't just small investments.

30 years after this Dan Rather report.

You wrote a book. A best-seller for a while. Called An Inconvenient Book. There was a chapter about global warming. It wasn't all about Al Gore's -- it wasn't a parody of Al Gore's book. But that was the first chapter in the book. The picture that was taken for the first page of that was a picture of the Miami skyline. Which is -- you know, back -- this is 2006ish, maybe.

And it's just flooded with cranes. All you see is cranes all over the entire skyline.

There's so much destruction going on in Miami. You can't believe it.

Of course, a couple years ago after that. 2008. There was a collapse. We've had COVID in between there.

And in between this entire period, there have been multiple additional construction moves in Miami.

The picture that is in that book. It's so outdated. There's double and triple the amount of skyscrapers that have been built in this area.

GLENN: No.

It's underwater.

STU: Yeah. If it was going to be underwater.

If people actually believed it was going to be underwater, there's no way they would be investigating this type of money into developing Miami and other coastline communities.

It would make no sense.

They all know this isn't true. Or they believe that humanity would come up a solution to it. Right?

Which is also a real possibility.

Like, there are times where there have been -- there are a lot of areas that have problems with flooding. That have generally speaking, been controlled because of human innovation.

This is usually what happens in these situations. So even if they're right. I mean, I don't think 25 percent of Florida has any chance of being underwater.

But even if this -- that problem gets worse, and sea levels do rise a few more inches than expected. Humanity typically has a way of dealing with that.

Did Trump just SLAP Fed Chair Jerome Powell into submission?

President Trump recently visited the Federal Reserve’s headquarters, where they’re spending a lot of taxpayer money on renovations – and Trump let Fed Chair Jerome Powell know he doesn’t approve! Glenn Beck analyzes how Trump used old school power dynamics – including giving Powell a slap on the back – as a negotiation tactic to hopefully get the Fed to lower interest rates.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Did you watch Powell and Donald Trump?

STU: Yeah. Yes.

It was -- it was a fun -- it was a fun moment, I felt like.

GLENN: Let me play you just a clip, yesterday.

Donald Trump went to the federal research, first time, I think in two decades that the fed -- that the president has made an official visit to the Federal Reserve.

STU: Yeah. It was George W. Bush, right?

GLENN: Yeah. So he comes in, and he's getting a tour in hard hats.

Throughout the Federal Reserve. Because they're making a trillion and a half dollar renovation of the Federal Reserve.

Trillion and a half dollars.

STU: Not trillion and a half.

GLENN: No. I'm sorry. Trillion and a half.

STU: Because that would be --

GLENN: But billion does not sound like a lot anymore.

Does it? So a billion and a half renovation.

So you know, Donald Trump said yesterday. That he redid the old post office. And made it into a really nice hotel.

And remember, bathrooms and kitchens are the most expensive.

It had like 200 marble slab bathrooms in it.

For 200 million.

So this is quite the renovation. That the Federal Reserve is doing. On your tax dollar.

STU: You can complain.

You might say, Donald Trump. All the people in the media.

He doesn't know enough about this. He doesn't know enough about that.

He knows enough about this.

Anyone who knows enough about renovating a building.

GLENN: Yeah. So listen here's the back and forth between Trump and Powell.

DONALD: It looks like it's about 3.1 million. It went a little bit, or a lot.

So 2.7. You know, 3.1.

And it just came out.

GLENN: So he takes out. No, that's what it is. And he takes out a sheet.

Like, here, Powell, here it is.

DONALD: Yes.

GLENN: Awkward.

DONALD: You're including the renovation.

VOICE: You just added a third building. That's a third building.

DONALD: It's a building being built.

VOICE: It was built five years ago. More than five years ago.

DONALD: Part of the overall work --
so take a look, you'll see what's happening.

And it's got a long way. You expect any more additional --

VOICE: Don't expect them. We're ready for them.

GLENN: We're ready for them. With our tax dollars, okay?

STU: It's an amazing clip for 100 different reasons.

GLENN: Yeah. Right. And when they first met, I don't know. Do we have the video of him just being slapped on the back?

Look at this. Watch.

DONALD: He has a long way to go.

VOICE: Are there things that they would say to you today, that would make you back off some of the earlier things?

DONALD: Well, I would them to lower interest rates.

GLENN: Huh?

Okay. This is Donald Trump. This is the way -- that visit was all about intimidation. Okay? The slapping on the back, the aggressive handshakes that he gives. Okay? I mean, that's the guy that he is.

And it's not -- it's just the guy he is, and he dominates a room.

You walk into any room with Donald Trump. Even before he's president. He controls the room.

He just does. He's a guy who just walks in, and all the oxygen goes right to him. It's an amazing thing to watch.

STU: Yeah, these are old-school power dynamics. Right?

GLENN: Yes, but they work. They work.

STU: They work. Because you watch that clip. There's no reason to have that moment in front of cameras.

GLENN: Nope!

STU: There's -- that was a moment -- correct me if you think I'm wrong.

GLENN: And planned. Planned.

STU: Do you think it was planned?

GLENN: Absolutely.

STU: Number one, he does it in front of cameras. He's saying basically, there's a massive cost overrun by the guy he's standing next to, in front of cameras. Which would be an embarrassing moment for this guy in theory.

Then he also has a letter in his jacket to pull out, when he says, no. That's not happening.

He pulls that out.

GLENN: He knows that's coming.

STU: Now, look, the building was finished five years ago.

GLENN: Yeah. But what his point was. You're right.

You're right.

His point was, this is part of your renovation.

STU: Right. That's not true.

It's not a new cost overrun. The way he's presenting it. But he's doing that intentionally.

Because it's old-school power dynamics, right? Because this seems to be something that Trump thinks about a lot for a lot of different reasons.

GLENN: You think?

STU: Well.

GLENN: So let me show you what he did. What he's doing here is the same. What has he been saying about Powell?

STU: He's been saying, he needs to --

GLENN: Resign.

STU: He's dumb. He needs to resign.

GLENN: He's dumb.

STU: He's saying he's dumb. He's a dumb person in the Fed. He's not lowering interest rates.

GLENN: That tactic. The best example of that tactic is Little Rocket Man. Look at Little Rocket Man.

Yeah. Well, Little Rocket Man. Maybe I will just have to wipe him off the face of the earth.

And then what does he do?

He goes where no president has ever gone before to Little Rocket Man's space.

And sucks all the oxygen out of that room. Okay?

And stands -- this giant, standing next to little rocket man. Did you notice, how big Trump looked next to little Powell?

I mean, it was almost the same power dynamic. Okay?

STU: Uh-huh.

GLENN: And Powell knows. Powell knows. He's -- Trump, I think is older than Powell.
And look at how young Trump looks next to Powell.

STU: He does look younger.

GLENN: So he's been saying, little rocket man. Little rocket man. Little rocket man.

He then goes to the place where little rocket man is. In this case, the Federal Reserve.

And then what happens?

What is he saying today?

You know, I -- I'm not going to fire Powell. Because I think he will do the right went.

I mean, we had a really nice meeting.

And, you know, while those cost overruns are important. I think he's got it under control.

I don't know if there's a reason to investigate.

STU: It gives him an out, basically.

GLENN: Gives him a complete out.

He has hit him hard, then he meets with him and hits him hard again in front of the press.

I can guarantee you, they had a delightful conversation behind.

And he's now -- we're now in that place, where it's lather, rinse, repeat. You don't repeat, if everything is -- your hair is clean. Right?

You don't have to do it a second time, if everything is fine.

So he'll do that. Lather, rinse. Am I going to repeat?

Do I have to repeat?

Because I'll repeat. We'll go back to lather. I just rinsed. I lathered up. Yesterday, we rinsed.

Are you -- are you clean enough now? Or do you need to repeat this cycle?

That's exactly what he's doing.

STU: And he's kind of giving him the message that, I'll make your life a living hell --

GLENN: And he's doing it in Powell's space.

There's something about doing it in someone else's space. Shows, you do not have fear.

STU: But he works on both sides of that, right? Because he does sometimes go into their space and do this type of thing.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: But also -- and this is -- because when I was watching this interaction. It reminded me of something you were talking about when you were in the White House.

Of the way he's designing the White House.

He's thinking about these old school power dynamics. Constantly, when he's designing what the White House is like.

GLENN: So he is -- because this really bothers me.

Because America is. We don't have palaces for our president.

STU: Right.

GLENN: Okay?

And he's putting gold everywhere.

And I didn't say to him, that, you know,, hey.

The gold thing.

You know, maybe you should cool your jets on that.

He brought it up to me. And he said, do you -- look at the gold.

I mean, this is beautiful. And this is like -- 24 karat gold.

Is that the most -- is that the best? 24 karat.

I can't remember, but it's the most expensive kind of gold. Okay? It's not like spray paint gold.

It's actual gold leaf. Really, really expensive. And he's paying for all of it.

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: And he said, you like this.

I will go leaf -- basically, I will go -- I am thinking about gold leafing Melania soon. And I'm sitting there, and I'm thinking, this is not -- this is not a palace.

And he almost sensed this, I think from me.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: He said, you know, I know we don't have a palace, but everybody from foreign countries that comes in, they are around palaces.

They see power a certain way. And he said, so I want to make sure when they're sitting in here, they understand, this is the most powerful room in the world, in every language that they might speak.

STU: Hmm. Hmm.

GLENN: Okay? So he's doing all this to -- as a way to intimidate again.

And if you look at it.

You would think, United States is broke.

I can't believe they're leaving.

No. They're not.

He is!

So he's not only saying, this is the most powerful office.

But I'm putting gold all over it. Because I'm wealthy. And powerful.

Because I, unlike maybe you, Macron.

I wasn't in politics.

I went out and actually built giant buildings in the biggest city in the world.

Okay?

So he's, again, exercising a power dynamic.

And when you watch him, in those meetings, where, notice he has press conferences with these guys.

How do we usually announce big things with countries?

When their Prime Minister or their president comes over.

STU: We put them up as equals.

They each get one question. You know --

GLENN: Right. Back and forth.

STU: Yeah. Some --

GLENN: You get -- you get the president on one side of the room.

And the foreign president or leader on the other side of the room.

Back and forth. And they're equal.

And the flags are there.

Not with President Trump.

Very few are getting that.

They're all sitting down in his office. In that intimidating space.

And a gaggle comes in. And he says, hey. I want to introduce you. Here's the president of the Philippines. We're doing some great stuff.

We have this great deal. Blah, blah. And maybe the president of the Philippines will get one question.

Maybe. Maybe. So are you really the president of the Philippines?

STU: Is that really a country still?

GLENN: I didn't know that. So maybe he'll get one question.

But then that guy has to sit there uncomfortably, while the president is answering questions about the world, about the country.

STU: Elon Musk. Or whatever else is going on in his life.

GLENN: He has nothing to say, so he sits there as a secondary. That if we know is a negotiation tactic.

STU: Uh-huh.

GLENN: Donald Trump people tonight think he thinks about this stuff.

They don't think he's a deep thinker.

Maybe because of his language. But I think his language is also a choice.

His language is a choice. One, I know he can -- I know he can -- I know he understands big words.

But he speaks the language of the common man, for a couple of reasons.

One, I believe that was the language he learned in construction with his father.

Because he had to start working at the bottom. You want to build a hotel, son?

Great. Then you need to know how the air-conditioning handlers work.

In fact, you will go down and work side by side, and you will help build them.

So he grew up in the business world, talking to those guys. That's why those guys love him. Because he speaks their language.

Also, have you noticed, Donald Trump has started to let the F bombs fly? Now, why would he do that? Why would he do that?

Did you see what Joe Rogan was just saying about Hunter Biden?

He was just saying, you know, the guy -- he doesn't care. He just uses the F bombs like everybody else does.

And that was endearing to Rogan and also the Atlantic.

That, you know, he just -- he doesn't care.

He just is who he is.

Well, Donald Trump is showing you a little bit more, who he is.

Where he wasn't, in 2016, 2017. 2018. 2019.

Now, he's speaking the language, because I believe our culture.

Not in a way I would like. But our culture is changing.

And he is adapting to it, as well.

The guy is brilliant.

I wish I could spend a month with him. Because I think I could write a book about Donald Trump. And how he thinks.

Just spending a day with him, a few weeks ago.

And hearing how he spoke about every piece of art in the White House.

He selected every piece of art, and where it should go.

And it was to clarify who he is, and what he wants to accomplish, remind him what his job is.

So all the way from his bedroom, all the way down to the oval.

The -- the art on the wall, is to remind him of who he is. And what he's doing.

If you're on a tour, you come in. And you see, Donald Trump on one wall. And he selected Barack Obama for the other wall.

George Bush doesn't even have a painting in a bathroom. He put Barack Obama there as a symbol of, we're a country that is split. But this house brings us all together.

Would anyone ever give him credit for thinking that way?

He's thinking about what the message is on the tour.

He's really brilliant. And I think that's why things are changed so rapidly.

Is because he's using -- he knows how it works now.

He knows the game he's playing.

He's learned it.

He's mastered it.

And now he's just executing one after another.

Check, check, check, check.

And look at the results in six months.

This weekend is officially six months in.

He's accomplished more than I think any other president, has accomplished, in maybe their full term. In six months.

Now, I would like to see it codified.

But if -- if he had a Senate and a House, that were actually doing the business of the people.

It would be codified.