On April 13, 2025, Bridgewater Associates’ billionaire and founder of the biggest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates told NBC’s Meet the Press Reporter, “Now we’re at a decision-making point and very close to a recession.” Still, he is worried about “something worse than a recession.” He shared his views on upcoming catastrophes and outlined what could be a relief package.
“Worse than a recession”
Meet the Press Reporter asked Dario to explain what he meant. He said The problem with customs is that it is a symptom of a bigger problem. Dario showed several simultaneous problems at once. According to Dario, these issues are an increase in government debt that will change the financial order in America and an internal political conflict that will change the political order in America.
In addition, Dario said external conflicts, technological changes and natural disasters (such as floods, pandemics) are factors that contribute to instability. He said the tariffs were carried out in a chaotic and “very disruptive” way, with no quality negotiation, pragmatism or stability. But Dario noted that the outcome will be revealed in 90 days, probably due to the suspension of tariffs applied by the Trump administration.
When asked about the probability of a recession, Dario replied that the recession itself was not terrible. This is just two quarters of negative GDP, and the challenges facing America today are deeper, and changing the domestic and financial order of Dario in the US could change compared to the Great Repression era of the 1930s.
According to Dario, if the fiscal deficit is not regulated, the country will face supply and demand issues for U.S. debt. Potentially, it could destroy the monetary system. When combined with the other challenges mentioned above, the country could be in a much more serious state than the Great Repression and the 2008 financial crisis. Dario warned listeners about the possible internal conflict, saying, “It’s not a normal democracy as we know it.” Furthermore, Dario does not rule out the possibility of US involvement in international military conflicts. A new crisis could disrupt the world order created in 1945.
“Tax is just a symptom.”
In an interview with Meet the Press, Dario did not provide details on how he views the future crisis. A few days before this interview, Dario shared the length of popularity xPost “Don’t get wrong in thinking what’s happening now is primarily about customs duties.” In the first line of the post, Dario emphasizes that tariffs are merely a symptom of a bigger problem. Large debts set dangerous imbalances in the global economy.
Here is what he wrote about the instability of the current world order:
The old financial/economic order in which countries like China manufacture cheaply, sell to Americans, acquire American debt assets, and Americans borrow money from countries like China, make purchases of them, and borrow money to build huge debt liabilities. These clearly unsustainable circumstances are further created by the fact that they have led to degradation in American manufacturing.
The only positive outcome of Trump’s tariff policy is to bring manufacturers back into the country, causing US technological developments. However, other factors will lead the US to undergo several disruptive processes. According to Dalio, the old system cannot survive and it is up to the government to let it go in an easy or difficult way.
Despite the fact that Dario is extremely critical of the way tariffs are deployed, some of his commenters still find ways to view Trump’s policies as a crisis relief package described by Dario. But the billionaire offers his own vision of how to stop the crisis.
Dario offers a solution
Not only does Dario look at the various challenges, but he also outlines how to prevent a “worst than a recession” crisis from happening. According to the founders of Bridgewater Associates, Congress should take a “3% pledge” and reduce its fiscal deficit to 3%.
Dario is very interested in the current issue, but he believes there is still a loophole. If the government doesn’t take action as quickly as possible, Dario believes the deficit will increase to 7%, causing other negative factors that will ultimately disrupt the US financial system.
Can Bitcoin be the solution?
Dario is not so conservative in the crypto and holds some in his portfolio. Obviously, he does not see it as a universal, safe haven, but rather as an interesting new asset class that may diversify his portfolio. Dario says he prefers money over code. Both assets reached their respective record prices this year.
Dario’s Bitcoin reservations include Crypto’s transparency (the government knows what Dalio can hold and tax on him) and volatility. According to Dalio, Bitcoin cannot become a reserve currency, as it is rather a speculative asset.
Judging by what Dario writes and says, Donald Trump and Michael Saylor explore the possibility of Bitcoin greeting the US national debt, the root of all evil. If Trump and Saylor are right, Bitcoin may save America from a crisis worse than a recession. However, BlackRock’s Larry Fink warns of opposition. US debt may undermine America’s global leadership with crypto.
