‘Much-needed course correction may bring pain but…’: Samir Arora says Trump’s measures will avert financial collapse

Samir Arora, founder and fund manager of Helios Capital, on Sunday said that US President Donald Trump is undertaking a “much-needed course correction” before an inevitable financial reckoning. While acknowledging that Trump’s policies may bring short- to mid-term discomfort, Arora emphasized that such actions are crucial to stabilising the nation’s long-term financial health.

The realisation came, he said, after he recently revisited ‘Empire of Debt: The Rise of an Epic Financial Crisis’, a book he first read around 15-20 years ago. Pulling it off his shelf once again, he found its warnings about America’s debt-fueled empire strikingly relevant today, “20 years after publication”. He noted that Trump’s efforts—demanding financial contributions from allies, focusing on domestic priorities, and reducing unnecessary military engagements—mirror the book’s arguments on the perils of overextending an empire.

The book, written by financial writers Bill Bonner and Addison Wiggin, predicted that America’s reliance on borrowing to sustain global dominance would eventually lead to a major crisis. According to Arora, Trump’s policies align with the book’s core message: without intervention, the financial system could collapse under its own weight.

Arora’s remarks suggest that President Trump’s economic and foreign policy measures are aimed at addressing America’s financial vulnerabilities and reducing its imperial overstretch.

In his second stint as the US President, Trump has launched retaliatory tariffs on a majority of its trading partners. His “America First” policy prioritises US interests over global commitments, pushing for domestic job creation and manufacturing. He has also repeatedly criticized NATO allies and other partner nations for not paying their “fair share” of defense costs.

“Basically Trump is doing a much needed course correction  before the whole thing blows up- may lead to short/mid term pain but someone has to do what he is doing,” Arora shared on X.

In the Empire of Debt: The Rise of an Epic Financial Crisis, a 2005 book, authors Bonner and Wiggin argues that America’s economic and geopolitical trajectory is unsustainable. The authors claim that the US has been living beyond its means for decades, financing its global dominance through massive borrowing rather than real wealth creation. They compare the US to past empires—such as Rome and Britain—that collapsed under the weight of financial excess and military overreach.