Squawk Pod

Socialism Vs. Capitalism & Diesel Exports 9/23/26

Squawk Pod

Show Notes

As support for Democratic Socialists grows around the country, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has launched a “Free Enterprise Express” bus tour to educate Americans on free market capitalism. President and CEO of the Chamber Suzanne Clark discusses the marketing of capitalism and its support–and frustrations–across the nation. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) discusses the fractures within his own party, including the rising popularity of DSA and growing discontent with the billionaires in his own district, Silicon Valley. Plus, President Trump said he’s in support of a full or partial ban on diesel exports, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent could be the next White House AI czar, and the Trump administration has removed about 760,000 Obamacare enrollments, alleging fraud.

Rep. Ro Khanna - 14:59 Suzanne Clark - 31:39

In this episode: Ro Khanna, @RepRoKhanna Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie

More from Squawk Pod

Oct 22, 2026

Ahead of Anthropic’s highly-anticipated IPO on the Nasdaq, Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman discusses her exchange’s strategy to win listings in the AI IPO race. Tesla reported its latest financials as the board considers the details of a SpaceX-Tesla merger. CNBC’s Steve Liesman shares the results of his latest All-America Economic Survey: sentiment on the economy is about as gloomy as it was immediately after the pandemic. Plus, former Bridgewater CIO Rebecca Patterson has penned a book of investing wisdom for market savvy folks without personal investing expertise. In a wide-ranging conversation, she discusses AI’s weights and buoys for the larger economy, global market risks, and market liquidity.

Oct 21, 2026

SpaceX shares jumped after it reported surging revenue growth and Elon Musk floated a potential merger of the company with Tesla. Altimeter Capital’s Brad Gerstner says Musk needs to make sure a deal is fair for Tesla shareholders and expects at least a 30% premium to where the stock trades today. United Airlines slashed its profit outlook as fuel costs continue to bite. CEO Scott Kirby says airfares will have to go up in order for carriers to be profitable.

Oct 20, 2026

In Europe, it’s an autumn season of unrest. Council on Foreign Relations President Michael Froman discusses protests across France, Belgium, Italy, and other EU nations as politics, affordability, and upcoming elections collide for frustrated citizens. Froman also considers the path forward for the war in Ukraine, particularly after President Trump, Russian President Putin, and Chinese President Xi are considering a trilateral meeting about the conflict. OpenAI is reportedly aiming to accelerate fundraising before its own IPO and before Anthropic’s IPO, and Chinese tech giants Bytedance, Alibaba, and Tencent have placed massive chip orders from Nvidia. Plus, Director of Villanova’s Sports Law and Business Program Andrew Brandt is ready for the first NBA faceoffs of the season. The most anticipated game will tip off at Madison Square Garden, where LeBron James will make his season debut at the Knicks and 76ers match-up.

Oct 19, 2026

From the White House, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett emphasizes consumer sentiment as key to interpreting economic and inflation data. As national cases of the measles rise, former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb discusses public health and the FDA’s launch of its Rare Disease Framework Initiative for drug development. Russian President Putin has floated a summit between himself, Chinese President Xi, and President Trump to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, reportedly not included in that summit, has suggested that the U.S. government’s actions have hindered Ukraine’s war defense, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has fired back at President Zelenskyy’s accusations. Plus, the Elizabeth Holmes documentary scored the largest open for a non-music documentary in two decades, Anthropic has announced an intention to donate 5% of its shares to a “public benefit fund,” and Elon Musk has pledged a SpaceX share to every child in America.

Oct 16, 2026

The White House “Super Intelligence” task force held its first meeting yesterday amid growing calls to regulate AI. The group’s chair Jay Clayton joins us on his takeaways from the meeting and why the U.S. needs to be wary of foreign espionage attempts related to AI. Singer and songwriter John Legend’s pet food brand “Kismet” is sponsoring an upcoming Halloween dog parade in New York City. The EGOT-winner talks about why he built the business and his growing portfolio outside of music. Plus, Fed chairman Kevin Warsh refrains from signaling whether there will be another interest rate hike this year and Netflix replaces its Chief Content Officer.

See all episodes →