Are tariffs really about getting tough on China, or are you paying the price? Politicians boast about getting tough, but what’s the real story? You’re probably seeing exploding grocery bills and your retirement accounts might be tanking. Even your “diversified” portfolio may feel like it’s failing. Most financial experts don’t seem to have the answers.
Enter Jonathan Rose. He’s the CEO of Genesis Gold Group and BlockTrustIRA. With decades of experience in global finance, Rose has traded on the London Metal Exchange, advised global banks, and helped Americans protect their wealth. He uses tools Wall Street doesn’t always talk about, like gold, silver, and even crypto. Rose has managed over a billion dollars in IRA investments. He believes that tariffs may be the match, but the financial system itself is the real powder keg. He joined podcaster Kim Iversen to discuss it all.
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What’s Really Happening With These Tariffs?
So, what’s the deal with these tariffs? Is Trump’s strategy actually working? It seems like there are tariffs everywhere. Will this pain ever end?
Rose sees it as a dangerous game. He thinks Trump is playing chess and knows what he’s doing. Remember when Trump said to expect short-term pain for long-term gain? Well, we’re definitely seeing the pain now. Could this pain lead to a global economic meltdown? Jamie Dimon, the CEO of JP Morgan, thinks there’s a 60% or higher chance of a recession. It might already be here.
Rose believes these tariffs are “fishing bait” to get people to the table for renegotiation. Previous administrations’ financial policies have left us with a staggering $36 trillion in debt, and it’s still climbing. Debt matters, and it’s a problem that needs to be addressed.
America is the world’s biggest consumer of goods. We pay more to import than any other country. Trump campaigned on restructuring global trade, but most people didn’t really understand what that meant. Now, IRAs and 401ks are in free fall.
Trump’s goal is to change the game and level the playing field. Other countries have been taking advantage of us for years. The tariffs have been lopsided, with us paying all the taxes while they pay none.
It’s like a poker game. EU countries are starting to renegotiate. But China isn’t ready to play ball. They claim they’re ready to fight us to the end. This could mean trade wars spilling over into currency wars. The real danger is the devaluation of the US dollar. You need to understand what to have in your portfolio to protect yourself.
Are trade wars a good thing? It depends. If you know how to trade the markets, you can make money. But if you’re the average retail investor, you’re probably seeing a “sea of red” on your statements.
How long will this go on? If things continue like this for another 3-6 months, we could see companies filing for bankruptcy and shutting down.
The ultimate goal is to bring manufacturing back to America. We’ve outsourced everything. Are we trying to even out trade or bring back manufacturing jobs? Is it other countries’ fault that we’re such heavy consumers?
Digging Deeper: The Trade Deficit Time Bomb
We’re currently collecting $3 billion a day in tariffs. But we need to pay down the trade deficit. This trade deficit is a ticking time bomb that could destroy fiat currency and global trade.
We keep spending money that we can’t pay back. Our solution? Borrow more. We’re $36 trillion in debt. Every 90 days, we pay $1 trillion in interest. That’s more than the entire US national defense budget.
Big banks are like Big Pharma. They want to keep you in debt with credit cards and fees. The government is in a tough spot. We went to free trade and printed a ton of money. Now, we can’t pay back the debt.
It’s like maxing out a credit card. You beg the bank to raise your limit. Eventually, they cut you off. Your credit devalues. That’s what’s happening to the US.
Like an individual, the government needs to bring in more money. One option is to tax the people. Tariffs are just another form of tax.
Another view is that Trump is intentionally crashing the market so the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates. This would give us a chance to refinance the $36 trillion debt. It could be a brilliant master plan.
On the other hand, some economists are questioning the tariff numbers. For example, we had a 94% tariff on Vietnam, which was then reduced to 46%.
Imbalanced tariffs are a problem because different countries have different economies of scale. These countries aren’t the same as America in terms of GDP, imports/exports, and money-making abilities. Southeast Asia has a large labor force in factories. The West has different skill sets. Do Americans even want factory jobs?
Trade Imbalance: What Are We Even Selling?
Why do other countries put tariffs on US goods? There’s a cultural divide in Western products like sports equipment and US-manufactured goods.
Americans want cheap products from overseas, such as car parts, furniture, and food. But do people specifically want things made in the USA?
What are we exporting that other countries want? Why are they putting tariffs on it? We export natural raw materials like steel, oil, and gas. We’re rich in natural resources.
Are these trade exchanges fair? Probably not. Canada, for instance, had a tax on imports, but we don’t need their wood, cars, or oil.
We hold most of the strong hands in natural resources, except for China. Other countries could do deals with Russia, but they’re under sanctions.
The goal is a global trade reset, with America as the long-term winner.
Protecting Yourself: How to Navigate the Choppy Seas
Your investments are tied to the market, and you’re seeing these seasonal changes. Is this a short-term fix or long-term pain? Rose believes it’s long-term.
We need this course correction. Politicians have fed us cake for too long. We can’t keep going on this way. We need a line in the sand.
We’ve had unfavorable trade deals for decades, since Bill Clinton and NAFTA. We’re revisiting old policies on a global scale.
“Ultimately, I think we will come out of this as the winner.” But how long will it take, and what will the economic damage be?
Other countries are protecting their economies. We did free trade and didn’t protect anything. It was a bad example that reinforced bad behavior.
Reversing this will take time and effort. It’s like turning a cruise ship. It takes a long time to rotate.
These are highly volatile times. Traders are glued to their seats. Volatility means opportunity for traders. Retail investors want security. They move to assets like gold. You need to know how to navigate these choppy seas. The concern is that these choppy seas will turn into tidal waves.
What’s the best move forward? Your IRAs are collapsing, savings are down, and crypto is down.
Diving Into Crypto: Beyond the “Buy and Hold” Strategy
Many people’s crypto is down 50%. Trump has paved the way for Bitcoin as a strategic reserve in the US Treasury. This is a massive move. Bitcoin is here to stay and will become mainstream. Top fund managers and corporations are in the Bitcoin trade.
The problem is the “buy and hold” strategy. Crypto trades 24/7/365. You could be asleep when something big happens. An executive order could send the market into a tailspin.
BlockTrustIRA offers a managed solution. They’ve teamed up with the number one global trading strategy for Bitcoin. You can invest in Bitcoin in your IRA while managing risk. They use signals from millions of data points: social media, microeconomic data, and on-chain data. They get out near the top and buy back in near the bottom, limiting the drawdown.
It’s AI tech used by hedge funds and institutional investors, now available to retail investors. They love volatility. It’s how they beat the benchmark and make money.
Think of it as “Crypto for Dummies.” You call BlockTrustIRA and give them money. Their platform lets you buy over 60 cryptocurrencies. Volatility is a concern, so managed tools are needed. You can rollover IRAs or 401ks, or have cash positions. It’s like a “watchdog,” a security guard. If everyone is leaving the market, they’ll take your position and put it back into cash.
The cash is accessible anytime. You wait for the market to settle, get buy signals, and buy back in. It’s all done through AI and traders. This beats the old “dinosaur” method of buying and holding.
Do you need to know about crypto? No. Education is key. They educate people and explain how it works. You can do tax-free rollovers for IRAs and defer taxes. They watch it 24/7, and you can access your money anytime. It’s a must to be watched 24/7.
Financial advisors go home at night, but the crypto markets don’t care. You need safeguards to manage risk. They love risk and volatility because that’s how they make money.
Trump is paving the way for a big transfer of wealth. People want to move away from the measly 6-11% returns on the stock market. You can become financially independent over the next 3-10 years through the mass adoption of crypto. “If you don’t have it in your portfolio, you’ll get left behind.”
Why invest in anything other than Bitcoin? Bitcoin and Ethereum have big market caps and track records. They’re like gold and silver: dependable and not going anywhere. Everything else is higher risk or trades flat. You can’t make returns with a flat market.
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Gold and Silver: Tangible Assets in Uncertain Times
You can put gold and silver in a retirement account. Retirees want to ensure their money will be there when they need it. They don’t trust paper or banks. They want something tangible.
Gold and silver have a proven track record. They’ve stood the test of time and will never go out of fashion. People feel comfortable knowing they protect against market instability, currency devaluations, inflation, international conflict, and instability.
Gold is up 7% in one month. “You don’t wait to buy gold, you buy gold and wait.” Buy it as an insurance policy.
Physical gold is the safest. “If you don’t hold it, you don’t own it.” Hold it yourself at home or in a retirement account.
Want to learn more about protecting your investments? You can visit Genesis Gold Group to explore options in precious metals or BlockTrustIRA to discover how AI can help manage your cryptocurrency investments.
Conclusion
The economy is facing uncertain times with trade wars and market volatility. Understanding the forces at play and taking proactive steps to protect your investments is crucial. Whether it’s diversifying into precious metals like gold and silver or exploring AI-managed cryptocurrency options, now is the time to make informed decisions. Don’t let fear dictate your actions. Instead, educate yourself and choose strategies that align with your financial goals and risk tolerance.
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Two Storms, One Harvest
Every food crisis in living memory has been a one-shock event. The 2008 price spike was a commodity bubble. The 2020 shortages were a logistics failure. The 2022 grain scare was a war on one exporter’s ports. Each time, the system bent, adjusted, and recovered, and each time the experts assured us afterward that global markets are simply too big and too diversified to fail.
What nobody in Washington seems eager to discuss is that 2026 is shaping up to be something the modern food system has never actually faced. Two independent shocks, one climatic and one geopolitical, are converging on the same harvest cycle at the same time. Not sequentially. Simultaneously.
Start with the weather. The Pacific Ocean is currently building toward what forecasters now openly call a record event. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center puts the odds of at least a strong El Niño near 88 percent, with roughly two in three odds it reaches “very strong” status, the tier reserved for perhaps three or four events in the entire satellite era. Every major global model now projects a median peak in Super El Niño territory, and most of them project it exceeding the 2015-16 event, which until now held the modern record. Sea surface anomalies were already brushing the super threshold in mid-July, months before these events normally peak. The atmosphere has already shifted into El Niño mode, and the event is forecast to crest in late fall and early winter.
This is not about “climate change.” It’s about the standard cycles of weather, and the cycle we’re currently in is one that has likely devastated societies in the past. We’re better prepared as a society today, but not all Americans are equally prepared.
Serious households have started doing the quiet math on their own. Grocery bills tell part of the story, and the forecast maps tell the rest, which is why long-term food storage has moved from fringe hobby to mainstream line item in the family budget, with established suppliers like Heaven’s Harvest seeing demand from people who five years ago would have rolled their eyes at the idea. That instinct is not paranoia. It is pattern recognition, and the pattern is worth walking through carefully.
Editor’s Note: Heaven’s Harvest IS a sponsor, but the warnings of this article are real and would be written even if we didn’t have a survival food sponsor. With that said, those who take advantage of what they offer can use promo code “Patriot” for 15% off.
The Fertilizer Clock Is Already Running
While the Pacific warms, the second shock has been unfolding in the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict with Iran turned the world’s most important energy chokepoint into a contested waterway, and the consequences reach far beyond the gas pump. Roughly a third of global fertilizer trade moves through Hormuz, and the disruption sent urea prices up 86 percent year over year by March, with a 53 percent jump in a single month.
The World Bank projects energy prices rising about 24 percent in 2026 and fertilizer about 31 percent. By its own accounting, fertilizer prices ran 35 percent higher in the first five months of this year than the same period last year.
Here is the mechanism the nightly news will not explain. Fertilizer is not a grocery item. It is a time-delayed input. The nitrogen a farmer in Iowa or Punjab could not afford to apply this spring does not show up as a problem this spring. It shows up as a thinner harvest six to twelve months later.
The World Bank’s own food security brief concedes that the effects of reduced applications earlier this season “are likely to become visible only later in harvest outcomes.” Translate that from institutional language into plain English and it means this. The damage is already done, it is already in the ground, and we are simply waiting for it to arrive on the shelf.
Now check the calendar. Six to twelve months from the spring planting season lands us squarely in late 2026 and early 2027. Which is precisely when the strongest El Niño in the instrumental record is forecast to peak, bringing its signature droughts to Southeast Asia, Australia, southern Africa, northern Brazil, and South Asia, the very regions that grow the world’s rice, sugar, and oilseeds.
The World Bank warns openly that a strong El Niño “could disrupt multiple crop belts simultaneously” on top of the conflict-driven input costs. Their baseline projection assumes the Middle East disruptions ease by autumn. What in the last two years of Middle East history suggests that assumption is safe?
The System Has No Slack Left
The comfortable answer is that global markets always adjust. But adjustment requires slack, and the slack is gone. Global cereal production is expected to decline from last year’s records even before El Niño does its work. The UN World Food Programme, hardly a den of right-wing preppers, is calling this the most significant disruption to its supply chains since Covid and the invasion of Ukraine, and its supply chain director put the stakes bluntly.
Today’s supply chain challenges are tomorrow’s hunger crisis.
There is also a political dimension that markets cannot price. When food gets scarce, governments do not behave like economists. They behave like politicians. Export bans, hoarding mandates, and panic buying at the national level turned the modest rice shortfall of 2008 into a global crisis, and analysts are already warning that import-dependent nations are the first dominoes.
The 2015-16 Super El Niño, a far weaker event than what is now forecast, threw tens of millions into food stress across Africa and Asia. This one is projected to be stronger, and it arrives with fertilizer already rationed by price and shipping lanes already contested by missiles.
What Joseph Knew
Scripture does not treat preparation for lean years as faithlessness. It treats it as wisdom delivered in advance to those willing to act on it.
Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt: And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt.
Joseph did not respond to that warning with a hashtag or a committee. He stored grain during the years of abundance, and when the famine came, Egypt stood while its neighbors begged. The lesson is not that famine is certain. It is that the time to prepare is precisely when preparation still looks optional.
Nobody who filled a pantry in a year of plenty has ever regretted it, and nobody standing in an empty aisle has ever been glad he waited for certainty.
None of this calls for panic, and panic is the enemy of sound judgment anyway. It calls for the same unglamorous prudence our grandparents considered ordinary. Keep some cash margin, know your local growers, and put real food in deep storage while it is cheap and available, because the entire arc of this story is that cheap and available is a closing window.
Families looking for a straightforward place to start can visit Heaven’s Harvest and use promo code Patriot for 15 percent off long-term storable food. The forecasts may yet soften, the strait may yet reopen, and we should pray they do. But hope is a fine thing to hold and a foolish thing to eat.
