Tourism down 25% in Florida
Scaramucci's Florida driver reported that Canadian tourists had disappeared, leaving his business down 25% because of Trump's rhetoric toward Canada.
Snapshot · The Rest Is Politics: US
202. Is Trump Rigging the World Cup?
Explore episode
Jul 6, 2026
Where this was said
American Soft Power: From Hershey Bars to World Cup Bullying
At 14:53 · chapter starts 12:18
This is the episode's philosophical core. Scaramucci explains that at the end of World War II the US held 50% of global GDP with just 3% of the world's population, but chose to exercise that power benevolently — selling culture, building alliances, making the world want to be American [1] — Anthony Scaramucci "History says bullying superpowers invite coalitions against them. Scaramucci invokes Harvard professor Stephen Walt's thesis on unnatural a…" 12:17 . That soft-power dividend compounded over 80 years. Now, a Florida driver tells Scaramucci his tourism business is down 25% because Canadians won't come; the new American Pope chose on July 4th to pray at the shores where migrants drown rather than celebrate with Trump. Scaramucci cites Stephen Walt's scholarship on unnatural alliances: the Iraq War pushed China and Russia together despite 300 years of Siberian border antagonism because 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. America is repeating that dynamic. Kay joins the thread: people in Canada are booing the US national anthem. The question of who the alternative sheriff might be hangs in the air — Mark Carney is mentioned as an emerging candidate rallying NATO — but nobody has a compelling answer yet.
US had 50% of world GDP post-WWII
At the end of World War II the United States held roughly 50% of global GDP while representing only 3% of the world's population.
Infantino's One-Client Loyalty Program
Gianni Infantino gave Trump the FIFA Peace Prize, hung out with his cabinet, and then facilitated the reversal of a red card after a presidential phone call. Scaramucci reads it simply: Infantino wants proximity to power and built a personal loyalty program with a client list of one.
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