April 9, 2025 • 12 mins
Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr (KY6) witnessed President Donald Trump's executive order signing ceremony yesterday to boost the American coal industry. Rep. Barr detailed the orders and discussed how the Trump tariffs are rescalibrating USA negotiating power on the world markets.
President Trump said to Rep. Barr "good luck with everything, I hear good things."
WHAS host Terry Meiners asked what the president meant by those words. Rep. Barr detailed his due diligence in preparing to run for the Senate seat to be vacated by Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2026.
Congressman Barr also noted that he met earlier today with basketball coaches Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey on matters pertaining to NIL legislation.
Terry asked if Pope and Kelsey are now besties. Barr gave a diplomatic reply.
Listen to the entire conversation linked above.
President Trump said to Rep. Barr "good luck with everything, I hear good things."
WHAS host Terry Meiners asked what the president meant by those words. Rep. Barr detailed his due diligence in preparing to run for the Senate seat to be vacated by Sen. Mitch McConnell in 2026.
Congressman Barr also noted that he met earlier today with basketball coaches Mark Pope and Pat Kelsey on matters pertaining to NIL legislation.
Terry asked if Pope and Kelsey are now besties. Barr gave a diplomatic reply.
Listen to the entire conversation linked above.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You are on news radio AD forty WHS. I'm Terry
Miners joining us in Washington, Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr from
the sixth District. Andy, Welcome back.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Hey, Terry, how are you.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I know you had a big day yesterday in the
White House and I saw a photo of you and
your daughters at there among everybody gathered to talk about
Cole and the President's executive orders. Tell us what exactly
the President was doing with the order and how it
pertains to the coal industry.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, today, I did have a big day yesterday, and
I want to talk about that. But I just came
from a great reception with the National thurbod Racing Association
where we were celebrating the Kentucky Derby and a very
bipartisan affair with Congressman McGarvey, and we were getting ready
for the derby.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Coming up in Louisville. So that was fun.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
And then I met with Pat Kelsey and Mark Pope earlier.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Today to talk about name, image and likeness.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
So this has been Today's been a big day too
here in the nation's capital. But yesterday was a good
day for Kentucky because I was there in the White
House as you said, with my daughters who are in
town for spring break. And the President signed four executive
orders to end discriminatory policies against Kentucky coal and our coal.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Industry and coal miners.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
And that's really important for the country terry, for our
competitiveness because it used to be the coal made of
about fifty percent of all electricity generation in the country.
Now it's down to about twenty percent because of discriminatory policies.
Of course, it's bad for our Kentucky coal miners, it's
a lot fewer jobs for them. But for the country
(01:51):
it's really needed because electricity demands, energy demands generally are
going up with artificial intelligence and these data centers, and
in order to main competitive and on the cutting edge
in this AI race, we've got to use a lot
more energy and we need the most affordable, reliable form
of energy, and that's coal.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
We also export a lot of that, and obviously the
tariff's issue has been front and center for so many people.
Has that changed the receipts for coal that's being exported.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yes, coal is also very important for geopolitical reasons, reasons,
national security reasons. Our European allies are obviously dependent on Russia,
both in terms of natural gas and coal, and obviously
that's come to an end because of the invasion in Ukraine.
Increasing exports of Kentucky coal, of American coal is helpful
(02:49):
to our allies in uh making sure that they're independent
of Russia. It's important for us to separate partners and
allies from China, and providing those energy exports to our
allies and partners not only creates jobs and economic activity
here in the United States, but it advances our national security.
(03:12):
And let me say one thing about the environment, because
of course the critics of our Kentucky coal industry cite
climate change in the environment. The United States of America
is uniquely positioned to provide the most the most innovative
coal generation technology, not only here in the United States
(03:33):
but in the world. And these executive orders that the
President signed will pave the way for more technology to
be used in the combustion of coal to reduce emissions.
And that will not happen. China, as the President pointed
out yesterday, is building a new inferior coal fired power
plant every single two of them every single week. We
(03:56):
need to export innovative American clean col technology, because let's
face it, energy demands are not going down.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Only the United States can provide the.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Technology to both provide energy security and reduced emissions.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Right, and yeah, the geopolitical ramifications of all this are astounding.
One of the guys that I saw was in your
group yesterday, a certain Joe Kraft. A's a front of
mine and what is big on this technology that you're
talking about, And that's the whole idea, is to figure
out a way to keep serving coal to where it's
needed and to do it in a responsible way.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Well, absolutely, that's absolutely true.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And again, if you really care about climate change, you
wouldn't discriminate against this kind of investment, this kind of
technology there are, whether you like it or not, there's
going to be tremendous use of coal in the future because,
let's face it, the world needs affordable, reliable energy. There's
no more affordable, reliable source of energy than coal. But
(05:03):
the United States is positioned to provide the technology, the
innovation to burn coal more cleanly, and nobody else can
can provide that kind of leadership. So these executive orders
paved the way for that kind of leadership. Energy demands
are only growing these data centers, artificial intelligence. The consumption
(05:24):
of energy is astounding, I know, and we're going to
have to provide an all of the above approach, and
coal has to be part of that of that mix, even.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Things like data centers for social media. All that stuff's
growing so much it's mind boggling. All right, Can we
just jump on tariffs here for a minute. Obviously that's
been a hot shure topic. And clearly the presidents move today,
move the markets. What's the long range plan? I mean,
we know there's a ninety day pause and people in
(05:55):
the White House are saying that, you know, hundreds of
countries are banged on the door and they want to negotiate,
except for China. Do you see this as just gamesmanship
going on? What's happening?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
No?
Speaker 2 (06:09):
I think it's a very purposeful strategy on the part
of President Trump, his Economic Teams secretary best since Secretary
Howard Lutnik, who I've been engaged with regularly weekly on
these trade issues. And it's working. It's working. This strategy
is working. Now we're all happy about the surgeon the
stock market. That obviously is an important correction back in
(06:33):
the right direction for Americans and Kentuckians for one case.
But the American people have been ripped off for decades.
And you know, this unbalanced international trading system where allies,
partners and enemies are discriminating against American exports.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
That needs to come to an end.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
And finally we have a president and President Trump who's
standing up for the United States and creating the leverage
to negotiate better, more fair, more free trade agreements. And
the short term disruption that this has created creates enormous
long term opportunities to open up market access, including for
(07:16):
Kentucky bourbon. By the way, and we got word from
the Irish Agriculture Minister today was in my office that
the European Union was not going to retaliate against American bourbon,
Kentucky bourbon, because they knew that it would result in.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Tariffs against their own Irish whiskey.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
And and here's the power, Terry, here's the power of
this tariff strategy. Is India, the world's largest market one
point four billion consumers. They've already lowered their tariffs against
Kentucky bourbon by fifty percent because of this tariff strategy.
(07:58):
So the long term opportunity to open up markets that
didn't exist before.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
For Kentucky exporters is massive.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
The reprieve is great because it creates a framework for
negotiation with willing and good faith partners. Obviously China is
the exception because they're not acting in good faith.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Right.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
It's going to be an interesting story to follow here
in the coming days and see if there's any blinking
going on on that side. Hey, President Trump did give
you a shout out yesterday. Let's listen. I want to
just play a little clip of him talking from the
Andy Bar.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Thank you, Andy. Good luck with everything.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
I hear good things, Andy Bar. Good luck with everything.
I hear good things. What's he talking about?
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Well, obviously the President knows that I'm doing my due
diligence on the soon to be open US Senate seat
in Kentucky. It has been just the privilege of my
lifetime to represent central Kentucky in Congress, the Bluegrass Congressional District.
You know, it's been great to advocate for the University
of Kentucky, the Toyota, the largest Toyota factory in the
(09:09):
world in my district, the Bourbon and the horse industries
in Central Kentucky, the University of Kentucky. But wow, what
a privilege it would be to extend that representation.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Across the entire state of state that I love.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
I'm an eighth generation Kentuckian, and I've been getting a
lot of green lights, and I'll be making an announcement
soon as I'm kind of wrapping up the due diligence,
which is obviously important to do. But I'm just so
humbled by the encouragement that I've received to run for
this seat in the US Senate.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Well, Donald Trump says he hears good things. He's not
talking about your cooking, So that's got to be probably
what he's referencing.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Right, That's what he's referencing, Yes, sir, the good things.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Also, as I saw a report that says you raised
more than two million dollars in the first quarter, You've
got five point three million cash on hand, and so
is that a healthy launch pad?
Speaker 3 (10:04):
It is?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
I mean, that's that's part of the due diligence, you know,
you want to ask people what do they think? You know,
I really value the opinion of my constituents. I always have,
and I've been reaching outside of my district to Kentuckians
from Pikeville to Louisville, to Northern Kentucky to London, Corbin,
Somerset to Paducah, Madisonville, Bowing Green. And I've been asking
(10:26):
them what do you think, And not only are Kentuckians
responding yes, we would love for you to run statewide,
they're telling me, hey, here's a check I want. I
want to help finance an effort. So that is the
green light that I needed. And we're going to be
making an announcement pretty soon.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
And you think you'll get Donald Trump's endorsement, Well, we.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Were trying to earn the endorsement, but the most important
endorsement is the endorsement of the people of.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
The Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
The good thing about President Trump is he knows, and
we talked about this personally. He knows that I'm so
sporting his agenda. And I'm in a unique position because
not only do I talk about supporting this America First agenda,
but I'm in a position to actually help advance it.
And so we're working every day to make America great again,
(11:17):
to produce these tax cuts in this one big, beautiful bill,
to support a tear strategy that will finally level the
playing field and give Americans better, more free and fair
trade deals and open up access to our Bourbon exporters,
for example, and also to secure the border and do
everything that the American people voted for last November.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
All right, that's it from me, Congressman bar Except you
said you met with Pat Kelsey and Mark Polpe. Are
they best friends? Now? Are they drinking out of two
straws out of one milkshake?
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Well, I tell you what, I think. They're on the
same page on name, image, and likeness. It's a transfer portal,
but I know that it's.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Going to be a big and health and competitive rivalry.
Both coaches are obviously hitting the transfer portal with great success.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
That never changes. Great talking to you, Congressman.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Thanks, thank you.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr live from Washington,
You are on news radio AD forty WHS. I'm Terry
Miners joining us in Washington, Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr from
the sixth District. Andy, Welcome back.
Speaker 3 (00:11):
Hey, Terry, how are you.
Speaker 1 (00:12):
I know you had a big day yesterday in the
White House and I saw a photo of you and
your daughters at there among everybody gathered to talk about
Cole and the President's executive orders. Tell us what exactly
the President was doing with the order and how it
pertains to the coal industry.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Well, today, I did have a big day yesterday, and
I want to talk about that. But I just came
from a great reception with the National thurbod Racing Association
where we were celebrating the Kentucky Derby and a very
bipartisan affair with Congressman McGarvey, and we were getting ready
for the derby.
Speaker 3 (00:53):
Coming up in Louisville. So that was fun.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
And then I met with Pat Kelsey and Mark Pope earlier.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Today to talk about name, image and likeness.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
So this has been Today's been a big day too
here in the nation's capital. But yesterday was a good
day for Kentucky because I was there in the White
House as you said, with my daughters who are in
town for spring break. And the President signed four executive
orders to end discriminatory policies against Kentucky coal and our coal.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Industry and coal miners.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
And that's really important for the country terry, for our
competitiveness because it used to be the coal made of
about fifty percent of all electricity generation in the country.
Now it's down to about twenty percent because of discriminatory policies.
Of course, it's bad for our Kentucky coal miners, it's
a lot fewer jobs for them. But for the country
(01:51):
it's really needed because electricity demands, energy demands generally are
going up with artificial intelligence and these data centers, and
in order to main competitive and on the cutting edge
in this AI race, we've got to use a lot
more energy and we need the most affordable, reliable form
of energy, and that's coal.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
We also export a lot of that, and obviously the
tariff's issue has been front and center for so many people.
Has that changed the receipts for coal that's being exported.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
Yes, coal is also very important for geopolitical reasons, reasons,
national security reasons. Our European allies are obviously dependent on Russia,
both in terms of natural gas and coal, and obviously
that's come to an end because of the invasion in Ukraine.
Increasing exports of Kentucky coal, of American coal is helpful
(02:49):
to our allies in uh making sure that they're independent
of Russia. It's important for us to separate partners and
allies from China, and providing those energy exports to our
allies and partners not only creates jobs and economic activity
here in the United States, but it advances our national security.
(03:12):
And let me say one thing about the environment, because
of course the critics of our Kentucky coal industry cite
climate change in the environment. The United States of America
is uniquely positioned to provide the most the most innovative
coal generation technology, not only here in the United States
(03:33):
but in the world. And these executive orders that the
President signed will pave the way for more technology to
be used in the combustion of coal to reduce emissions.
And that will not happen. China, as the President pointed
out yesterday, is building a new inferior coal fired power
plant every single two of them every single week. We
(03:56):
need to export innovative American clean col technology, because let's
face it, energy demands are not going down.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Only the United States can provide the.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Technology to both provide energy security and reduced emissions.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Right, and yeah, the geopolitical ramifications of all this are astounding.
One of the guys that I saw was in your
group yesterday, a certain Joe Kraft. A's a front of
mine and what is big on this technology that you're
talking about, And that's the whole idea, is to figure
out a way to keep serving coal to where it's
needed and to do it in a responsible way.
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Well, absolutely, that's absolutely true.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
And again, if you really care about climate change, you
wouldn't discriminate against this kind of investment, this kind of
technology there are, whether you like it or not, there's
going to be tremendous use of coal in the future because,
let's face it, the world needs affordable, reliable energy. There's
no more affordable, reliable source of energy than coal. But
(05:03):
the United States is positioned to provide the technology, the
innovation to burn coal more cleanly, and nobody else can
can provide that kind of leadership. So these executive orders
paved the way for that kind of leadership. Energy demands
are only growing these data centers, artificial intelligence. The consumption
(05:24):
of energy is astounding, I know, and we're going to
have to provide an all of the above approach, and
coal has to be part of that of that mix, even.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Things like data centers for social media. All that stuff's
growing so much it's mind boggling. All right, Can we
just jump on tariffs here for a minute. Obviously that's
been a hot shure topic. And clearly the presidents move today,
move the markets. What's the long range plan? I mean,
we know there's a ninety day pause and people in
(05:55):
the White House are saying that, you know, hundreds of
countries are banged on the door and they want to negotiate,
except for China. Do you see this as just gamesmanship
going on? What's happening?
Speaker 3 (06:08):
No?
Speaker 2 (06:09):
I think it's a very purposeful strategy on the part
of President Trump, his Economic Teams secretary best since Secretary
Howard Lutnik, who I've been engaged with regularly weekly on
these trade issues. And it's working. It's working. This strategy
is working. Now we're all happy about the surgeon the
stock market. That obviously is an important correction back in
(06:33):
the right direction for Americans and Kentuckians for one case.
But the American people have been ripped off for decades.
And you know, this unbalanced international trading system where allies,
partners and enemies are discriminating against American exports.
Speaker 3 (06:52):
That needs to come to an end.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
And finally we have a president and President Trump who's
standing up for the United States and creating the leverage
to negotiate better, more fair, more free trade agreements. And
the short term disruption that this has created creates enormous
long term opportunities to open up market access, including for
(07:16):
Kentucky bourbon. By the way, and we got word from
the Irish Agriculture Minister today was in my office that
the European Union was not going to retaliate against American bourbon,
Kentucky bourbon, because they knew that it would result in.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Tariffs against their own Irish whiskey.
Speaker 2 (07:37):
And and here's the power, Terry, here's the power of
this tariff strategy. Is India, the world's largest market one
point four billion consumers. They've already lowered their tariffs against
Kentucky bourbon by fifty percent because of this tariff strategy.
(07:58):
So the long term opportunity to open up markets that
didn't exist before.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
For Kentucky exporters is massive.
Speaker 2 (08:07):
The reprieve is great because it creates a framework for
negotiation with willing and good faith partners. Obviously China is
the exception because they're not acting in good faith.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Right.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
It's going to be an interesting story to follow here
in the coming days and see if there's any blinking
going on on that side. Hey, President Trump did give
you a shout out yesterday. Let's listen. I want to
just play a little clip of him talking from the
Andy Bar.
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Thank you, Andy. Good luck with everything.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
I hear good things, Andy Bar. Good luck with everything.
I hear good things. What's he talking about?
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Well, obviously the President knows that I'm doing my due
diligence on the soon to be open US Senate seat
in Kentucky. It has been just the privilege of my
lifetime to represent central Kentucky in Congress, the Bluegrass Congressional District.
You know, it's been great to advocate for the University
of Kentucky, the Toyota, the largest Toyota factory in the
(09:09):
world in my district, the Bourbon and the horse industries
in Central Kentucky, the University of Kentucky. But wow, what
a privilege it would be to extend that representation.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
Across the entire state of state that I love.
Speaker 2 (09:25):
I'm an eighth generation Kentuckian, and I've been getting a
lot of green lights, and I'll be making an announcement
soon as I'm kind of wrapping up the due diligence,
which is obviously important to do. But I'm just so
humbled by the encouragement that I've received to run for
this seat in the US Senate.
Speaker 1 (09:44):
Well, Donald Trump says he hears good things. He's not
talking about your cooking, So that's got to be probably
what he's referencing.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
Right, That's what he's referencing, Yes, sir, the good things.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
Also, as I saw a report that says you raised
more than two million dollars in the first quarter, You've
got five point three million cash on hand, and so
is that a healthy launch pad?
Speaker 3 (10:04):
It is?
Speaker 2 (10:04):
I mean, that's that's part of the due diligence, you know,
you want to ask people what do they think? You know,
I really value the opinion of my constituents. I always have,
and I've been reaching outside of my district to Kentuckians
from Pikeville to Louisville, to Northern Kentucky to London, Corbin,
Somerset to Paducah, Madisonville, Bowing Green. And I've been asking
(10:26):
them what do you think, And not only are Kentuckians
responding yes, we would love for you to run statewide,
they're telling me, hey, here's a check I want. I
want to help finance an effort. So that is the
green light that I needed. And we're going to be
making an announcement pretty soon.
Speaker 1 (10:43):
And you think you'll get Donald Trump's endorsement, Well, we.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
Were trying to earn the endorsement, but the most important
endorsement is the endorsement of the people of.
Speaker 3 (10:53):
The Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
The good thing about President Trump is he knows, and
we talked about this personally. He knows that I'm so
sporting his agenda. And I'm in a unique position because
not only do I talk about supporting this America First agenda,
but I'm in a position to actually help advance it.
And so we're working every day to make America great again,
(11:17):
to produce these tax cuts in this one big, beautiful bill,
to support a tear strategy that will finally level the
playing field and give Americans better, more free and fair
trade deals and open up access to our Bourbon exporters,
for example, and also to secure the border and do
everything that the American people voted for last November.
Speaker 1 (11:38):
All right, that's it from me, Congressman bar Except you
said you met with Pat Kelsey and Mark Polpe. Are
they best friends? Now? Are they drinking out of two
straws out of one milkshake?
Speaker 3 (11:49):
Well, I tell you what, I think. They're on the
same page on name, image, and likeness. It's a transfer portal,
but I know that it's.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Going to be a big and health and competitive rivalry.
Both coaches are obviously hitting the transfer portal with great success.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
That never changes. Great talking to you, Congressman.
Speaker 3 (12:08):
Thanks, thank you.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
Kentucky Congressman Andy Barr live from Washington,
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