George Soros speaking with Bloomberg

  • He would be a dictator if he could get away with it
  • The Constitution of the United States will prevent Trump from taking too much power
  • If Trump goes too far, Congress will contain him
  • I hope the people who believe in an open society can get together
  • It's impossible to predict exactly how Trump will act because he hasn't actively thought it through, he was surprised when he won
  • He only started thinking seriously about what he would do after he was elected
  • I'm personally convinced he's going to fail
  • The policies that guide him are inherently self-contradictory
  • When reality comes, it will hurt markets
  • Trump stands for a government that's the opposite of an open society, something like a dictatorship or a mafia state
  • Trump believes his ideas are the will of the people so anyone who is against him is against the people
  • Markets will falter as uncertainty takes over

Soros has long opposed Trump and he spent hundreds of millions on his opponents. They're not friends and Soros doesn't sound like he's going to change his tune.

Soros is 86 years old and has a net worth around $25 billion.

On Europe/UK:

  • Europe is in the process of disintegration, must be reversed
  • EU has become too complicated and people are alienated
  • "If Europe breaks down, the consequences will be very dire, it's currently going on the wrong direction."
  • Brexit will be a long process
  • It's unlikely that Theresa May will remain in power, she already has a divided cabinet
  • Inflation will be the driving force that will lead to declining living standards in the UK. It's going to take some time.

On China/trade:

  • Trump is definitely gearing up for a trade war and that's irreconcilable with economic prosperity
  • Trump will do more to make China an acceptable leader of the international community than Chinese could do by themselves
  • China is in the process of forming a trade bloc
  • If Trump names China a currency manipulator, they will retaliate