RADIOAugust 04, 2025

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.

THE GLENN BECK PODCAST

The Shroud of Turin and the Moment of Resurrection - Why Scientists are BAFFLED!

For centuries, the Shroud of Turin has baffled scientists and inspired believers. In this powerful conversation, Glenn Beck and Dr. Jeremiah Johnston explore the evidence — from carbon dating controversies to the face that appears only in photographic negative. Could this ancient linen be the very burial cloth of Jesus Christ, capturing the moment of resurrection itself? If science can’t explain it… what does that mean for faith?

Watch Glenn Beck's FULL Interview with Dr. Jeremiah Johnston HERE

Vance and Rubio: Trump's Secret Weapons

Glenn Beck and Stu Burguiere unpack JD Vance’s viral response to a potential 2028 Vance-Rubio presidential ticket, where Vance praises Rubio as his “best friend” and credits Trump’s “grand strategy” for the administration’s success.

Unveiling the secret to transforming angry boys into real men

The world has a plentiful, seemingly endless supply of angry boys. What it's lacking is real MEN. Glenn Beck shares the secret that our young men must learn if they truly want to protect and perfect our country.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: There's a difference between a revival and an awakening. We are in a revival right now, but that doesn't necessarily lead to anything. Except, oh, I have to re-learn those principles. But that doesn't mean you apply them in your life. Okay?

That's an awakening. There's been two great awakenings in American history. One brought us the American Revolution. The second one brought us the Civil War and the freedom of slaves.

We have the possibility of going into a third great awakening. That's the only thing that will save us. If you don't know the difference between a revival and an awakening. Let me give you the negative print of a godly awakening. Our kids right now, they don't have any purpose. They don't have any meaning.

They look at everything, and it doesn't -- it's not real. None of it is real. It's money. It's fame.

It's -- you know, it's ever changing truths and definitions. And they have no purpose in their life. Okay?

So they're looking for that. Because man has to have purpose in his life. Man has to search for meaning.

So they're searching for meaning. And they found a group of people that actually mean something. And they're willing to die for it. And it's ISIS.

And so they're like, at least these people believe in something. They believe it. And they're willing to die for it. I'm going to stand with them. And they put that twisted understanding into action. That's the -- that is -- that's an awakening. It's just an awakening to the dark side. And that one is already happening. It has to happen on the good side. And let me speak directly to young men: Look, you are inheriting a very loud, angry, cynical and worst of all spiritually starving and malnourished society. And you are being sold a future of cheap pleasures and hollow heroes and screens with blue light that just rob you of your strength, one distracted second after another.

And in the middle of all that noise, may I just give you one piece of instruction. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, of good report or praise-worthy, seek those things.

Don't admire them. Don't nod at them. Seek them!

Hunt them. Chase them. Build your life around those things. A man who will do that. A boy. A young man who will do that, will become different. Noticeably different.

He will stop letting the culture feed him garbage. He stops applauding the trivial. He stops laughing at the obscene or cheering for the cruel.

He will become a curator of -- of real, lasting beauty in an age that has forgotten what beauty even looks like.

When other men are chasing down or holding up cynicism, this man holds up hope!

When everyone around him is chasing dopamine, he chooses discipline. When others will blame their circumstance, he'll take responsibility for his own action. When the world worships the shallow, he goes and searches for the deep!

You want to know what the secret of becoming strong is, or becoming trusted, or becoming the kind of man that your future wife, your future children, your future nation can depend on?

Here it is!

You become what you seek. If you seek trash, you become trash. If you seek virtue, you become a man of virtue. You seek excellence, and your life will begin to shine, not loudly, but steadily. Like the steel glow of a blade being forged.

That's who you'll be.

The world has a plentiful, seemingly never-ending supply of angry boys. We don't need any more addicted boys.

We don't need any more distracted boys. The world needs men. Whole men. Clear-eyed men.

Men whose souls are anchored to something higher than the algorithms, trying to own them!

Build a life worthy of admiration. Forget about the applause. Fill your mind with words that make you wiser. Fill your days with work, hard work, that makes you stronger. Fill your home with beauty that lifts every soul who walks into it.

Have your home a place where people walk in and go, man, I say so great here. I just love it here. I don't know what it is about your house. I just love it. It's the spirit that's there! Because you built it! You protect it.

Protect your integrity like a watchman on the wall. Don't lie. Don't cheat. Don't steal. And when you fail, and you will, stand back up again.

Because a man who seeks the virtuous, is not a man who never fails. He just -- he just becomes a man who refuses to stay on the ground.

If you seek things that are lovely and pure, trustworthy, praiseworthy, you'll become a kind of man this age almost never produces. A man whose very existence is a rebuke to the darkness.

That's your calling. That's why you were born.

Not to be lost. Not to play video games. Not to give up. Not to say, there's no hope. Not to end up in the trash bin of human history because you've -- you've taken so many drugs, you can't stand up straight anymore.

You're not destined to be alone.

You were destined for great things. You are destined to find an amazing woman!

Believe me. I didn't think I would ever find an amazing woman. Because I didn't think I was worth it. I didn't think I was worth it.

And until I started understanding how God works. That, yeah. I'm not worth any of the stuff that I have.

When you realize, it's all a gift. It's all a gift. And even if you work your brains out, you may not ever get all the things that you want. But you're going to have everything you need. Once you realize, carefully selecting friends makes a difference. My mother used to always say, show me your friends. I will show you your future.

It's true. Be careful who you select as friends. Watch your language. Watch what you're putting into your brain and what's coming out of your mouth. Because the brain is so amazing. It's being turned to mush. Did you know that there is a new study that just came out. I have to tell you about it next week, maybe.

New study going out. It is -- it's AI. And it has access to social media, and they have found that the AI -- the AI that is scrolling through social media all day, just to keep updated on everything that's going on in social media. It's getting brain mush. It's actually becoming dumber. It's become less effective!

It's a machine. What do you think this, flesh and blood, this thing is going to do?

We say life is meaningless. And life is the only thing that has any value. And yet, we spend all of our time, on things like social media. And that has absolutely no value.

But we think that's life.

I'm not that smart. I've just lived a long time. And I've made so many mistakes.

And I decided at one point, I'm going to stop saying, it's somebody else's fault. I'm going to start saying. Maybe -- what did I do to create that?

What did I do to attract that?

Why does this thing keep happening to me?

Why is it that I always find myself involved with these same kind of people?

Because, Glenn, dummy, it's you!

What you think, it's like -- it's like think of yourself as a -- as a beacon. It's just -- you're a beacon. Your GPS pin, that is constantly saying, here I am. Here I am. Here I am.

Except, it's transmitting more than just your location. It's -- it's transmitting what you're looking for, who you are. And it's attracting other dropped pins to you. It's saying, "I like this. I think this way. I believe these things. I am afraid of these things."

Whatever it is, you're thinking. It's constantly putting that out.

And saying, here I am. Is there anything else like that?

Anything else that can reinforce that? Anything else that can live like this?

Because that's me. Here I am. Here I am. Here I am.

That's why you keep finding yourself in exactly the same situations. Nothing will change, if nothing changes!

And the only thing that you can change, is you!

Seek the things, that have virtue.

Seek the things, that have beauty in music, in -- in art, in life, in architecture, in clothing! Whatever it is. Look for real, lasting beauty and value.

Find the things that are true! Truly true.

Universally true. Find the things that uplift. Seek those things!

And you will change your life and your world!