Show Notes
Doug Casey on oil's new floor, the $1.4 billion grift, and why the next president will make Trump look like a moderate Doug made a call on this week's episode that stopped me mid-conversation: he's betting Trump resigns before 2028. Not impeachment. Not the 25th Amendment. Resignation — dressed up, in Doug's telling, with "some nonsensical reason why. Well, time for Vance to get groomed or whatever." And he didn't stop there: "I'd also make book that Melania is going to divorce him." His suspicion? The Melania coin was part of the alimony settlement. You can dismiss that as Doug being Doug. But listen to the whole episode and the logic hangs together. Here's the chain. The money trail Trump's latest financial disclosure shows $1.4 billion in crypto earnings while in office. The Trump meme coin alone brought in $635 million. (Melania's coin managed about $6 million — which tells you something about the settlement theory.) Doug's read: "Those coins serve absolutely zero useful purpose. It's like giving somebody a book contract or a speaking fee to pass money to them. It's basically a grift." And that money has a job to do. "He'll need that money to mount a proper legal defense after he's out of office." A president facing legal exposure the moment he leaves power, sitting on a billion-plus war chest, in years Doug expects to get "so wild and wooly" that walking away becomes the smart trade — that's the resignation bet. Mussolini economics Doug's larger frame is that the grift isn't a side show — it's the system now. "He really is a modern-day reincarnation of Mussolini. His economic policies are actually identical to those of Benito Mussolini" — the US government buying stakes in companies on the open market, ten of them at this point, with the family positioned ahead of the deals. Take the Kazakhstan tungsten arrangement: Trump's sons get in, then the US government invests heavily. Millions of Americans look at that and call it capitalism. Doug's correction: "It's actually fascism at work, in the classic Mussolini definition of the word." And every time Trump is associated with free markets, he delegitimizes them a little more. What comes next is worse Mamdani won in New York and is now using his star power to elevate three more like-minded candidates into Congress. Doug isn't mincing words: "They're actual real communists that wanna overturn the entire nature of US life." Left and right, Americans are being radicalized against the system itself. Sanders, Obama, "drain the swamp," Mamdani — every one of those was a vote to tear something down. And the anger is monetary at its root, even if almost nobody can name it. M2 money supply surged $247 billion in May — the largest monthly jump since May 2021, when Washington was mailing checks to everyone with a pulse. We now sit $1.3 trillion above the peak of that printing orgy. That's what's laying waste to the average American's standard of living. They can't make ends meet, they can't explain why, and so they reach for "billionaires shouldn't exist." Doug's punchline on where the numbers go from here: "Trump is gonna have to ask what comes beyond a trillion. He doesn't know it, but it's a quadrillion. So that number is the next one we're gonna start hearing about." "It's all like a gambler on tilt at this point." The one trade hiding in all of this Amid the doom, Doug laid out the most concrete investment case he's made in months. The Hormuz standoff isn't getting resolved. Even under the best scenario, flows through the Strait will be controlled by Iran and its allies — restricted flows are the new baseline. Doug's conclusion: "Oil has reached a new base level at, let's say, $65 to $70 at a minimum." Now the anomaly: "During the last real oil bubble, which was in 1980, oil stocks were 20% of the S&P 500. Now they're 4%" — even though oil matters more to the world economy than ever. Some of these companies are yielding up to 10% in current dividends. "They're c
More from Doug Casey's Take
Doug Casey and Matt Smith on the gap between the flash and the bang. The war in the Middle East started February 28th, the Strait of Hormuz is choked, and Saudi Arabia and Yemen are now at war, yet most Americans still ask "What war?" Spot oil in the North Sea is $136 while the futures market says somewhere in the $90s. Why are markets disconnected from reality, and how long before the bang? Plus Saudi Arabia and MBS, Egypt, Israel fatigue, Indonesia's gas lines, AI and the new rust belt, the Fort Hood execution, and why Doug says "the shit will really have hit the fan" anytime between tomorrow and a couple of years from now. Find us at https://crisisinvesting.comAsk Doug a question: https://crisisinvesting.com (click "Ask Doug") See Doug at the New Orleans Investment Conference, Oct 28-31: https://neworleansconference.com/casey-2/ 00:00 Welcome And New Orleans 02:02 Worse Than The Worst Case 05:11 $136 Oil On The Ground 06:52 Markets You Can't Trust 10:36 Refineries And Fuel Shortages 13:03 Saudi Arabia Is Next 17:36 Egypt's Ticking Time Bomb 20:50 Israel Fatigue 26:04 Indonesia's Gas Lines 31:07 We Saw The Flash. Where's The Bang? 33:33 Rates, Bonds, And A Bifurcated America 36:09 AI And The New Rust Belt 39:37 Billionaires And Their Bodyguards 41:57 Kunstler And Agreeing To Disagree 44:37 Tankers In The Strait 47:36 Books: Vikings And The Mandibles 51:06 Overproduction Of Elites 52:33 Trump's $5,000 Video 54:09 The Fort Hood Execution 1:05:59 Press Secretary And Guilfoyle 1:09:23 Monica's Podcast 1:13:21 Wrap Up
Novelist and essayist James Howard Kunstler (The Long Emergency, the World Made by Hand series) joins Doug Casey and Matt Smith. Kunstler expects prosecutions after the midterms, starting with John Brennan's grand jury appearance. He also says the US military won't let radicals take the levers of power, and that the country has slid from high trust to no trust. Doug and Kunstler clash over the Iran war. Also: Europe tottering, why US shale is more fragile than it looks, what Kunstler got wrong in The Long Emergency, Israel and Gaza, Ukraine and NATO, and the deep state. Kunstler's Substack: https://www.kunstler.com Find us at https://crisisinvesting.com New Orleans Investment Conference, Oct 28-31: https://neworleansconference.com/casey-2/ 00:00 Welcome James Howard Kunstler 01:08 Will Anyone Face Justice? 07:11 Brennan Before A Grand Jury 13:39 Bondi, Bongino, And Silence 18:42 Will The Military Step In? 22:35 Two Flavors Of Authoritarianism 26:14 Civil War And A Trump Bet 28:54 Europe Is Tottering 31:10 Iran, Oil, And Shale 37:31 Doug Pushes Back On Iran 41:43 Islam And Europe's Future 45:39 Invasion, Hochul, And New York 49:55 Where Are The Men Of Quality? 51:41 Trump The Paradox 55:44 Markets, Bonds, And The Carry Trade 1:01:11 Kunstler On Gold 1:02:58 The Long Emergency, 20 Years On 1:05:15 From High Trust To No Trust 1:07:59 Half The Country Is Insane 1:12:13 A Steak Of Justice 1:15:13 Is Trump An Authoritarian? 1:18:37 Israel, Gaza, And Tucker 1:24:39 The Iran Blockade 1:26:08 Ukraine And Leaving NATO 1:28:11 Brennan And The Deep State 1:31:54 Wrap Up
Find us at www.crisisinvesting.com After a brief hiatus, Doug and Matt discuss Trump's escalating rhetoric about Iran potentially nuking U.S. cities and argue the U.S. bears historical responsibility for the conflict, citing oil interests, the CIA-backed coup against Mossadegh, the Shah, and the 1979–1980 embassy crisis. Doug says Trump's actions have worsened the situation, advocates a public apology and possible indemnity to de-escalate, and predicts Trump will not complete his term due to impeachment, the 25th Amendment, assassination, or broader instability. They debate nuclear delivery realities, warn that antagonizing adversaries invites catastrophe, and frame current conflicts—Middle East shipping chokepoints, Houthi-Saudi fighting, and Russia-Ukraine maritime attacks—as kindling for World War III. They also cover French unrest, demographic and religious shifts, bond-market stress, a potential tech-bubble burst, and conclude by favoring energy and mining stocks. 00:00 Back From Hiatus 00:28 Trump Iran Nukes Talk 03:07 Why Iran Hates US 05:45 Apology Not Escalation 07:55 Trump Term Prediction 09:43 Nuclear Delivery Reality 14:33 World War Three Path 15:12 Saudi Yemen Flashpoint 20:15 Chokepoints And Shipping 26:05 Empire Bases Vulnerable 27:52 Elections And Dissidents 30:36 Islam And Instability 31:52 France Protests Breakdown 36:46 Bond Market To Collapse 39:43 Fourth Turning Theory 41:22 Worst President Forecast 43:05 Wrap Up And Investing
Find us at www.crisisinvesting.com Doug and Matt discuss escalating Yemen-Houthi conflict impacts, including disruption of Saudi oil infrastructure and potential wider geopolitical fallout as oil supplies to Europe tighten and fuel prices rise. They pivot to U.S. policy and market fragility, criticizing short-term political decision-making (including possible diesel export bans), warning about deficits, rising rates, and a looming financial crisis, while outlining a defensive investment stance favoring gold, agriculture, and energy. They debate AI fear narratives as regulatory capture, question returns on massive AI capital spending, and consider state intervention if major firms fail, noting cheaper Chinese models undercut U.S. frontier labs. Viewer Q&A covers taking state money as a moral dilemma, risk management without stop-losses in illiquid resource stocks, prospects for conflict in Latin America vs. Africa/Middle East, evaluating moral character, Botswana's diamond dependence, legal system critiques, offshore vs. onshore precious-metals storage, private deal drawbacks, and future drone warfare shifting to swarms and eventually nanotechnology. 00:00 News and Viewer Qs 00:08 Houthis and Saudi Setback 06:03 Oil Shock and Markets 08:22 Diesel Export Ban Fallout 10:02 Trade Threats and Politics 13:25 Rates Debt and Bear Case 15:15 AI Fear and Regulation 18:35 China Models and Bubble Risk 21:29 Taking Money from State 24:52 Managing Trades Without Stops 27:25 Wars Latin America Outlook 28:14 Testing Character in Relationships 34:19 Botswana and Diamond Risk 35:59 Legal System as Slavery 37:02 Battle Bank vs Offshore Vaults 38:19 Private Deals Pros and Cons 40:04 Drones Swarms and Nanobots 44:11 Wrap Up and Italy Trip
Find us at www.crisisinvesting.com Doug speaking at New Orleans Investment Conference: https://neworleansconference.com/casey-2/ Doug and Matt reflect on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, arguing the official narrative remains unconvincing, citing unresolved issues like Building 7 and the lack of thorough investigation, and linking this to widespread public distrust in government. They discuss escalating Middle East conflict, including Houthi territorial gains in Yemen, threats to shipping near Bab-el-Mandeb, attacks on Saudi infrastructure, and U.S. strikes on Iranian-linked tankers, while noting oil prices and market fragility amid potential rate hikes; Doug discloses he has shorted Nasdaq. They compare alleged state cover-ups to the Charlie Kirk assassination and other disputed events, then address viewer questions on AI-driven job losses, potential debt defaults, protecting oneself via assets and residency abroad, central bank gold moves (including Argentina shipping gold to London), meetups and conferences, precious-metal storage jurisdictions, and Doug's negative view of Nike as an investment. 00:00 9/11 Anniversary Reflections 02:08 Doubting the Official Story 03:35 Building 7 and Media Oddities 07:45 Middle East Escalation and Oil 12:43 Charlie Kirk Conspiracy Questions 15:34 Trust Collapse and State Power 18:20 Trump 5K Proposal Fallout 23:08 Renaming Hormuz and Narcissism 25:27 AI Job Losses Market Impact 27:27 UBI via Tax Credits 28:57 Bribing Voters Warning 30:19 Default Fallout Prep 31:36 Hard vs Soft Default 33:28 Escape Political Risk 34:05 Central Banks Move Gold 35:53 DC Meetups and Events 39:13 Uruguay Free Zone Idea 40:06 Argentina Gold to London 44:25 Where to Store Metals 46:42 Nike Stock and Woke Brands 50:21 Weekend Sign Off