Trump, Tariffs, and the New 80s: America's Next Cultural Reset

"Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg

This week, Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg discuss Silicon Valley's cultural influence, Marc Andreessen's predictions, what comes after wokeness, tariffs on China, Reaganomics, the 'polycrisis,' the future of industrial policy, and political dynamics involving Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and Paul Krugman.

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Highlights from the Episode:

• The decline of "wokeness" follows historical patterns of social movements, with San Francisco leading both adoption and abandonment of cultural trends.
• Industrial policy and targeted tariffs are crucial for American manufacturing competitiveness, particularly in relation to China.
• The challenges of implementing meaningful austerity measures in the US government and the necessity of making difficult policy choices.
• The complex relationship between Trump and Elon Musk's competing visions for America's economic and foreign policy future.
• Paul Krugman's legacy: Reviving Keynesian economics during Great Recession.

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LINKS:

Noahpinion: https://www.noahpinion.blog/

Marc Andreessen on Trump, the vibe shift, and what’s after wokeness: https://youtu.be/l8X8jecivWw?si=ZKfdrvEetz8sZ6Hi

The Wokeness series: https://www.noahpinion.blog/p/the-wokeness-series

Ready Player One: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one

We Have Never Been Woke: https://www.amazon.com/Have-Never-Been-Woke-Contradictions/dp/0691232601

Musa al-Garbhi Substack: https://musaalgharbi.substack.com/

Akira: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094625/

The Big Chill: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085244/