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In many ways, it was quite obvious that Trump didn't win the election as much as the incumbent/insider/Deep-State Democrats lost it. Drunk on their own navel-gazing, they thought Americans were game on non-binary bs, the covid deceptions/authoritarianism, the climate nonsense and race wars and the rest of it. And the histrionics since haven't been much better (#775380).
Here is Edward Luce, of the Financial Times, trying to square his brains with what's up: Surely Trump is mad and the sane Democrats will get back in line?
Naaah.
For years, [Trump] has been insisting that America’s system is rotten. Now he is putting a torch to it. Aside from the markets, which still have trouble processing that Trump means what he says, Democrats stand exposed as complacent.
Playbook is this, it would seem:
Schumer recently predicted that “Trump will screw up”. Republicans would then lose the 2026 midterm elections and Trump then become a lame duck.
OK best of luck to yahs.
Assuming that they will fight the next election on a level playing field is an act of faith. Trump has been in office for two weeks. There are 21 months until the midterms.
And obvs, the intelligentsia have got to stick it to Elon (#829287)
The giga-tycoon has seized control of the federal payments system and the country’s personal data [...] Where in the constitution does it say that the unelected richest man in America gets to decide which programmes live or die, who to hire and fire, and what contracts to revoke?
I dunno, Stackers. I just grab my popcorn and enjoy the show

32 sats \ 0 replies \ @Satosora 21h
21 months is a very long time to make changes. Especially with how fast Trump is moving, he knows it is a race until the midterms. So he is getting stuff done while he can. Reminds me of that one song. https://youtu.be/tw429JGL5zo?si=EAdHf3JvFpHr6-ge
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The intelligentsia would have more credibility if they actually got anything right in the last 8 years. I can hardly think of anything they were correct about.
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18 sats \ 0 replies \ @Shugard 19h
Grabbing popcorn seems like the best idea!
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For the real possibility that Mr. Trump is going to 'burn it all down' (and he may) in addition to undermining the 'global world order' depend on the United States...
I'm just glad we have Bitcoin. How people don't and can't see Bitcoin as apolitical credit insurance for the changing world... is beyond me.
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Samesies.
Maybe we're missing something?
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I... don't think so. I have noone IRL to talk to about Bitcoin. And something like Lightning forget it.
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The biggest complaint most people had about Trump is that he was too normal and compliant once he got elected.
This time they're getting the bull in a China shop that they wanted the first time.
As the legacy influence machine continues its freakout, it will just increasingly marginalize itself from the general public.
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If Mr Trump alienates much of the rest of the world (including America's trading partners) don't that just push more and more people to Bitcoin?
Who wants to hold American bonds now?
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So far, it looks like his targets are acquiescing almost immediately.
I still expect dollarization to precede bitcoinization. We're seeing how fragile the other currencies are.
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To me it just looks like 'ya sure we'll give the Americans more "border security" or whatever they want...'
But secretly it's like 'wow we can't trust the Americans' any more We need a new plan
I don't think they're acquiescing so much as just... pretending to
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84 sats \ 1 reply \ @freetx 20h
Regarding border security (which is what most of his tariffs have been about so far) I doubt anyone at the nation state level really sees Trumps request as that outlandish.
If we were neighbors and I was allowing criminals to use my territory as a staging ground to invade your property. Do you think it would be reasonable for you to ask me to stop? Would it be reasonable for you to threaten repercussions if I refused?
All of this was normal expectations from the beginning of time until 2010. The last 10 or so years have been a historical aberration.
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Add in to your thought experiment that your neighbor has been doing lots of chores for you and patronizing your business. Might your neighbor stop doing those things, until you cleaned up your act?
That could be, but we've also already had Trump issue threats of tariffs towards anyone moving away from the dollar.
I'd say he's made the tariff threats credible, at this point, and losing access to the American market would be much more costly for most countries than just complying.
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31 sats \ 1 reply \ @028559d218 19h
If they can't sell to the Americans (or the Europeans) they'll just sell to the Chinese. Case study - Russia after the Ukraine sanctions.
The US doesn't have the power and influence it did 30 years ago, nothing like that. And I'm not sure Mr Trump's threats will have a net positive influence anymore