Not going to be surprised if the global markets sell off from the US tariffs (and retalitory ones by Canada and Mexico). The currency markets will also be in flux. Trade wars like this in a global economy, does not keep itself contained; this is going to spill over globally. As I wrote previously, this is how the ultra wealthy take peoples money away (by those who panic sell or are highly leveraged, and get margin calls where their portfolio is automatically liquidated to cover that call). The ultra rich then come in and snap up what they can on the low (and rinse/repeat this cycle).
I know I wrote before that I was not going to focus much on the political climate of the US. But what is taking place is pretty much emergency level stuff that has a global impact (especially if this autocratic breakthrough/consolidation of power is successful where #Felon47 is free to rule with an iron fist both domestically and globally).
The US with this regime, is going to make itself into a global pariah (they don’t care because their plan was to always pillage the US for its assets, and to do Vladimir Putin’s dirty work of dismantling the US — to see it fall apart like the Soviet Union did). The implications of this are vast because many American’s do travel and live abroad. We enjoy reciprocal visitors visa for many countries (expect lot of that to be curtailed/suspended once the bridges are burned). This will also create security risks for many because face it, American’s will now become generalized as an undesirable group.
Additionally, Elon Musk (not an elected official, not Senate confirmed) along with aides, has been given access to the US Treasury payment systems (it was also reported that he/aides tried to gain access to a SCIF of highly classified material; they do not possess the high security clearance to gain access to that material).
Those databases contain the personal information of every American (social security number, date of birth, addresses, etc) which can now be weaponized in whatever fashion these folks see fit (we already know there is planned retribution). Musk has already stated payment has been cut off for some organizations that provide aid to a wide group of recipients. It’s expected that things like Social Security and Medicare, will see Musk cutting off payments for as well (people were warned these folks were “coming after their Social Security”). Under normal circumstances, this would be unconstitutional/against the law since only Congress has that authority; that Congress would be standing up this weekend to say “hell no” (but that ship of checks and balances has sailed and the near silence from the Republican majority is all you need to know about their complicity in this).
It’s just another step though in this hostile takeover of the US government with no one to really enforce the rule of law (the US Constitution cannot defend itself). There aren’t many institutional guardrails remaining besides the US armed forces. And it remains unclear if officials there ever had any sort of plan for dealing with a Commander in Chief (CiC) that is doing things unconstitutionally (and in this case, rendering it toothless). All we know is those phrases uttered by military leaders that their oath is not to a person, but to the US Constitution (and that they will defend it from all enemies, foreign and domestic). The question is “where are those lines drawn and has there been any plan that the leadership has run through for such a moment where they need to defend that Constitution from a rogue CiC?”
The US Congress is supposed to be a key check on the executive branch (but this legislative branch has been rendered useless because it is controlled by the majority Republican party where the most of those lawmakers, are allowing this takedown to happen because they are loyal to #Felon47, and not the actual Constitution they swore an oath to serve and protect). Thus one of the last remaining guardrails is the military which is going to be in this very uncomfortable position with the Commander in Chief they report to via the Secretary of Defense (through their respective branches secretary); basically the civilian chain of command in this regime are also part of the dismantling of the Constitution they swore to protect. It’s why institutions end up failing (because the principled people end up being taken out by the hostile ones who have no regards for those institutions and the rule of law).
February 5th (2-5-25) is supposed to be one of the first organized mass protests at each states capital (though I really don’t actually know how organized it is because there doesn’t seem to be a main theme and there are different graphic artwork with some stating it is a protest to impeach; the following two mention it is to “defend democracy/your freedom”). As anyone knows, mass protests need to be well planned and organized (I personally prefer the “general strike” method but that requires some major undertaking). It also needs to be completely peaceful (though any mass protest, gives this particular regime ammunition to declare martial law).
