RADIOJune 18, 2025

The KEY to understanding Trump’s threats to Iran

Many Americans are debating whether President Trump will attack Iran and help Israel, or if he’ll keep his promise to stay out of this war. Glenn Beck explains what he believes is the key to understanding Trump’s

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: I think America is all warred out. I know I am.

I'm all warred out. We've been the police. War's policemen since I've been a kid.

It's never helped us. It's never done anything, except push us towards bankruptcy, and more of our people killed.

You know, we've had Afghanistan. Iraq. Libya. And they ended for, what?

Nothing. Nothing.

What did we get out of that? Nothing!

Are we safer?

No. We're not safer. Look at our streets. Look what's coming across our border.

We have 8,000 terrorists, in our country, right now!

That didn't make us safer by any stretch of the imagination. What did we do that for?

We've also been lied to by our government, over and over and over again.

At least the last 100 years on this progressive nonsense, on the State Department, and how they want to fight wars now.

There hasn't been a real end of a real war, in how long?

Since World War II?

There's not -- are these all police actions. And they never -- they don't seem to work out.

I'm done with all of that. I think you are too. And we can't afford another war.

Now, that being said, I think Iran and I've said this since 2003, Iran is the head of the snake.

It wasn't Afghanistan.

It wasn't Iraq. You know, I thought the strategy from Bush was to take Afghanistan and Iraq and squeeze forever the government of Rand Paul.

Enough to have it topple and let the people take over, in Iran.

But that didn't -- I don't think that was even their strategy. I think that was me maybe hoping.

You know, and all the talk about the nukes in Iran, I have a hard tame. You know, weapons of mass destruction. George Bush. They weren't there.

They weren't there.

So now they have -- I mean, I've heard since, what?

Now. 2005.

Iran could be just days away from a nuclear weapon. Then once they have one, then they could produce all the -- I don't know. I've heard this since 2005. You have no credibility with me anymore, that they're just days away from a nuclear weapon!

Now, are they days away? Maybe!

I don't know.

So what do we do?

Well, I'm pretty happy with the current course.

Israel seems to be doing a bang up job.

You know, and have you noticed, it's not really causing any more problems in the streets.

In Saudi Arabia, or Egypt. Or any other place.

They all seem to be cool with what's going on.

And why is that? Because everyone in the Middle East knows this is right. What is Egypt doing? First of all, maybe we should be a little more like Egypt, you know, without the authoritarian regime. Maybe we should look at our borders the way Egypt looks at its border with the Palestinians!

You know, there's a two-story wall, all just -- I mean, it is razor wire everywhere.

Nobody is coming across that border, coming out of -- of -- of the Palestinian section, into Egypt.

They don't want them.

Strangely, neither does Jordan. Strangely, neither does the UAE. Strangely, neither does Saudi Arabia, or any other Gulf culture. They don't want them. Why?

Because revolution always follows.

Thus, let me again, bring you back to Egypt. What happened over the weekend.

All these Palestinian protesters. The kinds that are on our streets.

The Palestinians just -- I mean, the Egyptians just picked them up.

Put them on a bus. And said, get hell out of here. Or we'll throw you in jail.

We can't protest peaceful. No. Not in Egypt.

It's not America.

You're not doing that in Egypt. And one of the reasons why you're not doing that in Egypt. Egypt knows, the Palestinians, no matter where they go. They sew the he seeds of revolution.

That's been the pattern over and over and over again, when one of the Gulf states take them.

So why is that a problem for Donald Trump to do exactly what the Egyptians and the Saudis and the UAE, and everybody else is doing. Which is, hey, Israel, keep going!

I mean, I'm not going to say that out loud. But keep going.

Can we help you with anything on that one? Because don't turn around on us. We will deny it.

But go ahead. They're all doing that!

All of them! What is the other thing they're doing? They're not siding with the Palestinians. They're not letting the Palestinian, you know, revolution break out in their countries.

So why is it such a problem in our country? To do what they're doing!

Which leads me to believe, maybe, just maybe, there's a lot of anti-Semitism on this one.

I've never seen a country exercise a war this precisely as the one that Israel is doing. I mean, it's unbelievable.

It's unbelievable.

Okay. So now, let me take to you the third part of what I want you to really think about.

Are we actually preparing for war?

Because every sign says yes. And maybe we are. I don't know.

Every sign says yes. We are mobilizing.

We are moving assets in. Yesterday, I think it was the Israelis said, everybody needs to get out of Tehran. That looks like massive bombing coming there. That doesn't seem like Israel. Does it?

We're talking about maybe using one of our B52s. And the only bomb that can get into the plant, to be able to get under the mountain to take out their nuclear facilities.

We're the only ones that can do it, and we're talking about doing that. However, at the same time, Donald Trump said, no, to killing the leaders of Iran. Which were the leaders that put the plan in place for the assassination of Donald Trump.

So it doesn't seem like he's being vindictive here.

What is actually happening?

How do you make sense of the world?

May I just suggest, what do you know about Donald Trump?

What do you know at the core of his being, who he is?

You know that he is a pro-tariff guy.

You know that he hates war.

To the core.

You know that he's terrified of nuclear war.

And he's a negotiator. I don't think that's in the right order.

I think he's a negotiator first. And when you negotiate at this high level, you don't tell everyone what you're doing.

First of all, the first thing you have to do is establish credibility.

And especially in a country like Iran, where the American president has never had any credibility.

Because they say, you know what, you cross this red line. And you're done. Then they cross the red line. And they're like, okay. Well, don't cross this red line or you're done.

Then they cross that red line, and nothing happens! Okay. Well, don't cross it. Shut up with your red line. It means nothing to us anymore.

What did Donald Trump do?

He gave Iran 60 days to negotiate. Sixty days.

What happened at midnight on Day 61?

Israel unleashed hell on them.

Donald Trump said, you have 60 days. And please, get to the negotiating table. You don't want to see what happens on Day 61.

Don't do it. Don't. Don't.

I'm holding them at bay. Don't. Let's negotiate. Okay? Now he has credibility.

So now when they're talking about, you know what, what we might do. He will say, yeah. Well, I'm talked to Israel, about letting them use that bunker buster.

You know, I also think you're a really dangerous knight right now. I think, you know, put us on a war footing, would you?

Now the American people are looking at Donald Trump going, he just might do it. Are we going to war? He just might do it.

What do you think Iran is saying? Iran is saying the same thing! Oh, good God. He just told us 60 days.

He's not bluffing. He's not bluffing.

The guy does not bluff. He's nuts. He's insane.

Whatever you want to say about him. He's a negotiator. And the one thing that Iran really does not understand, I think is negotiating from the best negotiator in the world.

But I am afraid the American people don't understand that either.

Now, I could be wrong. So I'm not saying this is what's going on.

But I believe this is what's happening.

I believe he's negotiating.

And, you know, he will follow it up.

But what did he say?

As soon as the bombs went out. He said, I told them, 60 days. A, establish credibility.

Then the next statement was, please come back to the table. Or it's only going to get worse.

Okay?

Then while the whole world is watching the G7, something happens, and he flies back. He leaves the G7. And he flies back, at 3:00 a.m. He arrives, and he goes directly in to the situation room, and they're moving assets around the world.

And then says, hey. Iran, you should negotiate. You should negotiate.

We're still at the negotiation table. I would suggest you get back.

How freaked out do you think they are?

Now, here's the thing. Have you ever been in tough negotiations with somebody, and they start to say things. And you're like, wait. This wasn't part of the plan.

We didn't discuss this.

But they're the leader. What should you do? If you're in negotiations, you should be going, yeah.

Yeah. We talk about that. You know, all day long. You go out in a hallway. Or you go into another room, and you go, what are you doing?

What are you doing?

We didn't talk about this. But you never say it at the table. Never.

Because if they spot any division, that game is over. So what's happening online?

Right now, we're dividing ourselves. I think the president is negotiating. I -- I know the president hates war. I know the president hates nuclear war.

I know the president likes Israel, but he's not wanting to fight their wars.

I know the president knows how much trouble we're in, with Islamic extremism, especially the kind that comes from the Twelvers in Iran!

If I know all of those things to be true, he's negotiating. And he's hoping that Israel will do the job we won't have to.

But we can back them up by being tough negotiators. And saying, you know what, go ahead. Put us on a war footing.

Because then, their side is at the table going, what the hell, is this guy -- and somebody at the table is going, he told us 60 days. In sixty days, we were having bombs raining down on us.

He will do it!

But there's also somebody at the table that said, eh, just lost Tucker Carlson. That guy helped him get elected. Eh, just lost, you know, whoever, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin and Glenn Beck.

And they're all fighting against each other. He's not going to be able to hold his base together.

If he's -- if he's bluffing, fine. If he's not bluffing, it won't be long, because they'll tear him apart.

Now, how does that -- because you, and me, and Tucker, and Sean. And, I mean, it used to be just the big anchors, on CBS. ABC. NBC.

Now it's not just even us. It's you!

They're watching us, as we're sitting at the table. We're blinking.

Repeatedly. I -- I don't know what -- I don't know.

I have no inside information.

I just think, I know Donald Trump, and what he abhors. I know Donald Trump on what he is terrified of.

And that is nuclear war. And global war.

He knows that will be the end of us. All of us. I just don't see him as that guy.

And so I have to ask, is the world's best negotiator, now negotiating? And I believe the answer is yes. For the first time, you have a president that is a good negotiator.

Stop blinking. That doesn't mean I'm for war. It just means, stop blinking!

Secret Docs Reveal the ENTIRE Deep State Network | Glenn TV | Ep 451

The recent declassifications from Tulsi Gabbard’s ODNI and the Durham annex give us a rare glimpse into something much bigger and deeper than the Russiagate hoax against President Trump. Glenn Beck heads to the chalkboard to connect the dots and map out how the entire deep state operation works. We reveal who the players are, where the funding comes from, and how they exert their influence. From international color revolutions to the Ukraine impeachment and the Russiagate hoax, everything is finally starting to make sense. John Solomon, CEO and editor in chief of Just the News, gives Glenn a sneak peek into a bombshell investigation that exposes how the deep state provided cover for Clinton Foundation corruption.

Former CIA Officer EXPOSES John Brennan's Massive Web of Corruption

Bryan Dean Wright, a former CIA Operations Officer, tells Glenn Beck why he believes his former boss John Brennan belongs in prison and what must happen to prevent a full-blown trust implosion in American institutions.

Watch This FULL Episode of 'Glenn TV' HERE

Why Trump is RIGHT to take back DC

President Trump is cracking down on crime in Washington, DC, and Glenn Beck believes it’s a “brilliant” move. Glenn explains why Trump is taking action, whether it’s legal, and what he believes it says to the world.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: So the president yesterday, taking control of our Capitol back. And he said this, cut three. Listen.

DONALD: My father always used to tell me. I had a wonderful father. Very smart. And he used to say: Son, when you walk into a restaurant and you see a dirty front door, don't go in. Because if the front door is dirty, the kitchen is dirty also. Same thing with the Capitol. If our Capitol is dirty, our whole country is dirty, and they don't respect us.

GLENN: It's absolutely true.

This is the broken windows theory. You know what that is? The broken windows theory is something that Rudy Giuliani used to turn the country around. And that theory is, no one, no one, picks up a rock or can or bottle or anything, that's in a nice neighborhood that's clean and everything else.

You don't pick up a rock and break a window. However, if you're in a neighborhood where there is a lot of broken windows and everything is broken down, the average person is much more likely to pick up a rock and throw it through a window.

Why? Because the entire neighborhood says, we don't care.

So what Rudy Giuliani did, was he used this theory, and he cleaned up the -- he cleaned up the subways by doing a couple of things.

First thing he did, was he made sure, that if you were jumping the turnstile, for the -- for the subway, you were stopped right there.

Before, people just weren't paying a fair, they were just jumping a turnstile.

And nobody was doing anything about it.

He says, no one was crossing that turnstile. Now, what is it?

Is it a dollar to ride the subway? No one rides it for free. And so he put police, right there.

And they stopped you, and arrested you, if you were jumping the turnstile.

The second thing is, was he stopped the graffiti. He said, I don't care if they have to be repainted every single day.

When those things pull into the station, at night. If we get there in the morning, and they've been spray-painted, I want them all painted again, and then they go out.

Everything had been covered in graffiti.

And when he changed those two things, all of a sudden, the attitude, of the subway, it became safe again.

Because it was sending a signal to the bad guys and to the good guys, we care. We're not going to let this happen, anymore.

So what he's saying here, about dirty doorstep, means a dirty kitchen. It's absolutely true.

You ever gone into a restaurant. Gone into their bathroom. And you're like, oh, boy.

Oh, God.

I can't eat now.

Because if the -- the bathroom for the customer is like that. What is their kitchen like, where the customer never sees it. That's what he's doing, and he has the absolute right to do it. He's got 30 days, before he has to bring Congress into it.

This is the -- back in 1973, Congress passed this Home Rule Act. And they didn't have a mayor. They didn't have a city council. They didn't have any of these things.

This has been from the beginning of our country, the Founders wanted the District of Columbia, to be a district that is a federal district, run by the federal government. Not by local rile.

And in 1973, they started that. And it was all just to get them to be declared a state. First a city with a mayor. Then we should have power to elect the president of the United States.

Yada. Yada. Yada.

This has not been worked. This has been an experiment that has not worked at all. So he can deploy the National Guard for law enforcement, because there is no governor of DC. He can use it for emergencies, crowd control, and to execute federal laws. However, he just declared an emergency.

Now, under the Home Rule Act, he can assume control of the Metro PD, which he didn't, for up to 48 hours, during special conditions of emergency.
And that time period can be extended.

But he -- what he's doing here, is he's using these 30 days, hoping that the home rules act is going to be revealed. Only Congress can reveal that. But there's movement to reveal it now. And if Congress appeals the home rule act.

Then this nonsense in the District of Columbia is over. And if anyone tells you, you know what, the crime status are going down.

To what?

To what?

Even if they went down to 2019 standards, is that good enough?

I mean, it is still more dangerous than walking around in Bogota, Colombia.

It is twice as dangerous as walking around in Islamabad!

I don't know. I don't think that's really a good thing.

And, by the way, they changed the way -- you're a stat person. Did you read this about the stats.

PAT: Playing with them.

GLENN: Oh, my God. Playing with them.

Felony assault is not considered a violent crime now in their crime stats. Not assault. Felony assault. Felony means usually prison is -- is tied to that.

STU: Yeah. Not just some easy misdemeanor, where you get your hand slapped.

GLENN: Felony assault.

STU: Yeah. If you're not going to include that, it's hard to even take that seriously.

But your point is more crucial to this, than even the statistical games.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: Because they keep -- they keep bragging they're getting it back to 2019 levels, or maybe a tick below. That's not good.

GLENN: No. It's not.

STU: What you're saying is acceptable is not acceptable.

That's the message from the White House.

I would love to see it.

And we're seeing it so far. I would love to see the Democrats try to win that battle those rules.

If what you're trying to tell me, because we were there for the inauguration.

GLENN: Police everywhere.

STU: Of course that was -- police everywhere -- it's a totally different --

GLENN: But I had a guy threaten my life, and not for political reasons. Just because I think he was batcrap crazy.

STU: Yeah. Yeah. Right. I mean, a lot of sane people threatened your life on a regular basis. Crazy.

GLENN: This is a nutjob.

STU: Yeah. But, like, unless you're at the mall, during the day, it's -- and even there, can get sketchy at times.

GLENN: Oh, yeah.

STU: You feel it.

GLENN: You feel it. You feel it.

STU: You want to stay inside your hotel room.

GLENN: And, you know what, everybody knows this. Washington Post. There -- this is a story on how safe the city is.

This is a safe city, but overhearing witness game threats and then watching the camera footage of the thuggery is disturbing, said one resident.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, over --

STU: Anonymity, over concerns of personal safety.

GLENN: Yes. Anonymity, over concerns of personal safety. So I don't want my name in the paper, because I'm afraid of the thugs finding out who I am, and killing me. But it's perfectly safe. Oh, my gosh!

STU: Everyone knows this! Anyone who has ever been to DC. You know it, by walking around.
Weird crap happens to you. People approach you, in threatening ways.

GLENN: You know, Rikki told me just a few minutes ago, our executive producer. She said, last time I was in DC. And she lived in DC for many, many years. She said, I was in my old neighborhood.
She said, I used to walk at 2 o'clock in the morning.
I never had a problem with that. She said, I went to this restaurant. And I was there with a friend.

And I had gone there a million times.

She says, it's in the middle of the day. Within just a few minutes, she's sitting on a patio outside, some huge guy, she said, 300 pounds, at least 6 feet, comes up and says, I'm going to kill you. And starts threatening her and her life.

They call the cops. It takes them 15 minutes. She's not far from the Capitol. Fifteen minutes to get there. And then they don't do anything about it.

He -- she's like, anybody who says, this isn't happening, has just never been there. Here's an ABC anchor. Now, remember, their whole spin is, this was fascism.

There's no -- it's a safe city. Listen to this ABC anchor. Listen to this. Cut one.

We've been talking so much about the numbers, and usually that's how you play devil's advocate. You talk about, oh, well, stats say crime is down.

However, I can tell you firsthand here in downtown DC, where we were, right here around our bureau, just in the past six months, you know, there were two people shot. One person died. Literally two blocks down here from the bureau.

It was within the last two years, that I actually was jumped, walking just two blocks down from here. And then just this morning, one of my coworkers said her car was stolen, a block away from the bureau. So we can talk about the numbers, going down. But crime is happening every single day, because we're all experiencing it firsthand while working and listing down here.

GLENN: Hmm. Hmm.

STU: You know.

GLENN: Go ahead.

STU: I was just going to say, I was on vacation last week. You know, it's like saying I'm cutting my calories from vacation levels to normal levels.

It's still not healthy. Right?

It's just -- even if there is an improvement from 2023, which some numbers do show, although the numbers are questionable.

2023 was just absolute catastrophe. And this is just terrible. Right?

Like, that -- there's no reason to embrace this norm.

As the norm.

GLENN: So let me give you -- I want to show you the response. The response on the left.

Here is -- show the full screen here of the free DC.

This came out yesterday.

Free DC. Like it's under some fascistic.

Look at this deal. And what it says is it is encouraging residents to protest Trump's federalizing of the city's police force. And what it wants to do is starting tonight at 8:00 p.m. And then every night, go out to stop this occupation.

Go out and bring pots and pans. And bang on them. And then when you're -- your neighbors go, what the hell is wrong with you!

Say, don't you care about the fascistic government.

STU: People will love that.

GLENN: This is crazy. This is crazy.

Now, if Donald Trump and I think with Jeanine Pirro.

I think some things are going to be happening quickly there.

STU: Hmm.

GLENN: He actually has a chance. And I don't think he's doing it this way, for this reason.

But he actually has a chance of turning DC Republican.

Because you're living in that. Imagine --

STU: It's hard to imagine.

GLENN: It's hard to imagine. But imagine living there. And now you're seeing your side, that you've always voted for. Say, it's not so bad. And you know it's bad.

You can't have your wife go out to the grocery store at night.

You've had your carjacked. Maybe crazy people on the streets.

And then he's doing something. And if it works, if it works, people will be like, you know what, I'm sorry.

But that is a better solution.

He is -- this is very brilliant of him. He's very good at this.

He knows where people live.

You know, spiritually. And physically. He knows right where they live.

And where they're living in Washington it can't. Is a hellhole.

And everybody there knows it. And if he can actually change their lives, he changes everything.

Are these MAJOR PROBLEMS with our airlines widespread?

What is going on at our airports?! Glenn Beck has noticed an increase in flight issues – delays, technical problems, understaffing. So, he speaks with aviation expert Mike Boyd, who explains where he believes these issues are coming from. Are they widespread? Or is it just one airline? And can the FAA fix these issues under President Trump?

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Mike Boyd. Welcome to the program, Mike, how are you?

MIKE: I'm doing fine. It's an honor to be here.

GLENN: Thank you. So thank you for coming on. I've been asking for an interview with Secretary Duffy, and we haven't been able to align the schedules yet.

But I am very concerned about our airlines. I was on a plane. These were all American Airlines, by the way. I was on the plane. The pilot, we got on. It was like two hours, three hours later late. We got on. And the pilot was standing in the aisle. And he said, everybody, I don't want you to blame the airlines. I want you to blame me.

And we're like, oh, okay.

And he said, because I wouldn't accept the plane, that they wanted to us fly because I have flown it before. And it has problems. And they haven't fixed those problems. And the only way it's going to be fixed is if we reject it. And say, I can't fly.

I don't know if that's true or not. Or what this guy -- you know, what the story was. But that didn't fill me with confidence. I'm like, wait a minute. Wait a minute. So you're actually saying, the airline is not repairing a plane.

And I don't think -- I mean, I don't think our airplanes are in trouble, and going to start falling out of the sky. But that has been happening lately.

What is happening with our airlines?

MIKE: Well, I think the experience you had, that one specific one. We've done a lot from -- I come from an American Airlines background. Nevertheless, we've done a lot of work with American pilots unions. These are very professional people. The fact that guy stood up there and said, I'm not confident with this airplane. That's a safety -- that's a safety plus.

GLENN: Oh, I appreciated that. We thanked him for that. Thank you. Thank you.

MIKE: But we have a major problem with American Airlines. If you have pilots saying, I don't trust you. These are not yo-yos. These are not good consumer men's. These are professionals. If they say that, we have a problem in America. If that happens in America, and I think you might want to call the folks down there in Fort Worth, their brand-new American Way headquarters. They spent billions on them and asked questions.

But overall, I haven't seen that. Are there big problems with air traffic control?

Yes. No question about that. And we finally have somebody that the FAA and the DOT, who has a clue. And that will be addressed.

But overall, if it's just one airline, you're on the right track, as far as looking at it.

GLENN: Okay.

So this is -- but are you seeing this kind of stuff happening with other airlines.

MIKE: No. No.

GLENN: I'm flying out of Dallas all the time. So I generally fly American. And I occasionally will fly Delta. But, you know, it's mainly American. So I just assume this is happening on other airlines as well.

Because I'm reading the comments from people. And they're like, I can't trust that I can get there the next day anymore.

And that's a real problem.

MIKE: Well, because air travel is. I have to get there times certain.

This is not a game. I have to get to the bar mitzvah, whatever I'm going.

So if they can't get there, I'm not going to go. And the reason I'm not going to go, is you can't get me there. Now, if you look at reliability.
And again, we've had some issues, like Frontier Airlines, if you want to see Saturday Night Lights, go to YouTube. You'll see a gated -- a gated net, Frontier Airlines. It's really bad. But if you look at others, like our friends at United Airlines -- and I don't work for those guys. They have a system where if you book at United, very often, they're with you the whole damn trip.

If you don't like a lot of text messages, don't book them. They're with you, the whole time. And their CEO is functionally age, about making sure, whatever went on. Whatever it is. Take it or leave it.

From that point, I think you may have stumbled over something that affects the metroplex, more than anything else.

GLENN: So how's -- because I've been on the plane. And everybody is like, we're going to have missing.

You know, you will miss your connections.

And everybody is like -- is this kind of -- is the airline system set up almost like the Just In Time supply line? That if it did ever go into catastrophic failure, it would be a real problem.

Because, I mean, it's just one plane arrives, just in time for everyone to unload and reload and take off again.

MIKE: Well, yeah. That's just the issue. In ancient times, our friends at Southwest could come in and go in ten minutes.

Today, you can't get ten seats emptied in that amount of time. So they're really trying to cut down the amount of time, on the ground. That makes sense.

The question is, they have to have systems they can't be allow them to do that.

Now, delta has put in a very comprehensive system that only works for Delta, where they have been able to coordinate all those things, and do a better job of it.

But you're right. If you're coming in and going out, and that airplane has to do a go-around, coming into Atlanta. That could be 15 minutes.

That 15 minutes could mean, you can't get across the terminal to get your connection. That's going to happen.

GLENN: Tell me about the situation.

Because, Stu, you did a documentary on how bad the air traffic control system was. Right?

STU: Yes, I did.

GLENN: And is that on YouTube still? What was the name of it?

STU: It is. Countdown to the next Aviation Disaster. Unfortunately the countdown was not as long as you would have hoped it would have been.

GLENN: Yeah, it is. I mean, what's going on in our air traffic control.

And I would never want to be an air traffic controller. The stress these guys are under.

And that's not -- I'm not even calculating the stress on how close these planes are flying in and out now.

I mean, I'm just thinking, back in the good old days, where it was very stressful.

Now they're still passing paper to each other. And these planes are one on top of the other one.

When are we going to change this system and update it?

MIKE: Duffy is doing that. Duffy is not -- and finally, we have an FAA administrator who has a clue. Brian Bedford. He's been around. No, I've known him for 40 years. This man knows the business, and he's all business.

And, you know -- and, you know, I know he's good because Chuck Schumer doesn't like him. So that underlines everything right there.

GLENN: Good.

MIKE: So that's starting right now. Look, we testified to Congress in 1994 on this. On a free flight system, that you could make it far more efficient. The FAA blew it off. The FAA has always been a repository of some really great people at the operational level.

But at the top, these are just political appointees. Take a look at the FAA administrator that the -- the last president wanted. Phil Washington. Nice guy. Clueless. But he was a good appointee.

We can't do that anymore. I think we're going to see some major changes right now.

GLENN: Now, can -- how long is it going to take us to fix this?

MIKE: Well, you know, one of the things.

It's sort of -- what Duffy said, well, we have a -- there was a program in place to fix it over the next five years. And that's ridiculous.

So he's on it. I mean, he just went up to Wisconsin. He found the oldest, I think the oldest control tower in the nation. We're going to fix this. He's really making a point of trying to get it done.

And I think he's doing it incrementally. Where like Newark. What a disaster. I don't mean this city, necessarily. I do.
(laughter)
But at the airport, you know.

He's trying to make that work better.

This guy is on it. So I'm thinking 18 months.

It's going to be incremental. But we will start to see this happen.

GLENN: In Newark, or in the country?

MIKE: In the country. Because we can't have a free flight system that is far more efficient --

GLENN: What does it mean, a free flight system?

MIKE: There's a free flight system -- they want to ignore this, where every airplane takes off, and it finds its own ways. Keep in mind, the skies aren't crowded.

You can put 250,000, count them, 737s in a cubit mile of airspace, parked, not moving.

But that's a quarter million of them. And any time in America, today, in the sky, you might have just 14,000 -- 14,000 airplanes in the sky.

GLENN: Wow.

MIKE: But that's like 11 million cubic miles of airspace. So we can use our airspace better.

But what we've had is quite frankly, an FAA that hasn't wanted to think about it. It's more worried about itself. I am convinced that is going to change over the next two years.

GLENN: And are we close to having AI do all of this free flight stuff?

I mean, I would imagine that you don't -- I mean, you don't need to check in with tower, if AI is assisting finding it.

MIKE: Oh, exactly. We've got to use that. And a lot of it -- it's -- the head of the FAA has always been the clown of the Titanic. He says, slow down.

And by the time, it gets back to the engine room, you know, we've hit the iceberg. I think it's one of those things that we have to recognize, a lot of stuff has to change organizationally at the FAA, and at the department of transportation. I think finally we have people that can actually address that.

GLENN: Wow!

That is -- I mean, this is wildly optimistic, but I am happy to hear that. I like Secretary Duffy.

I don't know much about him.

Not enough to say enough like you're talking. That makes me feel really good. I'm very concerned about our air travel.

It's not good. Not good.

Not going in the right direction.

MIKE: It's not going in the right direction.

I find out, if I treat the customer right, they might come back and fly me, and what's happening now, people are getting away from some of these really low fair airlines, where the seat is like, a bucket seat in a C-119.

They don't want to fly those things anymore. And people like United and Delta and other carriers are saying, we'll take your business.

And they are.

GLENN: I have to tell you, at times, I'll be on a plane. And I think we're like one scruffy dog with one blue eye, just walking down the aisle, creepily away from third world airlines. I mean, it's like, there are times I'm like, is there a chicken going to run down the aisle too? What country do we live in?

It's beyond. It really is the greyhound of the sky now.

MIKE: It is. There's no question. My mother was a stewardess in the 1930s. Everybody dressed up.

GLENN: Yes.

MIKE: Today, you're lucky if everybody is dressed.
(laughter)

GLENN: I don't know why we haven't had you on before, Mike. You're very funny.

Mike, thank you so much. For an inside look on this. I appreciate it. Mike Boyd, aviation expert. From the Boyd group international. He's the president and CEO.

MIKE: Me pleasure. Thank you.

GLENN: He's the guy who consults all these airlines and tries to help fix them.

And is also, you know, testifying in front of Congress all the time.