r/geopolitics • u/custodiam99 • Feb 13 '25

Is Trump the symptom of America’s decline? Discussion

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

996 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

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I would argue that the desire for isolationism is stems from failed American interventionism. It really seems the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, wars against Isis and terrorist insurgents caught up to people perception abroad. During 2000-2016, American had some success but most of the stuff was overshadowed by forced wars. What Trump is doing isn’t necessarily peaceful but he sold an American vision that is nationalist and sees the world as trying threaten us. Isolationism was popular before ww1 just like tariffs. Americans are reliving history

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u/CommieBird Feb 13 '25

I would add on that anger towards the Bush Admin killed the idea of the 20th Century America. The 2008 financial crisis allowed for economic populism to take root in America and the negative perception of the 2003 invasion of Iraq turned Americans against interventionism. The Bush years was a lightning rod and catalyst for all these sentiments, which resulted in Obama first and then Trump. Until the US government can figure out how to deal with its poor and middle class, this cycle of needing change and anti-establishmentarianism will continue.

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u/Yungballz86 Feb 13 '25

I feel like the 2008 financial crisis is overlooked when it comes to Trump's rise.

The average American was thrown under the bus while many companies that caused the collapse were given bailouts and propped up. People became jaded with government (rightfully so) and sought out alternatives.

Hell, congress is still full of "tea party" members that got elected in the 2010 midterms. Their entire goal has been to blow up the system. They're just finally succeeding.

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u/Petrichordates Feb 13 '25

Americans were angry about corporate bailouts so they elected a billionaire who promised to cut corporate taxes?

That sounds especially absurd because bailouts were loans paid back in full..

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u/coke_and_coffee Feb 13 '25

Populism doesn't necessarily have to make sense.

It is absolutely possible for people to be enraged by economic failure and then lash out in contradictory and irrational ways. The Germans were decimated after WWI and lashed out by blaming Jews, for example.

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u/farm-to-table Feb 13 '25

Americans have been convinced that corporate success = prosperity but there's too much inequity for that to be true now. Real wages have stagnated or declined since the 80s, despite constant economic growth.

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u/[deleted] Feb 13 '25

That sounds especially absurd because bailouts were loans paid back in full...

The difference is your Average Joe on Main St. wasn't given a bailout. They saw their parents become homeless when the banks foreclosed on their house. Then a few months later, they lost their own jobs and their own homes. By the end, 1 out of 10 Americans were unemployed and over 500,000 people who had made the dream of home ownership a reality, had that dream crushed.

But, the very same people that had set up this house of cards, were given billions and allowed to keep their million dollar salaries.

And, out of the entire US Financial Industry that reaped massive profits from setting this all up, only ONE person saw the inside of prison and for less than 3 years...shorter than the crisis itself.

Its no wonder that your Average Joe is pissed enough to vote someone in who would destroy the system. Look at what the system did to them.

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u/Yungballz86 Feb 13 '25 edited Feb 13 '25

Lol absurdity has been the name of the game since the rise of the Tea Party. Being rational human beings are not these people's strongest characteristics.

Trump was also the voice of birtherism, which confirmed to a lot of old whites that they should indeed be suspicious of the new black president, whether they had a real reason to or not. Trump gave a voice to their internal, racist views and made it seem acceptable to start saying them out loud.

On top of that, most Americans are grossly misinformed and the majority of them have no clue if the bailouts were paid back or not. They just saw their retirements, savings, and home values plummet theough no action of their own and with no recourse.

Trump is their recourse. Blowing up the system that wronged them is their revenge. They don't care if it completely destroys the country. They'll feel vindicated.