Warren Buffett: ‘Trumps trade war can result in nuclear disaster’

During the annual shareholders’ meeting of Berkshire Hathaway in 2025, top investor Warren Buffett criticized the trading policy of former President Donald Trump. According to Buffett, his measures are not only an economic risk, but they also threaten international safety.

Buffett sounds the alarm about protectionism

Buffett did not have a magazine during the meeting. He expressed himself remarkably critically about the use of trade as a geopolitical weapon. The use of economic relationships as a means of pressure he called a “dangerous course”. With that he immediately referred to the import duties that Trump has recovered recently.

According to Buffett, such measures not only cause economic damage, but they also ensure rising tensions on the world stage. “Trade could never be used as a war instrument,” he emphatically warned.

According to the billionaire, protectionist measures mainly evoke hostility and jealousy in other countries. It is precisely these feelings that are dangerous in a world in which several nations have nuclear weapons.

Buffett outlined a worrying scenario: “There are eight countries with nuclear weapons, some of which are quite unstable. Then you don’t want to end up in a situation in which one shouts” We have won “and watch the other full of envy.”

With these words, Buffett mainly seemed to go to countries such as Russia, China and North Korea-countries where the geopolitical tensions are already regularly rising.

Farewell after more than sixty years

The sharp warnings were not the only news that Buffett shared during the meeting. To the surprise of many, he also announced his farewell as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. After more than sixty years at the helm, he takes a step back, now 94 years old.

Although he announced several times in the past that he found investing “much too nice” to stop, he has now decided to transfer the baton. Only his children were aware of the decision in advance. Greg Abel, put forward as a successor for some time, will officially take over the leadership of the billion -dollar company at the end of this year.