The U.S. hasn’t “won” the trade war with China, and strategic pressure is rising; it isn’t facing imminent insolvency, but higher debt and interest costs are tightening room to maneuver; China’s export controls on refined rare earths don’t incapacitate the U.S. military, but they do create bottlenecks that can degrade readiness and surge capacity over time; in that climate, Trump is using aggressive tactics to gain and hold power, leaning on crisis framing and institutional pressure; and the oldest move returns: scapegoating minorities and stoking division to justify “exceptional” measures like emergency powers, expanded policing, reduced accountability, and, if unchecked, erosion of democratic constraints.
The U.S. hasn’t “won” the trade war with China, and strategic pressure is rising; it isn’t facing imminent insolvency, but higher debt and interest costs are tightening room to maneuver; China’s export controls on refined rare earths don’t incapacitate the U.S. military, but they do create bottlenecks that can degrade readiness and surge capacity over time; in that climate, Trump is using aggressive tactics to gain and hold power, leaning on crisis framing and institutional pressure; and the oldest move returns: scapegoating minorities and stoking division to justify “exceptional” measures like emergency powers, expanded policing, reduced accountability, and, if unchecked, erosion of democratic constraints.