Potentially hard times ahead

[angrychair]

The news media is not openly talking about the financial and social storm approaching. It's not just bad it's a Category 5 hurricane.

Just a couple of highlights:

Currently Canada and Mexico are openly discussing leaving USMCA trade agreement and Mango Mussolini has also said he doesn't care about the trade agreement.
https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/mexico-us-review-trade-talks-canada/

The EU has suspended its approval of the US trade agreement and are likely to walk away completely
https://abcnews.com/Business/european-officials-suspend-us-trade-agreement-amid-tariff/story?id=129422031

China has ordered its banks to curb its holdings of US treasuries to avoid exposure to its flagging market strength.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-urges-banks-curb-us-treasuries-exposure-bloomberg-news-reports-2026-02-09/

Moderna walks away from phase III research and development on infectious diseases in the US after the FDA moved the goalposts on its mRNA flu vaccine
https://www.biospace.com/business/moderna-wont-run-phase-iii-vaccine-trials-as-skepticism-grows-in-us-bloomberg

We only added180,000 jobs in all of 2025 and 2026 has already seen record layoffs for a single month https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/january-jobs-revisions-trump-rcna258398

I could go on and on. We are, slowly but surely, reaching a tipping point and once that happens it's unlikely we will have a way back.

This guy has absolutely and likely permanently destroyed any and all goodwill and trust in the world.

Everything from permanent closer of bases around the world to completely dropping the dollar as the international currency of trade, are on the table.

China sees this and is already in motion to take advantage of it around the world.

China is a massive economic engine that, given the opportunity, will easily crush the dominance of the US.

Many in the world are already changing their perspective on the US, viewing us as a nation in decline, a violent, racist and xenophobic hellscape.

In many ways that is a very accurate assessment.

[bucolic_frolic]

1. Dollar erosion is a major concern

Do they plan to retreat to the gold standard, or some gold-crypto combo?

Are banks safe? They can devalue anything they want, or potentially seize anything they want.

[angrychair]

2. Not positive

But cryptocurrency, even the stable coin concept, is all but dead. The rapid fall of Bitcoin and other coins is not an anomaly or a market correction but a complete lose of confidence in the market.

As far as a gold standard. There is a move in multiple markets to do just that. BRICS, the Chinese economic block, has been moving in that direction and actively accumulating large amounts of gold to move away from the dollar as a international trade currency
https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/personal-finance/explained-why-brics-growing-gold-pile-is-raising-questions-about-dollar-dominance-article-153359859

[lonely bird]

39. Gold standard isn't coming back

At least not as a global basis.

There isn’t enough gold in the world. And it would have to be convertible which would result in the same problem that caused Nixon to close the gold window. Countries would use it as a nuclear economic weapon.

It might possibly be used by some countries internally but even then I doubt it.

[liberalla]

55. Are banks safe??? Urgent Warning From Prof. David Cay Johnston

This is the issue that David Cay Johnston is warning about right now... He sees similarities to when we entered the 2008 recession.

[mopinko]

3. prepare for interest rates to zoom.

it’s gonna get harder and harder to sell our bonds. most interest rates r tied to t-bills.
so expect to pay more for money, and likely sooner than u think.

[ChicagoTeamster]

4. MAGA don't care about educated professional people losing their jobs. They have jobs chasin MexuRicans.

My MAGA family and friends, before I disassociated from them, used to talk as though

"the UraPeeins needed us a more than we a needed them and Trump was gonna make them pay more and us Muricans would all be rich."

I hope they like working in the low paying agricultural, meat processing, and tire and muffler jobs they're deporting people from. There will be a shortage in welding and construction. It pays more but a lot of red states just passed laws that allow children to take on more dangerous jobs even working late on school nights all for much lower pay.

They probably think African Americans, who MAGA think are all on welfare, will be forced to take those jobs when the Trumpenfuhrer ends their welfare.

[Cirsium]

43. True

It is also true that educated professional people too often haven't cared when blue collar workers lost their jobs.

[ChicagoTeamster]

49. True for some but I grew up in a Union household and was a teamster my first 2 years of College

Last edited Sat Feb 14, 2026, 01:11 PM - Edit history (1)

In Corporate, I have had a lot of co-workers who grew up blue collar or even on welfare and they understood that the need for the social safety nets and decent pay for skilled and un-skilled labor jobs. I've had managers that, like myself, bartended or waited tables when in school.

But there were also the co-workers and fellow students that grew up second generation professional people in the wealthier burbs and those are mostly the ones who didn't care about blue collar workers.

[modrepub]

5. May Take Awhile

AI capital expenditure layouts are massive infusions into the economy. Companies and some individuals are getting large tax refunds/cuts over the first quarter of 2026 that will be spent. In other words, there are still a lot of winds in our economic sails.

Not that I disagree, I’ve just given up trying to guess when the wheels finally fall off. Will take this respite to draw some money out of stocks and park it somewhere safe for future needs or opportunities.

[lonely bird]

40. True regarding capital expenditures

That being said AI will be an oligopoly. It also has the high potential to over promise and under deliver. Then there are the jobs that it will destroy which will force people into lower wage service jobs.

AI isn’t saving anything or anybody except for wealth/capital.

And there is no “race”. That is agitprop to get more money funneled into AI development.

[mwooldri]

6. So maybe we need a Mark Carney type person for President?

Janet Yellen for president? To rebuild the US from this Trumped up cluster fuck?

[ALBliberal]

7. Can I ask in this very important thread how does one prepare?

Do we leave money in banks or do we take out cash? Seems logical that we stock up food and supplies and get as fully vaccinated as possible.

I really feel at a loss for preparing for what is coming. Sure we knew it would come. But it’s still gonna be horrible.

Thanks to any and all that reply. And thanks for insight on how you are preparing.

[markodochartaigh]

53. Preparation

It's unlikely, however one more thing that we need to watch with the current regime is the unprecedented attack on the FDIC the agency which guarantees US bank deposits. If the FDIC, or FSLIC which guarantees credit union deposits is compromised then one might need to re-evaluate where one keeps cash. We would be in waters uncharted since the Great Republican Depression of the 30's.

https://www.citizen.org/news/the-trump-administration-is-targeting-the-fdic-putting-americans-financial-wellbeing-at-risk/

[Bev54]

8. I agree that the US is on a trajectory of economic disaster but I take one exception

with your analysis, It is not slowly but surely, it is one of the fastest downfalls and unfortunately the country seems not to understand how big and how fast this decline is going to hit.

[ananda]

22. Then add the upcoming climate disasters...

and we have a hellscape worse than anything the
modern world has ever seen.

[popsdenver]

9. It is convenient to

blame it all on "Trump"........but we need to start phrasing it as "Republican's".........since it is them that are all behind this calamity.
"Trump" would not have made it one week into his first term.....if the REPUBLICAN Senate, REPUBLICAN House, and the REPUBLICAN U.S. Supreme Court hadn't encouraged and enabled him every single day along with all the REPUBLICAN State Governors.

When "Trump" is long gone, they will all still be in power with the 2025 Cabal............and quite possibly someone even worse than Trump.

We need to get out the vote for 2026, Scream from the roof tops about any and all the corruption they have planned for the election.
The HUNDREDS of U.S. Representatives and Senators that we never hear from, need to get with the program. And we need a leader for the Dems to keep them focused on the priorities........

[angrychair]

10. Yes

Trump"........but we need to start phrasing it as "Republican's".........since it is them that are all behind this calamity.

I do agree with your statement but would make the assertion that he is the Republican party. More to the point the party has so subjugated themselves to him that it is impossible to distinguish one from the other.

[popsdenver]

12. But when he is gone

unless we say "Republicans", they will all will walk away, squeaky clean, and blame everything on Trump......

If we can make the "Republicans" just as culpable, then the fence sitters, independents, and MAGAot voters won't automatically continue voting Republican, given the havoc the ENTIRE Republican Party/Politicians have rained down on them.....

[angrychair]

14. Fair point

I'm all for laying this at Republicans feet until the end of time.

[popsdenver]

17. Hey AC

Help me remind everyone to say "Republicans" on this website, every chance we get. The Dem leadership???? should be screaming this same thing from the roof tops!!!!!!!

Instead, there are HUNDREDS of Democrats in Washington DC that we never hear word one from......It's always a selected handful that we do hear from.....AOC, etc.

I never hear anything from Colorado's two Dem Senators, and the Denver Dem U.S. House Rep......all just "going with the flow" and just cruising along...........(Actually, we have been hearing from U.S. Colorado Senator Bennett, but only because he is campaigning for Colorado Governor.......... to which I say: WTF?????????)

[live love laugh]

16. I've been saying this forever. People still don't get how much language matters.

[popsdenver]

18. Hey

read my #17.............

[BComplex]

20. That's what makes me throw things at the TV and 90% of online/Youtube postings!

Trump could NEVER have done this by himself! This is the whole damn rotten republican party, supreme court and Heritage Foundation ( aka nazi party). They protect billionaires and pedophiles, and take insurance and benefits away from the people who actually pay taxes.

Thank you popsdenver!!!

[popsdenver]

23. You are more than welcome BC

Don't forget all the Corporations that provide the money, directly or indirectly.......
At the rate things are going, I would venture a guess that:
The Republicans will abandon the United States of America, and start saying: United Corporations of America.....

[NoSheep]

42. Scream from the rooftops they hate ALL Americans not just liberals

[mwmisses4289]

11. Except China and Russias' economies are also in the tank.

I suspect the economic driver and currency will end up being the out of the European union.

[angrychair]

13. Very different reasons

Russia's issues are directly related to their illegal invasion of Ukraine.

China has been working overtime to dramatically improve its infrastructure and partnerships with other countries in order take the greatest advantage of the spaces abandoned by the US. Over the last decade or so.

[popsdenver]

24. China is in the "shadows"

playing the "LONG GAME"..................

[angrychair]

26. Exactly right

You didn't have a culture that last thousands of years by being aggressive and violent.
You last that long by playing the long game.

Interestingly, China has never been shy about sharing that strategy. They have, for a very, very, very, long time said exactly this openly and without hesitation.

[lonely bird]

41. China has a huge demographic problem

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/19/china-population-falls-again-birthrate-record-low

Costs are also rising rapidly in major urban areas. As internal migration drives movement into cities cost will continue to rise.

[live love laugh]

15. American Jinga

[Initech]

19. Elections have far greater consequences than what side gets owned on social media.

This is the world that Donald Trump and Elon Musk built, and it's a really shitty one.

[BComplex]

21. No, Initech: This is the world that THE REPUBLICAN PARTY built.

Trump and Musk are two people. Two people could NOT have done this.

Just sayin'.

[popsdenver]

25. I repeat

Trump wouldn't have lasted one day into his first term, if hadn't been for the Republicans in the U.S. Senate, the Republicans in the U.S. House, the Republicans in the US Supreme Court, the Republican Governors, and the 95+% of American Media which is owned/operated by wealthy Republicans, and Republican owned and operated Corporations.......
We all need to start saying: The REPUBLICAN PARTY, and not just Trump........

[Initech]

28. True, but they are the face of the GOP.

And they'll never be able to escape it!

[Jarqui]

27. If you look at the evidence in the Trump fraud case brought by Letitia James

You will see decades of overwhelming evidence of fraud.
Summary judgement -> Trump's lawyers could not make any credible case to rebut it to get it to trial.
The only thing left to argue about was "how much?"
In fact the ~$450 mil damages were limited by the statute of limitations.
All the signs were Trump had been pulling stuff like this his whole business life - or long before the statute of limitations kicked in.

Now, that fraudster is in charge of the US Administration and he lied or misled more than 30,000 times in his first term, how much faith can we have that we're getting true and accurate numbers?
On a scale of 1 to 10, my faith is 0.
That is very likely to be part of the post mortem of the economic collapse likely to come.
A bunch of folks will not see it coming because Trump doesn't want them to see his real data - like he hasn't his whole business life.

[Turbineguy]

29. 77 million morons voted for him.

Ordinary Germans paid a terrible price for Hitler. FAFO.

[timms139]

38. over 70 million voted for him

but part of the blame can be put at the feet of the 90 million who stayed away from the voting booth .

[RandomNumbers]

45. How many of the 90 million that "stayed away",

did that due to voter suppression tactics, or just good ol' poverty / responsibilities and inability to make a trip to the poll work into their schedule?

[Roc2020]

30. China won the economic war.

I visited Asia in 2024. The infrastructure, construction, cars...basically all the big money industries are run by the Chinese. Europe is making all kind of trade deals with them. They have left the US behind. And frankly a lot of Asia and now even most of Europe has left the US behind.

[milestogo]

31. It will be all Biden's fault.

[FoggyLake]

32. We've all watched this unfold in real time

Why is our constitution so toothless that there was nothing that could be done about it before it reached this point?????

[flashman13]

33. I must disagree with your title. Strike the words Potentially and ahead. Hard times are here and getting worse.

For starters don't believe the 2-1/2% inflation rate. That's utter nonsense.

[trumpisapdf]

34. Don't forget AI coming for entry level white collar jobs

Customer Service, Law, Finance, Software, basically anything that can be done sitting in front of a computer.

[gopiscrap]

37. love ur screen name here is a welcome heart

[LetMyPeopleVote]

47. Welcome to DU

[KS Toronado]

50. Guessing pdf stands for "petty dumb f**ker"

Welcome to DU !

[OldBaldy1701E]

35. I'm not concerned.

I am already rationing drugs and if that changes then I will just follow through with 'Operation Visible Results'.

Because I won't last one moment longer if things get worse.

And, they are going to.

So...

[gulliver]

36. Elections have consequences

Thank you for bringing up these core issues. We need to focus on them. All these "rage bait and paranoia" shiny objects that are floating around need to be set aside. The adults need to be back in the room, and the kids need to be Charlie, not Veruca.

[jfz9580m]

44. ...

Many in the world are already changing their perspective on the US, viewing us as a nation in decline, a violent, racist and xenophobic hellscape.

That was not really my experience in the US and not that of many others who are nonwhite like myself and not particularly privileged.

I wish the temperature could be lowered that way.
There is no doubt that the more economically disadvantaged you are the worse it is.

I have a hunch that a lot of this unrest is sourced to the billionaire class and most of the media both mainstream and far right.

Most people on the left get many systemic and other issues in the US.
Hell I favor Current Affairs and its writers (Alex Skopic, Briahna Joy Gray etc) and Yasha Levine/Evgenia Kovda, Alec Karakatanis and almost exclusively left wing writers with some liberals or progressives who are as cool like Matt Stoller.

But there is a lot of needless incitement and some of it is clueless..But a lot of it is deregulation at scale and a Law of the Jungle that corporate America has forced.

I take a position that safety is important, but corporate shills should not be allowed to fan the flames of violence one way and back bogus safety in the other. Safety is important but they really like divide and rule like all colonizers going such as the East India Company and I have a lot of misgivings myself as a person with a lousy memory who retains some important facts but employs a “Gift of Fear” style strategy.

But these noxious AI things that are overconfident and have no concept of what anything means and can pull off a disgraceful form of “prediction” based on stolen labor and slowly and clunkily are no match for human intuition. And those things are I bet being pushed at scale by the outrageously disgraceful and self serving methods in use.

The US model of immigration is broken and hard on immigrants (right now many are languishing in prisons and it is not even making the news as much as various continuing culture wars, symbolic issues and celebrity politicking..a lot of it is just theatre..I would trade Taylor Swift for real honest populism any day).

I am not American and take care to make that plain. But it is an interconnected world and I am affected though I am never coming to American, I have warm/friendly feelings towards tbe country I owe for all of my interest and training in science for. Not like sleazy national security or corporate propanda.


a race to the bottom affecting both the Global South (which stands to lose most from Climate Change, which will fuel a refugee crisis and allow crazy grifters to gain more ground).

I hope China doesn’t ascend. I have friendly feelings towards all of humanity that is above a fairly low threshold of acceptability honestly and am only misanthropic in the abstract so however decent Chinese people are, that govt has successfully pulled off fascism at a scale while the US’s mask of manipulative national security state (not anything useful or sane-the rest of the bloat) and corporate propaganda slipping is a time for rebuilding the country.

And it would be nice for the rest of us if you do so I don’t have to worry about Trumpy or just mercenary Indian American businessmen exploiting deregulation in ai and the data sciences to foul up or worse continue to foul up (not sure which at this point) my home here in India by insisting on shoving worthless bloatware in with anything useful and costing me more time, energy and patience.


The Limits to Growth are real. Population explosion in the Global South, overconsumption in the Global North, war and surveillance everywhere, a broken and manipulated immigration systems permitting brainless grifting fascists like Steve Bannon and Laura Loomer to gain control and access is destroying everything.
Fuck Cato and Fuck the AEI and the Club for Growth. The Club for Rome was saner but then religious fundies destroyed.
Actual Christians would be more like Marian Budde and BroadView Church not any grifting fascists.

[the_liberal_grandpa]

46. Don't forget the BRICS countries

Are slowly moving away from settling trades between the with dollars but rather a gold backed currency.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRICS_Pay

When nations decrease trading in dollars we will have to pay much higher interest in order to fund our 40 trillion dollar (and rising) debt. This means that interest rates will climb on everything and for everybody.

The road ahead for the USA looks very bleak.

[angrychair]

51. I mentioned Brics

In post #2 about China pushing for a gold like standard. ☺️

[returnee]

48. Typically, repubs crash everything...

…and leave Dems to clean up the mess. Assuming we get a Dem prez in ‘28, they’re likely to be too consumed with immediate and desperate economic concerns to deal with accountability for who got us there. That’s my worry anyway.

[duckworth969]

52. So true

Left has to always come in and clean mess the Repugs leave behind 😡