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Do we elect the politicians we deserve?
Trump is at least facing up to the reality that USA is an empire in decline and facing an existential threat from China.
He is dealing with a population of voters who still believe the hype from the 1990s about US exceptionalism.
Democracy does not cope well with decline, combined with fiat money its a horror show, because its just too easy to pretend that your economy and empire are not in decline by printing more fiat debt leveraged 'wealth' (frequently in the form of housing), until its too late.
It has been bankers and corporate lobbyists running USA for decades- it may well be too late already.
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The problem is that people assume that Trump (or any politician for that matter) actually care about the consequences of their policies.
If instead you view their policies as a means of making statements and virtue signalling, it makes more sense.
Trump says things that he thinks his base wants to hear. He acts on them enough to be able to say more and new things he thinks they want to hear.
Trump does not care whether housing costs more or less. Trump does not care whether housing is a savings vehicle or a depreciating durable good. Just as he does care to defend free speech or any other constitutional principle. This the same for Biden and most of the members of Congress. Lawmaking is a show they put on to wow their constituents into voting.