(Zero Hedge)—Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (former chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald) appeared on the All-In podcast to discuss everything from President Trump’s transition team to creating DOGE with Elon Musk, fixing GDP, the tariff strategy driving the ‘America First’ agenda, immigration ‘Gold Cards,’ government software strategies, and much more.
All-In’s Chamath Palihapitiya and David Friedberg joined Lutnick in the White House in a long-form podcast (something Democrats consistently struggle with) to discuss his three-decade relationship with Trump and how he ultimately found himself in politics, backing the president.
Lutnick highlighted his role in leading Trump’s transition team and offered behind-the-scenes insight into creating DOGE with Musk:
So I’m in the car with him [Trump]… And I said, “We’re going to balance the budget.” And I said, “I have one favor to ask of you If we can balance the budget for you – will you agree to wave all income tax I see for every person who makes less than $150,000 a year for the United States of America, which by the way is about 85% of America.
And the reason you want to work for Donald Trump is he looks at me, he goes, “Sure.” You realize the president of the United States said, “If you balance the budget, sure.” And he’s not lying. He’s not kidding. He’s like, “Yeah that seems that seems like a great idea.” Right and so and then I tell him “Okay I’m going to go recruit Elon because Elon’s all in…”
Here are the highlights from the conversation:
- (0:00) chamath and friedberg welcome commerce secretary howard lutnick!
- (1:10) howard describes his 30+ year relationship with president trump and his road from business to politics
- (14:44) running trump’s transition team, doge origin story, what it’s like working for trump (38:01) balancing the budget and fixing gdp
- (52:21) tariff history and strategy, global trade
- (1:10:34) trump cards, building better government software, ai thoughts
- (1:22:49) sovereign wealth fund strategy
- (1:37:16) how his family reacted to his new role
Full interview here:
🇺🇸 all-in takes dc part 2!@chamath and @friedberg sit down with @CommerceGov secretary @howardlutnick for another long-form interview 🔥
— insights from running trump’s transition team
— creating @DOGE with @elonmusk
— fixing gdp
— tariff strategy
— how to sell 1m+… pic.twitter.com/mfmCdxhQvG
— The All-In Podcast (@theallinpod) March 20, 2025
This was one of the most entertaining and scoop-filled interviews from All-In.
At Last, a Company With Integrity in the Gold IRA Industry
For several years, I’ve been vetting out precious metals companies in search of the best. I believe in gold and silver but it’s hard to find integrity in the Gold IRA industry. The vast majority operate with shady tactics and gigantic spreads that take advantage of Americans who simply want to protect their life’s savings.
I’ve found a handful that I like and I’ve worked with some of them. By no means would I “unrecommend” them because, again, I vetted them out and found them to be above the fold. Unfortunately, it isn’t hard to be better than the rest when the rest are so darn awful.
After years of searching, I finally found a company that truly operates with integrity. Augusta Precious Metals has three important attributes that set them far above the competition:
- Non-Commissioned Sales Team: I cannot stress how important and unique this is. With just about every other company in the Gold IRA industry, the sales teams make commission from every account they open. This means they steer their clients toward the gold and silver products with the highest commission. With Augusta Precious Metals, the team is solely focused on putting the best gold and silver for their clients into their IRA. They get paid to serve the best interests of the Gold IRA client, NOT their own commission pay.
- Incredibly Low Fees: Most Americans would be shocked if they knew the spread other Gold IRA companies charge. Augusta charges just 5% versus up to 45% elsewhere.
- No Pressure, No Gimmicks: There’s an understanding among most in the Gold IRA industry that fear and pressure is the way to go. Augusta Precious Metals takes a sober approach when working with clients because they hold integrity in the highest possible regard. This is why they don’t offer gimmicks like “free” or “bonus” silver. It’s also why they do not apply pressure tactics to get quick sales. Their educational and transparent approach to doing business is exceedingly rare in the Gold IRA industry.
