The Peter Zeihan Podcast Series

Today we're discussing the Trump administration's 96th tariff policy which imposes port fees on Chinese ships.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-fire-hose-of-chaos-port-fees

In the past, we've chatted through the domestic issues facing New Zealand, so let's discuss the economic future of the ~5 million Kiwis in the context of the shifting global landscape.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/will-new-zealand-dive-or-thrive

Well, the Russian Reach series needed an update, and it's not a pretty one. The infiltration of the US government by Russian interests is growing and I don't see an end in sight.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/a-concerning-update-to-the-russian-reach-series

The green transition in the US has made great progress in recent years, but the wheels are falling off. This is largely due to economic pressures, lack of financing, and the new tariffs instituted by Trump.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-green-transition-is-over

With everything that's going on in the US, it makes sense that foreign investors decided to dump US T-Bills. But what does this mean for the government debt market and the future of the USD?Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-fire-hose-of-chaos-government-debt

Pete Hegseth, the current Secretary of Defense, has been doing his best to completely dismantle the United States' ability to fight a war now or in the future. Let's look at why this is happening...Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/what-is-hegseth-doing

The Trump administration has introduced a level of chaos that can only result in one thing: corruption. I'm not talking about starting a cryptocurrency or manipulating the stock market, this is deeper.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-fire-hose-of-chaos-corruption

US efforts against fentanyl have been ramping up. Specifically, the Trump administration has turned its focus to one specific Mexican cartel - La Familia Michoacana.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/why-theres-no-fentanyl-in-easter-eggs-this-year

The US is plugging a loophole in the trade system called "de minimis" which allowed imported goods under $800 to bypass tariffs and traditional customs processes. This system will end on May 2, and these small packages will now face a 90% tariff and $75 minimum fee.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/bye-bye-de-minimis

The Trump administration can put out as much trade deal fluff as they want, but the reality is that the internal dysfunction and unpredictable nature of this admin will impede most deals from ever making it out of an email chain.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/dont-expect-many-trade-deals

What could have happened much, much further down the road (or even avoided given the right circumstances) is now in the headlines - the US is headed into a recession.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/wait-the-recession-is-already-here

Here's a video I recorded while I was in New Zealand at the end of 2024. In this video, we cover a question that the US is still trying to answer - should the US maintain its presence in the Middle East?Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/should-the-us-stay-in-the-middle-east

Trump's endless tariff policies will likely hit just about every corner of the American economy, but the US housing industry is poised to take a devastating blow.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/i-hope-you-didnt-want-to-buy-a-home

If you're like me, you've probably sat at your computer for hours on end, reading tons of articles, watching countless interviews, and you still have one question...Does Trump have any strategy at all?Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/is-trump-playing-4d-chess

The tariffs on China are now effectively 145% and penalties tied to Venezuelan oil could raise that to 170%. Trump's tariff policies are nearing the triple digits, so the level of uncertainty filling every board room is chilling.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/of-tariffs-manufacturing-and-psas

It's hard to equate Trump's tariff policies to much of anything, but the movie "Unstoppable" where Denzel Washington needs to stop a runaway train might be the best I can come up with.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/a-new-trade-act

One of the countries who got caught up in the 'Liberation Day' crossfire was Vietnam. Through an arbitrary and poorly informed process, Vietnam was slapped with a 46% tariff.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/tariff-spotlight-vietnam

The Spaniards have been on an economic hot streak as of late. So, what have they been doing right, and will this streak continue?Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/ostia-spains-economy-is-booming

The 2025 US threat assessment has revealed that India is now a significant source of precursor chemicals used in fentanyl production, alongside China.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/india-complicates-the-us-fentanyl-crisis

It appears that democracy has fallen in Turkey, as Erdogan has arrested his only major political challenger - Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu. With Erdogan's suppression of his (only) political opposition, he has signaled the transition from a democracy to an autocracy.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/turkey-takes-a-break-from-democracy

Our next Live Q&A on Patreon is here! On April 9, Peter will join the Analyst members on Patreon for question time! In order to get in on the fun, join the 'Analyst tier' on Patreon before April 9.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanWell, the fat lady ain't singing yet. Late yesterday, more updates on Trump's tariffs were released.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-tariffs-stalk-at-midnight

Our next Live Q&A on Patreon is here! On April 9, Peter will join the Analyst members on Patreon for question time! In order to get in on the fun, join the 'Analyst tier' on Patreon before April 9.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanTrump has announced his first big batch of tariffs (that's right, what's happened until this point is fairly small compared to the new stuff). Here's a snapshot of where this one round will take us...Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/trumps-tariffs-reciprocal-edition

Our next Live Q&A on Patreon is here! On April 9, Peter will join the Analyst members on Patreon for question time! In order to get in on the fun, join the 'Analyst tier' on Patreon before April 9.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanWell, it finally happened. Word got back to President Trump that Putin and the Russians were making a fool of him in their negotiations and peace talks, so the obvious next step is to throw some more tariffs at them...Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/secondary-tariffs-and-trump-gets-pissed-off

Our next Live Q&A on Patreon is here! On April 9, Peter will join the Analyst members on Patreon for question time! In order to get in on the fun, join the 'Analyst tier' on Patreon before April 9.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanOn March 25, President Trump announced a new 25% tariff on purchases of Venezuelan crude. There's a lot going on with this one, so let's cover the micro and macro.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/secondary-tariffs-and-trump-gets-pissed-off

Our next Live Q&A on Patreon is here! On April 9, Peter will join the Analyst members on Patreon for question time! In order to get in on the fun, join the 'Analyst tier' on Patreon before April 9.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanSignalgate. Well...Shit.

Our next Live Q&A on Patreon is here! On April 9, Peter will join the Analyst members on Patreon for question time! In order to get in on the fun, join the 'Analyst tier' on Patreon before April 9.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanThe Trump administration announced a 25% tariff on imported cars and car parts. While this tariff isn't as severe as the others expected on April 2, it will still increase the cost of vehicles in the US by $2-3k on average.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/immigration-and-auto-tariffs

Our next Live Q&A on Patreon is here! On April 9, Peter will join the Analyst members on Patreon for question time! In order to get in on the fun, join the 'Analyst tier' on Patreon before April 9.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanThe Trump administration has decided to rescind legal status for over half a million immigrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti. If you've listened to any of my videos, you’ll know there are some glaring holes in this decision.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/immigration-and-auto-tariffs

Our next Live Q&A on Patreon is here! On April 9, Peter will join the Analyst members on Patreon for question time! In order to get in on the fun, join the 'Analyst tier' on Patreon before April 9.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanThe Supreme Allied Commander position in NATO allows the US to lead allied forces in wartime. However, the Trump administration is considering withdrawing the US from that position (mainly for cost-cutting reasons).Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-future-of-natos-supreme-allied-commander

President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have announced the approval of the Air Force’s newest toy, the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) platform, aka the F-47 fighter jet.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-ngad-platform-f-47

I recorded this video before Trump took office for his second term. At the time, this video outlined the trajectory the US was on. We held off on releasing the video because...well, everything was going to be changing.We'll be doing a deep dive on all of this during the Live Q&A on April 9 over on Patreon.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-american-reindustrialization

If you look back at my videos covering a potential future recession, you'll notice that I really wasn't too concerned in the short term. Well, this next set of tariffs to be announced in early April, might change all of that.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/getting-ready-for-trumps-tariffs

Israel has resumed military operations in Gaza, so any ceasefire or hostage deal that was on the table can be kissed goodbye.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/gaza-goes-back-to-square-one

Our next Live Q&A on Patreon is here! On April 9, Peter will join the Analyst members on Patreon for question time! In order to get in on the fun, join the 'Analyst tier' on Patreon before April 9.Link to join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanAs the Trump administration shifts US foreign policy, several countries are taking notice of the rising global instability. It looks like the nuclear question is getting thrown around by quite a few of those countries.Full Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/going-nuclear-live-qa-announcement

Here's a quick update on what's going on in the Ukraine War and the discussions of a potential ceasefire.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-ukraine-war-ceasefire

How about some positive news to start your day? A study was just released showing that fentanyl deaths in the US peaked in 2022 or early 2023 and have been declining since.Study link: https://opioiddatalab.ghost.io/peak-od-phenotypes/Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/fentanyl-isnt-as-lethalwhat-happened

Today on the paid Patreon page, I released the full video covering Trump's next round of tariffs set for early April and the impact they'll have on the economy. For access to that video, join the Patreon now!We’re also excited to announce our next LIVE Q&A session will be on April 9th! This is an exclusive perk for our Analyst members on Patreon. More info can be found on the Patreon page.Click the link below to join the Patreon…Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihan

A nice convo with mom and dad can always yield some new ideas, so if all you get from this video is "give your parents a call" - I'll consider that a win. The TLDR of our convo is that you shouldn't expect good policy from the Trump Administration.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/why-you-shouldnt-expect-good-policy

This video was originally posted on Patreon on Feb. 19, 2025. At the time, negotiations were just beginning between the US and Russia on the topic of Ukraine.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/russia-nato-and-negotiations

If you thought that Putin already had enough to dream about based upon yesterday's video, I've got news for you. Today, we'll be adding some more items to Russia's wish list.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-russian-reach-russias-wish-list-part-2

The Russians have already achieved a major intelligence breakthrough by influencing American leadership, but what if they started really swinging for the fences? What would be on the Russian wish list?Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-russian-reach-russias-wish-list-part-1

The long-term outlook for China is bleak. I've discussed it plenty. However, the Chinese are getting a little lovin' from an unexpected source.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-chinese-attempt-the-impossible

I've been on the receiving end of more than a few theories on what might be contributing to the absurdity that we're seeing. One of the more interesting ideas is that there could be some Christian ultranationalism on the table.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-russian-reach-christian-ultranationalism

Let's take a breather from the Russian Reach series and talk about something going on in Africa. Specifically, we'll be looking at the escalating conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/making-sense-of-africa

Government-backed paramilitary forces (supported by Turkey) in Syria's Alawite enclave brutally suppressed the Alawite opposition. The Alawites are now seeking protection at Russian military bases as the Sunni-led government consolidates power.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/a-fresh-mess-in-syria

If Russia's influence can make its way into the US on the scale we're discussing, you can only imagine how bad it is in places like Romania.In December of last year, we discussed the "Red Strings in Romania" (which you can watch here: https://youtu.be/LP7tkPO6Wqk ) - but things have ramped up.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-russian-reach-a-grip-on-romania

The Russian intelligence system is comprised of a vast and interconnected network of agents. Each of these pawns plays a different role in supporting the "king" back in Moscow.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-russian-reach-categorizing-intelligence-agents

This is part 2 of my attempt at catching up to current events in our Russian Reach series...Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-russian-reach-playing-catch-up-pt-2

We're only four days into this series and somehow it seems as though we're weeks behind current events. So, I'm doing some rapid fire updates this weekend to bring everyone up to speed.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-russian-reach-playing-catch-up-pt-1

The US has halted all intelligence sharing with Ukraine. If you thought the weapons cutoff was a big deal, buckle up.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-russian-reach-us-cuts-ukraine-intel-dominos-fall

Putin, like the Soviets before him, is clouded by fear of invasion due to Russia's vulnerable geography. Understanding that makes Russia's strategy of expansion and occupation towards defensible borders clearer.Join the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/PeterZeihanFull Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/zeihan/the-russian-reach-geography-and-intelligence