"I Believe In The Black Swan": Ron Paul And Tucker Talk Ukraine, US Interventionism, And 'The Most Important Thing'

Ron Paul and Tucker Carlson sat down for an in-depth and thought-provoking exchange spanning U.S. foreign policy, the philosophical underpinnings of government intervention, and the overarching consequences of monetary policy.

Subscribers to the Tucker Carlson Network can see the entire interview here...

On Ukraine

Paul, a longtime critic of US foreign policy - particularly interventionism, slammed America's involvement in the Ukraine war. Carlson played a soundbite of Paul in 2014, when the United States was deep into the reformation of Ukraine.

"We've already spent $5 billion over the last ten years trying to pick and choose the leadership of Ukraine ... And then we participated in the overthrow of the Yanukovych government," (for which then-VP Joe Biden was point-man within the Obama administration)."

And I take a noninterventionist foreign policy position. It's not our business. It doesn't serve anybody's interests. It's part of the same thing that led us into the disaster in the Middle East. So a lot of people die and a lot of money is spent...

-Ron Paul, 2014

Carlson asked Paul just how he knew all that in 2014, to which Paul replied: "Sometimes the people who are running their operation gives you an idea, like like Victoria Nuland," who he called "the worst kind of warmonger."

"Who benefits from these bombs being dropped?" Paul continued.

On Monetary Policy and Economic Principles

According to Paul, America needs to "go through rough tumble times because the price always has to be paid," adding "How do you liquidate the debt? You know, we can't walk away from that debt.

When asked by Carlson how to do this, Paul said that the government would essentially inflate their way out of it.

"You print money, and every time you print money, the value of the dollar goes down. So the value of the debt goes down ... If you double the money supply and prices go up by 50%, it doesn't work that way. But if you do that, the real debt, it goes down. So it's a theft, it's a tax, it's evil." -Ron Paul

"So you inflate your way out of it," Carlson replied.

"Yeah. And that's that's what will happen," Paul said.

Non-Aggression

Carlson then asked a probing question regarding Paul's comment that he speaks to the "remnant" of people who understand what's going on, and who find each other - and that it's more than just practical and political, but spiritual.

"I think that, that's the same principle, you know, the non-aggression principle. Yeah. I think more Christians should know about non-aggression," Paul replied, adding that he can't stand lawmakers who "speak well and are dedicated to the Constitution and freedom and peace, and they go on and on. And, yes, they're the biggest war mongers ever. They never voted for a nickel against the military and God complex, but they still call themselves a conservative constitutionalist."

Changing Minds

While Ron Paul says he doesn't have the perfect answer to what's going on in Ukraine ("Well, now we have World War three on a doorstep. And every day we try to start another fight with Russia. And there we go. On and on. So it's, it's it's not going to be stopped that way"), he said he's encouraged by people changing their minds towards war.

Paul says that people are "starved for the truth," and when they learn it, they learn that "things can get better."

'Don't be a Counterfeiter"

According to Paul, it's easy for him to discuss monetary policy because the US government is "a counterfeiter."

"It's illegal. The Constitution says that only gold. Silver can be legal tender. So. And here. Yeah. Guess what? 1930, 34, when, Roosevelt made gold illegal," Paul said, adding that "it isn't hard for people to understand counterfeit. And the other thing is, this is not hard for people to understand taxation. It's a tax. It's a vicious tax. It's a tax on the poor in the middle class. And it enhances war. It enhances all this welfare."

How to Prepare

Carlson then asked Paul what the average person should do "if what you have predicted comes true," which he thinks it "likely will" since "there's no way to get out of the debt and a way to liquidate it except through inflation. Hyperinflation. How do you protect your family? Like, what practical steps do you take?"

To which Paul replied, "I think people should know about how how oh, throughout history, even currently, we're in the middle of it. You know, the depreciation of the money and what people can do so that they, they that I list is a real eye opener for me.

"But you can't do that forever. I think we're reaching this point where, some sudden thing is going to happen. I believe in that theory of the Black Swan."

Drilling down, Paul suggested that people learn the "most important thing" to prepare:

Understand what's going on in education, which is "why I happen to have a home schooling program, and I try to teach this stuff early because you can't change it."

Study and understand what's going on in the world. Paul says that "you have your guns and you have stored food and all that, it's not it's not going to work," adding "You have to know it's coming and it's very, very dangerous. And that's why I love to see smaller units of government." Essentially, the idea would be that in a "black swan" scenario, states would "act like they ought to act" and protect their people.

"But really, the most important thing you do is study and understand what's going on."

Own Gold. According to Paul (and what every ZH reader should already know), "Gold can protect you from inflation," something that's been "known for 6,000 years."

"You know, just since the Bretton Woods broke down. August 15th, 1971. If you were betting on a gold coin or, you know, your dollar dollar lost 98% of its purchasing power and gold went from $35 up. And that was it. You know, it's around 2000. Yeah, that's a ways to go. Yeah. Because the dollar has a ways to go to. Yeah. They can't they can't they can restore the dollar. But but there has to be a liquidation of debt..."

"And it'll come down," Paul continued.

BUT (and it's a big but...): "You can have your gold, you can have food, you can have your cabin and and guns and all this. I said it won't matter if you don't have your freedom."

'There Was A Coup And We Lost'

Paul lamented how big government is "taking stuff from us all the time," and most of it comes from the middle class, who is "poor," and "suffer the consequence of inflation."

"Very wealthy people don't have to worry about the cost of a loaf of bread, but what they make, they, they they do have to, they have to worry about the big system. Because when the big system goes on, there's not many people who are going to escape it. There will be some, Paul continued, adding that we have "deserted the constitution."

Paul says that the government has been taken over, the precise date of which was November 22nd, 1963 - the date JFK was assassinated."

"So you you say in this an I don't think it's a controversial statement anymore, but the CIA, of course, was involved in his murder," Carlson said. "You said you believe that his fate was sealed on June 10th, 1963, when he gave a commencement address at American University. Fairly famous speech, which I plan to watch tonight, actually. About peace. Tell us what you mean."

To which Paul replied, "Kennedy was controversial. He wasn't always anti-war as he was leading up to his death. Yes. He had he had some foreign policies that I wouldn't be endorsing. But he was he was coming this way," adding "And, it became known that because he did speak out and I think it wasn't that many days, you know, before his assassination."

Paul said that during all his time in Congress, he never heard anyone say that the CIA was involved in Kennedy's assassination, aside from his close friends.

He did explain his take on the deep state...

At the end of the day, Paul says "the Republic is gone."

That said, Paul and Carlson agreed that one should have optimism and faith in the principles of liberty, non-aggression and personal responsibility, as Paul has a profound belief in the capacity for change and improvement.