EP 137: Keith Rabois and Zach Weinberg Debate: Are Tariffs a Smart Economic Weapon?

Debate between Keith Rabois and Zach Weinberg on what tariffs are actually trying to accomplish. One core theme: Tariffs aren’t fully about “bringing back factories,” but rather a negotiation tool to eliminate foreign trade barriers - ultimately aiming to increase free trade, not restrict it. We also got into: - What each of them would do if they were in charge - Whether the trade deficit is a meaningful metric or just a misunderstood talking point - If tariffs could be part of an initiative to replace income tax — shifting toward a more consumption-based tax system - If tariffs could successfully be used as a non-military tool to reduce drug supply to the US - If there’s a major disconnect between the new administration’s rhetoric and the actual economic goals behind the policy One of the deepest economic conversations from the show’s recent history — and a rare debate where both sides had real logic behind their views. (00:00) Introduction and Host's Biases (00:46) Keith's Perspective on Tariffs (03:05) Zach's Perspective and Clarifying Questions (05:14) Debating Tariff Strategies (07:45) Economic Implications and Free Trade (13:31) Trump's Tariff Policies and Goals (16:57) Global Trade and Protectionism (25:52) Final Thoughts on Tariffs and Trade (29:16) Discussion on Trade Tariffs and Partners (30:17) Impact of Tariffs on GDP and Debt (31:20) Political Coalitions and Trade Policies (32:00) Tariffs as Consumer Taxes (33:30) Debate on Trade Deficit and Tariff Rates (36:53) Regulatory Reforms and Economic Policies (47:25) Fentanyl Crisis and Trade Negotiations (51:06) Closing Remarks and Future Topics Executive Producer: Rashad Assir Producer: Leah Clapper Mixing and editing: Justin Hrabovsky Check out Unsupervised Learning, Redpoint's AI Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@UCUl-s_Vp-Kkk_XVyDylNwLA 🎙 Listen to the show Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-logan-bartlett-show/id1606770839 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5WqBqDb4br3LlyVrdqOYYb?si=3076e6c1b5c94d63&nd=1 🎥 Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCugS0jD5IAdoqzjaNYzns7w?sub_confirmation=1 Follow on Socials 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/theloganbartlettshow 🐦 Twitter - https://twitter.com/loganbartshow 🎬 Clips on TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@theloganbartlettshow About the Show Logan Bartlett is a Software Investor at Redpoint Ventures - a Silicon Valley-based VC with $6B AUM and investments in Snowflake, DraftKings, Twilio, and Netflix. In each episode, Logan goes behind the scenes with world-class entrepreneurs and investors. If you're interested in the real inside baseball of tech, entrepreneurship, and start-up investing, tune in every Friday for new episodes.