Donald Trump’s tariffs could destabilize the global economy, warns economist Michael Hudson. US protectionist policies could cause financial crises, as many currencies depreciate and countries can't earn the dollars needed to pay their foreign debts. Ben Norton hosts the interview.

VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFyWatftnIM

Transcript: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/02/04/trump-tariffs-global-crisis-economist-michael-hudson/

Here you can read Michael Hudson's article on how Trump’s tariffs threaten the global economy: https://geopoliticaleconomy.com/2025/01/25/michael-hudson-trump-tariffs-global-economy/

Topics

0:00 Trump's tariff threats

3:10 Highlights of Michael Hudson

5:47 How to pay foreign debt

10:55 Austerity

14:48 Protectionism

17:19 US threats

21:11 Mexico

22:47 Defaulting on debt

25:46 Economic colonialism

28:18 Colombia

29:50 Greenland

30:23 Economic war

31:02 China's win-win approach

32:24 Trump's contradictions

35:20 US dollar & re-industrialization

37:06 Finance capitalism

41:00 Dollar exchange rate & inflation

44:34 Trump proposal at WEF/Davos

45:20 Investing in USA

47:18 US imperialism

49:17 Outro