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former george w. bush adviser dr pippa malmgren: ‘economic negativity about brexit drives me insane!’

“House of Cards has nothing on reality. It’s much darker in real life.” As former special assistant to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, Dr Pippa Malmgren knows the cut-throat world of the White House.

The economist and entrepreneur however, takes a brighter view of the current administration.

She tells Michael Hayman on the latest episode of Capital Conversation, that Donald Trump’s delivery may leave a lot to be desired, but his philosophy towards business is positive.

“Whether or not you like the President, the fact is the country is doing very well. The economy is doing very well.”

Her optimistic outlook is perhaps thanks to her ability to foresee the recent wave of political and economic shocks. In her 2016 book Signals, Pippa outlined how everyday signs can help us to spot these shifts.

“If you look at the world through a mathematical lens and see the answers as only being in data, you’re going to miss a whole load of stuff.”

Away from the political sphere, Dr Malmgren is founder of H Robotics, a manufacturing firm specialising in non-weaponised drone technology

Governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney’s has warned that more than 15 million UK jobs are at threat due to technological developments. “What he doesn’t say is here are all the new jobs that will be created and replace those lost jobs.

“Blockchain is a sector that hadn’t even been heard of a decade ago.”

Her optimism has earned Pippa widespread acclaim, with Liam Fox appointing her as a non-executive board member of the Department for International Trade– describing her as his ‘political soulmate.’ A particular area she wants less negativity around, is Brexit.

“What drives me mad is this idea that the British economy is going to slide into the North Sea and sink. This is insane. It’s only the British who lack confidence in their own future.”

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