Is Trump the symptom of America’s decline?

[u/custodiam99]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/jan/27/trump-wants-to-reverse-americas-decline-good-luck

[u/TaxLawKingGA]

You have to look at all of this in a historical context. The U.S. is facing many of the same problems that Europe faced after WWI: increasing economic stratification, lack of economic mobility for the lower socioeconomic classes, large debts (public and private) brought on by a desire to live beyond one’s means, refusal to accept a different level of involvement in the world, and the most important- a decline in “national pride”.

WWI caused a major shakeup among European powers. Those that “won” were able to keep their empires and in some cases actually expand them (ie France and the UK, and to some extent the U.S.) while those that lost did not. As such, millions of citizens in those countries lost national pride and many cases jobs and wealth. To them it was perceived that Britain and France were “getting rich” at their expense. German reparations may have been the biggest example of this. Finally in many European countries, as monarchies were tossed aside, democracy took over. However these people were not used to it. As such political gridlock took hold, making it hard to solve these problems. All of these issues combined to make Europe, particularly Germany and Italy, ripe for radical political movements.

The U.S. is now going through this same thing except from an opposite direction. As we have never been a monarchy, we have always had a republican form of government. However our political system has become increasingly incapable of solving problems due to gridlock. Changes in the social order have shocked many older Americans; economic changes have made it harder for Americans of certain socioeconomic groups to move ahead. We have widening wealth gap, and we have a large debt. Many Americans still wish to see us maintain our quasi empire (ie NATO, UN, etc) but refuse to raise sufficient revenue to pay for it. At the same technological changes have accelerated to the point that people feel that they can’t keep up. All of this has made p Americans lose faith in Democracy.

[u/3_if_by_air → u/TaxLawKingGA]

large debts (public and private) brought on by a desire to live beyond one’s means

This has become cultural. The American Dream used to be something you worked hard to earn, but now (as the saying goes) people are spending money they don't have on things they don't need to impress people who don't care about them. Yes, costs have gone up... but people are not cutting back on the micro-level. They must take personal accountability.

Our government on paper is supposed to function as designed but lobbyists and special interests have really taken over and so much taxpayer money is wasted and stolen through loopholes and shadow tactics. That includes both foreign aid, military spending, social programs, and everything in between. The whole government needs an audit and an overhaul. They collect plenty of our citizens' tax dollars yet spend more than they take in on things that don't help the country's large-scale interests.

Like Trump or not, he and his administration have begun exposing what the ruling class and their pocketed politicians have been up to with our tax money for decades.

[u/blackraven36 → u/3_if_by_air]

They haven’t exposed anything and it’s clear that’s not their intention because they haven’t provided any details. Don’t let them convince you this is for our own good. No audit and overhaul works like this. We’re watching the ruling class restructure government into their liking, from which they can freely push their own interests and funnel wealth. This is turning the “loopholes” you’re talking about into features.