258 - Richard Wolff: Donald Trump’s Tariff War Dissected

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Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Richard’s ninth appearance on Robinson’s Podcast. In this episode, Richard and Robinson discuss the tariffs that President Donald Trump would like to place on goods imported from around the world. More particularly, they cover the real problems America is facing that Trump has to solve, the connection to Russia, China, and the BRICS, Elon Musk and electric vehicles, and more. Richard’s latest book is Understanding Capitalism (Democracy at Work, 2024).

Understanding Capitalism (Book): https://www.democracyatwork.info/understanding_capitalism

Richard’s Website: https://www.rdwolff.com

Economic Update: https://www.democracyatwork.info/economicupdate

OUTLINE

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:07 Is Trump’s Tariff Plan Nuts?

00:06:31 Is the United States Unsustainable?

00:15:33 Can Tariffs Solve America’s Debt Problems?

00:19:17 Tesla’s Electric Vehicle Tariff War on China

00:25:19 The Declining American Empire

00:32:53 Exposing the Myths About Trump’s Tariffs

00:44:55 The Empty Promises of American Politics

00:53:54 Why DC Doesn’t Have Representation in Congress

01:00:22 The Bizarre Alliance Between Israel and the United States

01:04:48 Why Russia Is Exempt from Trump’s Tariffs

01:13:48 Are Israel and the United States “Winning” Against Gaza?

01:24:25 How Wealth Now Controls the United States

01:27:52 On The Impending Economic Downturn in the United States

01:31:47 How Trump is Turning Allies into Enemies

01:37:12 America’s Terrible Healthcare

01:42:25 Who Really Rules America?

01:57:04 How Should Trump Solve America’s Real Problems?

02:04:39 What America Can Learn from Britain’s Collapse

Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com

Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University, where is also a JD candidate in the Law School.