The U.S. Election, Seen From an Unorthodox Economic Slant

On the Ones and Tooze podcast, I discuss the world’s top news from an economic perspective with my erudite and voluble co-host: FP columnist Adam Tooze. That means that over the past year, we’ve discussed the U.S. presidential election repeatedly.

Taken together, our conversations trace the contours of the race—from questions about U.S. President Joe Biden’s fitness for reelection to former President Donald Trump’s conviction on charges of business fraud to the sudden rise of Vice President Kamala Harris—from an unorthodox economic slant.

Here’s a look back at a few of those discussions, with some choice Tooze quotes.

What America’s Gerontocracy Means for Its Economy

“Across the board, on average, there are simply racks and racks and racks and racks of medical papers demonstrating that with age, there is both deterioration of mental function and an enormous increase in the risk of the onset of serious neurological ailments and diseases.”

How Trump’s Conservative Populism Divides CEOs

“Many of the tariff proposals that the Trumpians are making are not just in violation of the World Trade Organization but much more significantly, they’re in violation of the trade arrangement with Mexico and Canada … which is overwhelmingly America’s most important trade relation.”

How a Harris Administration Would Steer the Economy

“I think Harris belongs on the mainstream, relatively pro-business, pro-Silicon Valley side of the administration at this point. And I do think that’s a generational thing. She comes into prominence at precisely the moment before the euphoria around tech has really broken.”