General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPotentially hard times ahead
The news media is not openly talking about the financial and social storm approaching. It's not just bad it's a Category 5 hurricane.
Just a couple of highlights:
Currently Canada and Mexico are openly discussing leaving USMCA trade agreement and Mango Mussolini has also said he doesn't care about the trade agreement.
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mexico-us-review-trade-talks-canada/
The EU has suspended its approval of the US trade agreement and are likely to walk away completely
https://abcnews.com/Business/european-officials-suspend-us-trade-agreement-amid-tariff/story?id=129422031
China has ordered its banks to curb its holdings of US treasuries to avoid exposure to its flagging market strength.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-urges-banks-curb-us-treasuries-exposure-bloomberg-news-reports-2026-02-09/
Moderna walks away from phase III research and development on infectious diseases in the US after the FDA moved the goalposts on its mRNA flu vaccine
https://www.biospace.com/business/moderna-wont-run-phase-iii-vaccine-trials-as-skepticism-grows-in-us-bloomberg
We only added180,000 jobs in all of 2025 and 2026 has already seen record layoffs for a single month https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/january-jobs-revisions-trump-rcna258398
I could go on and on. We are, slowly but surely, reaching a tipping point and once that happens it's unlikely we will have a way back.
This guy has absolutely and likely permanently destroyed any and all goodwill and trust in the world.
Everything from permanent closer of bases around the world to completely dropping the dollar as the international currency of trade, are on the table.
China sees this and is already in motion to take advantage of it around the world.
China is a massive economic engine that, given the opportunity, will easily crush the dominance of the US.
Many in the world are already changing their perspective on the US, viewing us as a nation in decline, a violent, racist and xenophobic hellscape.
In many ways that is a very accurate assessment.
bucolic_frolic
(54,560 posts)Do they plan to retreat to the gold standard, or some gold-crypto combo?
Are banks safe? They can devalue anything they want, or potentially seize anything they want.
angrychair
(11,937 posts)But cryptocurrency, even the stable coin concept, is all but dead. The rapid fall of Bitcoin and other coins is not an anomaly or a market correction but a complete lose of confidence in the market.
As far as a gold standard. There is a move in multiple markets to do just that. BRICS, the Chinese economic block, has been moving in that direction and actively accumulating large amounts of gold to move away from the dollar as a international trade currency
https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/personal-finance/explained-why-brics-growing-gold-pile-is-raising-questions-about-dollar-dominance-article-153359859
mopinko
(73,456 posts)its gonna get harder and harder to sell our bonds. most interest rates r tied to t-bills.
so expect to pay more for money, and likely sooner than u think.
ChicagoTeamster
(636 posts)My MAGA family and friends, before I disassociated from them, used to talk as though
I hope they like working in the low paying agricultural, meat processing, and tire and muffler jobs they're deporting people from. There will be a shortage in welding and construction. It pays more but a lot of red states just passed laws that allow children to take on more dangerous jobs even working late on school nights all for much lower pay.
They probably think African Americans, who MAGA think are all on welfare, will be forced to take those jobs when the Trumpenfuhrer ends their welfare.
modrepub
(4,023 posts)AI capital expenditure layouts are massive infusions into the economy. Companies and some individuals are getting large tax refunds/cuts over the first quarter of 2026 that will be spent. In other words, there are still a lot of winds in our economic sails.
Not that I disagree, Ive just given up trying to guess when the wheels finally fall off. Will take this respite to draw some money out of stocks and park it somewhere safe for future needs or opportunities.
mwooldri
(10,801 posts)Janet Yellen for president? To rebuild the US from this Trumped up cluster fuck?
ALBliberal
(3,290 posts)Do we leave money in banks or do we take out cash? Seems logical that we stock up food and supplies and get as fully vaccinated as possible.
I really feel at a loss for preparing for what is coming. Sure we knew it would come. But its still gonna be horrible.
Thanks to any and all that reply. And thanks for insight on how you are preparing.
Bev54
(13,351 posts)with your analysis, It is not slowly but surely, it is one of the fastest downfalls and unfortunately the country seems not to understand how big and how fast this decline is going to hit.
ananda
(34,621 posts)and we have a hellscape worse than anything the
modern world has ever seen.
popsdenver
(1,929 posts)blame it all on "Trump"........but we need to start phrasing it as "Republican's".........since it is them that are all behind this calamity.
"Trump" would not have made it one week into his first term.....if the REPUBLICAN Senate, REPUBLICAN House, and the REPUBLICAN U.S. Supreme Court hadn't encouraged and enabled him every single day along with all the REPUBLICAN State Governors.
When "Trump" is long gone, they will all still be in power with the 2025 Cabal............and quite possibly someone even worse than Trump.
We need to get out the vote for 2026, Scream from the roof tops about any and all the corruption they have planned for the election.
The HUNDREDS of U.S. Representatives and Senators that we never hear from, need to get with the program. And we need a leader for the Dems to keep them focused on the priorities........
angrychair
(11,937 posts)I do agree with your statement but would make the assertion that he is the Republican party. More to the point the party has so subjugated themselves to him that it is impossible to distinguish one from the other.
popsdenver
(1,929 posts)unless we say "Republicans", they will all will walk away, squeaky clean, and blame everything on Trump......
If we can make the "Republicans" just as culpable, then the fence sitters, independents, and MAGAot voters won't automatically continue voting Republican, given the havoc the ENTIRE Republican Party/Politicians have rained down on them.....
angrychair
(11,937 posts)I'm all for laying this at Republicans feet until the end of time.
popsdenver
(1,929 posts)Help me remind everyone to say "Republicans" on this website, every chance we get. The Dem leadership???? should be screaming this same thing from the roof tops!!!!!!!
Instead, there are HUNDREDS of Democrats in Washington DC that we never hear word one from......It's always a selected handful that we do hear from.....AOC, etc.
I never hear anything from Colorado's two Dem Senators, and the Denver Dem U.S. House Rep......all just "going with the flow" and just cruising along...........(Actually, we have been hearing from U.S. Colorado Senator Bennett, but only because he is campaigning for Colorado Governor.......... to which I say: WTF?????????)
live love laugh
(16,272 posts)popsdenver
(1,929 posts)read my #17.............
BComplex
(9,817 posts)Thank you popsdenver!!!
popsdenver
(1,929 posts)Don't forget all the Corporations that provide the money, directly or indirectly.......
At the rate things are going, I would venture a guess that:
The Republicans will abandon the United States of America, and start saying: United Corporations of America.....
mwmisses4289
(3,670 posts)I suspect the economic driver and currency will end up being the out of the European union.
angrychair
(11,937 posts)Russia's issues are directly related to their illegal invasion of Ukraine.
China has been working overtime to dramatically improve its infrastructure and partnerships with other countries in order take the greatest advantage of the spaces abandoned by the US. Over the last decade or so.
popsdenver
(1,929 posts)playing the "LONG GAME"..................
live love laugh
(16,272 posts)Initech
(108,097 posts)This is the world that Donald Trump and Elon Musk built, and it's a really shitty one.
BComplex
(9,817 posts)Trump and Musk are two people. Two people could NOT have done this.
Just sayin'.
popsdenver
(1,929 posts)Trump wouldn't have lasted one day into his first term, if hadn't been for the Republicans in the U.S. Senate, the Republicans in the U.S. House, the Republicans in the US Supreme Court, the Republican Governors, and the 95+% of American Media which is owned/operated by wealthy Republicans, and Republican owned and operated Corporations.......
We all need to start saying: The REPUBLICAN PARTY, and not just Trump........
