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The James Altucher Show
00:39:29 2/26/2021

Transcript

This isn't your average business podcast, and he's not your average host. This is the James Altucher Show. So Jay, I have some news, but first off, we'll see if this turns into, like, a little series. I wanna talk about experiments. I feel like a lot of people and and this includes me. This is was me most of my life. Just, you know, you have your routine. You have your morning routine, your afternoon routine, your evening routine. You know what you're gonna do on Thursdays, on Mondays. And I write about this in Skip the Line. In order to really learn something, you have to do things. You can't just think about things. You have to do things. And, of course, I don't need to do things that have already been done. You need to do experiments. You need to experiment with things that you haven't done before. Of course, you wanna do safe experiments, and you don't wanna hurt anybody, and you don't wanna hurt yourself, and you don't wanna take huge risk, but that's the idea of experiments is that you have a theory that could improve your life or a theory that you wanna try out or an area that you wanna be better at life in, and so you figure out an experiment to make yourself better. A great example might be I always use comedy as an example, but I'll I'll use I'll do comedy then I'll do a business example. In comedy, if you wanna be better at dealing with a hostile crowd, here's an experiment. Do stand up comedy in a subway. It's scary, but it's easy. It's cheap. It costs nothing. Well, subway fare. So what what I don't even know what 2 25. 2.25. Wow. They raised prices. Yep. There's little downside. The worst case is a bunch of strangers heckle you. And there's huge upside, which is that you'll get better at dealing with a hostile crowd. And because people are only on the subway for a few minutes or seconds, you have to tighten up your jokes. So that an experiment like that, the upside is you'll greatly improve, and the downside is you'll learn a little bit something about yourself. You'll conquer your fears a little bit because it's very scary. I've done it, and you'll, have a story to tell. So in business, an experiment might be, well, I wonder if this product is good. And you make a little ad, and you put it on your Facebook page or maybe you advertise it on Facebook with a $20 budget, and you simply see if anyone clicks on it. Particularly, if strangers click on it, it might mean they wanna buy it. Like, let's say I designed some clothing, but I haven't made it yet. I'll make an ad for the clothing, and, like, let's say I have an astronaut helmet as a COVID mask, new COVID mask. It's the International Space Station COVID official COVID mask or some some jokey thing. And if people click on it, you know, buy now. And people click on it. Okay. You don't have it yet to sell it to them, but it's a way to test an idea. That's an experiment. You didn't know you maybe had a theory that people would like this, and then you do an experiment that's easy to set up, takes a few minutes, it's cheap, and you'll learn. Do people like this or not? And the downside is you learn they don't like it, and you also might learn how to do Facebook advertising if you had never done that before. It's pretty easy, so it's a good thing to try and experiment on. Or you have the upside is, oh my gosh. A 100% of the people who looked on this clicked it. That never happened before. This is gonna be a huge winner, and then you actually start selling it. Those are examples of experiments. And at any given point and I think experiments are a key component of skipping the line. So in the 19 sixties, there was this guy, Dick Fosbury. This guy was a high school athlete, and the way people used to do the high jump is they would run forward and then throw their legs up over the high bar and and jump forwards. And Dick Fosbury wanted to do an experiment. He's, like, what if I jump my legs are really long, and I keep hitting the bar. What if I jump backwards? And the coach is, like, well, yeah, that's insane. You should people have been doing this for a 100 years, and this is like his high school coach, and I write about his story in in SkipLine also. And, anyway, so he jumps backwards, and 2 years later, just 2 years later, he wins the gold medal in the Olympics and breaks every record. And now jumping backwards is called the Fosbury flop, and that's how everybody does it. So he did an experiment, and it had enormous upside. And if it didn't work, okay, he tried it. And he and and when you try something you love in a different way, it builds a holistic more holistic knowledge, like, more well rounded knowledge about this activity that you love. So that's that was the downside, and it was easy and cheap and so on. But, anyway, at any given point, I'm always doing 5 to 10 experiments and or I'm having ideas for experiments. And so I wanna make a series called my experiments, and maybe it'll encourage you to do similar kind of experiments, you know, encourage the listener, or maybe, you could just see how I think about these things. Because, again, this is the way not only to to learn something fast, but I mean really fast. Like, you you like, forget the 10000 hour rule. You just really need to do a 100 experiments in any area of your life, and you'll be in the top 1% in the world in that area. I am convinced of this because I've done it over and over again, and I've seen many of my podcast guests who are very much more successful than me do the same approach without even realizing it. So here's one experiment I'm doing. I'll discuss it a little bit, why I'm doing it, and maybe this will be a a short podcast. I would encourage you also to do this experiment because it's fascinating. And, you know, if you like this idea for a little miniseries of experiments and how to construct an experiment, how to basically improve any area of your life or learn new things, let me know on Twitter or whatever or write a review on iTunes, which always helps me out incredibly. When you write a review on Itunes, I feel like that it gives me so much dopamine. It's like a dopamine hit, and I and I feel like I need it occasionally. So, anyway, here's the experiment. I'm an official candidate according to the US government now. I'm an official candidate for president of the United States in 2024. And not only that, I think you should be come you, the listener, all the listeners should become candidates for president of the United States. First, let me explain that. You know, during this election, everybody was so polarized. You know, you're either, like, super republican or you're a super democrat. And it was really hard as you as I'm sure you guys know, particularly if you're listening to this, it was very hard to talk to people because you had to kinda, like, watch out. Like, woah. Are they this? Are they this? And, and then you couldn't say the wrong thing or you'd be canceled or that or that. And I'm talking about if you liked Biden, you know, people would say some things. Or if you like Trump, people would say some things. And I don't really care what people think. I am apolitical on purpose. I feel like the role of you know, I play a little bit of a role as a podcaster in that I wanna be politically neutral so I could have both Democrats and Republicans on the podcast and not have any cognitive bias toward between one or the other. I've had libertarians on. I had the the presidential candidate for the Libertarian party. I had Andrew Yang. I have I've had Ron Paul. I've had Republicans, Democrats, and for years. And so I feel it's important for me to be apolitical, although I learn a lot about the issues because I have I I research these people and I study the issues and so on. But it really disturbs me when this happens, when when the statistically impossible happens. So every like, everybody who is a Republican, they have, like, 80 issues, and they all believe the same way. Every Republican believes the same way on all 80 issues, and every Democrat believes the same way on all 80 of their issues. That's statistically impossible. Why should it be the case? I'll just use a random example. Why should it be the case that everyone who thinks hydroxychloroquine can cure COVID is also in favor of lower taxes. 75,000,000 people believe hydroxychloroquine can cure COVID, and, also, they believe that there should be lower taxes. And another 75,000,000 people who who don't like hydroxychloroquine also happen to magically think there should be higher taxes. So it's statistically impossible for so such for topics that have nothing to do with each other, for all everybody who's democrat to feel the exact same way about these two topics that have nothing at all to do with each other. And I'm just using that as an example, but you could take all the issues, and everybody got so polarized. By the way, not everybody. I'm exaggerating, but a large percentage. And you guys know what I'm talking about because it's your it's your family members, your your friends, your neighbors. You know some people where it's they're all correlated, which is statistically impossible. And I kept thinking to myself, a real democracy shouldn't always be the case where we have to always say, well, let's just vote for the lesser of 2 evils. And now I know some people really liked, you know, Trump was the best or Biden was the best or whatever, But a lot of people would say to me, I'm just voting for the lesser of 2 evils. Well, lesser of 2 evils is still evil. And wouldn't it be great if we had other choices that and people say, well, you can't vote for any 3rd party candidate because they're not gonna win, so it's a waste of a vote. Trust me. Most of your votes are wasted anyway because a 150,000,000 people vote, and it all boils down to a few states anyway. So any votes in New York or California or or other states, I don't even know, are kinda useless. And I remember there's this story by Isaac Asimov that just occurred to me. Jay, you seem like a science fiction guy. Do you know the story? It's, No. Let me just Google. Isaac Asimov election story. This story is called franchise. And, basically like, right now, political analysts say, well, everything's gonna boil down to Ohio. Ohio is the only state that's important, or this region is the only state region that's important. And in the future, Asimov kind of writes a story that they they narrow it down. Well, not only is this one state important, but this one county is the swing county in that state, and that's the only county where the votes are important. Well, in this county, there's one town, and in this town, there's one block. And so, finally, in the future, this computer called Multivac figures out that a single person is the swing voter for the entire country, and the whole story is about that. And that's it's kind of true even now, but it's just kind of funny that there was a story by asthma about it. But voting, yes, we have the right to vote, but it's not an obligation. You have the right to vote just like you have the right not to vote. I'm not judging anybody either way. Never never judge, something that's so innocuous. But people would say, well, if you don't vote for my candidate, basically, then you don't have the you don't you shouldn't have a voice in this country. And I was thinking to myself, you know, everybody should have a voice. And, really, I wanna listen to voices because I feel like most people are just talking BS. Like, most people either don't know the issues or they don't know the subtleties of the issues. These are very complicated issues because that's why they are issues. It's because they're so complicated that smart people have not yet solved them. But, you know, a lot of times politicians are just making promises to win, so you kind of don't really and I'm not criticizing any candidate for this. You kinda really don't know how someone really think what someone really thinks about an issue until they get elected because they might go back on their promises. This has happened with essentially every single president ever. The other thing I'll mention is that I went to newspapers.com, which is an archive of every newspaper since the 1700, and I I searched for the phrase, in quotes, most important election ever. And I wanted to see because everyone was saying 2020 was the most important election ever, and maybe it was. It certainly had a lot on the line. But according to newspapers.com, the phrase most important election ever has occurred quite a bit. So essentially, we had the most important election ever in 1800 when it was Jefferson versus Adams, also in 1804, 1808, 18 12, 18 16, 18 20, all the way through 2020. Every single election, many newspapers said, like, in 18 20, like, the Tennessee Gazette or whatever said, this is the most important election ever. Without fail, every election has been called the most important election ever. So it really just makes you think. Like, obviously, that's can't be true for all of the elections. So instead of it being all about a game, a popularity contest, the the most important election ever, What just what what do people care about? Who has smart ideas? The real secret of a good constitutional democracy is that there is a free exchange of ideas and that if people disagree with each other, they come to some that they use the process to come to some consensus, or they decide who is gonna win this time, and then they move forward because then there's the next election. Obviously, that's kind of breaking down now where people are unfriending each other and and hating each other, and and there's violence, and when people disagree. But that's the opposite of democracy. You want people to disagree with each other. You wanna disagree with other people so that you know and you wanna it it's almost you should have the practice of talking to someone who disagrees with you and have a discussion with them instead of an argument because most people are wrong anyway, or most people don't know all of the issues. I'll give an example, and I've probably given this example before. My business partner is I'll give an example, and I've probably given this example before. My business partner is pro life, and I'm pro choice. But we've never had an argument. We've we because there's too much at stake. We have we're we're very good friends, and even though I feel feel strongly about pro choice, he's religious. He's religious since he's a baby. His family is religious, so he's pro life. It makes sense for him. And I just wanna just say a few words where, like, he doesn't just sort of protest at planned parenthood or whatever. He takes in foster kids. He adopts kids. His wife counsels young girls who, you know, either, you know, make various decisions, but they just need, you know, legal help or they wanna find adoption for their kid if they have the kid. So they're really good people. They're really good, honest people. So it'd be silly for me to be upset at him for disagreeing with me. But we have discussions about it, and there's nuances. Like, nobody really knows when conception begins. And, you know, and even if conception begins the second you have sex, maybe, it's okay to not consider this person real until they're born. Like, there's all there's a 1,000 different ways to to look at this, and I always try to be fair. A good important concept is I tried to do well, I've talked about this before. I tried to do what Charlie Munger calls invert, which is try to argue the other person's side even better than them. And ever since I started doing this, my life has gotten better because it seem I've even gotten to be better at debates and discussions because when someone's trying to convince me of something, I've already in my head argued their position against me better than they do. So I will tell them, look. You're not convincing me, but if you wanna convince me, do x, y, and z. Maybe talk about this, talk about this, talk about this. And by the way, that builds trust with them, and sometimes I do get convinced, and it lets me have an open mind. I've I've changed my mind on on various issues over the past couple years, and it's just it's just an interesting way to do things. But let's get to the experiment. I figured, you know what? Everybody tells me people who don't vote shouldn't have a voice, and I disagree with that. I think everybody everybody who's intelligent and has some sense of the issues and has looked at them, probably people a lot smarter than me that I could learn from. I would like to hear their voices and hear what they think, particularly if it's unique. You know, it's like Andrew Yang told me, there is a lack of supply in the market of ideas. So good ideas are very valuable whether you vote or not. I wanna hear good ideas. And so how do you avoid people saying you don't have the right to a voice if you don't believe in x, y, and z? Well, I figured I'll run for president. This is the experiment. So I went to fec.gov, and I'll go there right now. It took about 10 minutes. I filed to run for president. And you have to put your campaign committee, but it doesn't have to be incorporated or anything. You just put the name of your committee, and you say what's your election you're running for. And now if you search for me, you'll figure it out. I'm not I'm not gonna go step by step how to do this because it took me 10 minutes to figure it out myself or 15 minutes to be fair. And I'm officially just like any other candidate is, just like Joe Biden was and Donald Trump were in in in in 2020, I am officially just as much a candidate for president in 2024 as any other candidate. And by the way, let's let's let's search on candidates for a second. Well, I'm gonna search for myself first. Here's my campaign committee. Candidates, James Altucher, and then committee, James Altucher for president. And I have a little ID. It doesn't show me I have to search in the raw versions, but let's click on raw versions for a second. And here's everybody who has filed committees recently and what they're running for. There's a lot of people running. I remember in 1980, there's no Internet website, so I I was 12 years old, and I wrote to the Federal Elections Commission, and they sent me this, like, 100 page printout because there was, like, a 1000 people running for president. And you think, oh, it's just the big guys. But no. And so I made it like, I was 12, and my parents were very upset because phone bills were very expensive then. And they would every month, I was like an addict. I'd get home from school. Sometimes I would even skip school, to do this. I would just call everybody in this Federal Elections Commission printout all day long. I called every candidate. And, again, not like the big ones, Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan were running against each other then. But I would call and Ted Kennedy was running in the primaries. But there was I remember there was this one guy, I always remember him, Jim Boren, b o r e n. And I wonder if he's still alive. Hold on one second. Anyway, Jim Boren was was a genius. He wasn't running for president. He was running for vice president. Vice president under who? Nobody. He just wanted to be vice president. And he was even telling me, it's the best job in the world. You don't have to do anything. God forbid someone dies, and you have to be president. But vice president, you're, like, the second most important person in on the planet, and you don't even have to do anything. You have to do nothing. And so and I'm like, well, you know, my interviewing skills weren't what they were now. So after I asked him what he ate for breakfast, and where does he live, and is he happy, he, he I I said, what's your slogan? And he says, he he says so it goes, when in doubt, mumble. Here here here it is actually. I'm looking at his Wikipedia page. Oh, he I saw he he he died in 2010 at the age of 84. He said, when in charge, ponder. When in trouble, delegate. When in doubt, mumble. Genius. He's he's my favorite candidate ever. But I call I remember I called another guy who was, he said he was the great grandson of chief Crazy Horse, and he was running for president. I talked to so many insane people, during this process, and I talked to some you know, I talked to the wife of John Anderson, who was the 3rd party candidate who got a I think he got, like, 20% of the vote in 1980. He was, like, a liberal Republican, and she was very upset at me because I kept misquoting her. She said, read back a quote, and I would miss I was 12 years old. And I actually, got my interviews some of my political interviews published in the South Brunswick Central Post, and I got paid $75 for it. So I was a professional interviewer at the age of 12. The only problem is is this is a skip the line technique that I wouldn't recommend. I kept calling these senators and congressmen and saying, oh, I am calling on behalf of the Middlesex County Home News. Can I interview the senator, like, senator Kennedy or whatever? And so I remember it was I think it was Paul Sarbanes from I think that there's a bill called the Sarbanes Oxley bill. So I called senator Paul Sarbanes. I believe he was from Maryland, and I said I wanted to interview him for the Home News. Again, I was 12. Please don't judge me. He calls the Home News, and a day later, I get a call from the editor in chief of The Home News. And and by the way, the reason I picked The Home News, I was a paper boy for The Home News. I wasn't I worked for them as a paper boy. I don't know if that counts enough to be interviewing presidential candidates. But he's the the editor of the home news was kind enough to call me and he said, James, you cannot you're a paperweight. You cannot tell people you're a reporter for the home news. Do not do that anymore. But he was very nice. He gave me a tour of the home news and he's we sat down in his office and I said, can I please write for the home news? And he said, James, I I have people with PhDs who sometimes don't get accepted for jobs here. Can't hire a 12 year old kid. So that was my first professional interviewing experience. Now I can say, listen. I'm calling on behalf of the James Altucher Show, and it's legit. And I've had other newspaper jobs since then. So the whole news, I I didn't give up. I persisted. That's persistence for you. So, there's there's even more people running for president now, if you browse and spend time at FEC.gov, let me see if I can process by presidential candidates. Search candidates for president. Do they actually mention what the mission is on there or no? FEC.gov? Oh, no. No. You mean the candidates? Yeah. No. They do not. Like, okay. Here's, like, for instance, some candidates and how much money they've raised. Michael Bloomberg raised 1,100,000,000. Joe Biden raised a little over a 1000000000, and Donald Trump raised 811,000,000. But those are the top guys. This is for 2020. Let's go to some random person. Like, here's a person who who ran as an other, mister Clifton Lee Roberts, and he raised $4,000. And what what was his political party? Well, he's independent. Sometimes they list the party. Unitemized individual contributions were 1,240. Itemized individual contributions were 3,465. And let's see. His committee is Clifton Roberts for president and national campaign committee for Clifton Roberts in 2016. And, by the way, he still was in the top one hundred. There there's thousands of people here. So let me see. I'm just gonna Google Clifton Roberts. Is he, like, a congressman or something, or is he nobody? He's oh, his party is called the humane party. It's a nice name. Oh. Oh, and the humane party is even in Wikipedia. It's the humane party emerged in 2009 seeking rights and legal legal personhood for all animals. So, Jay, your dog would have voting rights. Well, they just go there and they just sniff. Like, so they have to have tweets by the booth. Right? Like, they would just go for the best smelling tweets, and then they just put their paw. And then they go Maybe. I mean, you'd have to really campaign you need more than $1,000,000,000 to win for president if that was, let me see how to find if you could go to the next page. Oh, yeah. There's so so I have a 100 results per page, and there's 1200 pages. So let's let's even go So with 100 per page, 1200 pages, so that's 120,000? Yeah. It must be that many people. So here's here's Kenny Rodeo. Kenny Rodeo raised $0. I mean, I with a name like Kenny Rodeo, I gotta Google it. Give me give me this moment. Kenny Rodeo. I almost wanna vote for him just because of his name. Okay. So he has a website, Kenny Rodeo for president 2020. Let's meet mister Rodeo. Or it could be doctor Rodeo. You never know. Okay. So here's Kenny Rodeo, our president. Meet Kenny. It looks like looks like a nice guy. He's out he's out in the country. Come join us at the mountain. I don't know if I wanna do that. It sounds like a cult sort of thing. Headquartered in beautiful, vibrant Colorado Springs, Kenny Rodeo and the Kenny Rodeo 2020 president election committee extend the warm welcome to you. Well, it does look pretty, and he has and Ginger is Kenny Rodeo's faithful dog companion and campaign mascot. This is not the humane guy, by the way. This is just he doesn't this guy doesn't have a party. Kenny Rodeo is a patriot, and he's a transformational leader, and he's a rugged individualist. Well, that's all I needed to know, really. Well, transformation leaders, I felt like every candidate has transformation leader. That's it. Like, if you're not or no. Maybe, well, maybe I want a, a candidate who says, listen. I'm gonna do absolutely nothing. Things are fine. And I don't agree with the last president, maybe, but I'm just gonna do nothing because that's it. You know, but I say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. You know? Yeah. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Let me see. Is there well, okay. The he didn't really he didn't raise any money, but he filed to run for president. So here it is my experiment. I filed to run for president. It took me 15 minutes. Now if anyone says to me, listen. You don't have a right to talk about this, blah blah blah. I say, yes. I do. I'm running for president. What gives you the right to talk about it? And and, you know, once you do something, it triggers cognitive first off, it was an experiment. I learned how to fill out some paperwork on fec.gov. I realized it was a lot easier than I thought. Like, at first, I called my lawyer. I called my accountant. Like, what do I need to do? Can you look at this website? And they're, like, you just go there. Just go to the site and do it. So I did it, and I learned how many people are running this 1200 pages of sorry. It's 30 choices each. So there's about 4,000 people who ran for president in 2020, and I think that's pretty cool because everybody should have different voices and and and like, I don't know what I was saying earlier, but everybody has different issues that they care about. Nobody knows everything about every single issue. It forced me to think, like, if I had to express my platform, for instance, okay, there are some issues I really care about. But, also, what's really important and that hardly any president talks about is what's my style of governing? Like, let's say I don't know anything about, I don't know, the level of carbon emissions in the air, or let's say I don't know anything about the situation in Myanmar. Now there's there's, like, a 180 countries. I'm not gonna know everything about every country. So you you learn, well, how am I gonna delegate, and how am I gonna pick people, and how am I gonna how do you learn to focus on what's important to you, and not that I'm seriously thinking I I could win. Right? That's not the point. The point is it once you do something, you have a cognitive bias that, hey. Now I did this. So your brain thinks, well, James did this. He must be taking it seriously, so he should start thinking about what he would do as president. Even though I know it's a ridiculous thought, like, obviously, a democrat or republican is gonna win. I still my party is gonna be the the skip the line party because I'm just skipping the line. Or people might be, like, the choose yourself party idea, but I'm still trying to decide. And, you know, I wanna have what's my philosophy of governing, not just my issues, not just and and a philosophy of governing is something you don't often hear about, but you you view politics as a market of ideas. And and the only reason someone should run is not because they think they're popular or not because they're ambitious or not because they want power or money, but because they think they have unique ideas better than anyone else, and these ideas, you should try. So I I this is why I think you should run. I think everybody listening to this should run because, a, it's funny, and you could print up the document that's on the government site. There's nothing bad that can happen, as far as I know. I've I've I've did this a few months ago. And, you you print it up. You can frame it. Whatever. You're running for president. You can actually have a party or 2. It's just a funny thing, and come up with a platform. Go through the exercise. Like, don't look up the Democrat platform, the Republican platform. Go through the exercise of figuring out what you care about. So for instance, let's say you care about the climate, and everybody should care care about the climate whether no matter what you believe in. Well, I realized I don't really know a lot of things. Like, some people say, oh, this is happening, but other people say, oh, that data is BS. And by the way, there's scientists on both sides who have who have told me this. And so what's the truth? I have to research this. Well and I and I'll say, well, how about what what about hydroelectric or geothermal or wind energy? And people say, oh, well, that's powered by electric grids. Those are powered by fossil fuels. And I'm like, okay. What about nuclear fusion? Oh, it's it's used in France, but it's banned in the US. Why? I don't know. So it forces you to really think through to the end the issues you care about. And, you know, what do I think about, you know, student loans, for instance? What do I think about the housing market? What do I think about the Federal Reserve changing interest rates? What do I think about Bitcoin? The now the government has a different view of currency than people do. The government collects taxes in their currency. The currency a government uses to collect taxes is the only legal currency in that country, supposedly. And so what what do I what's my stance on the role of Bitcoin? Now as an investor and as a private citizen, I love Bitcoin. I love the ideas behind it, which is the topic of another podcast. But how would I feel if I was the president and suddenly I can't spy on everyone by how they by their bank transactions? You know, part of the idea of an official legal currency is that the government knows everything you do. This is what for anyone who needs to know, this is part of what Palantir Technologies does is they are hired by the banks to look for suspicious activity in money transactions. Well, you can't do that with Bitcoin because Bitcoin has a lot more privacy, and it's decentralized. It's person to person. It's not all controlled by one Federal Reserve. Well, and how do I feel about the printing of money to in bailouts? Or how do I feel about, I don't know, blue collar licensing laws? Or how do I feel about the high prison the US has the highest per capita prison rate in the world? How do I feel about all these issues? And you can only care about so many issues. So, again, what is my philosophy of governing? How do I make sure? Like, I like how Lincoln, for instance, had some of his political enemies in his cabinet. Now was that a good idea or a bad idea? That's what Doris Kearns Goodwin's book about, what was her book called? Gosh. I read it, and I totally forgot what it was called. I should have her on my podcast. Jay, let's get her on my podcast. Sure. She wrote, the wow. She's 78 years old. Oh, then they might not be able to come to the podcast. We'll do it. Ramon. I mean, team of rivals, the political genius of Abraham Lincoln. Great book. So he had a certain philosophy of governing, which many presidents don't have. And, you know, what how do I feel? I like also how James Knox Polk, he promised before he ran. He ran in 1844. He promised before he ran. He would only run for one term. So it wouldn't be like he was actively trying to court popular opinion during his term. He could just do what he wanted to do. And he lived up to his promise. He did not run-in 1848. Zachary Taylor did. And, you know, I think he's the only James Knox Polk is the only president in history to promise he would not run again and and live up to that promise. Many presidents only serve one term, but he's the only one who who said it in advance, and he didn't care. And, by the way, he people don't realize this. He was responsible for the largest land purchase in US history, which is the northwest territory. Most people think it's the Thomas Jefferson with the Louisiana with with the Louisiana Purchase, but let me see. James Knox. Which president acquired the most land? I just googled it. James Knox Polk, a 1000000 square miles of land for the United States, And Thomas Jefferson acquired the Louisiana Purchase, which is 828,000 miles, so not as big as what you James Knox Polk. So use this trivia and a c**ktail party on during the next Presidents' Day, and you'll be a big hit with your friends. I'm sure. So what we what Jay did, actually, I asked Jay and I thought of this idea. Let's make a Facebook group so people who are listening to this and who decide to run for president can post you know, they can file with the FEC if you want. It's not a requirement, but it's kinda funny. I do recommend people do that because you see how the process works, and it's a good little experiment to do. But then go to we we made a home for you. So go to, Jay, what's the what's the name of the group? It's Facebook.com/groups/president2.0. So the the group name is you should run for president. You should run for president, and you could see what groups I'm in, and I'm in the group. I'm an admin of the group. So it's Jay. Let me see. Okay. Here. I'm going in. And we just launched this group today, actually. Thank you, Jay. It's got a nice little banner. It's got uncle Sam. It says you should run for president 2.0. And we've got 18 members. And, Jay, you wanna be chief of staff? Yes. I could be chief of staff, you know, or I can be a head chef. You're right. You could be the chief of staff. You you will be my chief of staff. That that's an appointed official. And, usually, the chief of staff is fired after the 1st year, but you've managed you've managed to survive for a good 5 years with me so far. That's the thing. Have is there any Asian chief chief of staff out there before? That's a good question. I don't think so. You'll become famous as the 1st Asian chief of staff. Maybe that's my platform is I will hire the 1st Asian chief of staff if you vote for me. I will get the entire Asian vote. I'll Yes. The the whole Yang Gang will convert to me. And so you'll, that's probably racist somehow. I don't know. But I love Andrew Yang. I'm I'm Yang Gang. I like Andrew. But I don't know if I'd vote for him, but I I I I love the guy. He's a great guy. And, let's see. There's already people posting. Nobody's posted their platform yet. Maybe because I said I'm gonna post my platform tomorrow. But by the time this podcast comes out, maybe people will start posting. So Yeah. You the group is called you should run for president, and you should, and I will post in there my platform, my political platform. I'm very serious about it. And, again, this is the nature of experiments. It's not like this is a life changing experiment, but I learned a lot, and I'm happy that I did it. And you don't have to learn a lot. You can learn a little bit. I once did a a Kickstarter about, where I tried to buy Greenland. I think I talk about that in another podcast. I certainly talk about that in my book, Skip the Line. And I do lots of experiments all the time. Some of them are silly. Some of them are very serious, like, when I'm trying to validate a business idea, or when I'm trying to improve at investing or comedy or writing. Those I I'm always doing those experiments on the things that I love because it's how you skip the line. It's it's how you get in the top 1% of your field. But today's experiment for the purposes of this podcast was why you should run for president of the United States in the next 10 minutes. And, again, the nature of an experiment is it's very easy to do very quickly. Else, don't waste your life on it. Like, don't don't I know I know one person who spent 6 months raising $2,000,000 for a business, then spent the 9 month next 9 months programming the product, and then found that nobody was interested. So if this person had done experiments, they would have found that much sooner and not wasted a year and a half or more of their life. And so just by doing this process, I learned new things about the government. I learned new things about my own issues, and just it made me think, we should have many choices for president. It doesn't make sense that there are only 2 groups where everyone in one group magically believes in the same eighty things, and everyone in the other group magically believes the exact opposite. By the way, I found some newspaper articles. Well, you could do the search on newspapers.com. Search for most important election ever. And, and you all I also got add some fond memories of Jim Boren and other presidential candidates that I've interviewed. It made me it made me think about when I first started interviewing at the age of 12, I was so bad, but I I loved it, and maybe that's why I do the podcast today. And, again, the key about doing experiments is it allows you to skip that b s 10000 hour rule. And, of course, every experiment has potential for enormous upside. Now don't forget, Thomas Edison tried 10,000 times to make a light bulb. 9,999 of them failed, so most experiments fail, but you still as he said, I learned 9,999 ways how not to make a light bulb. So he had a a positive growth mindset about it, but there is a slight chance that I will win. Very slight. 1 in a 1000000000, gazillion, more more atoms than there are in the universe chance, but it's it's a it gives me hope. And and 0.01 chance is still more than 0%. You know? Exactly. Exactly. 0.00.100zeros, 1% chance is more than 0. And I promise you this. If I win for president of the United States in 2024, Jay Yao will be my chief of staff. Thank you very much.

Past Episodes

Notes from James:

I?ve been seeing a ton of misinformation lately about tariffs and inflation, so I had to set the record straight. People assume tariffs drive prices up across the board, but that?s just not how economics works. Inflation happens when money is printed, not when certain goods have price adjustments due to trade policies.

I explain why the current tariffs aren?t a repeat of the Great Depression-era Smoot-Hawley Tariff, how Trump is using them more strategically, and what it all means for the economy. Also, a personal story: my wife?s Cybertruck got keyed in a grocery store parking lot?just for being a Tesla. I get into why people?s hatred for Elon Musk is getting out of control.

Let me know what you think?and if you learned something new, share this episode with a friend (or send it to an Econ professor who still doesn?t get it).

Episode Description:

James is fired up?and for good reason. People are screaming that tariffs cause inflation, pointing fingers at history like the Smoot-Hawley disaster, but James says, ?Hold up?that?s a myth!?

Are tariffs really bad for the economy? Do they actually cause inflation? Or is this just another economic myth that people repeat without understanding the facts?

In this episode, I break down the truth about tariffs?what they really do, how they impact prices, and why the argument that tariffs automatically cause inflation is completely wrong. I also dive into Trump's new tariff policies, the history of U.S. tariffs (hint: they used to fund almost the entire government), and why modern tariffs might be more strategic than ever.

If you?ve ever heard that ?tariffs are bad? and wanted to know if that?s actually true?or if you just want to understand how trade policies impact your daily life?this is the episode for you.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction: Tariffs and Inflation

00:47 Personal Anecdote: Vandalism and Cybertrucks

03:50 Understanding Tariffs and Inflation

05:07 Historical Context: Tariffs in the 1800s

05:54 Defining Inflation

07:16 Supply and Demand: Price vs. Inflation

09:35 Tariffs and Their Impact on Prices

14:11 Money Printing and Inflation

17:48 Strategic Use of Tariffs

24:12 Conclusion: Tariffs, Inflation, and Social Commentary

What You?ll Learn:

  • Why tariffs don?t cause inflation?and what actually does (hint: the Fed?s magic wand).  
  • How the U.S. ran on tariffs for a century with zero inflation?history lesson incoming!  
  • The real deal with Trump?s 2025 tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and chips?strategy, not chaos.  
  • Why Smoot-Hawley was a depression flop, but today?s tariffs are a different beast.  
  • How supply and demand keep prices in check, even when tariffs hit.  
  • Bonus: James? take on Cybertruck vandals and why he?s over the Elon Musk hate.

Quotes:

  • ?Tariffs don?t cause inflation?money printing does. Look at 2020-2022: 40% of all money ever, poof, created!?  
  • ?If gas goes up, I ditch newspapers. Demand drops, prices adjust. Inflation? Still zero.?  
  • ?Canada slaps 241% on our milk?we?re their biggest customer! Trump?s just evening the score.?  
  • ?Some nut keyed my wife?s Cybertruck. Hating Elon doesn?t make you a hero?get a life.?

Resources Mentioned:

  • Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act (1930) ? The blanket tariff that tanked trade.  
  • Taiwan Semiconductor?s $100B U.S. move ? Chips, national security, and no price hikes.  
  • Trump?s March 4, 2025, tariffs ? Mexico, Canada, and China in the crosshairs.
  • James' X Thread 

Why Listen:

James doesn?t just talk tariffs?he rips apart the myths with real-world examples, from oil hitting zero in COVID to Canada?s insane milk tariffs. This isn?t your dry econ lecture; it?s a rollercoaster of rants, history, and hard truths. Plus, you?ll get why his wife?s Cybertruck is a lightning rod?and why he?s begging you to put down the key.

Follow James:

Twitter: @jaltucher  

Website: jamesaltuchershow.com

00:00:00 3/6/2025

Notes from James:

What if I told you that we could eliminate the IRS, get rid of personal income taxes completely, and still keep the government funded? Sounds impossible, right? Well, not only is it possible, but historical precedent shows it has been done before.

I know what you?re thinking?this sounds insane. But bear with me. The IRS collects $2.5 trillion in personal income taxes each year. But what if we could replace that with a national sales tax that adjusts based on what you buy?

Under my plan:

  • Necessities (food, rent, utilities) 5% tax
  • Standard goods (clothes, furniture, tech) 15% tax
  • Luxury goods (yachts, private jets, Rolls Royces) 50% tax

And boom?we don?t need personal income taxes anymore! You keep 100% of what you make, the economy booms, and the government still gets funded.

This episode is a deep dive into how this could work, why it?s better than a flat tax, and why no one in government will actually do this (but should). Let me know what you think?and if you agree, share this with a friend (or send it to Trump).

Episode Description:

What if you never had to pay personal income taxes again? In this mind-bending episode of The James Altucher Show, James tackles a radical idea buzzing from Trump, Elon Musk, and Howard Lutnick: eliminating the IRS. With $2.5 trillion in personal income taxes on the line, is it even possible? James says yes?and he?s got a plan.

Digging into history, economics, and a little-known concept called ?money velocity,? James breaks down how the U.S. thrived in the 1800s without income taxes, relying on tariffs and ?vice taxes? on liquor and tobacco. Fast forward to today: the government rakes in $4.9 trillion annually, but spends $6.7 trillion, leaving a gaping deficit. So how do you ditch the IRS without sinking the ship?

James unveils his bold solution: a progressive national sales tax?5% on necessities like food, 15% on everyday goods like clothes, and a hefty 50% on luxury items like yachts and Rolls Royces. Seniors and those on Social Security? They?d pay nothing. The result? The government still nets $2.5 trillion, the economy grows by $3.7 trillion thanks to unleashed consumer spending, and you keep more of your hard-earned cash. No audits, no accountants, just taxes at the cash register.

From debunking inflation fears to explaining why this could shrink the $36 trillion national debt, James makes a compelling case for a tax revolution. He even teases future episodes on tariffs and why a little debt might not be the enemy. Whether you?re a skeptic or ready to tweet this to Trump, this episode will change how you see taxes?and the economy?forever.

What You?ll Learn:

  • The history of taxes in America?and how the country thrived without an income tax in the 1800s
  • Why the IRS exists and how it raises $2.5 trillion in personal income taxes every year
  • How eliminating income taxes would boost the economy by $3.75 trillion annually
  • My radical solution: a progressive national sales tax?and how it works
  • Why this plan would actually put more money in your pocket
  • Would prices skyrocket? No. Here?s why.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction: Trump's Plan to Eliminate the IRS

00:22 Podcast Introduction: The James Altucher Show

00:47 The Feasibility of Eliminating the IRS

01:27 Historical Context: How the US Raised Money in the 1800s

03:41 The Birth of Federal Income Tax

07:39 The Concept of Money Velocity

15:44 Proposing a Progressive Sales Tax

22:16 Conclusion: Benefits of Eliminating the IRS

26:47 Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Resources & Links:

Want to see my full breakdown on X? Check out my thread: https://x.com /jaltucher/status/1894419440504025102

Follow me on X: @JAltucher

00:00:00 2/26/2025

A note from James:

I love digging into topics that make us question everything we thought we knew. Fort Knox is one of those legendary places we just assume is full of gold, but has anyone really checked? The fact that Musk even brought this up made me wonder?why does the U.S. still hold onto all that gold when our money isn?t backed by it anymore? And what if the answer is: it?s not there at all?

This episode is a deep dive into the myths and realities of money, gold, and how the economy really works. Let me know what you think?and if you learned something new, share this episode with a friend!

Episode Description:

Elon Musk just sent Twitter into a frenzy with a single tweet: "Looking for the gold at Fort Knox." It got me thinking?what if the gold isn?t actually there? And if it?s not, what does that mean for the U.S. economy and the future of money?

In this episode, I?m breaking down the real story behind Fort Knox, why the U.S. ditched the gold standard, and what it would mean if the gold is missing. I?ll walk you through the origins of paper money, Nixon?s decision to decouple the dollar from gold in 1971, and why Bitcoin might be the modern version of digital gold. Plus, I?ll explore whether the U.S. should just sell off its gold reserves and what that would mean for inflation, the economy, and the national debt.

If you?ve ever wondered how money really works, why the U.S. keeps printing trillions, or why people still think gold has value, this is an episode you don?t want to miss.

What You?ll Learn:

  •  The shocking history of the U.S. gold standard and why Nixon ended it in 1971
  •  How much gold is supposed to be in Fort Knox?and why it might not be there
  •  Why Elon Musk and Bitcoin billionaires like Michael Saylor are questioning the gold supply
  •  Could the U.S. actually sell its gold reserves? And should we?
  •  Why gold?s real-world use is questionable?and how Bitcoin could replace it
  •  The surprising economics behind why we?re getting rid of the penny

Timestamp Chapters:

00:00 Elon Musk's Fort Knox Tweet

00:22 Introduction to the James Altucher Show

00:36 The Importance of Gold at Fort Knox

01:59 History of the Gold Standard

03:53 Nixon Ends the Gold Standard

10:02 Fort Knox Security and Audits

17:31 The Case for Selling Gold Reserves

22:35 The U.S. Penny Debate

27:54 Boom Supersonics and Other News

30:12 Mississippi's Controversial Bill

30:48 Conclusion and Call to Action

00:00:00 2/21/2025

A Note from James:

Who's better than you? That's the book written by Will Packer, who has been producing some of my favorite movies since he was practically a teenager. He produced Straight Outta Compton, he produced Girls Trip with former podcast guest Tiffany Haddish starring in it, and he's produced a ton of other movies against impossible odds.

How did he build the confidence? What were some of his crazy stories? Here's Will Packer to describe the whole thing.

Episode Description:

Will Packer has made some of the biggest movies of the last two decades. From Girls Trip to Straight Outta Compton to Ride Along, he?s built a career producing movies that resonate with audiences and break barriers in Hollywood. But how did he go from a college student with no connections to one of the most successful producers in the industry? In this episode, Will shares his insights on storytelling, pitching, and how to turn an idea into a movie that actually gets made.

Will also discusses his book Who?s Better Than You?, a guide to building confidence and creating opportunities?even when the odds are against you. He explains why naming your audience is critical, why every story needs a "why now," and how he keeps his projects fresh and engaging.

If you're an aspiring creator, entrepreneur, or just someone looking for inspiration, this conversation is packed with lessons on persistence, mindset, and navigating an industry that never stops evolving.

What You?ll Learn:

  • How Will Packer evaluates pitches and decides which movies to make.
  • The secret to identifying your audience and making content that resonates.
  • Why confidence is a muscle you can build?and how to train it.
  • The reality of AI in Hollywood and how it will change filmmaking.
  • The power of "fabricating momentum" to keep moving forward in your career.

Timestamped Chapters:

[01:30] Introduction to Will Packer?s Journey

[02:01] The Art of Pitching to Will Packer

[02:16] Identifying and Understanding Your Audience

[03:55] The Importance of the 'Why Now' in Storytelling

[05:48] The Role of a Producer: Multitasking and Focus

[10:29] Creating Authentic and Inclusive Content

[14:44] Behind the Scenes of Straight Outta Compton

[18:26] The Confidence to Start in the Film Industry

[24:18] Embracing the Unknown and Overcoming Obstacles

[33:08] The Changing Landscape of Hollywood

[37:06] The Impact of AI on the Film Industry

[45:19] Building Confidence and Momentum

[52:02] Final Thoughts and Farewell

Additional Resources:

00:00:00 2/18/2025

A Note from James:

You know what drives me crazy? When people say, "I have to build a personal brand." Usually, when something has a brand, like Coca-Cola, you think of a tasty, satisfying drink on a hot day. But really, a brand is a lie?it's the difference between perception and reality. Coca-Cola is just a sugary brown drink that's unhealthy for you. So what does it mean to have a personal brand?

I discussed this with Nick Singh, and we also talked about retirement?what?s your number? How much do you need to retire? And how do you build to that number? Plus, we covered how to achieve success in today's world and so much more. This is one of the best interviews I've ever done. Nick?s podcast is My First Exit, and I wanted to share this conversation with you.

Episode Description:

In this episode, James shares a special feed drop from My First Exit with Nick Singh and Omid Kazravan. Together, they explore the myths of personal branding, the real meaning of success, and the crucial question: ?What's your number?? for retirement. Nick, Omid, and James unpack what it takes to thrive creatively and financially in today's landscape. They discuss the value of following curiosity, how to niche effectively without losing authenticity, and why intersecting skills might be more powerful than single mastery.

What You?ll Learn:

  • Why the idea of a "personal brand" can be misleading?and what truly matters instead.
  • How to define your "number" for retirement and why it changes over time.
  • The difference between making money, keeping money, and growing money.
  • Why intersecting skills can create unique value and career opportunities.
  • The role of curiosity and experimentation in building a fulfilling career.

Timestamped Chapters:

  • 01:30 Dating Advice Revisited
  • 02:01 Introducing the Co-Host
  • 02:39 Tony Robbins and Interviewing Techniques
  • 03:42 Event Attendance and Personal Preferences
  • 04:14 Music Festivals and Personal Reflections
  • 06:39 The Concept of Personal Brand
  • 11:46 The Journey of Writing and Content Creation
  • 15:19 The Importance of Real Writing
  • 17:57 Challenges and Persistence in Writing
  • 18:51 The Role of Personal Experience in Content
  • 27:42 The Muse and Mastery
  • 36:47 Finding Your Unique Intersection
  • 37:51 The Myth of Choosing One Thing
  • 42:07 The Three Skills to Money
  • 44:26 Investing Wisely and Diversifying
  • 51:28 Acquiring and Growing Businesses
  • 56:05 Testing Demand and Starting Businesses
  • 01:11:32 Final Thoughts and Farewell

Additional Resources:

00:00:00 2/14/2025

A Note from James:

I've done about a dozen podcasts in the past few years about anti-aging and longevity?how to live to be 10,000 years old or whatever. Some great episodes with Brian Johnson (who spends $2 million a year trying to reverse his aging), David Sinclair (author of Lifespan and one of the top scientists researching aging), and even Tony Robbins and Peter Diamandis, who co-wrote Life Force. But Peter just did something incredible.

He wrote The Longevity Guidebook, which is basically the ultimate summary of everything we know about anti-aging. If he hadn?t done it, I was tempted to, but he knows everything there is to know on the subject. He?s even sponsoring a $101 million XPRIZE for reversing aging, with 600 teams competing, so he has direct insight into the best, cutting-edge research.

In this episode, we break down longevity strategies into three categories: common sense (stuff you already know), unconventional methods (less obvious but promising), and the future (what?s coming next). And honestly, some of it is wild?like whether we can reach "escape velocity," where science extends life faster than we age.

Peter?s book lays out exactly what?s possible, what we can do today, and what?s coming. So let?s get into it.

Episode Description:

Peter Diamandis joins James to talk about the future of human longevity. With advancements in AI, biotech, and medicine, Peter believes we're on the verge of a health revolution that could drastically extend our lifespans. He shares insights from his latest book, The Longevity Guidebook, and discusses why mindset plays a critical role in aging well.

They also discuss cutting-edge developments like whole-body scans for early disease detection, upcoming longevity treatments, and how AI is accelerating medical breakthroughs. Peter even talks about his $101 million XPRIZE for reversing aging, with over 600 teams competing.

If you want to live longer and healthier, this is an episode you can't afford to miss.

What You?ll Learn:

  • Why mindset is a crucial factor in longevity and health
  • The latest advancements in early disease detection and preventative medicine
  • How AI and biotech are accelerating anti-aging breakthroughs
  • What the $101 million XPRIZE is doing to push longevity science forward
  • The importance of continuous health monitoring and personalized medicine

Timestamped Chapters:

  • [00:01:30] Introduction to Anti-Aging and Longevity
  • [00:03:18] Interview Start ? James and Peter talk about skiing and mindset
  • [00:06:32] How mindset influences longevity and health
  • [00:09:37] The future of health and the concept of longevity escape velocity
  • [00:14:08] Breaking down common sense vs. non-common sense longevity strategies
  • [00:19:00] The importance of early disease detection and whole-body scans
  • [00:25:35] Why insurance companies don?t cover preventative health measures
  • [00:31:00] The role of AI in diagnosing and preventing diseases
  • [00:36:27] How Fountain Life is changing personalized healthcare
  • [00:41:00] Supplements, treatments, and the future of longevity drugs
  • [00:50:12] Peter?s $101 million XPRIZE and its impact on longevity research
  • [00:56:26] The future of healthspan and whether we can stop aging
  • [01:03:07] Peter?s personal longevity routine and final thoughts

Additional Resources:

01:07:24 2/4/2025

A Note from James:

"I have been dying to understand quantum computing. And listen, I majored in computer science. I went to graduate school for computer science. I was a computer scientist for many years. I?ve taken apart and put together conventional computers. But for a long time, I kept reading articles about quantum computing, and it?s like magic?it can do anything. Or so they say.

Quantum computing doesn?t follow the conventional ways of understanding computers. It?s a completely different paradigm. So, I invited two friends of mine, Nick Newton and Gavin Brennan, to help me get it. Nick is the COO and co-founder of BTQ Technologies, a company addressing quantum security issues. Gavin is a top quantum physicist working with BTQ. They walked me through the basics: what quantum computing is, when it?ll be useful, and why it?s already a security issue.

You?ll hear me asking dumb questions?and they were incredibly patient. Pay attention! Quantum computing will change everything, and it?s important to understand the challenges and opportunities ahead. Here?s Nick and Gavin to explain it all."

Episode Description:

Quantum computing is a game-changer in technology?but how does it work, and why should we care? In this episode, James is joined by Nick Newton, COO of BTQ Technologies, and quantum physicist Gavin Brennan to break down the fundamentals of quantum computing. They discuss its practical applications, its limitations, and the looming security risks that come with it. From the basics of qubits and superposition to the urgent need for post-quantum cryptography, this conversation simplifies one of the most complex topics of our time.

What You?ll Learn:

  1. The basics of quantum computing: what qubits are and how superposition works.
  2. Why quantum computers are different from classical computers?and why scaling them is so challenging.
  3. How quantum computing could potentially break current encryption methods.
  4. The importance of post-quantum cryptography and how companies like BTQ are preparing for a quantum future.
  5. Real-world timelines for quantum computing advancements and their implications for industries like finance and cybersecurity.

Timestamped Chapters:

  • [01:30] Introduction to Quantum Computing Curiosity
  • [04:01] Understanding Quantum Computing Basics
  • [10:40] Diving Deeper: Superposition and Qubits
  • [22:46] Challenges and Future of Quantum Computing
  • [30:51] Quantum Security and Real-World Implications
  • [49:23] Quantum Computing?s Impact on Financial Institutions
  • [59:59] Quantum Computing Growth and Future Predictions
  • [01:06:07] Closing Thoughts and Future Outlook

Additional Resources:

01:10:37 1/28/2025

A Note from James:

So we have a brand new president of the United States, and of course, everyone has their opinion about whether President Trump has been good or bad, will be good and bad. Everyone has their opinion about Biden, Obama, and so on. But what makes someone a good president? What makes someone a bad president?

Obviously, we want our presidents to be moral and ethical, and we want them to be as transparent as possible with the citizens. Sometimes they can't be totally transparent?negotiations, economic policies, and so on. But we want our presidents to have courage without taking too many risks. And, of course, we want the country to grow economically, though that doesn't always happen because of one person.

I saw this list where historians ranked all the presidents from 1 to 47. I want to comment on it and share my take on who I think are the best and worst presidents. Some of my picks might surprise you.

Episode Description:

In this episode, James breaks down the rankings of U.S. presidents and offers his unique perspective on who truly deserves a spot in the top 10?and who doesn?t. Looking beyond the conventional wisdom of historians, he examines the impact of leadership styles, key decisions, and constitutional powers to determine which presidents left a lasting, positive impact. From Abraham Lincoln's crisis leadership to the underappreciated successes of James K. Polk and Calvin Coolidge, James challenges popular rankings and provides insights you won't hear elsewhere.

What You?ll Learn:

  • The key qualities that define a great president beyond just popularity.
  • Why Abraham Lincoln is widely regarded as the best president?and whether James agrees.
  • How Franklin D. Roosevelt?s policies might have extended the Great Depression.
  • The surprising president who expanded the U.S. more than anyone else.
  • Why Woodrow Wilson might actually be one of the worst presidents in history.

Timestamped Chapters:

  • [01:30] What makes a great president?
  • [02:29] The official duties of the presidency.
  • [06:54] Historians? rankings of presidents.
  • [07:50] Why James doesn't discuss recent presidents.
  • [08:13] Abraham Lincoln?s leadership during crisis.
  • [14:16] George Washington: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
  • [22:16] Franklin D. Roosevelt?was he overrated?
  • [29:23] Harry Truman and the atomic bomb decision.
  • [35:29] The controversial legacy of Woodrow Wilson.
  • [42:24] The case for Calvin Coolidge.
  • [50:22] James K. Polk and America's expansion.
01:01:49 1/21/2025

A Note from James:

Probably no president has fascinated this country and our history as much as John F. Kennedy, JFK. Everyone who lived through it remembers where they were when JFK was assassinated. He's considered the golden boy of American politics. But I didn't know this amazing conspiracy that was happening right before JFK took office.

Best-selling thriller writer Brad Meltzer, one of my favorite writers, breaks it all down. He just wrote a book called The JFK Conspiracy. I highly recommend it. And we talk about it right here on the show.

Episode Description:

Brad Meltzer returns to the show to reveal one of the craziest untold stories about JFK: the first assassination attempt before he even took office. In his new book, The JFK Conspiracy, Brad dives into the little-known plot by Richard Pavlik, a disgruntled former postal worker with a car rigged to explode.

What saved JFK?s life that day? Why does this story remain a footnote in history? Brad shares riveting details, the forgotten man who thwarted the plot, and how this story illuminates America?s deeper fears. We also explore the legacy of JFK and Jackie Kennedy, from heroism to scandal, and how their "Camelot" has shaped the presidency ever since.

What You?ll Learn:

  1. The true story of JFK?s first assassination attempt in 1960.
  2. How Brad Meltzer uncovered one of the most bizarre historical footnotes about JFK.
  3. The untold role of Richard Pavlik in plotting to kill JFK and what stopped him.
  4. Why Jackie Kennedy coined the term "Camelot" and shaped JFK?s legacy.
  5. Parallels between the 1960 election and today?s polarized political climate.

Timestamped Chapters:

  • [01:30] Introduction to Brad Meltzer and His New Book
  • [02:24] The Untold Story of JFK's First Assassination Attempt
  • [05:03] Richard Pavlik: The Man Who Almost Killed JFK
  • [06:08] JFK's Heroic World War II Story
  • [09:29] The Complex Legacy of JFK
  • [10:17] The Influence of Joe Kennedy
  • [13:20] Rise of the KKK and Targeting JFK
  • [20:01] The Role of Religion in JFK's Campaign
  • [25:10] Conspiracy Theories and Historical Context
  • [30:47] The Camelot Legacy
  • [36:01] JFK's Assassination and Aftermath
  • [39:54] Upcoming Projects and Reflections

Additional Resources:

00:46:56 1/14/2025

A Note from James:

So, I?m out rock climbing, but I really wanted to take a moment to introduce today?s guest: Roger Reaves. This guy is unbelievable. He?s arguably the biggest drug smuggler in history, having worked with Pablo Escobar and others through the '70s, '80s, and even into the '90s. Roger?s life is like something out of a movie?he spent 33 years in jail and has incredible stories about the drug trade, working with people like Barry Seal, and the U.S. government?s involvement in the smuggling business. Speaking of Barry Seal, if you?ve seen American Made with Tom Cruise, there?s a wild scene where Barry predicts the prosecutor?s next move after being arrested?and sure enough, it happens just as he said. Well, Barry Seal actually worked for Roger. That?s how legendary this guy is. Roger also wrote a book called Smuggler about his life. You?ll want to check that out after hearing these crazy stories. Here?s Roger Reaves.

Episode Description:

Roger Reaves shares his extraordinary journey from humble beginnings on a farm to becoming one of the most notorious drug smugglers in history. He discusses working with Pablo Escobar, surviving harrowing escapes from law enforcement, and the brutal reality of imprisonment and torture. Roger reflects on his decisions, the human connections that shaped his life, and the lessons learned from a high-stakes career. Whether you?re here for the stories or the insights into an underground world, this episode offers a rare glimpse into a life few could imagine.

What You?ll Learn:

  • How Roger Reaves became involved in drug smuggling and built connections with major players like Pablo Escobar and Barry Seal.
  • The role of the U.S. government in the drug trade and its surprising intersections with Roger?s operations.
  • Harrowing tales of near-death experiences, including shootouts, plane crashes, and daring escapes.
  • The toll a life of crime takes on family, faith, and personal resilience.
  • Lessons learned from decades of high-risk decisions and time behind bars.

Timestamped Chapters:

  • [00:01:30] Introduction to Roger Reaves
  • [00:02:00] Connection to Barry Seal and American Made
  • [00:02:41] Early Life and Struggles
  • [00:09:16] Moonshine and Early Smuggling
  • [00:12:06] Transition to Drug Smuggling
  • [00:16:15] Close Calls and Escapes
  • [00:26:46] Torture and Imprisonment in Mexico
  • [00:32:02] First Cocaine Runs
  • [00:44:06] Meeting Pablo Escobar
  • [00:53:28] The Rise of Cocaine Smuggling
  • [00:59:18] Arrest and Imprisonment
  • [01:06:35] Barry Seal's Downfall
  • [01:10:45] Life Lessons from the Drug Trade
  • [01:15:22] Reflections on Faith and Family
  • [01:20:10] Plans for the Future 

Additional Resources:

 

01:36:51 1/7/2025

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