Let Them Drink Bleach

Let Them Drink Bleach

Author: Jacob Shapiro & Marko Papic April 8, 2025 Duration: 49:43

Trump's tariff chaos isn’t strategy - it’s a policy car crash in slow motion. Jacob Shapiro and Marko Papic walk listeners through how we got here: tariffs based on 6th grade math, no off-ramps, and the U.S. launching a trade war… against everyone. Meanwhile, the rest of the world’s like, cool, we’ll just trade with each other. This isn’t about toaster prices—it’s about the U.S. exporting its own recession. If April 9th isn’t the pivot, buckle up.

Come for the analysis; stay for Marko’s tortured basketball metaphor at the end.

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Introduction

(00:32) - Unexpected Market Concerns

(01:43) - Tariffs and Market Reactions

(03:33) - Global Trade Dynamics

(05:06) - Impact on US Industries

(12:39) - Agricultural and Energy Sectors

(19:30) - Global Economic Shifts

(26:43) - Trump's Acceleration and Structuralism

(27:04) - Insane Policymaking and Tariffs

(28:17) - The Importance of Due Process

(29:13) - Arbitrary Policies and Financial Concerns

(33:20) - Market Timing and Optimism

(36:37) - Geopolitical Constraints and Future Outlook

(44:00 ) - Kevin Durant and Trade Barriers Analogy

(49:19) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts


There’s a certain kind of conversation that happens when two deeply knowledgeable friends, who also happen to be professional geopolitical analysts, get together without a script. That’s the space Geopolitical Cousins occupies. Hosts Jacob Shapiro and Marko Papic bring their distinct perspectives-often aligned, sometimes clashing-to dissect the forces shaping our world, from market-moving policies to underlying cultural shifts. You won’t find dry, academic lectures here. Instead, each episode feels like you’re overhearing a lively, sometimes comedic debate between two cousins at a family gathering, if that family was obsessed with the intersection of power, philosophy, and investment. The analysis is rigorous and in-depth, yet delivered with a relatable ease that can pivot from a serious interview with an expert to an off-the-wall observation about societal quirks. This podcast digs into the "why" behind the headlines, exploring how business, culture, and human nature collide on the global stage. By weaving together categories that are often kept separate-society, investing, comedy, philosophy-Shapiro and Papic create a uniquely holistic listen. Tune in for a perspective that is as intellectually substantial as it is unpredictably engaging.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 54

Geopolitical Cousins
Podcast Episodes
Get Off Our Lawn! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:22
Jacob and Marko make a cousins episode happen even as Jacob is moving into a new office and Marko is on the road – at one point he was literally recording from a bathroom at a hotel in Fort Lauderdale because that is the…
Will the U.S. go to War with Iran? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:57:40
Jacob and Marko run down the most important issues of the week: Will the U.S. go to war with Iran? Why did President Erdogan arrest his top rival? Is Indonesia helping or hurting itself by courting its military? And is C…
F*cking Around and Finding Out [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:38
The inaugural episode of the Geopolitical Cousins podcast sees Marko and Jacob wax philosophical about net assessments, debate where the Trump administration thinks the world is multipolar, and interrogate what the futur…