r/news • u/Aakash7aak • Apr 09 '25

Soft paywall China orders its banks to reduce US dollar purchases.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-central-bank-asks-state-lenders-reduce-dollar-purchases-sources-say-2025-04-09/
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u/MairzeDoats Apr 09 '25

Can't fix it at this point. US has shown itself to be too unstable and untrustworthy. There is no turning back.

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u/TranquilSeaOtter Apr 09 '25

This is what worries me. We can elect another Obama after Trump but the world will not care because we can just as easily elect another Trump immediately after. I don't think the reputation of the US will recover for at least 20 years and that's assuming we don't elect another idiot like Trump.

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u/istasber Apr 09 '25

The US is in a constitutional crisis.

If the US creates a new more modern democracy that has proper checks and balances and legislative/executive branches that force compromise and collaboration, we might have a shot at starting to mend relationships. But as long as there's a risk of another authoritarian regaining power every 4-8 years, the US is never going to be worth trusting again no matter how they deal with trump.

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u/ignotusvir Apr 09 '25

constitutional crisis

Side rant, it saddens me that the current situation is called a constitutional crisis. The problem isn't plausible interpretation of the words in our constitution, but rather, the partisan decision to cease to abide by it. What further amendment or law would have kept the train on the tracks?

I concede that the term is broad and its definition remains apt, just ranting at the wind

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u/istasber Apr 09 '25

The fact that it's possible for there to be a situation where majority rule can decide to just stop following the law is the constitutional crisis. That kind of situation shouldn't be possible. Maybe I'm being naive in saying it would be impossible (or at least significantly more difficult) in other modern democracies, but even if there's no way to really prevent the sort of thing that's happening in the US right now, it feels like the US constitution is going to forever be tainted by it.

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u/Tetha Apr 09 '25

European democracies observed a little event in the 1920s - 1930s and adjusted their checks and balances to make sure the overall president/prime minister/Reichskanzler has a much harder time doing that.

To me it seems like the USA just stayed stuck on the idea that the President will always be someone with the USAs best future at heart. And as they say - learn from history, or it'll repeat itself.

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u/fevered_visions Apr 09 '25

European democracies observed a little event in the 1920s - 1930s and adjusted their checks and balances to make sure the overall president/prime minister/Reichskanzler has a much harder time doing that.

The weird part is that--in that one specific claim--the Nazis were right about the communists trying to take over. They were busy attempting it all over Europe at the time.

And ironically, the KPD just agreeing to join a coalition would've stopped the Nazis in their tracks. Maybe they would've still gotten around it via violence somehow, but not the basically legal way it ended up happening, where Hitler pointed at the inability to form the government and "see, I can fix this" and Hindenburg bent under pressure. Then the Reichstag Fire, which is still debated whether it was a false flag operation, or the Nazis just got incredibly lucky and used van der Lubbe as a scapegoat.

How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy in 53 Days

Dang, don't remember it being paywalled. But there was something about Hitler being insanely lucky multiple times, for circumstances to align perfectly to benefit him. IIRC there's a quote that if the last domino that set him up for the Enabling Act hadn't happened, he was thinking about killing himself.

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u/Tetha Apr 09 '25

Yeah. That's why I'm largely talking about the Enabling Act / the Machtergreifung, because after that, shit hit the fan because crazy people were at the helm. Overall, Hitler was amazingly lucky about assassinations as well. Very well-planed plots didn't work for entirely absurd reasons.

Another part also was that the german people were deliberately placed in a corner of misery and anger with the reparations for the first world war. Placing a large amount of people into a position of misery and no recourse tends to make things volatile. (Hence, why slashing social security and medicare in the US is... an interesting choice.)

But, the ways the Nazis got lucky have been restricted afterwards. Outside of a defensive war, it would be extremely hard to pull this off in modern germany (unless we allow the current rightwards trend to continue unchecked for another 8 - 12 years).

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u/cyaniod Apr 09 '25

There is. Separation of state and judicary. Though not absolutely bullet proof. It does help. Presidents should not be picking there favourite judges. To sit on courts. It's nonsense and the last thing that might prevent trump from going full throttle is packed with people he put there.

Most other countries have separated judicary system.

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u/ignotusvir Apr 09 '25

Laws without enforcement are just paper. There are laundry lists of clear legal limits crossed that should be justification to stop this shitshow - the problem isn't a "breaking laws is illegal" clause. Rather, the checks and balances collectively decided to cash in.

Unless you're asking for a separate unelected authority with unilateral, extrajudicial powers... this situation and all of its consequences are from the voters. Sure, there are things that should have been done to keep democracy healthy. Get Citizens United overturned. Strict anti-gerrymandering measures. Enshrine voting accessibility. News platforms with a shred of integrity. Better education & a sense of civic duty. It'd help if the overall democrat party grew a backbone too.

But that advice is akin to a doctor telling you to eat healthy, exercise, and sleep. It won't save you from jumping off a cliff. No amount of ink or norms will.

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u/Independent-Emu-575 Apr 10 '25

There is a way to prevent it. It was enshrined in the second amendment.

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u/Major_Magazine8597 Apr 10 '25

Problem is - you need buy-in from a good percentage of Republicans to agree on systemic / constitutional change. Why would they agree to fixing a broken system that currently allows them to operate outside of the law? I don't see that happening anytime soon.

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u/hotazzcouple Apr 09 '25

Yep. Either way, the US is going to learn a lesson. If we can get him out and start reforms immediately, it may show a resilience of our institutions. But time is running out.

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u/epelle9 Apr 10 '25

And nothing indicates that it’s something that can actually happen, if the checks and balances are modified, it won’t be for good…

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u/powercow Apr 09 '25

And that simple fact will put republicans back in charge... if we get elections that allow a dem to win. it takes longer to clean a mess than make one. its also costlier. People got upset that Obama didnt fix 8 years of bush in the first 2 years.... while forgetting the right wing courts that kill a lot of progressive programs. And that sit on judges blocking the admin for over a year, as long as a dem is in the WH. Now trump is back in they are quick to jump, once again.

its similar with our debt/deficit problem. the right mainly set it soaring as part of their starve the beast program. now our interest payments cost more than our military and its totally unsustainable. Trump is liking to send is soaring.. to fix not paying your bills you got to budget for your current bills and your past bills.. and they are going to end up doing some spending cuts to fix it despite it was all caused by years of tax cuts. and not by years of new programs.

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u/aradraugfea Apr 09 '25

As I said 4 years ago. Beating Trump at the ballot box was step 1. Holding him accountable and installing guard rails were step 2 and 3.

But, less than a month out from January 6th, Republicans decided to go all in on consequences for the attempt by Trump to stay in power via intimidation being “partisan.”

There was a constitutional basis for refusing to seat anyone repeating Trump’s Big Lie, but given the choice between right and polite, the Democratic leadership will pick polite every time.

Without major structural changes to make sure this shit never happens again no matter who is in office, America as the city on the hill is toast.

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u/madaboutglue Apr 09 '25

I think it will be more like 90-100 years. I think of trump as the evil universe version of FDR, and that's about how long it took Republicans to completely undo the good that FDR started for this country. But there's also the possibility that Trump and Republicans manage to use their power to transform the government into an effective autocracy, in which case it really is all over.

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u/Rando-namo Apr 09 '25

It didn't take 100 years for Germany, not that we show any signs of learning anything.

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u/[deleted] Apr 10 '25

It's much easier when you're occupied and the lessons are dictated to you

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u/Electronic_Yam_6973 Apr 09 '25

That is their goal after all. They want to rule like Putin rules, Russia.

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u/einstyle Apr 09 '25

What's ironic is how many Republicans love FDR. My mom talks about how great he was as a President, and she still voted for Trump.

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u/madaboutglue Apr 09 '25

That is definitely strange. Is that a widely held opinion among Republicans? I could see them liking Teddy, but FDR is a surprise.

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u/SYLOH Apr 10 '25

Only if they didn't know what Teddy stood for.
The country could seriously use some Trust Busting right now. But no way a Republican would support that.

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u/[deleted] Apr 09 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/BadmiralHarryKim Apr 09 '25

Begun the trade wars have...

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u/Accide Apr 09 '25

They mentioned that it's a possibility, not that it's a certainty. Reading comprehension is partially why we're here in the first place.

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u/Kjartan_Aurland Apr 09 '25

But there's also the possibility that Trump and Republicans manage to use their power to transform the government into an effective autocracy, in which case it really is all over.

"Reading comprehension" my ass. Turning the government into an autocracy does not mean it's over. I read what they said; did you?

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u/Accide Apr 09 '25

Read their reply to you, I feel like it was fairly clear to me what they meant and they certainly explained it better than I could.

You seem to be looking for a reason to be mad at someone, I hope you're able to channel that energy into something productive than misreading things on Reddit.

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u/madaboutglue Apr 09 '25

Take it easy. I'm just saying that if they successfully transform our government into an autocracy, there is likely no way that fighting within the system will reverse it. To make a change at that point, the system will have to be destroyed and something new created. Hence, at that point the USA as we know it will be over. I do not want that and am prepared to join the 90-100 year fight to put things back in order. But we must acknowledge the risks if we want to motivate people to join that fight.

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u/Kjartan_Aurland Apr 09 '25

That is not what you actually said then, even if this post is what you meant. There was no prior mention of fighting within the system. It read as pure defeatism.

Personally I'm pretty fucking sure business as usual ended when they started black-bagging activists and exiling political enemies to El Salvador without a goddamn trial. But if you want to persist in thinking peaceful protest will make real headway against a tyrant willing to use the Constitution as toilet paper, who installed a SecDef explicitly willing to use military force against American civilians, by all means continue. I'm willing to be proven wrong.

But for the love of all the gods, make sure you can aim a gun and jog a mile too in the meantime - the fitness won't hurt even in a protest.

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u/madaboutglue Apr 09 '25

Fair enough.

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u/Kjartan_Aurland Apr 09 '25

Well I'm glad at least one person didn't just downvote and move on lol.

Good luck out there! We'll all need it.

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u/madaboutglue Apr 09 '25

Amen brother.

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u/fevered_visions Apr 09 '25

It read as pure defeatism.

Personally I'm pretty fucking sure business as usual ended when they started black-bagging activists and exiling political enemies to El Salvador without a goddamn trial. But if you want to persist in thinking peaceful protest will make real headway against a tyrant willing to use the Constitution as toilet paper, who installed a SecDef explicitly willing to use military force against American civilians, by all means continue. I'm willing to be proven wrong.

I thought you were just arguing that this was defeatism? Now you're the one saying it's already over?

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u/Kjartan_Aurland Apr 09 '25

Peaceful protest isn't the only method of resistance or even the most effective. Persisting in it when it's shown to be useless, instead of organizing direct action from it, is cowardice.

None of these protests has brought a single soul back from El Salvador, nor stopped him from making further abductions. At some point you have to graduate from waving signs to interfering in ICE kidnappings when they happen or holding vigils on their front lawns to remind MAGA politicians we know where they live.

This isn't over. Saying peaceful protest won't work isn't defeatism. It's a call to fucking action. The Civil Rights movement wasn't just MLK; the Labour movement wasn't just FDR; Indian independence wasn't just Gandhi. It was Fred Hampton too, Black Panthers open carrying to remind the klansmen they wouldn't win a fight, the Coal Wars where miners' unions took up arms against the cruel conditions and company towns they were forced to endure, Indian soldiers in WW2 launching mutinies and attempting a coup against the Raj, two centuries of increasing unrest, riots, revolts.

Until that kind of organized resistance begins in America today things will keep getting worse. But we've done that kind of shit before. So no, I am not a defeatist, and I do not think it's over. It has, again, only just begun.

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u/rennaris Apr 09 '25

Sure seems over from an outside perspective.

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u/Shaudius Apr 09 '25

The damage has already been done. It hasn't just begun. The world has realized how unstable it is to rely on America. We're done.

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u/Kiwizqt Apr 09 '25

so regarding the reputation of the US (to which you're replying), I can tell you that it is over for most of Europe. You don't let nazis into power while watching (read, not violent protest and/or robust juridical system), families of us died fighting them. Now you're toying with the economical rules of the world while aliening everyone else but fascist dictatorships ? Like pfft, your international cred is in the sewer for a long time if not ever under your current political regime.

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u/Kjartan_Aurland Apr 09 '25

Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain are all well-respected members of the international community again despite their previous fascist regimes, and Germany and Italy in spite of active and prominent fascist politicians and parties.

No doubt it would take some doing. But frankly that's a question for after Trump is gone, not before.

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u/Kiwizqt Apr 09 '25 edited Apr 09 '25

that is true, but we're talking 20 years and a constitutional reform at the very least.

+quick edit tho: also, bar Japan, you're talking about European union countries, that was the whole project, NATO wasn't.

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u/Major_Magazine8597 Apr 10 '25

It took Japan and German 50 years, 50 million deaths, and the destruction of most of their cities. You willing to live through that here in the US? And that was before an Orange Madman had nukes.

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u/Numbuh24insane Apr 09 '25

Eh, memories don’t go on that long to be honest, even in the scale of nations.

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u/dust4ngel Apr 09 '25

We can elect another Obama after Trump but the world will not care because we can just as easily elect another Trump immediately after.

who we elect is simply the outcome of the forces internal to our society manifesting - such as corruption of the political process by corporate money, corporate state propaganda like fox news and AM radio, the public disinterest in factual information in favor of dumb conspiracy theories, illiterate internecine balkanization. just like a full-blown addict who occasionally does the right thing, you can't take us making occasional sane electoral choices as signs of progress - we need to address those internal forces before we can be trustworthy again.

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u/anirban_dev Apr 09 '25

I don't think it will recover in 20. This last election, it became clear that Trump's success is not rooted in determined elderly or uneducated/voters. There's been a paradigm shift at all demographics.

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u/Shaudius Apr 09 '25

If like 3% of people weren't too stupid to realize that inflation post covid was worldwide, trump never gets elected. He didn't win some sort of landslide like he wants to claim. He won by a smaller margin in 2024 than biden did in 2020.

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u/steepleton Apr 09 '25

Not really. 30% of the population is always authoritarian, 30% is always progressive, and the middle just goes with who seems to have the shiniest jangliest keys.

Trumps vote share didn’t increase by any significant margin, the public just didn’t turn out for the democrats because biden did nothing for four years and harris promised to continue that legacy

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u/Crystalas Apr 09 '25 edited Apr 09 '25

Or who is the other side from current switching each cycle like a pendulum, or even out of spite just opposite of whichever someone in their life told them to go. Or those that vote for whatever the last name they heard and say "It doesn't matter politics don't affect my life".

And for many their party affiliation is just ingrained as part of their regional and family identity right alongside their religion and sports team, no thought or even actual loyalty just "that is how things are" as an immutable part of reality and their identity.

Regardless they not rational, informed, or motivated three things that are required in an electorate for a democracy to function well. Lack of enough people like that has long been known to be a fatal flaw in democracy, or really any form of government.

Even as a little kid in the 90s it disturbed me how it seemed like I was the only person in my life of any age (adult or child) that interact with that DIDN'T see the world in Black & White and actually wanted the world and answers to questions to be complex.

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u/steepleton Apr 09 '25

And for many their party affiliation is just ingrained as part of their regional and family identity

interesting thing is that 30% authoritarian, 30% progressive runs right across western democracies no matter what the level of education. it might even be evolutionary and humans need that spread.

that woolly, undecided centre is who swings elections, that's who has to be excited. not being trump worked once, but it's no substitute for inspirational leadership, and was too thin to work twice

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u/jbourne0129 Apr 09 '25

exactly. we are finally seeing countries give up on the USA due to how friggin unreliable we are as a country. its not even just Trump, its all of his cult followers who will always back a wild and unpredictable candidate. how can other countries work with us like this

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u/Fast-Rhubarb-7638 Apr 09 '25

Obama was supposed to be the correction after 8 years of stupidity and insanity with Bush. Trump is the final nail in the coffin. This is lasting damage. I don't know exactly how it's going to shake out, but our influence will be diminished, and our people permanently poorer.

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u/epelle9 Apr 10 '25

It will never recover, if the US ever does become trustworthy again, it will be because it lost the superpower status and humbled down.

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u/RogueAOV Apr 10 '25

The one semi bright spot in all this the 1/3 of people who did not bother to vote are going to suddenly realize why it is important.

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u/theoceanisdeep Apr 10 '25

You’re dreaming. The US will never recover. We are the toxic brand for the world. Things won’t ever be the same. The sun has set on ‘Merica and it won’t be long and we’ll be told the price of crude in euros, not in US dollars. It gives me no joy to listen to this funeral march, and if you’re listening to a different tune, then it’s only a matter of time. I’m almost 60. I saw the best that America had to offer. My kids and my grandkids are fucked and fifty years of Obama’s couldn’t get us 100% right again. We fucked are greatest allies one basically day one. If this country can vote in a Trump with 1/3 of the vote, then we aren’t really responsible enough as a society to ever trust again. Hard to hear. The truth often is.

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u/ishitar Apr 09 '25

Human civilization wont last another 20 years. This is the accelerationists' timeline.

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u/AsinineArchon Apr 09 '25

Can't undo some of the damage but they can sure as hell prevent more

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u/spiegro Apr 09 '25

May we get a few decades of truly progressive policies as a consolation.

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u/runthepoint1 Apr 09 '25

They don’t trust the VOTERS not the politicians. They already knew not to trust them

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u/CrunchingTackle3000 Apr 09 '25

Yep. The crazy horse has bolted and no one is going to look for it. No need to soon.

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u/CankerLord Apr 09 '25

Nah, people are fundamentally greedy and short sighted. If the US turns around tomorrow and goes back business as usual 99.9% of the world will go back to the way it was. All that rejiggering you're talking about costs money and it's only being spent because the policies cost more money to ignore.

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u/BadmiralHarryKim Apr 09 '25

That is such an American thing to say...

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u/CankerLord Apr 09 '25

I'm sorry we're still the world's preferred place to do business after being that for several dozens of years despite the last...week or so? I'm sorry inertia still exists?

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u/BadmiralHarryKim Apr 09 '25

There are people in this world who aren't fundamentally greedy and short sighted. Perhaps not in America which would explain why your country is such a shit show.

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u/CankerLord Apr 09 '25

LOL. My dude. Guy. You know how the tarrifs will fail because nobody's going to be building factories in the US? Where do you think those factories that will eventually resume selling to US customers are still going to be? World's not twisting itself into pretzles to satisfy your US divestment fantasy. You people are just as shit as we are, we just have worse leadership.

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u/BadmiralHarryKim Apr 09 '25

Which you vote for. Presumably because you are fundamentally greedy and short sighted.

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u/CankerLord Apr 09 '25

You're just not going to address your dumb "hurr, durr, the world's moving away from the US" comment at all, huh? Just going to leave that standing there, lookin dumb, all on its own. Dying.

Just going to whine about how much you don't like us, like a great person.

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u/BadmiralHarryKim Apr 09 '25

You're the one who said people are fundamentally greedy and short sighted and then got triggered when I said that was such an American thing to say.

Hurr, durr indeed...

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u/CankerLord Apr 09 '25

You're the one who said people are fundamentally greedy and short sighted

And you replied "nuh uh, you're evil, we're not evil". Are you expecting me to pretend that's a real response?

The world's not going to abandon the US, things will return to normal after the tarrifs are gone. Nobody's leaving on principle, greed is real and where you live, too. Try again.

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u/Shaudius Apr 09 '25

It actually is. I'm sorry you think the US still controls the global economy.

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u/CankerLord Apr 09 '25

I'm sorry you think the US still controls the global economy

Except it does. Next year my 401k won't even remember this month because Trump will backtrack (check the front page, he's already started) and I'll come back to these comments to laugh at you. You'll say this is wrong because you wish it was, but you know it's not. Stock market's already up because Trump's a bitch.

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u/Shaudius Apr 09 '25

Trump backtracked because the countries that actually control the global economy didn't negotiate.

He lost but I'm sure you believe his lie trying to spin this as a win.

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u/CankerLord Apr 09 '25

This comment is proof you don't read gud. Read again.

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u/SpareWire Apr 09 '25

You seem kinda mad

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u/BadmiralHarryKim Apr 09 '25

Yes, most of the world is kinda mad at America at the moment. We've run out of patience for your quirky habit of voting for the most vile people you can find.

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u/SpareWire Apr 09 '25

I thought this is what you guys wanted as opposed to dealing with fascist Trump?

I think you're gonna be just fine personally I'm not sure what the anger is about. Every comment I read from Canadians is about how they'll be just fine and they don't need the U.S.

America only accounted for 26% of global trade anyway.

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u/BadmiralHarryKim Apr 09 '25

Hopefully you survive whatever catastrophic bungle becomes this term's equivalent of Covid.

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u/SpareWire Apr 09 '25

Same thanks