HONORS THE BIG MAC WITH ITS OWN
CAN.
ALL THAT COMING UP THIS MORNING.
FIRST, TOPPING THE NEWS, FORBES
IS OUT WITH THE NINTH EDITION OF
THE WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL
PEOPLE.
WE HAVE THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT NOW.
NUMBER FIVE, AMAZON FOUNDER AND
CEO, JEFF BEZOS.
NUMBER FIVE MOST POWERFUL PERSON
IN THE WORLD.
NUMBER FOUR IS GERMAN CHANCELLOR
ANGELA MERKEL.
MERKEL REMAINS THE WORLD'S MOST
POWERFUL WOMAN IN THE FORBES
RANKINGS.
A LITTLE OVER A YEAR INTO HIS
FIRST TERM AT PRESIDENT, DONALD
TRUMP MAKES IT INTO THE TOP
THREE SPOT.
HE IS THE THIRD MOST POWERFUL
PERSON IN THE WORLD.
GET THIS, NUMBER TWO, VLADIMIR
PUTIN, FALLING OUT OF THE TOP
SLOT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOUR
YEARS MANY HE COMES IN AT NUMBER
TWO.
THE RUSSIAN LEADER IS NUMBER
TWO.
AND THE NUMBER ONE MOST POWERFUL
PERSON IN THE WORLD IN 2018
ACCORDING TO FORBES IS CHINESE
LEADER GENTLEMEN
LEADER XENTLEMEN
LEADER XINTLEMEN
LEADER XI JLEMEN
LEADER XI JINMEN
LEADER XI JIN EN
LEADER XI JIN N
LEADER XI JIN PINK
LEADER XI JIN PING.
>> THIS IS A REFLECTION OF
CHINA'S MASSIVE ECONOMIC POWER,
THEY HAVE THE WORLD'S LARGEST
STANDING ARMY.
CHINESE PARLIAMENT IN THE LAST
COUPLE MONTHS AMENDED THEIR
CONSTITUTION.
THEY BROADENED HIS POWERS.
THEY REDUCED TERM LIMITS.
HE CAN BASICALLY STAY IN OFFICE
AS LONG AS HE WANTS NOW AND HE'S
REALLY GOT A CULT OF PERSONALITY
IN CHINA THAT WE HAVEN'T SEEN
SINCE CHAIRMAN MAO.
>> MARIA: HE WILL BE THE
PRESIDENT FOR THE REST OF HIS
LIFE.
>> DID YOU HAVE ANY RESERVATIONS
ABOUT PUTTING TOO AUTOCRATS AT
THE TOP OF THE LIST.
DO YOU HAVE TO HAVE COMPLETE
CONTROL IN ORDER TO BE POWERFUL?
>> I THINK THAT'S A GOOD POINT.
WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY
CELEBRATING ALL THESE PEOPLE.
THERE ARE CRIMINALS ON THIS LIST
AND TERRIBLE DICTATORS.
WHEN WE'RE MEASURING POWER WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT THINGS, ON ONE
HAND, HOW MUCH MONEY, HOW MANY
RESOURCES THE PERSON CONTROLS,
ALSO HOW MUCH THEY CONTROL THE
LIVES OF PEOPLE UNDERNEATH THEM.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT A DICTATOR,
THEY HAVE A VERY GRANULAR LEVEL
OF CONTROL OF THE PEOPLE IN
THEIR COUNTRY.
>> VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS BEEN ABLE
TO STIFLE HIS OPPOSITION.
HE HAS BEEN AT THE TOP OF THE
LIST FOR FOUR YEARS IN A ROW.
>> MARIA: HE'S ARGUABLY THE
RICHEST MAN IN THE WORLD.
>> HE'S BEEN PRIME MINISTER OR
PRESIDENT FOR 18 YEARS.
>> JUST REELECTED TO ANOTHER
TERM.
HE HAS MASSIVE CONTROL OVER HIS
POPULOUS.
HE WAS SWORN INTO A NEW TERM AND
ARRESTED THOUSANDS OF FRO
TESTERS WHO WEREN'T --
PROTESTERS WHO WEREN'T HAPPY
ABOUT THIS.
>> MARIA: THERE ARE 75 PEOPLE ON
THIS LIST.
31 MAKE THE FINAL CUT FROM THE
US.
DOES THIS SHOW STRENGTH OF THE
U.S., GIVEN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
ON THAT LIST WHO ARE AMERICAN?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THERE'S AMERICAN POLITICIANS OF
COURSE, TRUMP AND MICHAEL PENCE
ARE BOTH ON THE LIST.
WHERE THE MOST AMERICANS COME
IN, THEY'RE BUSINESS FIGURES,
CEOS, ENTREPRENEURS, FINANCE
GIANTS.
>> MARIA: I DON'T THINK
PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL LIKE BEING
NUMBER THREE.
>> YOU HAVE TO ABOLISH TERM
LIMITS TO GET HIGHER.
>>
.>
>> DAGEN: HE CAN USE VLADIMIR
PUTIN AS A STEPPING STOOL, HE'S
SO SHORT, JUST STEP ON HIS BALD
HEAD AND VAULT INTO THE SECOND
POSITION AND LOCK ARMS WITH XI
JINPING AND THEY CAN SHARE THE
TOP SPOT.
>> MARIA: THE PRESIDENT TWEETED
HE WILL BE SPEAKING WITH THE
PRESIDENT OF CHINA, PRESIDENT
XI, AT 8:30 THIS MORNING.
WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS WITH
TRADE.
WHY DID YOU PUT PRESIDENT TRUMP
AT NUMBER THREE?
>> FOR ONE THING, HE'S HIGH ON
THE LIST OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE HE'S
COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE UNITED
STATES, THE WORLD'S LEADING
ECONOMIC AND MILITARY POWER.
>> MARIA: HE MAY HAVE JUST
ENGINEERED A HUGE THING WITH
NORTH HE KOREA.
>>
KOREA.>> YOU ALSO HAVE TO GIVE C
KOREA.>> YOU ALSO HAVE TO GIVE E
KOREA.>> YOU ALSO HAVE TO GIVE I
KOREA.>> YOU ALSO HAVE TO GIVE T
TO PRESIDENT MOON AND CHINA.
THIS IS A DEMOCRACY AND
PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS CHECKS AND
BALANCES.
WE'VE SEEN A YEAR INTO HIS TERM
HE HASN'T HAD AS MUCH SUCCESS AS
HE WOULD HAVE LIKED, PASSING
THROUGH LEGISLATION THROUGH A
CONGRESS HE CONTROLS.
>> DAGEN: I WANT TO SAY THIS.
HE ALWAYS ACCUSED FORBES OF
UNDER-ESTIMATING HIS WEALTH.
YOU WILL BE ACCUSED OF
UNDER-ESTIMATING HIS POWER.
>> THAT'S ALMOST CERTAINLY TRUE.
>> THERE'S MORE
>> THERE'S FORE
>> THERE'S FOUE
>> THERE'S FOUR POLITICIANS IN
YOUR TOP FIVE.
WHAT DOES THIS SAY THAT YOU
DON'T HAVE MORE BUSINESS
LEADERS?
THERE WAS A TIME 10 OR 20 YEARS
AGO WE WERE CELEBRATING THE
GLOBAL ECONOMY.
>> MARIA: THERE'S ONE NEW-COMER
TO THE LIST, SAUDI'S CROWN
PRINCE.
HE IS ONE NUMBER?
>> HE COMES IN AT NUMBER EIGHT,
BRAND-NEW ADDITION TO THE LIST,
REPLACING HIS FATHER, THE KING,
WHO IS TECHNICALLY STILL THE
REGENT.
THE CROWN PRINCE HAS SEIZED
POWER.
>> DAGEN: MARIA BARTIROMO KNOWS
THIS AND SO DOES HER AUDIENCE
BECAUSE SHE WENT AND INTERVIEWED
THE CROWN PRINCE BEFORE ANYBODY
AND HE MADE GREAT REVELATIONS
ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY.
>> MARIA: IT WAS FASCINATING.
IT WAS A FASCINATING TRIP.
IN TERMS OF CEOS, JOHN'S
QUESTION, WHO IS THE MOST
POWERFUL?
>> THE MOST POWERFUL CEO WE SEE
ON THE LIST IS JEFF BEZOS.
HE IS THE RICHEST MAN IN THE
WORLD.
HE HAS TREMENDOUS PERSONAL
POWER.
>> MARIA: I GET THAT ONE.
>> HE'S ALSO THE CEO OF AMAZON.
WE HAVE A MULTINATIONAL RETAIL
GIANT THAT IS POWERFUL NOT ONLY
IN ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH
CONSUMERS, BUT ITS RELATIONSHIP
WITH SUPPLIERS AND ALL THESE
COMPANIES.
>> MARIA: YOU HAVE GOOGLE ON
THERE.
SOME MIGHT SIGH THESE SOCIAL
MEAD -- MIGHT SAY THESE SOCIAL
MEDIA COMPANIES ARE TOO
POWERFUL.
>> WHO FELL OFF?
>> SOME POLITICIANS LOST POWER,
SOME PEOPLE IN FINANCE FELL OFF
OF IT.
USUALLY IT'S PEOPLE WHO HAVE
BEEN ELECTIONED OUT -- ELECTED
OUT OF OFFICE.
>> MARIA: WE DON'T SEE THE
BANKERS AT MUCH.
>> ERIC SCHNEIDERMAN ISN'T ON
IT.
>> IT'S HARD TO SAY LOSER IF
YOU'RE ON THE LIST OF POWERFUL
PEOPLE.
LLOYD BLANKFINE FELL A LOT THIS
YEAR BECAUSE WE ASSUME HE'S
LEAVING.
THAT WILL AFFECT YOUR POWER IF
YOU'RE A LAME DUCK.
>> WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT, BEING
RICH OR BEING ABLE TO CREATE
WORLD OPINION?
>> I THINK THEY'RE BOTH
IMPORTANT.
THEY'RE DIDN'T KINDS OF POWER.
WE LOOK AT THE MONEY, WE LOOK AT
HOW MANY PEOPLE THEY CONTROL, WE
LOOK AT WHETHER THEY'VE GOT
DIFFERENT SPEARS OF CONTROL.