CNBC Ranks Texas Among Worst States Due to Abortion and Worker Protections
"CNBC, this is a business, a business network, okay? And they are ranking now the top 10 worst states to live in for 2026. Texas, I love this. While Texas continues to lead the nation in attracting workers, those workers are finding a broad array of challenges when they get there."
About this episode
Glenn Beck dismantles CNBC's 2026 ranking of America's worst states to live in, arguing the business network has abandoned economic criteria in favor of progressive social metrics. Beck targets CNBC's methodology, which downgrades red states like Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Utah based on abortion restrictions, right-to-work laws, bathroom policies, and promotion of traditional families. He highlights the contradiction of CNBC calling Texas one of the worst states while acknowledging it leads the nation in attracting workers and businesses. Beck satirically questions what abortion access, transgender bathroom policies, and Nuclear Family Month have to do with business climate. He specifically mocks Tennessee being penalized for Governor Lee designating June as Nuclear Family Month and requiring people to use bathrooms matching their birth sex. Beck then creates his own satirical state rankings based on stereotypical blue-state preferences: states with fewest religious people and highest Hamas support (Massachusetts, New York, Vermont); states with highest obesity and illiteracy (West Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana); and states with easiest drug access and highest homelessness (New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, California). He concludes with states having fewest strip clubs, casinos, and liquor stores, noting Hawaii, Utah, Alabama, South Carolina, and Idaho rank lowest in vice-related businesses. Throughout the monologue, Beck argues CNBC's ranking reveals media bias positioning conservative social policies as business liabilities despite contradicting economic evidence of red-state growth and blue-state decline.
Key takeaways
- CNBC ranked Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Utah among worst states for business in 2026 based on abortion laws, union protections, and LGBTQ policies rather than traditional economic metrics.
- Glenn Beck argues CNBC's methodology contradicts economic reality, noting Texas leads nation in attracting both workers and businesses despite negative ranking.
- Tennessee penalized in rankings for requiring transgender individuals to use bathrooms matching birth sex and Governor Lee designating Nuclear Family Month.
- Beck satirically creates alternative state rankings based on progressive preferences including least religious populations, highest Hamas support, and easiest drug access.
- CNBC cited Texas's 16.7% uninsured rate without acknowledging potential connection to open border immigration according to Beck's analysis.
- Beck highlights Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, California, and Washington as top states for those seeking secular, highly educated populations with low marriage rates.
- New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, and California identified as having worst combination of drug availability, homelessness, low test scores, and unaffordable housing relative to income.