During Tucker Carlson’s explosive interview with Vladimir Putin, the Russian President warned Americans that Biden using the dollar as “a tool of foreign policy struggle” would be a “grave mistake…”
The highly anticipated interview with the Russian President has since garnered 96 million views.
During the interview, Carlson discussed many topics, including the imprisoned WSJ reporter Evan Gershovich, Bill Clinton, NATO, and the war in Ukraine.
About halfway through the interview, Putin warned Americans about the dangerous actions of political elites and using the dollar as a foreign policy tool.
The Russian leader also warned how this move may come back to haunt the U.S. and destroy the economy.
“To use the dollar as a tool of foreign policy struggle is one of the biggest strategic mistakes made by the U.S. political leadership,” Putin said.
“The dollar is the cornerstone of the United States power. I think everyone understands very well that no matter how many dollars are printed they are quickly dispersed all over the world,” he added.
“Inflation in the United States is minimal. It’s about 3.0 or 3.4%, which is, I think, totally acceptable for the U.S.,” Putin added.
“But they won’t stop printing. What does the debt of $33 trillion tell us about? It is about the emission.”
“Nevertheless, it is the main weapon used by the United States to preserve its power across the world.”
“As soon as the political leadership decided to use the U.S. dollar as a tool of political struggle, a blow was dealt to this American power. I would not like to use any strong language, but it is a stupid thing to do and a grave mistake,” Putin continued.
“Look at what is going on in the world. Even the United States allies are now downsizing their dollar reserves. Seeing this, everyone starts looking for ways to protect themselves,” the Russian leader added.
“But the fact that the United States applies restrictive measures to certain countries, such as placing restrictions on transactions, freezing assets et cetera, causes great concern and sends a signal to the whole world.”
“What did we have here? Until 2022, about 80% of Russian foreign trade transactions were made in us dollars and euros,” Putin said.
“U.S. dollars accounted for approximately 50% of our transactions with third countries, while currently it is down to 13%.”
“It wasn’t us who banned the use of the U.S. dollar. We had no such intention. It was decision of the United States to restrict our transactions in U.S. dollars.
“I think it is complete foolishness from the point of view of the interest of the United States itself and its taxpayers as it damages the U.S. economy, undermines the power of the United States across the world,” he added.
“By the way, our transactions in yuan (Chinese currency) accounted for about 3%. Today, 34% of our transactions are made in rubles and about as much, a little over 34% in yuan,” he said.
“Why did the United States do this? My only guess is self conceit. They probably thought it would lead to full collapse, but nothing collapsed.”
“Moreover, other countries, including oil producers, are thinking of and already accepting payments for oil in yuan. Do you even realize what is going on or not? Does anyone in the United States realize this? What are you doing? You’re cutting yourself off.”
“All experts say this. To ask any intelligent and thinking person in the United States what the dollar means for the U.S. You’re killing it with your own hands!”
Watch the full interview:
Ep. 73 The Vladimir Putin Interview pic.twitter.com/67YuZRkfLL
— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) February 8, 2024