Capitalism, Socialism, or Chaos? Your Guide to Navigating Economic Downturns | The Tom Bilyeu Show

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Impact Theory

Education, News, News Commentary, Philosophy, Technology, Society & Culture, Business, Self-improvement

4.7 • 5.1K Ratings

🗓️ 4 September 2025

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Welcome back to Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu! In today’s special Q&A deep dive, Tom and co-host Drew respond directly to your hottest takes and burning questions inspired by their recent viral video, “The Things That Happened Right Before Collapse.” Together, they tackle wide-ranging topics—exploring America’s mounting debt crisis, inflation, the struggle of average people to get ahead, and the growing wealth gap that’s fueling frustration across the country. Tom delivers his famously unfiltered perspective on why the U.S. economy is in far deeper trouble than many people realize, challenging conventional wisdom about reserve currencies, military might, and the government's ability to ‘soft default’ through inflation. He breaks down how these forces squeeze the middle class and details the predictable historical cycles—referencing everything from the fall of past empires to today’s socioeconomic malaise. The conversation also dives into passionate debates from the comment section, from capitalism versus socialism to debt forgiveness, and practical advice for protecting yourself in uncertain times. Tom and Drew address critics head-on, unpack common misconceptions about asset ownership, and even discuss the emotional side of wealth and purpose. SHOWNOTES 00:00 Debt Growth and Wealth Disparity 08:45 "Discovering Inflation's True Origins" 14:45 "End of the American Dream" 20:18 Middle Class vs. Socialism Debate 34:38 Treaty of Versailles' Consequences 49:58 Lynn Alden's All-Weather Strategy 58:03 Quest University: Teaching Success Rules 01:00:51 "Leveraging Audience for Success" CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS Allio Capital: Macro investing for people who want to understand the big picture. Download their app in the App Store or at Google Play, or text my name “TOM” to 511511. ButcherBox: Ready to level up your meals? Go to ⁠⁠https://butcherbox.com/impact⁠⁠ to get $20 off your first box and FREE bacon for life with the Bilyeu Box! Linkedin: Post your job free at ⁠⁠https://linkedin.com/impacttheory⁠⁠ Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at ⁠⁠https://shopify.com/impact⁠⁠ Hims: Start your free online visit today at ⁠⁠https://hims.com/IMPACT⁠⁠. SleepMe: Visit ⁠⁠https://sleep.me/impact⁠⁠ to get your Chilipad and save 20% with code IMPACT. Try it risk-free with their 30-night sleep trial and free shipping. Vital Proteins: Get 20% off by going to ⁠⁠https://www.vitalproteins.com⁠⁠ and entering promo code IMPACT at check out What's up, everybody? It's Tom Bilyeu here: If you want my help... STARTING a business:⁠⁠ join me here at ZERO TO FOUNDER⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://tombilyeu.com/zero-to-founder?utm_campaign=Podcast%20Offer&utm_source=podca[%E2%80%A6]d%20end%20of%20show&utm_content=podcast%20ad%20end%20of%20show⁠⁠ SCALING a business:⁠⁠ see if you qualify here.⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://tombilyeu.com/call⁠⁠ Get my battle-tested strategies and insights delivered weekly to your inbox:⁠⁠ sign up here.⁠⁠: ⁠⁠https://tombilyeu.com/⁠⁠ ********************************************************************** If you're serious about leveling up your life, I urge you to check out my new podcast,⁠⁠ Tom Bilyeu’s Mindset Playbook⁠⁠ —a goldmine of my most impactful episodes on mindset, business, and health. Trust me, your future self will thank you. ********************************************************************** FOLLOW TOM: Instagram:⁠⁠ https://www.instagram.com/tombilyeu/⁠⁠ Tik Tok:⁠⁠ https://www.tiktok.com/@tombilyeu?lang=en⁠⁠ Twitter:⁠⁠ https://twitter.com/tombilyeu⁠⁠ YouTube:⁠⁠ https://www.youtube.com/@TomBilyeu⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Our latest video on the things that happened right before a collapse is going crazy.
0:05.3	You guys asked, we are now here to answer without further ado.
0:09.7	Drew, what do people have to say about this video?
0:12.8	Let's jump into the comment section.
0:14.8	Jim Dreyer won.
0:16.2	Like your videos, Tom, and you make very valid points.
0:19.2	But I can't agree with you 100% of the time. can't agree with you a hundred percent of the time
0:21.2	the u.s is the u.s is far from a debt crisis we may get there in the future but it's going to take a while
0:27.2	the dollar is the world's reserve currency and the u.s has the strongest military in the world those two
0:33.0	factors give us a lot of leeway on debt additionally some context you hold on hold on okay this whole thing that it gives us leeway on debt. Additionally, some context needed... Hold on, hold, hold. Okay, this whole thing that it gives us leeway on debt, they're not wrong. But that is the most moronic thing to say. So imagine, Drew, that I'm racing towards a cliff. And as we're going to the cliff, it's like, bro, this car is number one in like crash safety.
0:56.3	We're all going to be fine.
0:57.3	No, no, no.
0:57.7	We're still going to die at the bottom of the cliff.
1:01.3	The car may crumple in the most useful way possible.
1:05.2	But that steering wheel is still going to punch through my sternum.
1:09.2	So I do not understand what people are trying to convince me of.
1:12.4	Can they not see young people have been completely priced out of home buying? Can they not see
1:19.3	homes are the only asset people understand intuitively? Can they not see that inflation robs them of
1:24.2	their buying power? Can they not see that real wages have stagnated? Can
1:27.5	they not see that we have offshored so many jobs that now the rate of deaths of despair that men
1:33.8	particularly die from is skyrocketing? Like I'm what metric are they looking at to be like this
1:39.1	isn't a problem? Okay. Can I play devil's advocate? Please push back violently. Um, the mafia boss who cuts off your finger when you don't pay him, like, I'm incentivized to pay him because I like my fingers. I don't know if there's a country in the U.S. that's going to come around like, hey, U.S., I need that money. And we're going to be like, ooh, like, are you high? We can fight China. We got a lot of bases. China, first of all, China's already selling our debt.
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