Richard Viger

🇺🇸 Trump's coalition took TEN YEARS to build and ONE ELECTION to fall apart. I spoke with Robert Wolf, former UBS Americas chairman and longtime Obama adviser, just as the stock market was taking a brutal hit. According to the figures we were watching, roughly $2.2 TRILLION in market value had disappeared in just 55 minutes. But Robert was even more interested in what happened at the ballot box. He believes Trump's midterm defeat exposed something much bigger than ordinary voter frustration. The Hispanic voters, young men, working-class Americans and rural communities who helped elect Trump are turning against him. Why? Because they were promised cheaper living costs and NO NEW WARS. Instead, they're dealing with expensive fuel, tariffs, an Iran war and growing anxiety about AI data centers driving up electricity costs. Robert, who's spent decades on Wall Street, thinks the administration has fundamentally misread what ordinary Americans care about. We also discussed whether Trump might escalate the Iran war to rescue his legacy, and Robert offered a rather unconventional alternative. Let Iran collect a temporary toll on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, with the proceeds helping rebuild the country. He believes that could help reopen shipping and bring oil prices down, although the practical obstacles would be considerable. And despite his Democratic background, Robert thinks Trump still has an opportunity to work with the new Congress on healthcare, immigration and AI regulation. Trump's biggest political mistake wasn't simply starting a war, but abandoning the very promises that built his coalition. @robertwolf32