Thread

A big conservative political podcast (seven figure YouTube subscribers) asked me to come on and talk about bitcoin (sat next to them on the plane out of the May conference in Vegas, which sparked their request). Last week when I went on the show, they decided to emphasize a talking point of why tariffs are great and will usher in a golden age, and some questions about bitcoin. When asked about tariffs, I generally disagreed that they would be bullish or usher in a new golden age, mentioned that the past three months of data doesn’t show a decline in import prices which means it has been a tax on Americans, and eventually we moved to discussing bitcoin. They ended up not airing the talk, and instead ran the clip with someone else who agreed on the tariff points. Waste of time, basically. It’s a reminder that a big percentage of what you see in heavily politicized media is about narrative framing and talking points rather than genuine attempts to discuss or explore. It reminded me why I normally decline to go on political shows; I had only agreed to this one because the catalyst was in person and so the agreeable side of me was like β€œsure, why not”. Well, that’s why not.

Replies (149)

What is the logic for not liking Tariffs ? Do you know how much Tarrifs India has on US goods ? It is not a matter of taxing US citizens or Foreingn companies .. It is a matter of creating a better global trade system .. like a better global village .. you got to use both - carrot and the stick ...
↩ replying to Satosha
The tariffs are also a way to force countries to buy American debt via treasury bonds. No thanks. You chose to hollow out your own industrial companies become a consumer and now bleating about the debt. The debt is 151 trillion. Not 37 trillion. You cannot have it both ways. The Griffen report highlighted this dilemma. Selling USD and being the global currency can work in the short term. But US adopted this as a long term policy. Something breaks. And now here we are. On a train hurtling towards Recksville.
↩ replying to Comte de Sats Germain
Theories are great .. till we hit a real world example .. then lets just talk specifics .. Why does India has 50 billion (per year ) trade surplus with US ? Is it like US has nothing to offer ? Btw - just FYI .. India imposes 150 percent Tarrifs on US Auto and Whiskey .. I mean I can still live without a Ford Truck but without Jack Daniels .. give me a break :-) ..Or straight up Bourbon ...
↩ replying to Diacone Frost
That is exactly what Trump is doing ... The goal of Tarrifs are simple 1) Lead world towards no government intervention in Trade. 2) Open unfettered access to Americal businesses (big or small) across the globe 3) Put a minimum Tarrifs on countries that exploit labor to produce cheapo goods .. These nations have no laws of their own and they allow American corps (read Apple and Nike) to exploit their labor .. Which in turn undermines American Manufacturing . 4) Push nations to stop wars (eg India supporting Russia) .. Time and again we have seen , Sanctions don't wok .. Tarrifs do And here is another fact - Only TRUMP can do it ..
↩ replying to Satosha
That's by design. Our government spends too much, and it's only possible because other countries keep buying our dollars. Its only a trade deficit if you don't understand that dollars are the good we produce and you demand. If no one wanted dollars, our economy would hyperinflate because the domestic economy can't absorb that many dollars. So, on the one hand, thank you ; on the other hand, please stop. The tariff makes no difference to me - stop buying our dollars.
↩ replying to Satosha
Idk, you do you man. There's pros and cons to either. Are you actually in India? What's the situation like between the states and the federal government? Its a federal entity, right? How autonomous are the states? Could they buy bitcoin without federal approval? Could cities? Are the cities and/or states buying gold? I know India loves gold, but I don't know if that's all the government levels or just one or just the people buying it. But most curious if they could get bitcoin.
↩ replying to Satosha
No, India is not a third world country. This is an attack on BRICS+, specifically China. China has USA by the short and curlies. 1. China holds the most Treasury bonds. What happens if China sells them back to USA? USA is forced to buy them back - with what? The printer will go brr. What happens if China demands payment in gold? It too, is also a global reserve currency . The underlying threat is to stop the yuan from becoming part of the global currency. 2. So attacking India is designed to force India out of BRICS. The public signal was USA weaponising Pakistan to attack India. This weakens BRICS. My assumption is USA's threat on India will backfire. 3. The biggest threat is that China has cornered the rare earth minerals - USA desperately needs them for military weapons. So, China is humbling USA through bureaucratic overload. China's playbook is the game of Go. USA is playing chess. The same tactic was used in Vietnam . And somebody lost.
↩ replying to npub1llus...uqgh
Lol .. do you really think Trump is playing this 3 dimensional chess .. dude .. you been watching too much youtube conspiracies .. Trump acts from clear facts - he wants to bring manufacturing back to US . . He doesn't want to rein the world through spreading ( and thus printing more ) dollars .. and he wants American companies have same access to to global markets as the rest of world has to US .. Besides - he wants American people total freedom with Bitcoin and stable dollars .. and of course Gold .. Btw - the reason he succeeds is he doesn't think this much .. I guess that is the reason the guy is stronger than most Americans at 80 .. That is something to learn ..
↩ replying to Satosha
Since YT keeps asking to re-register - I've kicked it to the curb. Instead I've subscribed to relevant websites, who also make appearances on Nostr. Many do not. Some people prefer visual presentations, some prefer audio and some prefer reading documents. I read, unless its a longform interview that challenges my perspective, then I'll watch on rumble or odyssey . Your assumption that Trump speaks from facts, clearly indicates you prefer the scripted version, rather than fact. The Epstein files are a classic example. A complete flip flop. Regarding BTC - Trump put out a new document and he's talking out both sides of his mouth. And this was on Nostr. Unfortunately I did not bookmark it for further study. But I'll find it, because Trump wants BTC in the reserve basket with conditions for the plebs - details of the cold wallet is one of them. Regarding manufacturing - my assumption is this - China is the global factory now. They have an extensive supply chain infrastructure, they have the ability to take any new product coming from other countries and copy it, scale it up and launch it faster and cheaper than anyone else. That is what Trump is up against. Cheap labour and unions are not a problem for China. Neither is AIPAC or Israel. You are correct Trump doesn't think that much. Using bluff, trade bullying, threats to make countries bend the knee merely shows arrogance, entitlement and an overblown ego. So, yes China plays Go. Trump plays chess. Different rules applied to accessing global purse, power and control.
↩ replying to Jeff Booth
Something fishy is going on with lex. He's deleted podcasts as well. I think he deleted podcasts with shivon zillas maybe cause he has too big a crush on her. Also found out yesterday he deleted podcasts #100 which was with his dad. He wants to cover up that he actually didn't go to MIT. So like Rogan and Elon he probably stopped talking about Bitcoin and having btcers on air. But his podcast with Michael saylor is part of what orange pilled me. Amongst some other stuff going on at the time.
Oh, you didn't know the market economy only listens to red or blue? Politics has been theatre for a long time. The curtain is beginning to lift and the people are seeing the gears worked and the building are just a facade. The only problem is that the drama was played with their own stored value.
Thanks for your story, I think it's an extremely important issue. I think not many people realise that many podcasts that they see as alternative media are now basically mainstream media. They are captured and purely used for propaganda. I think it's mostly the bigger political right pods and the big tech ones. Keywords like 'golden age', 'they run the government as a business' and 'Thiel and Musk are libertarians' are massive red flags. Don't consider every #podcast 'alternative media' people, many are just mainstream media now. #freedom