Why does Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang wax poetic about China? Why does Sundar “H-1B” Pichai, the CEO of illegal monopolist Google, let his employees focus on censoring conservatives instead of real business? Trump stands up to Xi Jinping by raising Jimmy Lai. Will the November debut of Polymarket US be another win for average investors vs. Wall Street poohbahs? Mark Simon and Christian Whiton discuss on this live edition of Domino Theory.
Chapters00:00 The China Dilemma in Tech03:08 Trump's Approach to Human Rights05:50 The Semiconductor Question09:03 Trump's Tactics11:57 Google's Woke Culture and Its Consequences31:26 The Future of Google and AI36:12 The Rise of Predictive Markets47:57 Political Predictions and the Role of Gambling
In this live episode of Domino Theory, Christian Whiton and Mark Simon discuss Trump's coming trip to Asia, how the tech bros misled Trump, Japan's new government, Indians and the H-1B scam, and whether to bring back the melting pot.Chapters00:00 Sanctions and Market Reactions02:54 Trump's Asia Trip and Diplomatic Dynamics05:52 Trade Talks and Rare Earths08:47 Japan's New Leadership and Economic Policies12:02 India's Modi and ASEAN Absence14:35 H-1B Visa Controversies and Immigration Issues17:48 Cultural Integration and American Identity20:41 Political Landscape and Upcoming Elections
In this first live episode of Domino Theory, Christian Whiton and Mark Simon discuss market turbulence, banking concerns, de-losering CBS News, China blinking on trade, Japan's political crossroads, and the phony baloney H-1B visa program. -Chapters00:00 Market Turbulence and Banking Concerns03:02 CBS News: fill or kill?05:45 China's Trade Tensions and Rare Earths12:01 U.S.-China Relations and Political Dynamics21:26 Crisis Stability and Global Leadership25:24 Japan's Political Landscape and Economic Challenges33:05 The H-1B Visa Controversy and Immigration Politics
Many in Taiwan have melted down over an article Christian Whiton published (linked below) about "How Trump Lost Taiwan." But typical of many in the government and among DPP denizens, there is more of an effort to discredit the messenger that address the message, including how to address business and quality-of-life issues in Taiwan and how to improve the island's defenses. Mark Simon and Christian Whiton discuss the blowback and what ought to be done.
"How Taiwan Lost Trump" by Christian Whiton: https://dominotheory.com/how-taiwan-lost-trump/
00:00 Meltdown over criticism
04:00 The sash brigade misleads
10:00 Taiwan doesn't get Trump world
15:00 M1 tanks in Taiwan
23:00 Japan and Philippines and war
29:10 Lai government's problems
35:00 Anti-business policies
40:00 The Philippines
47:20 KMT and a New Right in Taiwan?
Can the United States and Russia collaborate even as the Ukraine War continues? What is possible if the war stops and if it doesn’t? Fyodor Lukyanov, the prominent Russian expert in foreign affairs, research director at the Valdai Discussion Club, and editor in chief of the publication "Russia in Global Affairs" joins co-hosts Christian Whiton and Mark Simon to discuss Russia and the United States, Russia and China, Europe’s declining relevance to both powers, and how to improve relations.
00:00 Lead-in: Putting America first regarding Russia and Ukraine
07:06 What’s on Putin’s mind
11:30 Can US and Russia talk about the future?
16:45 Areas of possible US-Russia cooperation
22:40 Russia turning away from Europe?
29:40 Can US and Russia beef up non-official discussions?
36:30 Initiating better diplomacy
41:40 Russia and China
48:00 Chinese in eastern Russia
The world now knows that it has to take President Trump seriously. However, the deranged media is still lost. Trump has solid accomplishments heading toward his 100th day in office, but he needs to tighten his message and get Congress to enshrine some of his policies. Kelly Sadler, the commentary editor for The Washington Times who was a special assistant to President Donald Trump in his first administration joins co-hosts Christian Whiton and Mark Simon to discuss Trump, his accomplishments, the media, and who among his top aides are most effective and likely to last.
00:00 World Takes Trump Seriously
04:10 Trumps Trade and Comms Strategy
08:22 Trump Will Always Have Some Chaos
11:05 Wall Street Journal Soft on China
15:50 Media Even More Trump Deranged?
25:00 Trump May Be Best Media President
32:00 Naughty and Nice in Trump’s Cabinet
40:00 Who Can Push Back on Trump
Trump Shifts Trade and America's Future (guest Mark DiPlacido)
While the establishment goes nuts, President Trump's decision on tariffs marks the most fundamental turning point in decades--one that promises to set American on the path of long-term revival. So many "experts" have no idea what is going on and what it means. Former Trump administration trade official Mark DiPlacido of American Compass joins co-hosts Christian Whiton and Mark Simon to explain why Trump made his decision and what means for the economy and national power, including which sectors will prosper.
00:00 America Wakes Up on Trade
02:00 Trump and the Core of the Issue
07:00 Americans Losing New Foreign Asset Division
09:50 Chinese Acquiring Assets
10:20 Domestic Freight Set to Pick Up
14:20 Middle Class Wages
17:40 Dems and Some Republicans Deranged
24:25 Woke Dems Divorcing Working Class
33:50 Failures of Past Trade Deals
38:10 China Doesn’t Use Tariffs to Screw USA
40:05 “Laces” and Transshipping to Avoid Tariffs
Japan will fight, but Taiwan must up its game as U.S.-Asia policy changes dramatically. DOGE, Ukraine, and border security have dominated the early frenetic days of the second Trump administriaton. But behind the headlines looms major change in how the USA handles China and the future of Asia and the Pacifc. Trump has held summits with the leaders of Japan and India. China won’t fight conventionally; it will craft a new hybrid war. How hard Taiwan will fight in a China war remains unclear, but Steve Yates, Mark Simon and Chrisitan Whiton argue a changed Japan will fight. Is Trump’s imposition of 20% tariffs on China a warmup to delinkage or prelude to a deal. What does Elbridge Colby’s confirmation hearing to be under secretary of Defense for policy tell us about Trump policy? What can Taiwan do to curtain its growing estrangement from the United States?
00:00 Asia Policy
03:24 Early Trump Moves
07:45 Criticism of Taiwan Warranted
13:40 China Bad at Conventional War
16:36 Taiwan Can Be Less Bad
20:05 Taiwan vs MAGA
24:22 Transvestites Don’t Scare Beijing
35:26 China Uses Race
43:36 Removing China from Panama
Trump took more than a year to raise tariffs in his first term, but slapped China with higher levies just two weeks into Trump II and promised much more. Are we at the beginning of a global trade war or just seeing a more assertive United States? Does Trump want to use tariffs just to extract concessions on matters like immigration, drug cartels, and defense spending? Or does he want to use them to partially supplant the income tax with tariff revenue and eliminate trade deficits? Which countries will pay the most? Co-hosts Christian Whiton and Mark Simon discuss these matters with C.J. Mahoney, a deputy U.S. Trade Representative in Trump's first term.
Trump triumphs early in his second term, but decisions on TikTok raise questions. Former Justice Department official and leading legal mind John Yoo outlines the tremendous strides Trump is taking to restore national security and the rule of law, but also pitfalls that may diminish his successes. Topics include TikTok, birthright citizenship, impoundment, presidential power, and whether peace with France was unwise.
Trump’s fills out his team strongly with some controversial choices. Will the Senate confirm them and how will they perform? Trump’s threatened tariffs already working magic plus what we know about his negotiating style. Were the Bobs from “Office Space” prototypes for Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and their Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)? Will DOGE succeed? Plus: how the media makes up sources and whether they have learned anything from Trump’s election. Co-hosts Christian Whiton and Mark Simon interview Jeff Berkowitz, CEO of Delve and veteran of multiple successful presidential campaigns.
Timestamps
00:00 Trump transition strong
05:40 Trump’s new team
10:00 Will the Senate confirm?
15:11 Trump tariffs as negotiating strategy
20:00 Will Elon and Vivek succeed?
26:00 Media's fake news sources
38:10 Left scheming to thwart Trump
40:53 Rubio and running national security
47:20 Disassembling bureaucracies
52:32 Milton (“Office Space”) in the basement
Can Trump change the media? On this episode of Domino Theory, Neil Patel, the Co-Founder and CEO of Tucker Carlson Network and the Co-Founder and Publisher of the Daily Caller speaks with co-hosts Christian Whiton and Mark Simon. Topics include the runaway success of the Tucker Carlson Network, whether Trump will dump the hostile White House Correspondents Association and obsolete daily briefing, the impact of big tech censorship on the Daily Caller, the future of media bigs, Elon Musk’s media innovations, and plans for the Tucker Carlson Network.
On this episode of Domino Theory, co-hosts Christian Whiton and Mark Simon speak with Elliott Abrams about human rights in a notional Trump II administration. Abrams was as senior official in the Trump, Bush, and Reagan administrations. How did human rights become a woke progressive crusade, including against our allies, and how can a potentially reelected Trump and his top people bring it back to being a tool of unapologetic national power? We also throw around ideas for negotiating with governments like those of China and Russia, which is necessary, while still pressing human rights. BONUS: How the KGB got the attention of Tehran and its hostage-taking puppets in Lebanon.
00:00 How human rights went woke
04:00 Where to start de-Carterizing
07:45 Failure of Arab Spring
09:42 Egypt and Saudi governments are legitimate
15:30 High-information electorate’s impact
19:45 Talk to dictators, but raise human rights
23:55 Americans have gotten wise to Chicoms
29:00 Do democracy orgs still work?
35:50 Why do we allow Iran to threaten assassination?
40:10 Kicking kids of Chinese and Iranian elite out of US schools
44:20 How the KGB dealt with Iranian hostage-takers
We're joined by Garrett Exner from the Hudson Institute, previously a staffer for Sen. Ted Cruz, on this episode of Domino Theory with Christian Whiton and Mark Simon. Topics include Kamala Harris's deteriorating campaign and attempt to turn back the clock to appeasing China. 00:00 State of the presidential race01:40 Dolly steps up to help neglected hurricane victims04:40 What Kamala thinks about China and Taiwan 11:13 Who is telling Kamala what to say15:10 Differences between Trump and Kamala in Asia 17:00 Japan and other allies looking to USA20:15 Will whining Korea actually help the USA in war24:58 Taiwan "arts and crafts club" has no connection to MAGA30:33 China probably not ready for war34:40 Filipinos getting pissed at Chico's43:00 Who will win Congress and can Trump do better on personnel46:30 Kamala can't even do friendly media and coherent policy
On Domino Theory, Ned Ryun discusses the state of the 2024 presidential election, including turnout efforts and recent Trump advances in swing states, with co-hosts Christian Whiton and Mark Simon. Ned also discussed his new book: "American Leviathan: The Birth of the Administrative State and Progressive Authoritarianism."
00:00 Monologue - Trump victory coming into view
06:00 Dems and the unproductive part of the economy
12:18 Voters wising up to unelected bureaucrats
15:10 Whether media can be improved
23:00 Ugly history of progressivism
28:22 Trump got personnel wrong
34:10 Supreme Court opening to help cut administrative sate
40:54 Innovation at at the state level
43:45 The swamp and conformity
45:20 Comedians beating journalists
49:10 American Majority and trends that are helping Trump
In this first episode of "Domino Theory," a reboot of "Simon and Whiton," hosts Christian Whiton and Mark Simon, along with guest Steve Yates, delve into Trump as a shock to both parties and Kamala Harris's attempt in 2024 to redo Biden's 2020 basement campaign. Topics include: China's fentanyl war against America, which claimed the life of Steve's daughter, and why many Americans won't face it, what the Chicoms think about the U.S. election, the phony label of "isolationism," whether Taiwan and the Philippines will fight China, the dying media and what will survive, and why people trust comedians more than journalists.
Christian was an official in the Trump and Bush administrations, a finance guy, and the author of “Smart Power: Between Diplomacy and War.” Mark is a longtime media executive, deputy to imprisoned publisher and dissident Jimmy Lai, and a veteran of Asia-Pacific business and private equity. Steve was a deputy national security advisor in the Bush administration, the chairman of the Idaho Republican Party, and has held a number of other positions in government, business, and at think tanks.
Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to Domino Theory
00:44 Kamala’s Failed CNN Interview
06:36 Chicom View of U.S. politics
10:32 Taiwan’s Confusing Politics
20:51 Trump Outside the System, Not Isolationist
26:12 China’s Fentanyl War on the USA
32:09 The Failing Media and Money
38:12 Are Conservatives Succeeding in Media?
43:36 Christian’s Worst Pitch Ever
46:12 Woke Snowflakes in the Newsroom
Could the Philippines and the South China Sea could be a more likely flashpoint for war with China than Taiwan? How China could be set back 20 years in a conflict. Does the CIA’s old SMICE criteria (sex, money, ideology, compromise, ego) apply to U.S. executives who still bend the knee in Beijing? How demographics paint a grim picture for China, a mediocre one for Vietnam, but a good one for the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
The liquidation of Evergrande by a Hong Kong court accelerates China's real estate and economic crisis to a new speed, but how does it really affect Chinese individuals and banks? And will the effects impact political stability? But why is no one in the White House seeking to exploit this reality, and would officials in a second Biden term broach a bailout of China and the country's best and brightest make plans to leave? Mark Simon reports from Taipei in a discussion with Christian Whiton in the USA.
Taiwan’s ruling DPP party is poor on economics and lacks vision. Taiwan’s economy is stagnant. Its financial system is third rate. The last US bank (Citi) just departed. Can the ruling party salvage the situation? Meanwhile the U.S. presidential election and China’s economic malaise keep getting more interesting and U.S. businesses embarrassed themselves fawning over Xi Jinping in San Francisco.
What Hong Kong’s hysterical and deranged response to a media freedom discussion in Geneva tells us. Can Xi and the CCP escape the demographic and real estate doom loop? Filipino fisherman beat China at sea. Is Jakarta’s carbon exchange for real or just for fun?