RADIONovember 13, 2024

Could Trump BOOST the economy by raising tariffs and abolishing the income tax?

During his appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience, Donald Trump floated the idea of abolishing the income tax. This would go hand-in-hand with his plan to raise tariffs, especially on China. Glenn, who has historically been against heavy tariffs, may have been won over by Trump’s explanation. But he wanted to speak with an economics expert to see if the math really added up. Heritage Foundation Visiting Fellow Peter St. Onge joins the program to break down how tariffs work, whether Trump’s plan would boost the economy, and what he must do if he wants to raise enough support to repeal the 16th Amendment.

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah. Hmm. Now, we've got a guy, I think he's -- I think -- I think his last name says everything.

Peter St. Onge, which I believe is French!
(music)
STU: What is happening?

GLENN: Sexy, sexy tax and tariff talk from the Heritage Foundation. A visiting fellow. We have Peter St. Onge.

How are you, Peter?

PETER: I'm great. I appreciate that. It is sexy.

GLENN: Yeah. I know. Everybody says it. Everybody says it. So without getting it too steamy in here.

Let's go over the tariffs.

Because I've always been against tariffs. However, I might be wrong.

PETER: Right.

GLENN: Donald Trump is making a good case, when he's talking about getting rid of the income tax. Because tariff -- tariffs will raise the prices of things. Especially, if he does it the way he's talking about doing it.

But if he is getting rid of, or lowering the income tax to, you know, 10 percent, it's such a boon for the economy. That we could make up that deficit, and become a very powerful nation again.

Tell many I'm wrong.

PETER: I think that's absolutely correct.

Yeah. I feel like you're absolutely right.

You know, the vast majority of economists, Glenn, they go after tariffs. And I think they're looking at the trees for the forest here, because if you replace a tariff, which is basically a sales tax. But it's one that focus on his imported goods.

If you replace that with either reducing or in our dream scenario, abolishing the entire income tax. It's absolute rocket fuel for the economy. The reason is because --

GLENN: He just said abolish the income tax. Pay attention, Sara. He just said abolish income tax. Oh, yeah.
(music)
All right. Go ahead.

PETER: Right.

The background music. So, yeah. And he actually started floated abolishing it with Joe Rogan a couple weeks ago. No tax on tips. Then no tax on overtime. No tax on first responders. No tax on Social Security. And it was kind of like he was really flirting with just breaking up with the income tax altogether.

And when he was on there with Rogan, that's exactly what he did. He said, you know, maybe we should go back to the 1800s, when, you know, it was before we had an income tax. Before we had a Fed.

And back then, the federal government had to live off tariffs. And that was the greatest period, not only of economic growth, but of cultural achievement.

It's astounding, what we -- everything Elon Musk does, was invented in the 1880s. Computers.
Rockets.

What's his -- Hyperloop. Every single thing. And it was really the golden age of humanity.

And the key there, we did not have an income tax. We did not have a regulatory state.

We did not have a Fed. So if Trump can take us back there. And all we have to do is an 8 percent sales tax on Chinese socks.

That is the deal of the century.

GLENN: Okay. Let's go over this.

Who pays the tariffs?

American companies or the foreign company?

PETER: Interestingly, during you Trump's first term. He put tariffs on China. And China actually paid up 80 percent of those. So it would issue subsidies to Chinese exporters so they could maintain market share and keep their prices low. So the Chinese government paid the tariffs.

GLENN: Hmm.

I like that.

PETER: So if he does that again, he's talking about hitting China with something like 60 percent tariffs.

And between a ten and 20 percent tariff for everyone else. Now, given Trump's style, he is not going to come and use it across the board. He is going to come and use that as a club.

Right?

So the Europeans, specifically. They act like a fortress. They are brutal to outsiders.

If you want to export something to Europe, they will put you over a barrel. You remember, a couple years ago, the first thing the European Union did was sat them down. And said, nice economy you've got here. Would be a shame if something happened to it. We're going to need a payment from you every single year.

It is literally the Mafia. They do that to Norway. It's all these countries have to fork over billions of dollars to get access to the European market. Now, imagine if we did that. Imagine if we called up Mexico or Canada. And said, hey, listen. We've got this beautiful economy. You guys are settling into it. Hey, why don't you write me a check for 50 billion to keep access? That's exactly what the Europeans do.

So the first thing Trump is probably going to do, given what he did last time. Is he'll call up Europe, and he will do the exact same thing.

You know, I have a 20 percent tariff burning a hole in my pocket. I need you to do some things for me.

But, anyway, even if he does end up applying those to all foreigners, the Europeans are not going to cover the exporters because they're in a deep fiscal hole.

They don't have the money. They're already bankrupt. They're not going to do what China did.

But a lot of those tariffs, especially the ones from China, are probably going to keep getting paid by China. Because exports to America are what they live on. If they lose that, it's game over.

GLENN: And we should not be empowering them, quite honestly.

Now, here's why. Here's why I have possibly turned around.

I'm willing to listen to tariff talk, because in my -- in my cute little head, I keep thinking that all of the -- when you have an extra 20 or $30,000, that you're pulling in, every year. Whatever it is, you are paying in income tax. And everything -- everything goes down that's made here in America.

If you're not paying that income tax. You have a lot of extra buying power, which means, most of Americans, will spend that.

And will grow our economy, which will put more taxes. Well, we don't have taxes. So that wouldn't work.

How does it work, when you don't have taxes? Go ahead.

PETER: Yeah. So just kind of running into the numbers. The first thing that happens, if you get rid of income tax altogether. So I estimate you get about a 20 percent jump in incomes in the US.

So it would be something like $15,000 for typical families. That's what you get off the bat. The typical family currently has about 18,000 in income tax, and then you knock off about 3,000 for the tariffs.

There's a variety of estimates on that. But that seems to be the cluster. So you get a 15,000 raise, because the economy is growing faster. You get an 18,000 raise because you don't have to send your income tax to the government. People don't realize how much they're paying to the government.

Right? A lot of it is tips. But, anyway, you've got -- what do they call it?

Withholding. So, anyway, that's 33. I call three for the tariffs. 30,000 dollar raise per year, 2500 a month. Now, currently, the median American take home is about 58,000.

Okay. Which is about 76, minus the income tax. So you go from taking home 58, to taking home 88. Right? That is a massive difference.

And that sort of sets the stage.
(music)

GLENN: Hold. Hold on. You go from 58 to 88. Oh, yeah.
(music)
Ding-dong. Pizza deliveryman. Anyway.

STU: Why is that the part you like so much in his movies? It's interesting what he is excited about.

GLENN: All right. Go ahead.

All right.

PETER: No. I love it. And it's true. You know, if you're making 88. You can go to Vegas. And things happen in Vegas.

GLENN: Yeah. Right. Right. Creating jobs.

PETER: Right. Yeah, well, and so that's the fun part, right? Is you mentioned earlier, that if you're not paying income tax, then production in the US is cheaper.

So instead of the Chinese socks coming in -- you know, they used to come in at $6, now they're at $9. Fine. But China is paying for that, so they're probably still coming in at six.

But, meanwhile, American factories can make socks for less, because they are not paying the income tax.

There's a very good chance that we will see a lot of that manufacturing, even if the Chinese government pays for the tariffs.

GLENN: And that means, also because the economy -- we're building factories. We're doing things ourselves, because we can.

Everybody's pay goes up. Because we need more workers. Right?

PETER: Exactly. Exactly. And then there's actually mass deportations, then the socks will actually go American.

So you've got two possibilities, right?

One of them is that China covers the tariffs. In which case, it's a free lunch for us.

China is, what?

Putting us about 500 billion -- well, their share would be -- let's say 300 billion. So that would be fantastic. Thank you very much.

Or China does not cover the tariffs, in which case China is priced out of the market. America pays no income tax, so they're cheaper. By the way, every headquarter on earth would try to move to the United States. If you're paying no income tax on the single biggest economy on earth, everybody will be trying to move here. Including the Chinese companies. The worst-case scenario, the Chinese don't cover it.

They get outcompeted. And it all comes back to America. And if it's only Americans living here, then Americans will be swimming in jobs.

GLENN: I mean, this is just -- this is big.

How -- how much --

PETER: Oh, yeah.

GLENN: He has only floated this on the Rogan show. How real do you think this is? Because I know he loves tariffs. I know he loves tariffs.

PETER: He loves tariffs. And he hates the income tax. So it's beautiful. It's like a -- it's just like the perfect Newton president.

STU: Peter, isn't the complication here, that he can essentially do what he wants with tariffs. But he can't do what he wants with the income tax. And that becomes the heavy lift here?

PETER: Right. So he would need Congress to play ball on the income tax. And Congress is very tight, as we're all discussing at the moment. There's a ton of RINOs over there.

So that's going need to the pressure and the passion that people showed during the campaign, that millions of Americans showed. We have to put that on the RINOs.

GLENN: Yeah. I think that if he did, you know, a tour even. And was just all about income tax. You just have to say to people. You go from 58 to 88 in take home pay. I think a lot of people will be like, you know what, I love that.

STU: I agree. But you're not going to get -- obviously, in theory, you could put it into a reconciliation bill. Right?

At least a massive reduction.

You couldn't -- not a constitutional amendment, unfortunately.

That's what I would prefer.

Repealing the 16th.

GLENN: Yeah. Me too.

But you could capture American's imagination with this.

STU: Yeah. I think that's pretty -- that would be pretty great.

I do think you would have issues with some of these, as you point out. RINO-type republicans, who would complain about all sorts of things.

Including deficit stuff. Right?

They would say, we're going to lose all this income.

GLENN: All right. Let me take a break, and then let's talk about the deficit, Peter. All right? Peter st. Onge. He -- hmm. I'm not going to hold it against him for being French. I mean, somewhere in his past, somebody had sex with a French person. Okay. Let's -- let's move past that. He's with the Heritage Foundation. A visiting fellow.

STU: This is definitely the weirdest interview he's ever done. And he's regretting every minute of this.

GLENN: He's like, this is the end of my career and my credibility.

GLENN: Okay. I think I've got this number from you, Peter.

But a -- tariffs would bring in about 900 billion.

Almost a trillion dollars.

But our -- we're spending now, I don't even know how much.

$4 trillion a year? Some crazy number like that.

So how do you bridge the gap?

PETER: About six and a half.

GLENN: Six and a half. Okay. Good.

STU: There's a bit of a gap.

GLENN: There's a five and a half trillion dollar gap.

PETER: So income tax itself is taking about two and a half trillion.

And then you've got -- what? You've got payroll. You've got excise. Things like gasoline and cigarettes, things like that.

You've got capital gains. Corporate income tax. Those hopefully would be folded into an income tax repeal.

You put it together. You're looking at 2.4 trillion in lost revenue. And then you've got 900 in tariffs. About 1.5.

Now, the economy grows 20 percent, then you're going to get about 500 billion more from payroll tax and from excise. So you're looking at a net loss of 1 trillion. Now, I personally would prefer to get rid of the payroll tax as well.

STU: Yes!

GLENN: Pernicious.

PETER: It's not as bad as the income tax. Because the income tax is on top of it. It also varies on how much you produce. The payroll tax is a flat tax.

So, you know, in a perfect world, we're not taxing work at all. We're taxing bad things, not good things.

In the grand scheme, you know, in the terms of incentives, get rid of income tax first. Then we can have the next conversation, which would be getting rid of the payroll tax. If you're just going to the income tax, you're talking about 2.4 net of the tariffs. Net of the economic growth. You're talking 1 trillion. So you would be cutting 1 trillion out of a budget of about six and a half.

Now, Elon is -- he's talking about his department of government efficiency.

He's floating 2 trillion.

So I haven't seen the math on those.

I don't know where it's coming from.

I agree whole-heartedly.

I'm certain we could get a lot more than that.

It's cutting out the parts of the military, that is part of our country.

Bring them home. Put them on the border. Divert the Navy that patrol our waters. Stop invading other countries.

That would be a very easy 800 billion, if we look at countries like Japan or UK, which the UK has a functioning military. It has a Coast Guard.

Although, it doesn't use it.

About the whole kit. They spend less than hundred billion.

Of course, you can cut welfare for able-bodied people.

Which the government tries very, very hard to hide how much it spends on welfare. But it's easily over a trillion.

The cost of illegals themselves, which very conservatively is about 150 billion a year. Maybe closer to 350 billion by some estimates. Because, again, they're trying to hide the costs.

Pharmaceuticals. Right?

That's going to be coming into focus with RFK here. But there is a ton of waste and corruption in pharmaceutical payments. Those are something like 20 percent of our economy.

But really, you know, if you sort of zoom out, you're very familiar with the Tenth Amendment.

There are precisely four agencies that are authorized. Right? State, justice, defense, treasury with both offices.

So strictly speaking, if we had a Supreme Court, that actually read the common sense language in the Tenth Amendment, almost the entire thing is gone. You would slash everything. Personally, I would keep Social Security and Medicare because they've already been paid for. That's a complicated issue. I think you have to make sure people are protected, because they already got ripped off on the way in. But aside from that, almost everything they do, from DEI, to just -- to the Federal Reserve, all of that is unconstitutional.

You slash that down, and you are -- gosh, you're probably more than 3 trillion down.

GLENN: So do you think we have a shot at doing that?

Is he putting the team in, around him to do something like this?

PETER: So the closest we have, I follow Polymarket very closely. They've got odds on pretty much everything out there. The sort of tip of the spear on income tax repeal is starting with tax on tips.

Right? That was the one that he most clearly promised.

And so that's kind of a proxy for whether we're going to start hacking away at the income tax. So tax on tips, is currently running 38 percent on Polymarket.

That's the number I'm watching. That's encouraging. Because it means, it's not just talk.

That people with capital, believe it's the real.

But for sure, Congress will play ball.

GLENN: Yeah. Thank you so much, Peter. We'll have you on again. Great explanation of this. Peter St. Onge. He's with the Heritage Foundation. You can follow him @PeterStOnge. Good luck spelling Onge. I mean, just saying.

Glenn's POWERFUL Easter Message for the Lost & Lonely

This Easter and Good Friday, Glenn speaks to the lonely, those in despair, those who have dealt with pain for far too long. He was once in that same place. But the message of Easter, he says, isn’t just history. It’s our story, if we surrender and come to Christ. Glenn ponders the weight Jesus must have felt on Thursday night as he knew what was coming on Friday. As he walked through the garden, as he was betrayed, as he was beaten by the Romans, abandoned by his own people and disciples, and nailed to a cross. But he had a purpose for all of it. And just like he called Mary’s name at the empty tomb on Sunday, he calls to you today. “He’s alive and He’s waiting, scars and all, arms open,” Glenn says. “Give it up and walk away from all that haunts you. Surrender. Live.”

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: So last night, Jews all over the world gathered for Passover. So I want you to picture Jerusalem 2000 years ago, at Passover. And the air is heavy with the aroma of unleavened bread. And the streets are buzzing. Because people have come from all over Israel, to be there.

The sun sinks. It's casting a golden glow. But a shadow is hanging over one man, because he knows what's coming.

Jesus. What must his -- what must the weight of last night have been like?

For the man, Jesus. Because he knows what's ahead. The nails. The thorns. All of it.

Yet, he presses on.

Why?

Because that's the deal he made.

That he loves us. He was the one that could bring us back home.

That's tremendous love.

And a love so relentless that it defies death itself. So it's Thursday night. Passover meal. Jesus gathers his 12 disciples in an upper room. Oil lamps flickering casting long shadows. They eat. They laugh. They're unaware of the betrayal that is sitting at the same table with them. And Jesus breaks the bread. His hands aren't shaking. His voice is steady. His eyes are heavy.

And he says something that must have been very odd. This is my body. Broken for you.

They each have some of the bread. Then he lifts the wine. This is my blood, shed for you.

What was going through their mind?

Remember, they're looking for the messiah.

They -- some of them believe that he is the messiah. The Son of God.

You know, I can't speak for Judas. But they're expecting a warrior. And they -- they're not expecting this.

They're waiting for something big to happen, that not this.

The weight of it, must have been crushing to him, being there alone.

Nobody understands. So he goes to Gethsemane. It's an olive who don't have to. And it's right on the top of the hill, overlooking the Temple Mount. And he leaves the Apostles, just says, pray with me.

And he leaves them. And goes off himself.

And he collapses to his knees, under the twisted branches of these trees. And the moon is hanging low by now. The night, silent. Except, perhaps for his silent and ragged breathing.

And that's when he says, Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.

You know, it says that blood came out of every pore.

And I never understood that. I thought maybe it was a metaphor or something when I was younger.

It's actually, it's not a metaphor. It's a real, very rare condition, where extreme stress will rupture all of the capillaries right underneath your skin, so you actually sweat blood. That's the pressure he was under.

His body had to have been trembling and racked with anguish and pain. He's not just sweating. He's bleeding all of us clean. He begs for escape. And then he knows.

And he says, your will, not mine.

Why? Because he knew we were going to need it. And here we are with our secrets, our shame. He saw us, and he chooses the cross.

And Judas slinks in, his kiss, he knew.

He said somebody, earlier. Some -- one person at this table is going to betray me tonight.

So the soldiers swarming, torches are blazing, swords are drawn. Peter grabs one of the swords, and he actually cuts the ear off of one of the soldiers. And Jesus stops him. Stop it!

That's not my path. And he picks up the ear, and he hears. He heals the soldier.

They bind him. They drag him through the streets. Sanhedrin's trial. Just total farce. False witnesses.

You know, spit, fists, everything else.

Caliphas nears. Are you the Son of God? And Jesus says something that seals his fate: You have said it yourself.

Truth, not blasphemy. Truth. That saves us. Not him. So my -- he's before Pilate.

Bloodied and silenced. This happens. Back and forth, until this time of day. And the crowd is beginning to gather. And they're screaming crucify him.

And Pilate washes his hands.

But no water erases that stain. Jesus is then scourged.

Whips, studded with metal. Just shred his skin.

I'm on my way, in two weeks, to see the shroud of Turin.

The actual shroud of Turin.

And I believe that to be actually the burial cloth. After you study it, a little bit. Just even a little bit.

You see what has been done to prove or disprove. And the best they can say is, you know, on the -- on the negative side is, I don't know.

I don't know how it happens.

They mock him. They drape him in a purple robe.

His back is just shredded. His legs, on both sides, his chest.

They jam a crown of thrones into his scalp. And these aren't little roses. I think they're called Bethlehem thorns. And they're like three, 4 inches.

And they just push it into his scalp. Blood is streaming down his face now.

But he still has burning eyes, purpose for you. The cross -- part of the cross, lay across his shoulders. Splintered. It's heavy. He stumbles. Every single step is a testament to love. Somebody is pulled out of the crowd, Simon is pulled out of the crowd. He's forced to carry it.

But Jesus is still bearing all the weight of what's coming. At Golgotha, the place of the skull, nails are actually put through his wrist. And then through his feet.

Can you imagine what that he felt like to just have the -- the -- the vibration of that hammering? And I've always seen when they slide the cross into the ground. And it settles. You know, his shoulder was dislocated, they think, in the streets. So, you know, the only way you breathe, on a cross, is you have to force yourself to stand up straight, as much as you can. Because once you start to sag down, your lungs start to collapse.

And so with a dislocated shoulder. He's pulling himself up, so he can breathe.

Jeez. The sky is darkening now. He's -- he's executed with two thieves, one on each side.
One mocks him. The other one says, remember me!

And at that moment, Jesus is offering grace. Can you imagine? Today, you'll be with me in paradise.

He's dying, and he's saving. He sees his mom, standing below.

John is beside her. Praise again. Jesus looks down and says, woman, behold your son.

Love, even in agony. The crowd cheers. Save yourself! Save yourself! If you're God, save yourself! He doesn't, because of us. Because of me. Because of you. He saw us. He knew we were going need to this. He takes it. For him to really be man and suffer, he had to be separated from God at this point. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Jeez. God didn't turn away from him. He turned from the sin that he was bearing, our sin. And at the ninth hour, he just says, it is finished! Victory, not defeat. The debt is paid.

The temple veil tears. God's presence is unleashed. The earthquakes. Rocks split. Centurion stands at the foot. Says, surely, this was the Son of God.

They pierce his side, just to make sure that he was dead.

Joseph of Arimathea lays him in the tomb. And they sealed him up. Sealing hope, away. Disciples have no idea what's going on. No idea. They're hunted now. Are we going to die like that? I thought he was the savior? What is happening? Now he's dead. Nothing more humiliating than being crucified to a tree. That was the most humiliating thing that could happen. That's clearly not the savior. The disciples scatter, broken, the world falls silent. Is this the end? No. More in a minute. You know, selling your house used to be simple. You mowed the lawn. You vacuumed all the carpet. Shoved everything into a closet, and hoped nobody noticed.

Done. Now, mood lightning, seasonal throw pillows. Story yard for the dining room. Strangers walk in and feel like your home is, you know, a cozy candle commercial, I guess.

Someone has to navigate all of that. And that's why we have real estate agents you can trust.

We've found these real estate agents all across the country. They don't just know the market. They live it. They've done the hard work. They've seen it all. And they don't treat your home like it's just an HGTV audition. They treat it as a most important sale of your life. If you're buying or selling, don't go it alone. Get somebody who really gets it. Go to RealEstateAgentsITrust.com. That's RealEstateAgentsITrust.com. Ten-second station ID.
(music)

GLENN: So imagine, just on Easter. On Palm Sunday. He's riding in triumphant. And everybody is so high. And saying, wow. This is going to be great.

Now he's dead. Now he's in a tomb. Now it's sealed. Silent.

The apostles are like, what just happened?

It's only been 24 hours!

Disciples are -- they hide.

Hope buried with Jesus. Mary Magdalene weeps. Her heart is just raw. Her world now feels empty.

But there's a pulse in the air. There is a pulse in the air. Mary has been sleepless, broken. She walks to the tomb, sits pre-dawn. She has spices in her hand to anoint his body. Final act of love, and the ground quakes as she gets close. She falters, her breath catches. What is it? And the stone is rolled back.

Now the tomb's mouth is gaping open. And her heart lurches. Oh, grave robbers?

She runs to Peter and John. She says, they've taken him! They race. John outruns Peter.

Pierced inside the linen cloth, folded. The head cloth, separate, but empty.

Peter barrels in. Baffled. The tomb is hallow. No trace of Jesus anywhere! They leave. Days.

Mary is just stunned. She just stays there. She doesn't know. She can't abandon him. Where is he?

She's sobbing, and the sobs are echoing off the stone, and then there was movement.

Two radiant figures are sitting where Jesus was supposed to be laying.

Woman, why are you weeping?

She turns. She thinks it's a gardener.

She says, sir, if you have moved him. Just tell me where.

It's not a gardener. It's Jesus. And he just says one word. Mary. Soft, alive. Her breath stops. Those eyes that voice. It's Jesus.

Rabbi! Teacher! He's alive. Flesh and bone. Scars and all.

He says, go tell the others.

She runs, bursting, I've seen him!

The disciples have locked themselves away, fear choking them. Suddenly, you know, Jesus is amongst them.

He shows them the hands, the feet. The nail marks remain proof of his love. How could he live?

This is a very rough and short telling of probably the most story -- not probably. The most important story in all of human history. But it's our story.

It's -- the only story, probably that matters. He's already done all the hard work. He bled, literally from every pore, carried our sin, faced the cross, shattered the tomb.

Death couldn't hold him!

Nothing can!

And just like he said, Mary. He's calling your name.

I don't need it. I'm fine.

And perhaps, maybe that's try for you right now. But there will come a time, in all of our lives where despair will overtake us. Where our mistakes will just seem to be just too overwhelming.

Lay it down. Lay down all of the lies that you now believe about yourself, that you're not enough, that your mistakes define you, that your pain and loneliness are yours forever. Because that's who you are, really.

They're not with you forever. It is the strangest thing. Everything true with God is usually the opposite.

Don't fight. Surrender.

Surrender. It's hard to let go of the shame that you've carried your whole life. Or the wounds you've nursed. The voices that you whisper to yourself.

Because at least it was in my life. That's all you know. They probably have been with you for so long, that you believe that that's all you are. And without them, what are you?

Nothing. There's nothing else inside. I'm not good enough.

There's nothing else good inside.

I'm just this. Lies.

This Easter, I just want to leave with you this message: I've made that awful, awful journey. And it is not easy. But it is so worth it. This weekend, I encourage I to listen to hear his voice. Soft as it was for Mary. Fierce as it was on the cross. Let it go! Come to me. Step out of the shadows. Lay down the weight. It's not about being perfect. It's about being his. And he's already paid the price. He's fought the battle. Won the victory. Now all you have to do is surrender, because he is alive. He is waiting. Scars and all, open arms, come to him. Give it all up, and walk away. Surrender. And live.

How So-Called 'Free Trade' DESTROYED American Jobs | Glenn TV | Ep 427

As the markets spin from President Trump’s tariff strategy and the globalists clutch their pearls, Glenn Beck zooms out to see the bigger picture — the story of how elite-driven trade policies over the last 30 years gutted America’s middle class. Deals like NAFTA and China’s WTO entry sounded like progress to a lot of people, but they left devastation in their wake, killing jobs, draining small towns, and fueling an opioid epidemic in the heartland. To understand Trump’s tariffs, you have to understand the real human cost behind tens of thousands of shuttered U.S. factories and the erosion of the American dream. No one knows the toll of the real human cost better than journalist Salena Zito, who wrote in the Washington Post, “What I learned about ‘America First’ in a Pennsylvania steel mill.” U.S. Steel workers who once opposed Japan’s investment now welcome it because “if this deal doesn’t happen, these jobs will be gone.” She rejects the claim that Americans don’t want manufacturing jobs anymore and are scared of Trump’s tariffs. “There’s a very different feel in the middle of the country. ‘This might pinch now, but this is better not just for my kids, grandchildren — this is better for my country.’” Glenn argues Trump’s tariffs aren’t just policy — they’re a rebellion against managed decline and a high-stakes gamble to restore American self-reliance.

Did the Media Bury the Truth About a Maryland Man’s MS-13 Connections?

The Legacy Media has been reporting nonstop about a “Maryland man,” Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration “wrongfully deported” to El Salvador. But they’re leaving out many key details, including how he’s an illegal immigrant with alleged ties to MS-13, how he allegedly beat his wife, how he faced deportation in 2019, and how he could have been deported anywhere else without issue. Glenn separates what we know from what’s still unproven. Plus, he and Stu comment on Democratic Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who took a completely unsuccessful trip to El Salvador to try and free this man instead of listening to a woman from his state whose daughter was killed by an illegal immigrant from El Salvador. Is this really what the Left is standing for?!

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: All right. So Stu, help me out on the Maryland man.

Because --

STU: You're talking about the Maryland father?

GLENN: The Maryland father. The Maryland father.

STU: Why didn't you include he was a father? You have to include that he was a father.

GLENN: I know. He was a father. And he's an immigrant.

STU: And a husband.

GLENN: And a husband.

Okay.

STU: Thank you.

GLENN: Well, there are some things that we know. And some things that we don't know.

You know, the media will, for instance, his wife swore out of, you know, a -- a protection order against him.

You know, but only a couple of -- you know, only a couple of them.

You know, bays he was apparently beating her. But, you know, that -- you know, that's without any new answer.

I don't know. Do you need nuance with the domestic abuse thing?

STU: Not really, no.

GLENN: No. I really don't. You know, the one thing that you -- I don't know. I don't know.

We know that he entered the US illegally.

We don't know when he entered.

STU: Yeah. There's some reports between 2011 and 2014, some places are reporting both numbers.

GLENN: Yes, correct.

We know that he was working as a roofer.

Okay.

We know in 2019, he faced deportation proceedings in Baltimore. But was granted a withholding of a removal order.

So he couldn't be deported to El Salvador. The MS-13 affiliation. That's unproven.

It is based on some evidence. But weak.

You know, unless you believe in the informant.

I mean, we had to believe every single whistle-blower under Biden.

But this one. No. No. No.

STU: Yeah. They released some documents too, that basically say, he was an MS-13.

Those are, of course. Essentially, the accusations, of course.

They come from the police.

These are the -- these are their observations of him.

It doesn't mean it went through.

It was proven in a court of law or anything.

This is what they believed.

They believe, he was arrested, I believe, one time.

With someone who was a known MS-13 member.

GLENN: That happens to all of us.

STU: That happens to me all the time.

GLENN: Yeah. But he's a good guy.

STU: Yeah.

GLENN: We bowl every single Tuesday night.

STU: I got a couples massage the other day. With a known MS-13 member.

GLENN: Or a couple.

STU: No. The price -- you get a discount.

GLENN: Oh, you get a discount.

STU: Together.
(laughter)
I mean, it is unlikely.

GLENN: Right. Right.

STU: It's not impossible. But unlikely that he was not affiliated with these -- they don't -- I will say though, they don't have like the greatest evidence of all time on this. This is not like an open and shut, we definitely know. I would say, it's more likely than not.

GLENN: What. What.

STU: Again, the standard here, when you are an illegal immigrant is you don't get all the Constitutional protections that are against.

GLENN: Right. You're an illegal.

STU: You're an illegal immigrant. And we do know, for certain.

This is something that he has admitted.
He -- he crossed into the country, illegally.

Which is a crime.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: That we know, he has admitted to it.

And there's no disagreement on whether he should have been really deported or not.

Now, of course, the family is saying all sorts of things. His defenders are saying some stuff.

But like, there's no question, that he could have been deported.

The question was, whether he should have been deported to El Salvador or not.

GLENN: Yeah. Well, he's from El Salvador, so I guess he could work that out.

STU: Well, I mean, when Trump was president, they went through a hearing. And said, he shouldn't be deported to El Salvador. Now, I believe that this was based on, this guy lying a lot.

And saying that his mother's pupusas stand was being harassed. Yes, it was being harassed.

She was being harassed, back in 2011.

GLENN: Yeah. Pupusas.

Isn't that what Native Americans carry their babies in? Like a pupusas stand or something like that?

SARA: That's a papoose.

STU: What's a pupusas?

SARA: A food, I guess.

GLENN: Wow, don't go across those cultures, it could get very dicey quickly. Sorry, mistranslation.

STU: Just like when you mess up humus and Hamas. Like, there's only one letter, but there's a lot going on there.

GLENN: Right. But it's a big difference. It's a big difference.

STU: Pupusas is a thick, grilled, or fried tortilla from El Salvador, particularly made with cornmeal, or rice flour.

And stuffed with various fillings like beans, cheese, or pork.

GLENN: Don't really need to know all of this. You can stop at any time.

STU: That was the best part of the story. What are you talking about? It kind of sounds interesting.

GLENN: Yeah.

STU: Her pupusas stand was being harassed by a local gang.

Again, this is his telling. And they were threatening to kill this guy. He left. And he believes, if he goes back to El Salvador, they will kill him. Now, of course, the pupusas stand is not even open anymore. So it doesn't even exist.

GLENN: Yeah, so they're probably not carrying that grudge.

STU: What a weird grudge to carry all these years.

GLENN: Pupusas stand still bothers me -- I've been retired over ten years, but still bothers me to this day.

Let me ask you, if he was -- because he claimed that he was here for asylum. But he never claimed asylum until they arrested him, and then he was like, have you heard the story of the pupusas stand?

STU: Right. So it sounds awfully fishy to me. And if I were the immigration judge, I would probably not have said, he cannot be deported to El Salvador.

That being said, a judge, and this was when Trump was still president. This is not a Biden thing. Said, you can't deport him there.

So we probably should not have deported him there.

By the way, this is something the Trump administration has admitted to.

Admitted to making a mistake.

That's okay. It sucks for the guy. This is why the family is upset about it.

GLENN: Yeah. Welcome home.

STU: That being said, there's not a lot of evidence, that he's a wonderful human being. And should be treated as they're treating him.

GLENN: Sure. Domestic violence.

But that wasn't really proven.

STU: It was just accused by his wife. Who is now -- now, it's, of course -- accused him of domestic violence before.

Now, I can't believe --

GLENN: I walked into a door.

Happened to me all the time. Fell down the stairs. That happens.

Anyway, Patti Murin. Well, her daughter was killed. And here's what she said, yesterday, from the White House.

Listen to this.

VOICE: Tell the truth. Tell -- (inaudible).

VOICE: This is subjecting our children. It's more than just politics or votes. Or just anything.

It's about national security. Protecting Americans. Protecting our children.

Thank you.

VOICE: Thank you.

GLENN: Please tell the truth.

VOICE: Share your daughter's story. And I think the country hears you loud and clear. So thank you. Does anyone have any questions for Patty, or for me? No.

STU: No questions.

GLENN: No questions.

STU: Questions whatsoever.

GLENN: Not going to ask the mom, because I'll lose in that argument, because it's not really about finding the truth. It's about fashioning an argument, and I'm not going to be the one that questions mom with the dead daughter. Yeah, that's what they were thinking. No. No questions here. Don't look at me.

STU: Well, they're not interested.

Same thing with -- you know Chris Van Hollen, right? Would you have known his name last week?

GLENN: No. Uh-uh.

STU: I love this one, because I -- Chris Van Hollen is a senator.

GLENN: Uh-huh, from a state. Right.

STU: From a state. Who would have known?

GLENN: Yeah. Not even that state.

I'm not even sure that the people in his state are all that quick.

STU: I think if you went to the political media apparatus of this country and asked, who is Chris Van Hollen? 95 percent of them would have said, who?

As of last week, but what I -- he's actually become my favorite part of the story. Which is this pathetic attempt to take a vacation to El Salvador. And try to free him or something.

He will bring him back. And he goes into El Salvador. And just nobody pays any attention to him. He just is totally ignored.

It's like if John Cusack went up and held up the boom box bit window. And Say Anything. And the girl was just not home. It's just a pathetic -- what a loser this guy is. And he goes down there, and gets absolutely nothing done. He flies all the way down there for them to tell him, what are you even doing here? No. We're not going to listen to you. Who are I, by the way?

Who is Chris van Hollen? Then the entire time, he's ignoring the families of people who have been murdered, in -- his own constituents.

Family members that have been murdered by illegal immigrants.

They don't get calls. They don't get mentions on his Twitter. They get nothing.

And he flies all the way down there, to try to free this guy, who is beating his wife. Allegedly, and was -- was here, illegally, not allegedly, he admitted that. And maybe most likely was a member of MS-13. Okay. We see the priorities of the left. This is what it is.

GLENN: Yes.

STU: They care about that type of person. But not the family, who had their -- their, you know, daughter or son.

Or other family member murdered.

They don't care.

GLENN: Isn't it -- isn't it fascinating what they're choosing to stand for?

STU: It is.

GLENN: I mean, it really -- you just can't -- how do you argue?

You're on the other side.

Hang on just a second.

So you're with the guy who came here illegally. Maybe we don't have everything rock solid here. But this is the pattern, and he's also not an American citizen.

So, you know, ship him back.

But what -- what, you're standing up for. That's the most important, out of all of the things that are going on.

And you're not -- you're reporting on that, day and night. But you're not reporting on the mother, who had her daughter killed. Brutally killed.

You're not reporting on that at all?

Really?

Wow! That's -- that's incredible! Incredible!

I mean, you can't -- you cannot make this stuff up.

STU: Also, I just want to let you know. We're 3 miles away from a pupusas stand.

GLENN: Are we really?

STU: We can get pupusas to the studio, at any moment.

GLENN: The babies?

STU: No. We're not going to get -- why -- no, why would we -- we're not going to bring the babies in. No.

GLENN: Okay. I just want to make sure. Because I don't want you eating any babies.

Because I've heard you. I can just eat you up. And I'm like, no, don't do it. Don't do it. I've got a whole stand of babies.

Yummy. Yummy. Yummy. Yeah. I've heard it from you.

Oh, who will eat the leg? Who will eat leg? That's you.

STU: No. No.

Glenn, I don't think people necessarily know, that when you chose to move the studios here to Texas, you decided to put them in the most diverse city in America.

GLENN: That's what I chose. That's what I chose. I said, where could we find?

Where? What ZIP code is the most diverse in the entire country?

I said, that's where I want to build my studios! And lo and behold, they were built right here in 1982, and we occupied them as soon as we got here.

STU: Yes. Well, you could have moved anywhere, Glenn. This is literally the most diverse city in America.

GLENN: Do you have a pupusas stand, within 3 miles of you?

STU: Probably not. We do.

GLENN: I can get Korean barbecue, pupusas stuff.

STU: Indian food. Asian food. Anything we want.

GLENN: Anything we want right here. Barbecue. Whatever we want.

STU: It's all right here.

I'm afraid if we go to the pupusas stand. Will we get terrorized by a gang?

Or will we just get a bunch of babies?

GLENN: No, I think they might terrorize us with a bunch of babies. Here, eat this. Wait. I don't want --

STU: A gang of babies.

GLENN: Yeah, that's what happens.

This is the mean streets. It's the life we live. You know, don't cry for me Argentina.

Exposed: How Schools Are Failing Boys and Fueling the ADHD Crisis

Is ADHD a scam? As diagnosis levels (and Adderall sales) have skyrocketed, the New York Times recently reported that experts are now questioning whether they’ve been thinking about ADHD all wrong. Glenn and Stu debate whether the real cause of ADHD symptoms is not a chemical imbalance, but instead how we treat our boys. As pointed out in commentary from the Daily Wire, our education system has been feminized, our kids have been distracted by smart phones, and our doctors have pushed medication on them. Maybe the real solution is much simpler: let boys be boys!

Transcript

Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors

GLENN: So even though Stu doesn't want you to hear this news.

STU: I don't.

GLENN: Doesn't want you to hear this news. Because he hates children.

STU: I do? I have two of them.

GLENN: Yeah. Well, Mengele liked them in pairs too. So...

STU: Wow. That went really dark, really fast.

GLENN: I do have --

STU: We're like ten seconds into the hour.

GLENN: I'm like launching nuclear weapons. Yeah. We should probably build up to that one.

Anyway, there's a new article out now that talks about ADHD. And it's come from the left.

And the experts. That they're now starting to say, I don't know.

Maybe -- maybe -- maybe not everything we thought was true, about ADHD. And I think this story was written by Matt Walsh, who was great.

Whoever wrote this for the daily wire was great.

More than 21 percent of 14-year-old boys in this country, now supposedly suffer from ADHD. The number goes up to 23 percent for 17-year-old boys. As a result, prescriptions for drugs like Ritalin and Adderall has skyrocketed. Just want you to know, that's speed.

From 2012 to 2022, the total number of prescriptions for stimulants, to treat ADHD increased dramatically by nearly 60 percent. From 2012, in a ten-year period, we've gone up with 60 percent prescription.

Between the ages of 10 to 14, the demographic saw the highest increase in these prescriptions. So he writes, and I think this is such a great observation. For decades, you have been instructed to believe that there's no significance to this correlation whatsoever. And here it is: As women increasingly enter the workforce and replace men in teaching jobs, we're not supposed to dray any conclusions about how the behavior of male children is now being addressed.

The truth is, we've been told, not that effeminized education system has increasingly punished normal male behavior it doesn't understand. It's not that schools have lost their capacity to educate male students, it's that -- it's not that smartphone use and electronics in general have become distractions. Teachers have been unable to control.

Instead, we're led to believe that boys have suddenly become afflicted with a severe psychological disorder.

Okay. I -- you know, this is the first time, I had ever heard this about, you know, how we effeminized things. And we have. We have diminished boys, but I grew up in a school. I don't think I had a male teacher until I was in high school. I had all-female teachers. There weren't a lot of nuns that were, oh, my gosh. I remember that really -- I remember that really male-like -- maybe she was a man, but identified as a nun.

I'm not sure.

STU: You, of course -- to put it gently, are not exactly a recent student -- you know.

GLENN: It's better than where I thought he was going, Sara. I thought he was going, you're not really a man.

STU: No. But you're right. There are --

GLENN: Right.

STU: There are surely more female teachers just because of the workforce changes. That was a pretty -- all my teachers that I could remember were female too.

GLENN: Right. One thing that has changed though, is we just dismiss boys entirely.

I mean, it's all focused on girls, right now. All of it. It's science. Everything is just push the girls. Push the girls.

You can be anything. Shut up, sit down. Have some Ritalin. To the boys.

And that's a problem. I have to tell you, as a parent, you probably have recognized this. Does Lisa understand your daughter better than you do, and I understand your son?

STU: I get the point you're going at. I don't necessarily that it -- some ways she understands my daughter. We talk about this often.

GLENN: Because I walk in. I am just clueless. I have no idea. I walk in as a dad, and I'm like, hey, put some pants on, will you? And my daughter is like (crying). And I'm like, what the hell did I just say?

And my wife just looks at me like, you don't say that to her. I'm like, okay. But she'll say that to my son, and my son doesn't go (crying).

STU: Right. They're different.

GLENN: I know. They are. They are.

And I can relate -- for instance, my wife she will say something. And I know how she means it. Because I'm an adult.

But I can hear what Rafe hears.

STU: Right. Yes.

GLENN: Because I heard it from my mom, and I realized, no, that's not what my mom meant.

But you hear, pick up your room! You're always a mess. You're always this. And that's not what she said, you know what I mean? It's true.

It's not --

STU: As they get sound bite teenage years, in particular. It's really difficult.

GLENN: That's what I mean. Is the teenage years.

I have no idea.

Like I had no idea how mean girls are. Oh, my gosh.

They are vicious. I would much rather be put into a room of rabid boys.

Than normal girls. They are dangerous!

STU: Guys can be jerks, but they are --

GLENN: They're stupid jerks.

STU: Yeah, it's just kind of nonsensical stuff.

Girls dig. They dig for the wounds.

Yeah.

GLENN: Oh, my gosh. They'll cut you open, and then they'll eat your heart while you're still watching.

I mean, it's horrible.

Anyway, so the article goes on to say, about how some of these -- some of these studies.

And they point one out.

The University of Central Florida conducted a grand experiment where they put a child in front of a computer. And it shows the video in this.

The research -- by the way, you can get this article at GlennBeck.com. You just sign up for my free email newsletter. Get all the stories we talk about every day.

Research shows the child two separate videos. One was a video about mathematics, and it involves a teacher talking about basic addition, subtraction, and multiplication.

The other video was the pod racing scene from Star Wars.

Now, you'll never guess what they discovered.

STU: Oh, what did they discover?

GLENN: They discovered that when the math lecture was going on, the kids started spinning in his chair. And he was fidgeting, and not paying attention. But when the child was watching the pod --

STU: Oh, my gosh. ADD.

GLENN: Yes. Something deeply psychologically wrong that kid, right?

STU: You're telling me, when they showed the one good scene from the first prequel, they were interested. Wow, it's shocking.

GLENN: The rest of the movie is like math.

STU: Yeah, give me the one that is the pod racing scene versus the trade dispute scene from the Star Wars. Why go to anything else? Just do the Star Wars scene.

GLENN: Right. It doesn't prove anything.

STU: It proves, that there wasn't a lot of good scenes in the first Star Wars.

GLENN: Wait a minute. I just did a study with my kids. They like sugary cereal over Bran Flakes.

STU: Oh, my gosh. They can't stand focused on the Bran Flakes.

GLENN: No, I have to get them on LSD or something.

STU: We are looking for these diagnoses. To diagnosis kids in this way, I think often. It doesn't mean that there aren't some that have these types of issues. You know, when you refer to that article. You said Matt Walsh wrote this?

GLENN: I don't know. It's from Daily Wire.

STU: Daily Wire is great. We love The Daily Wire guys. Obviously, the one I had read was some scientific -- I thought you were referring to a different story, where they didn't say it was a scam.

Obviously, it's an opinion to say it was a scam.

GLENN: No, yeah, it's a pretty strong opinion.

STU: It might be the right one. I don't know. But I was referring to a different article, which is why I was confused, as to the framing of it.

GLENN: Right. Right. Right.

STU: I think there are kids that are affected with -- real trouble in school. Focusing on things.

GLENN: Of course.

STU: That was maybe a little bit more than they could handle.

GLENN: But that's not a psychological disorder.

STU: Right.

GLENN: It's not.

All kids are wired differently. Boys and girls are wired differently in the first place.

That's one of the things that AI can produce. That will be good.

With you as a parent, overseeing it every step of the way.

Is it will -- it will adapt to the way you learn. Because everybody learns differently. You know. There are kids that just -- they're into math. And I don't get it.

And they can talk about math all day long. And they've lost me.

But a kid that likes to learn through stories, I'm there all day for them.

I'm there all day.

And I was the same way. I'm a visual learner.

I'm a story -- you know, I learn from stories. And if I have a really boring teacher, some of the kids are really going to love that teacher, because he's just all about facts, and just gets it all out and can explain it in facts. That doesn't help me. It doesn't help me.

It doesn't mean I have a psychological.

Well, let me make it clear.

That by itself, does not indicate that I have a deep psychological problem.

Okay?

Other things, might.

But not that. That's just everybody is different!

Especially the difference between boys and girls.

And here's what they said, the conclusion was that ADHD is triggered by cognitively demanding tasks.

No. No, it's not.

No, it's not. I was painting yesterday. And I can't tell you how many times, I just kind of like was holding the brush. And I walked around the house, and I was like, oh, wait a minute. I was painting. I mean, I just get -- you know, lose train of thought. I start thinking about something else. And, oh, wait. I've got to go back into the art room and paint.

You know, I don't know if anybody else is like that. But, you know, it's honestly, it's kind of like going to the fridge all the time.

You know, there's no reason to go to the fridge and just stare at the fridge that you just opened up and stared at, you know.

That's not a deep psychological problem.

It's just the way you're wired.

STU: Is that fat?

GLENN: Yes, the fat is directly wired right to my brain. Right to the brain.

STU: Right to the brain.

GLENN: Right to the brain. So I personally think a lot of things are solved -- and not for everybody.

Not universally. But are solved by understanding that we're all different.

And then, you know, just not being such a namby-pamby, wishy-washy society.

That's trying to understand everything.

Did you ever see the south park episode on ADHD? Listen to this.

VOICE: Hello, I'm Dr. Richard Shea, here to tell you about my exciting new drug-free treatment for children with Attention Deficit Disorder.

VOICE: This treatment is fast and effective. And do not use -- apply treatment to the first child.

VOICE: Sit down and study!

Sit down and study!

Stop crying and do your school work!

If you would like more information on this treatment, please wait for this free brochure, entitled --

GLENN: So part of it is, part of it is --

STU: You should hit kids more is what you're saying.

GLENN: No, what I'm saying is -- and this is a very broad brush. One of the things we have a problem with now, is just saying, knock it off. Study. Knock it off.

Focus. And I know not everybody can.

But if you couple that with actually knowing that kids are different and trying to find the best way for your kids to learn.

Because it's not. That's the problem.

Honestly, with big class sizes. And a lot of public schools. Public schools are made for everybody to be the same.

Okay? Everybody has to be the same. Well, they're not the same. Some kids, some kids learn really well in that atmosphere. Some kids don't.

It's not one-size-fits-all.

And they're not teaching you, you know, it's a lot more exciting when you are learning things. I mean, honestly, how many times have you heard your kids say, your kids aren't teenagers yet. So you'll start to hear this.

STU: One is, yeah.

GLENN: Really? How old?

STU: Zach is 13. About to turn 14, yeah.

GLENN: Wow. He's about to be married and have kids, or at least just have kids.

STU: Please no.

GLENN: So, you know, you'll hear from your kids, why am I -- why do I have to know this?

Why am I memorizing this?

I'll never use this. I'll never use this.

And as a parent, you want to say, you're right.

There's no reason you need to know. Memorize that name and that year.

STU: I tell my kids all the time, AI is coming. You're not going to have to know anything. All you have to do is type it in, and it will do all the work for you. Don't worry about it. Never learn another thing, son.

GLENN: Might not be a good idea. see, I don't tell them it's coming. I tell them, it's already here. Why are you working on that? Why are you questioning?

Have -- just take a picture of it, give it to Grok, and it will finish it!

But there's -- we have to start -- we have to start going back to a lot of the common sense, you know, that we used to have.

And there's a lot of things that were really bad.

I mean, you know, I was afraid of our principal. It was Sister Una. Okay. That just says enough right there. Sister Una. And she had a paddle that she hung up in her office, that she made herself.

And it was a wood paddle, and she had drilled holes in it to pick up speed, so there wasn't real resistance.

STU: Oh, yeah.

GLENN: Oh, my. And, you know, she was proud of it. She was proud of it.

But you know what I was more afraid of? I mean, I would have taken the paddling, give it to me twice as hard, sister, just let's keep this between us. Just don't call my parents. Okay?

We don't have that anymore. We don't have that anymore.

And there's some things that come from discipline.

Some things that come from kids being different.

And some, you know, because they do have an issue.

You know, you can't -- you can't talk a kid out of, you know, dyslexia.

You can't understand your way out of dyslexia.

You can't, you know -- you can't do anything, except understand that that makes your child different. And there are ways for them to learn.

But the worst thing for them to do is to medicate your child, so they don't adapt.

They have to -- you either are wildly successful, or you're going to live under a bridge, if you have ADD.

You decide. You either adapt to it, and use it as a strength, or you just, you don't adapt to it, and you just are crushed by the rest of your life.