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It's mind blowing to witness the speed and rapidity with which we have * Completely alienated key allies via an erratic and unpredictable tariff policy * Sign
by arunabha 1y ago
It's mind blowing to witness the speed and rapidity with which we have
* Completely alienated key allies via an erratic and unpredictable tariff policy
* Significantly undermined faith in US economic data and fiscal policy via overt politicization of key economic institutions
* Increased the deficit by almost $3 trillion after vowing to reduce the deficit
* Signaled far and wide that pay for play is the new norm, whether for pardons or favourable policy. Preferably paid in crypto, but with in kind payments being acceptable.
Is there any wonder that other countries are unwilling to trust the US? The only hope we have is that the current bout of madness in Washington DC is a one time aberration, but who knows!
- CamperBob2 1y agoHe did say we'd get tired of all the winning.
- FranzFerdiNaN 1y ago[flagged]
- DaSHacka 1y agoSource?
- FranzFerdiNaN 1y agoActual reality.
- DaSHacka 1y agoInteresting, I seem to notice the exact opposite from "actual reality", how do you suppose we correct this incongruity?
- dboreham 1y agoNot really when you realize people elected a seriously mentally ill person.
- DSingularity 1y agoDon’t forget: our insane support for genocide and an out-of-control genocidal regime that’s clearly trying to trigger WW3.
- vkou 1y ago> Don’t forget: our insane support for genocide and an out-of-control genocidal regime that’s clearly trying to trigger WW3. Look, I think the people involved should be waiting trial in the Hague as much as the next man, but let's be real. They could kill another 5.2 million people, and nobody would start WW3 over it. Some people's lives are simply worth more than others to world powers, and in this case, the Thanksgiving Turkey getting a stay of execution would get more people to tune in to the telly.
- Tadpole9181 1y agoThey have begun sending drones and military jets over a hundred kilometers into NATO nation borders. Sorry, 350 km. They're testing waters.
- vkou 1y agoSurely, you realize that the US is as of today, still sending weapons to Ukraine. The genocidal regime[1] that it is actively supporting is a little further south. [1] https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-committed-genocide-gaza-strip-un-commission-finds https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/israel-has-c...
- Tadpole9181 1y agoI neither support Israel's genocide or appreciate the whataboutism. The US has many crosses to bear for our geopolitical endeavors in the last 80 years. That does not change Russia's current geopolitical endeavors. I won't even entertain your insinuation that loaning weapons for an allied nations to defend itself with is remotely equivalent to invading a sovereign, western nation to attempt to annex land.
- JohnTHaller 1y agoDon't forget the 800,000 layoffs so far this year.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- lwansbrough 1y agoNo, the US has completely and utterly destroyed all credibility it had. It is a farce. There is no hope for it to return. US allies have credible evidence that the American populace are untrustworthy, uncaring, and frankly, stupid. The only way for the US to restore credibility is to prosecute. And then survive another 100 years without doing it again. The remaining influence it has economically and militarily should be considered to be "running on fumes." US allies are looking for an exit strategy and aren't going to reconsider. Russia won. I fully anticipate this to be downvoted, I don't care. You are coping if you think America can pull itself out of this.
- jayd16 1y agoThis is a very silly take. It's going to take America 100 years to restore credibility? It didn't even take post war Germany that long.
- lwansbrough 1y agoYou may recall the Germans were forced by the allies to restore their credibility. Many hanged as a result. So if you ask me if the Americans are capable of fixing this problem themselves, my answer is no.
- withinboredom 1y agoAs an US American living outside the US and just spending last week at a tech conference with nearly no US Americans there; this subject was pretty popular to overhear. Essentially, people are asking whether anyone should take the US seriously anymore, as a tourist destination, a place to continue career/education, a political ally, etc. The gist was that the US is cooked from a reputation point of view. Whether that has any meaningful impact is yet to be seen.
- jacquesm 1y agoDon't forget: as a tech partner. It's all momentum right now, and true, there is a lot of that. But lots of little conservative decisions are beginning to add up.
- gyomu 1y ago> The only hope we have is that the current bout of madness in Washington DC is a one time aberration, but who knows! I’ve been hearing people pray this is a one time aberration for the last 10 years. At this point, the ride seems way more likely to get bumpier than not for the next 10 years.
- BiteCode_dev 1y agoIndeed, we already heard that in 2001: - Bush was hated and considered a national shame. - The invasion of Iraq while lying about WMD and against the UN vote, eroded international trust. - The Patriot act was supposed to be temporary be was extended again and again. - We got the reveal of mass spying by Snowden. And... nothing. Obama didn't do anything about the wars, mass spying, or the patriot act. He was an elegant break from the dumbness, but didn't stop the elevator to keep climbing after him, just paused it for a few years. All of it was just stepping stones after stepping stones. It's not a one-time aberration; it's a sign of the times.
- watwut 1y agoThere is massive difference between Obama and Trump. Between project 2025, MAGA and literally anything Obama. The way Republicans back then acted, refused literally any cooperation and made bad faith putrages ober everything was also something else. Remember when tan suit was not presidential enough? When saying that Martin Trayon looked like hypothetical Obama son in tepid statement somehow crossed taboo of what preaident can say? America did not became like it is during Obama and not even Bush. It did lost some trust due to Iraq, sure, it was still not what it is now. But Obama being black did broke conservatives minds.
- BiteCode_dev 1y agoYes, but critical policies stayed the way they were, and the social order didn't smooth back to pre 2001. There was no move in that direction. It was a short break, not a rebuilding. Hence, what's happening today is not going to be a one time event. It's been escalating since 2001, and at best, stagnating under Obama.
- zzleeper 1y agoRemember the story of Nero watching Rome burn, and asking how could he and everyone involved be so fool? Well I'm not surprised any more. Feels like a perfectly believable story :/
- magnio 1y agoThis "pay up for trade access" is similar to the tributary system of feudal China. Every year, neighboring countries of China like Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam sent envoys to Imperial China, paying gold, women, and exotic products, in return for recognition of their sovereignty (subject to the supreme authority of Chinese emperor), military protection, and access to trade routes within China. It is interesting to see the resurgence of such imperial practices in modern-day America. I think it worked out quite well for the Tang dynasty, but arguably that was because all East Asian feudal states were authoritarian monarchy back then. A logical next step would be for POTUS to declare himself as the supreme leader of the world, emend educational materials to propound the idea that the US is superior to other tributary states, quell all internal cries of undemocratic practices, and ban books that promote historical knowledge to avoid unnecessary dissent.
- camillomiller 1y agoStop giving them ideas!
- BiteCode_dev 1y ago> A logical next step would be for POTUS to declare himself as the supreme leader of the world Well, he is already positioning himself for being at least the US DFL, already suggesting a 3rd illegal mandate: https://www.trumpstore.com/product/trump-2028-hat/ https://www.trumpstore.com/product/trump-2028-hat/ And the US, being the most powerful country in the world, barred, maybe China, the next step is not so far-fetched.
- throwawayqqq11 1y agoI wish the western allies would dump their US bonds to drive bond yields into the ground and threaten US budgets, like the military one, that relying on cheap debt. But this is a difficult decision to make, do you sacrifice possible (less likely) future earnings to destabilize a super power to save it from fascism but in turn risking a power vacuum to your disadvantage? Id take this gamble but im a mere democratic citizen, that doesnt care about global pro-fascism support, like other right leaning governments do.
- e40 1y agoTrump is a symptom not a cause. The right has been planning this for many decades and many think it started with Powell Memorandum, 1971. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_F._Powell_Jr https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_F._Powell_Jr.
- lostlogin 1y ago> Trump is a symptom not a cause. I can’t remember where I read it and searching isn’t finding anything. Someone stated that extreme times lead to extreme leaders. The way to lead in extreme times is to be more extreme. Removing Trump would not solve America’s problems.
- jacquesm 1y agoBut it just might stop them from getting much worse still. 7 Months. That's not a whole lot of time. Now extrapolate with more and more of the brakes disabled.
- hackable_sand 1y agoWe do not live in "extreme times".
- Tadpole9181 1y agoWe're not even in "extreme times". There's no major wars, the economy is strong, we're recovering from recent disasters better than most nations. Literally everything here is self inflicted. The "extreme times" are just the rhetoric pushed by the Republican party, constantly making up new bogeyman about blood rivers in the streets of Chicago and trans hypnosis on children. Meanwhile real extreme times are sneaking around beneath the surface, decades away but in clear sight, and the Republican party calls it a hoax.
- bmitc 1y ago> the economy is strong, In what way? The stock market is not the economy. There's no way the U.S. economy can completely weather what's going on. Other countries will be pulling back and switching as much as possible.
- verzali 1y ago> The only hope we have is that the current bout of madness in Washington DC is a one time aberration, but who knows! Bit late for that.
- Tadpole9181 1y agoFor real. Bud, he was elected twice. And the Republican party survived Bush.
- danmaz74 1y agoTrump is working hard to remove any notions that the USA are "leaders of the free world", and making it into the unapologetic "mafia boss of the American Empire".
- hbarka 1y agoDon’t forget DOGE, brainchild of Elon Musk, promising to save trillions from the deficit but ended up leaving with a wake in billions of waste and turmoil. A U.S. Senate investigation revealed that DOGE is responsible for at least $21.7 billion in taxpayer waste. https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/07/31/2025/the-217-billion-blunder-new-psi-report-reveals-billions-in-taxpayer-dollars-squandered-by-doge https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/07/...
- archagon 1y agoMusk has verified blood on his hands: https://archive.is/YknTv https://archive.is/YknTv
- chaostheory 1y agoYou forgot to mention the insane immigration policy during a time when birth rates have plummeted below replacement rates.
- lostlogin 1y ago> The only hope we have is that the current bout of madness in Washington DC is a one time aberration Or even just a two-time thing.
- SideburnsOfDoom 1y ago> The only hope we have is that the current bout of madness in Washington DC is a one time aberration It's literally the second go-around. Trust wasn't completely lost the first time. Because of the hope that you mentioned. But now, unlike then, the rest of world is taking note that the USA is simply going to be like this periodically, and planning accordingly.
- decafninja 1y agoJames David says hello. Also the first time around, there was also a contingent of old school Republicans around him acting as a guard rail.
- SideburnsOfDoom 1y ago> James David says hello. After some googling and following the leads, I have come to the conclusion that this must refer to USA Vice President James David "J.D." Vance.
- Arun2009 1y agoThis may, in the end, be for the best - if it dents American power over the long term. I like America and Americans very much, but no state should wield the kind of power the United States currently holds, precisely for the reasons the Trump administration exemplifies. When a responsible government is in office, all is well and good. But when the political winds shift and a more capricious actor takes charge, such concentrated power can become dangerous. I hope America’s allies have taken note and will adjust their policies accordingly.
- FuckButtons 1y agoYou know what follows a power vacuum? War. I would rather have a status quo that feels at times chafing than the opportunity for everything to get absolutely horrendous in the not too distant future.
- fakedang 1y agoNope, war is perpetuated by unhinged leaders and governments which enable them. When Bismarck created the concert of Europe, there was peace for the most part of that time period within Europe, when every power was curtailed by the other. When Bismarck was expelled and Wilhelm II took things in his own hands, WW1 happened.
- kylebenzle 1y ago[dead]
- xg15 1y ago> Increased the deficit by almost $3 trillion after vowing to reduce the deficit After vowing to and dismantling half the federal government services, ostensibly in order to reach the goal of a reduced deficit...
- bmitc 1y agoThe supporters of these lunatics don't look into any of that. It's Americans destroying America basically out of spite for "the other side". These people are terrorists in my opinion, but they view themselves as the true Americans.
- emorning4 1y ago[dead]
- fabianholzer 1y ago2016 to 2020 would have been a one time aberration.
- Tubelord 1y agoYes. The strength of the dollar is based on stability
- michaelhoney 1y agoAnd the weaker the US gets, the less other countries will put up with its bullshit.