Former WWE champ Glenn 'Kane' Jacobs on running for mayor

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Former WWE champ Glenn 'Kane' Jacobs on running for mayor

World heavyweight champion Glenn 'Kane' Jacobs joins 'Your World' to discuss wining the GOP nomination for Knox County mayor in Tennessee.

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," May 2, 2018. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: All right, Glenn Jacobs, AKA Kane, just body-slammed his way to becoming the likely Republican nominee for mayor of Knox County, Tennessee.

He joins me right now.

We did call the Democratic candidate for that position, Linda Haney. I don't believe we have heard back, but hope springs eternal that we will.

Very good to see you.

GLENN JACOBS, R-KNOX COUNTY, TENNESSEE, MAYORAL CANDIDATE: Thank you. Thanks for having me. I really appreciate it.

CAVUTO: Now, I didn't realize in the beginning that you were going to be here in the flesh. So I had ripped up all of my tough questions here.

(LAUGHTER)

JACOBS: Smart man.

CAVUTO: You're an intimidating guy.

(CROSSTALK)

JACOBS: I'm trying to project a softer image.

CAVUTO: Yes.

JACOBS: I really am.

CAVUTO: Well, that's my style. You and I are like joined at the hip.

JACOBS: Right.

CAVUTO: What made you do this?

JACOBS: I just want to see my area become an even better place.

Knox County, Tennessee is a great place to live, work and raise a family. And I just want it to see it become even better. And I think that I can have a small part in doing that.

But, really, it's -- the motto of my together was together we win. And I really believe that I can hopefully bring all of us in our community, in Knox County, together to build an even better place.

CAVUTO: Well, your arms are big enough. You could forcefully...

(CROSSTALK)

JACOBS: Reach around a lot of them.

CAVUTO: Right, on your own.

But very successful career. You have done very, very well, 20-plus years WWE. You don't need this. You don't need to do this. There's a lot of grief with being in politics, even at the mayor level.

JACOBS: Sure. It's important, though.

And I actually have grandkids. I'm at that age. And with all the things that go on in our country, I sometimes wonder what sort of world they're going to inherit? And, as you said, I have been able to do very well for myself. You have been able to do very well for yourself. I wonder if they're going to have those sorts of opportunities, because so many times we see the things that I believe in, the free enterprise system, individual liberty, they're really demonized.

And that's what made this country great.

CAVUTO: But you're a libertarian at your core, right?

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: You're like a Ron Paul type, right? In fact, you supported him in 2008, right, and his son when he ran?

JACOBS: Right. Right. Yes.

CAVUTO: What about Donald Trump? What do you think of him?

JACOBS: I think Trump has done a very good job, especially with the economy. We see he's cut regulations. I think the tax cuts really helped spur some growth.

I would like to see some spending cuts, but hopefully...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Yes, you're big on limited government.

JACOBS: Yes.

CAVUTO: So, you don't like that. Government is out of control. It gets out of control, Republicans and Democrats alike.

But you do want to improve the infrastructure, as does President Trump. So, how do you do that?

JACOBS: Well, in our case, what just happened in Tennessee is, they just raised the gas tax.

CAVUTO: That's right.

JACOBS: There's a lot more money coming in to the state.

CAVUTO: Are you for that? Are you OK...

JACOBS: I was not. I was not for that. But it's happened.

CAVUTO: But it's going to provide that infrastructure.

JACOBS: Yes, in this case.

But often what happens is when the government does things like that, it never seems to be applied to the projects that they say it's going to be applied for. And I think it's incumbent upon elected officials to make sure that, if we're going to demand more tax money from people, that we use it in a productive manner, and not just say, this is what we're going to use it for, and then they find out that it was used for something else and sometimes something very frivolous.

CAVUTO: Now, you won by all of 17 votes for the Republican nomination for mayor.

And did the wrestling background, and you're such a noted public figure -- like I said, the buzz was that we had you on. You got more attention than when we have had presidents on. But, nevertheless, did that help you?

JACOBS: Yes, in many ways, it did. It got my foot in the door as a novelty.

And you could argue, well, did it hurt me? And I don't think so, because I think a lot of the folks that would just judge me as a character I play on TV, they're not going to vote for me anyway. But a lot of people think it's cool, like people here in the studio.

CAVUTO: And people forget, you're a very smart guy. You were a English literature major, a very sensitive guy. You're well-read. You're well up on the issues. So, people...

JACOBS: Yes, sir. Right.

And that's the point here. And especially in a local election, what is really great is, you get to get out and actually talk with people. And when people meet me, I hope they realize, it's really cool. He's Kane the wrestler. But he's also a pretty smart guy.

CAVUTO: Can I give you a tip on that, though? You have a hell of a handshake. How many hands did you break in your county?

(LAUGHTER)

JACOBS: As I said, I'm softening my image.

CAVUTO: We got to work on that.

JACOBS: It was all good.

CAVUTO: I was thinking of wrestlers who have made -- everyone thinks of Jesse Ventura in Minnesota, and that someone like you, with your skill set, you're not going to be satisfied just being mayor.

JACOBS: That's all I'm concerned with right now.

CAVUTO: I don't believe you.

JACOBS: Well...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: I do believe you. I do believe you. What did I say? What did I say? What did I say?

(CROSSTALK)

JACOBS: Come on. Yes, just you ripped up all your hard questions.

(LAUGHTER)

JACOBS: No, but it's a very important job. And really the mayor of Knox County, he has influence all through the East Tennessee region.

CAVUTO: Is that right?

JACOBS: Oh, yes. Yes. It's the biggest -- it's the third biggest county in the state of Tennessee and it's the capital of East Tennessee. So, you're talking about the lives of millions of people that are impacted by the policies that come out from Knox County.

CAVUTO: I was thinking of your success. And, of course, it's not a done deal. Obviously, you're up in the general election I think in August.
Right?

JACOBS: Yes, sir.

CAVUTO: Outside-the-box candidates have been thriving. The president is the best example of that. Right?

JACOBS: Sure.

CAVUTO: Yourself and your success. And so many populists, Army veterans and war heroes, as Democrats, Republicans, are flooding the political system this year. What do you think is going on?

JACOBS: People are sick and tired of career politicians. And we have seen that at the highest level.

I think a lot of people within the political realm, though, believe that President Trump was an anomaly and it only was going to happen at the federal level.

And I don't think that's true. I think it's going to happen through all levels of government, because whether you're on the left or you're on the right, we can see that government doesn't work for you. And people are looking for folks who will work for them.

CAVUTO: Well, a lot of Republicans are worried about a blue wave this year. Are you?

JACOBS: I'm not, especially in Tennessee.

But I think, as Republicans, we have to stick by what we believe in. And that is fiscal conservatism and individual freedom.

And I think what happens is when Republicans get into positions of power, they forget about that. And in many cases, they become part of the problem.

I'm not worried about a blue wave. I just think Republicans have to act like Republicans and govern like Republicans.

CAVUTO: That's well put.

Glenn Jacobs, I wouldn't say otherwise, unless you were on remote, which you're not. You're here.

(LAUGHTER)

CAVUTO: Kane, he could be the next mayor in Knox County, Tennessee.

We will watch.

Again, our overtures are out certainly to Linda Haney. If and when you want to come on, you have a welcome -- a welcome seat here, the seat he's in.

END

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