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Tom Bilyeu's Impact Theory

China Just Paused Tariffs for 90 Days — Strategic Move or Dangerous Stalling Tactic? | The Tom Bilyeu Show

Tom Bilyeu's Impact Theory

Impact Theory

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

4.75.1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2025

⏱️ 77 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Welcome back to Impact Theory with Tom Bilyeu. In this episode, I sit down with my co-host Drew to rip into one of the most turbulent weeks in global politics and economics we’ve seen in a long time. We break down not just the moves, but the motives and the possible massive consequences behind Trump’s high-octane foreign policy—from slashing tariffs with China and locking in a colossal Saudi investment deal, to taking the unprecedented step of targeting Big Pharma with an executive order to lower drug prices. We get into whether all this fast action is actually helping America or just stirring up more chaos. Are we leveraging our moment, or just getting played by the likes of Xi and Putin? Does tough talk and bold negotiating end with real results for America, or are we setting ourselves up for long-term headaches, especially with midterms on the horizon? Then we peel back the layers on some of the rawest culture war issues, from immigration crackdowns in the UK, the controversy about a Muslim-majority city in Texas, to the viral video of world leaders acting out-of-pocket on a train to Kiev. SHOWNOTES 00:00 – China’s 90-Day Tariff Pause: Progress or a Lifeline for Xi? 01:42 – Negotiation Tactics: Deal-Making or Getting Played? 03:48 – The Real Purpose of the 90-Day Pause 05:16 – China Can Print Money: Central Banks and Sinister Power 07:13 – Trump’s Aggressive Approach: Productive Chaos? 09:14 – What’s Actually Getting Done—And What’s Just PR? 10:57 – Accepting a Gold-Plated Jet: Smart Move or Trojan Horse? 13:29 – Why “Greedy Capitalist” Isn’t Always an Insult 15:51 – When Deals Cross the Line 18:38 – Global Trade Rebalancing: Is Win-Win Possible with China? 21:17 – Breaking Down the $600 Billion Saudi Deal 24:23 – Why Innovation Stalled—and What Competition With China Could Spark 25:54 – Instilling Inspiration vs. Self-Loathing in American Youth 29:31 – Price Fixing Big Pharma: Popular, but Ultimately Dangerous? 32:15 – Central Banks: The Fungus Beneath the Free Market 36:07 – How Drug Pricing Actually Gets Decided (and Where It Breaks Down) 39:04 – Why Price Fixing Backfires 42:36 – Cigarettes, Prisons, and the True Nature of Supply & Demand 47:14 – Drug Discovery, Innovation, and Unintended Consequences 54:58 – Culture Wars: Immigration Policy in the UK and the US 58:34 – Building the Modern Middle East—Without Western Intervention 60:48 – The Harsh Realities of Assimilation and Cultural Conflict 65:35 – What Happens When Zoning and Religion Collide? 71:19 – Demographics as Destiny: What History Teaches About Outnumbering 74:00 – Respecting Law, Freedom, and What It Means to Be American CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS 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! Vital Proteins: Get 20% off by going to ⁠https://www.vitalproteins.com⁠ and entering promo code IMPACT at check out Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at ⁠https://shopify.com/impact⁠ Netsuite: Download the CFO’s Guide to AI and Machine Learning at ⁠https://NetSuite.com/THEORY⁠ iTrust Capital: Use code IMPACTGO when you sign up and fund your account to get a $100 bonus at ⁠https://www.itrustcapital.com/tombilyeu⁠  Mint Mobile: If you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at ⁠https://mintmobile.com/impact.⁠  DISCLAIMER: Upfront payment of $45 for 3-month 5 gigabyte plan required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customer offer for first 3 months only, then full-price plan options available. Taxes & fees extra. See MINT MOBILE for details. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Trump makes progress with China on the trade war and signs a deal with Saudi Arabia worth billions.

0:05.5

Trump takes on big pharma by signing an EO to reduce drug costs.

0:09.7

Qatar offers Trump a gold-plated sky yacht.

0:13.0

The Russia-Ukraine ceasefire drama continues.

0:15.4

Kirstarma warns about immigration getting out of control and a proposed Muslim city in Texas comes under scrutiny as rumors fly.

0:24.7

Drew, Trump moves fast, man, 100 days or not.

0:28.6

Like this guy is nonstop getting things done, but I hate to say some of the things that he's been getting done lately.

0:34.1

I'm not a big fan of.

0:36.8

Hey, well, he's taking a victory lap around this

0:38.6

China deal that he just booked. So it was a 90-day reduction in all the tariffs. The 145 rate that we levied

0:44.8

on them has came down to 30. The 125% reciprocal tariff they put on us has come down to 10

0:51.4

for 90 days. And this happened over the weekend with Switzerland.

0:55.0

It seems like it's going in the right direction.

0:56.8

But again, my question is, was the chaos worth it?

0:59.1

So where do you think we stand with it?

1:00.7

Well, I think there's a far bigger question, which is, are we being played by China?

1:05.6

Are we actually going to be able to paper the deal?

1:08.1

Honestly, I walk away from this and I go, okay, this is a step in the right direction in that we've got them to the table. They were saying

1:15.7

that they were not negotiating and made it sound like they had absolutely no interest. Obviously,

1:19.9

we're now talking. Trump is saying he's going to be speaking to G within the week. We'll see if

1:24.0

it transpires. He also said in the meeting that they revealed that they

1:30.1

were well aware that Biden wasn't going to do any pushback. And so as soon as Biden came into

...

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