Mike Rowe, the champion of the folks who get dirty for a living and are proud of it, revealed on social media that he received a “dress for success” lecture from his mom.
According to a post Rowe wrote on Facebook, his mom fretted that when Rowe attended the recent Energy and Innovation Summit in Pittsburgh, his attire might have clashed with the suits of the important folks attending.
Rowe’s post said that after explaining he would wear a suit, Momma Rowe revealed she knows her boy.
I’m leaving Pittsburgh, on a flight to Denver, reflecting on the last 36 hours. The Energy and Innovation Summit has just concluded, where I was invited to sit on a panel and address a room full of big shots. When my mother learned I’d be attending an…
— The Real Mike Rowe (@mikeroweworks) July 16, 2025
“‘Good,’ she said. ‘Do you have one that isn’t made of rubber?’” Rowe quoted her as saying, noting that she did not want him appearing in public like Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“‘I wouldn’t want you to embarrass yourself like that little man from Ukraine. The one who went to the White House dressed like a cat burglar,’” Rowe quoted her as saying.
He also quoted her as saying she did not want his attire compared to “that big, bald Senator who always wears short pants and sweatshirts,” referring to Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
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Rowe also received instructions on speaking to President Donald Trump.
“‘If you talk to the President, tell him to be careful with all the AI stuff. I don’t need a computer that writes my next book for me!’” Rowe quoted his mom as saying.
“I did meet the President, who said he didn’t recognize me with a suit on. He was familiar with my foundation, congratulated me on predicting the widening skills gap seventeen years ago, and thanked me for my continued efforts to help close it. I told him it was a privilege to do so, and thanked him for the autographed bathrobe I auctioned off for $45,000 ten years ago,” he said, noting that he told Trump he has raised and given away scholarships worth $12 million.
“The President seemed delighted. If I had more time, I would have asked him to sign my tie and put it up for sale today, but there was a line of people behind me, and I didn’t want to press my luck,” he wrote.
Rowe noted that beyond all the talk, there was a serious point that is beginning to be understood.
“It’s taken seventeen years, but there is now an undeniable awareness in C-suites across the country that we have a massive problem to overcome – a problem that has nothing to do with our ability to create jobs, and everything to do with our ability to create enthusiasm for those jobs,” he wrote.
“It’s an awkward point to make, especially at an event that’s celebrating the creation of so much new opportunity, but there’s no getting around it – if we don’t have enough workers to fill the jobs that are open today, we’ll never be able to fill the jobs we create tomorrow,” he wrote.
Mindful of his mother’s concern about his attire, Rowe added, “John Fetterman was there… He strongly supported the need to unleash all forms of energy and reinvigorate the skilled trades. He did so in short pants and a black sweatshirt.”
During his presentation, Rowe noted that new technology jobs are fine until the next wave hits.
“We’ve been telling kids for 15 years to code. ‘Learn to code,’ we said,” Rowe noted. “Well, AI is coming for the coders. They’re not coming for the welders. They’re not coming for the plumbers.”
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