Rise of Populism: Tom Bilyeu and Michael Malice Debate America’s Economic Crisis Part 1

Tom Bilyeu's Impact Theory

Impact Theory

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

4.7 • 5.1K Ratings

🗓️ 14 October 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this gripping two-part episode of Impact Theory, Tom Bilyeu welcomes back the ever-provocative Michael Malice—author, podcaster, and noted cultural commentator—for a wide-ranging and sharp-witted exploration of American decline, political polarization, and the state of the nation. Malice, renowned for his contrarian takes and deep dives into political history, brings his brand of irreverent insight to dissect the narratives of collapse and ascension in today's America. In Part 1, Tom and Michael confront the popular notion of America's “decline,” argue over metrics and historical context, and investigate whether we're truly on the verge of societal unraveling. The conversation journeys through economic pressures facing young people, the dangers of polarization and “soft secession,” and the historical parallels with past national struggles. With cutting banter and hard-hitting questions, they provide listeners with fresh perspectives on the culture wars, economic stagnation, and the rise of populism—all while refusing to shy away from uncomfortable truths. 00:00 – Intro 00:34 – anatomy of collapse 05:56 – Soft secession: State vs. federal power games 07:27 – Trade-offs, Trump derangement, and costs of polarization 08:39 – Paths ahead: Civil War, Argentina, or revolution? 10:46 – Revolution mechanics: Is another 1860s-style war possible? 13:12 – Violence, political unrest, and expanding executive power 16:06 – Economic crushing of young people and the rise of populism 17:58 – Housing, inflation, and the struggle for the American Dream 20:08 – Currency as a store of value: Societal ruin and a lack of political will 23:10 – The Japan counterargument and the threshold for crisis 26:07 – What drives people to “blink” in political standoffs? 28:24 – Party priorities, empty rhetoric, and pivoting for power 32:00 – Economic disenfranchisement, the myth of moderate politics 34:23 – Passing on generational wealth: Consequences of deficit spending 36:56 – Populism vs. establishment: Energies within parties 39:03 – Political novelty, enthusiasm gaps, and voter turnout 41:38 – Global leftward drift: Authoritarianism in Canada, UK, and beyond 44:01 – Free speech vs. soft totalitarianism: Censorship through crisis 46:13 – “The time for talk is over”—what this actually means FOLLOW MICHAEL MALICE: Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/michaelmalice⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/michaelmalice/⁠ Locals: ⁠https://malice.locals.com/⁠ Linkedin: Post your job free at ⁠https://linkedin.com/impacttheory⁠ Netsuite: Download the new e-book Navigating Global Trade: 3 Insights for Leaders at ⁠http://NetSuite.com/Theory⁠ Shopify: Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at ⁠https://shopify.com/impact⁠ Connectteam: 14 day free trial at ⁠https://connecteam.cc/46GxoTF⁠ Tailor Brands: 35% off ⁠https://tailorbrands.com/podcast35⁠ 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	I'm looking at America and I'm saying that we're really going through something. We are in decline. I would use even more dramatic words than that, but I want to get trapped in a linguistic game. Okay. So I'll just ask, do you think America is declining on any measure, any meaningful measurements? I would push back very heavily against that word. Okay, I avoided collapse because I know you hate that word. It's not collapse.
0:21.0	So how do you think of it?
0:22.1	First of all, it's not collapsed because if you can get bread, it's not collapse. Like right away, that's like the first metric. And when people start freaking out, America is destroyed. Can you readily get bread? Yes. Then it's not destroyed. Like, because we've seen countries where you can't get bread. Yeah, yeah, no, that's real.
0:35.4	And we were not even close to that.
0:36.4	Like, yeah, are we, hold on.
0:37.4	In fact, it might be a good thing if some people had a little less bread in this country. where you can't get bread. Yeah, no, that's real. We're not even close to that. Okay, are we? Hold on.
0:38.3	In fact, it might be a good thing if some people had a little less bread in this country than more. Go ahead, I interrupt you. So is there a metric by which you would say we are declining? You don't like the word decline, but... There are several metrics by I think we are in Ascension. I am a big fan of, broadly speaking, of this sort of Pax Americana, this idea that the world
0:59.8	is largely aware at all times, all countries, of America's power and American values,
1:08.1	and at least pay some sort of lip service to it. And I think that is in the ascension right now.
1:14.6	Really? You think the world is paying closer attention to American values now than say 15 years ago?
1:21.6	No, then say four years ago. I'm just talking about, you know.
1:23.6	Is this a regional ascension? meaning it was high, it dipped,
1:27.7	and now to some extent we're going back up, or you think on an all-time high basis,
1:32.5	hold on, hold on, I got you, I got, there's a lot to say here. Hold on. I didn't say all-time high,
1:37.5	but I think it's very clear that people are responding better for worse to Trump's shows of strength than they were to Biden. I think
1:47.2	we see this with NATO and the various European countries where on the one hand it's pretty obvious
1:52.3	that most of these prime ministers think Trump is a loon or a bully or so on and so forth,
1:56.8	but they are still meeting with him and engaging with him and treating him with a lot more respect, at least publicly,
2:02.6	than they did in the first term.
2:04.6	I think there's less space to be like taking a dump
2:07.6	on whoever happens to be the American president.
2:09.6	I think this, the fact that he tentatively has,
	...

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