Kitco News Anchor Jeremy Szafron sits down with one of the world’s most respected economists, former IMF Chief Kenneth Rogoff, for a stunning interview about the future of the U.S. dollar. As central banks buy gold at the fastest pace in modern history , Professor Rogoff, author of the new book ‘Our Dollar, Your Problem,’ explains why the dollar’s “days are numbered.”
In this wide-ranging discussion, Rogoff tells Jeremy Szafron why he believes the Federal Reserve is “under assault” – a structural problem in US politics that will inevitably lead to higher inflation. He also declares that “the Chinese crisis is here” , explains why the US is vulnerable to a Japanese-style inflation shock , and reveals why he believes “gold is the new gold.”
Guest: Kenneth Rogoff
Harvard University Professor
Former Chief Economist, International Monetary Fund
Author, “Our Dollar, Your Problem” and “This Time is Different”
This interview was recorded on September 16, 2025.
0:00 – Intro: The US Debt is Growing by $1 Trillion Every 100 Days
1:20 – Ken Rogoff: Why This Time is Truly Different for the US Dollar
2:15 – Asia is Half the Dollar Bloc, And They’re Buying Gold
3:30 – The “Tina” Argument: Is the Dollar Still the Cleanest Shirt?
5:00 – Why China is Being Forced to De-Dollarize
5:45 – Has the Market Lost Faith in the Federal Reserve’s Guidance?
6:50 – Rogoff: The Fed is “Under Assault,” and it’s Not Just Trump
7:30 – Is the Fed Trapped Between Inflation and a Debt Crisis?
8:30 – The Deeper “Disease” in the US Political System
11:20 – How Political Pressure Impacts the Fed’s Global Perception
13:50 – The “Unforced Error” That Puts US Debt at Risk
14:30 – The Truth About Japan’s Debt Crisis: “Boy is That Wrong”
16:45 – Is the US Vulnerable to a Japanese-Style Inflation Shock?
19:10 – Why Central Banks are Really Buying Gold (Sanctions & Distrust)
21:00 – The Weaponization of the US Dollar: “It’s Happened”
22:20 – Stablecoins: An Innovation or a Threat?
24:08 – Why Russia & China Are Trading in Stablecoins
25:20 – Bypassing SWIFT: The New De-Dollarization Threat
26:50 – The UK’s “Unforced Error” and the Decline of the Pound
29:15 – How Tariffs Reduce the Desirability of the Dollar
30:30 – Hemingway: How You Go Bankrupt “Slowly, Then All at Once”
33:20 – LIGHTNING ROUND: Bitcoin, Inflation, China Crisis
35:20 – How a Top Economist Structures a Personal Portfolio
36:10 – Rogoff: “Gold is the New Gold”
Credit to : Kitco NEWS