Everyone's known this would be the end game, but it is interesting to see the major players act like it might happen soon.

I expect we'll see selective defaults under flimsy pretenses first. In particular, tensions are high with China right now and they are the major debt holder. It would be easy to say, because of their actions towards Taiwan, or human rights violations, or unfair trade practices, or the covid lab leak coverup, or whatever, that the US is suspending payment until major (impossible) reforms are made to the CCP.