Terrified of USA

[ToastMarmiteButter]

Anyone else pretty scared for the world?

USA gone completely rogue. It's terrifying. This massive nuclear powerhouse that was once a big brother/dad/bodyguard for the free world has now gone rogue. Like your loyal German shepherd or Rottweiler deciding to turn on the family. From protector to aggressor.

Trump is ripping up the rule books, trampling all over law and order and wreaking havoc with the world.

What is worse, is that he cannot be stopped.

There is literally no way anyone can do anything about him. I am strongly of the opinion that by the time his official term ends he will have got the USA into some kind of war and then will halt elections because 'its wartime'. He's very quickly becoming a dictator. The only saving grace is his age and the possibility natural causes will prevent world wide catastrophe.

This man has no respect for law or convention. I can't believe he just does what the hell he likes against his own country's actual laws.

And ... There are people that defend him and his actions, that are getting sucked along. It's 1930s Germany again, but this time the country involved has nuclear weapons and much MUCH more power and military might than Germany had in 1930s. When I look at Trump defenders. His inner circle, and those that sing his praises it makes me feel sick to my stomach. I'm reminded of the Nazis all over again.

I am genuinely very very worried for the state of the world.

I'd like to move to New Zealand which I think may be safe and act as a sanctuary from the rest of the world. But DH says no!! AIBU to want to stop the world and get off?

Why do you want a military coup? Because trump has done something you don’t agree with?

He was democratically elected twice. I don’t agree with much of what he does but he is obviously not a dictator

He is a dictator, he is dismantling US government bodies and replacing objective judiciary with his handpicked lynch men. He is punishing law firms that object to his illegal behaviour, he has named law firms that acted against him in the past and trying to shut them down.

That's a big lie, he has been very focused on illegal immigrants and the issue is liberals have blurred the lines between legal and illegal immigration. Liberal politicians declare themselves sanctuary cities in order to attract more illegal immigrants for votes.

The issue at the southern border was a mess. No country should have people just flooding in like that and countries like Mexico encouraged them. I remember when Trump started talking about the caravans didn't Obama deny it until they arrived a few weeks later and he hasn't said a word since.

You're just catastrophizing and making things up when you claim he wants to deport everyone, as someone who has gone through the US immigration process it is a mess and needs to be restructured but political gridlock has prevented it for ages now.

Work visas like the H1b visa is massively abused by Indian outsourcing comoanies and he is right there needs to be a crackdown which prioritizes Americans for those jobs first.

Saying he plans to deport everyone is just bullocks that you've made up

Dictators are not necessarily defined by how they come to power. They are defined by how they concentrate power into their hands. That's what's going on. If the executive branch is deemed supreme, it makes the other two (judiciary & legislative) toothless. The whole concept of democracy is that those branches are equal in power and that there is accountability of the executive branch.

Why do you think you’d feel any different living in nz. They still have online new and social media to consume down there.

and NZ has many many social issues.

For clarity, I don't want a military coup.

Having said that, I don't want the US to economically suffocate Canada and then initiate discussions on annexing it as the 51st state and plundering its natural resources when they are in no position to refuse - just like they've done by throwing Ukraine under the bus.

And I don't want the US to invade Greenland, which is sovereign territory of a NATO member state, and which Trump has made a point of not ruling out. What would the military do in this situation? Just send in the tanks? Or refuse an order from the Commander in Chief?

These situations are truly unspeakable but they are sadly not unthinkable. The systems of checks and balances in the US Constitution are now sadly circumventable and the other organs of federal government are being decimated. The administration is ignoring Court orders, like with the Venezuelan deportation flights.

Congress has made it clear that they are in no mood to do their job and rein him in. Which leaves the military, who hopefully still have both backbones and honour.

Also... a coup doesn't always need to be military. It can be constitutional, as in destroying the constitution.

I genuinely think it's time representatives grow a backbone and impeach Trump on the grounds that the president was sworn in to protect the constitution. It's the oath he took. Dismantling it and ruling by decree are not compatible with the spirit - or the letter- of the presidential function; and even though I am aware that executive orders are allowed, that's on the proviso that they pass judicial scrutiny, ie. they cannot run contrary to the constitution. Basically, everywhere the president turns, he is constrained by checks and balances. Trump rejecting that very notion is the definition of a constitutional crisis. Those who do nothing will be complicit in the demise of the US as a democracy.

The saying is or is around studying around 20-30 history often as prelude to WW2 - "When America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold" signifiing that the U.S. economy's performance significantly impacts the global economy, often for the worse.

So I don't think it's unreasonable to be worried about US economy - let alone their war machine and what they do with that. I think the rise of China - India and other econonmies may mute this - though who holds USA debts and how bad they get burnt could be a issue.

There's not much average Joe in UK can do about it - and we'll be more directly impacted by UK government polcies and do stand a chance of influence there. I'm also not sure NZ will be as uninfluenced by global events as the OP seems to assume.

What rest of US does or doesn't do about Trump - they've let him get this far with minimal push back - is also out of our control really. Also what happend depends on how the world reacts to Trump - I think Canada surprised them - though many in USA remain oblivious - as have others with reciprocal tariffs- which frankly should have been obvious to expect.

Explain what Trump has done so far to "dismantle the constitution".

Making constitutional changes in the US is incredibly difficult.

If Trump acts in contravention of the constitution then that would almost certainly result in a constitutional challenge in the supreme court (as there are a fair few people out there who do not like Trump).

Although the supreme court is largely stocked with conservatives, it is also stocked with "constitutionalists". I doubt very much the supreme court would uphold blatant challenges to the constitution, although I think in areas of ambiguity they would undoubtably fall on the conservative side of the argument.

The US is fine. We will be fine. The world will be fine.

The US is very much not fine. It's economy and democracy is being trashed as Trump continues with his chaos and pays no heed to the Checks and Balances.

What makes you think Trump would abide by a court ruling? He (and his team) have signaled repeatedly, over the last couple of months, that Trump is willing to ignore the courts, then they breached a court order just a couple of days ago.

The courts don't really have any viable means of enforcing their judgments against a President who chooses to ignore them.

Isn't it funny how there is always some world event that we have to be completely consumed with anxiety about - 5 years ago Covid, then Ukraine war, threat of WW3, now Orange man, always some terror being shoved down our throats on a constant basis courtesy of our corporate and social media, current fear happens to be focussed on Trump, this time next year it will be someone/something else, but you can rely on it, Mumsnet will be full of the current bogey man whatever that might be

Well said.

People seem to be throwing these buzz word around with no clue what they actually mean.

I am also interested in explanation of how he has "dismantled the constitution".

What makes you think he wouldn't ?

Governments breach court orders all the time. Even the UK government has in the past, probably many times. I don't see people on the web going beserk about it.

The ultimate test is whether or not a government would break a supreme court ruling. I don't think either the US or UK governments have ever done that. If the US government did then that would probably be uncharted territory.

Making constitutional changes in the US is incredibly difficult.

Correction: Making LAWFUL constitutional changes in the US is incredibly difficult.
...Ignoring the constitution on the other hand seems to be child's play.

Sorry but New Zealand has issued passports to many of the architects behind the demise of America.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/feb/15/why-silicon-valley-billionaires-are-prepping-for-the-apocalypse-in-new-zealand

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12974609/What-know-Worlds-billionaires-building-bunkers-assembling-fortresses-outside-mansions.html

Can you name some instances of the UK government having breached court orders? I'm aware of times that the government has been deemed to have acted unlawfully, and allegations made that they have not fully complied with a court order, but not an instance where it has acted directly contrary to an order.

The main reason to think that Trump may not listen to the courts are his many recent statements (and statements from those in his orbit) suggesting that he will not. I dont know why people still refuse to pay any heed to the man's words.

NZ is too far, what about a neutral country, isn't Switzerland still neutral? 😎. Seriously it's not a bad idea.

There's none so blind as those who will not see.

Hubris is very dangerous.

The US is fine. We will be fine. The world will be fine

I saw this descibed as contination bias - assumption nothing will change.

I've seen quite a few articles and you tubers trying to explain to US citizens that no with this level of cuts services won't be the same - and once other countires start building up their manufatoring or buy else where there's a good chance they won't come back so you can't just wait 4 years out like they mostly did last time.

Torys here ran things done over a decade and half - this is much more rapid change.

Plus international relationship decades in making have been damaged - being unreliable now means it could happen in future so countries are making other plans.

So I think USA won't be fine - how bad it will be is unknown at moment but it's what they voted in.

I think rest of world - will mostly ride it out - and I think in UK depends what happens but don't think we're top of the firing line yet - there could be opportunties as well for us and others.

That's your proof that he has dismantled the Constitution? 😂

@Ilovelifeverymuch who needs proof when you can jump straight to hyperbole and hysteria, go away with your clear headed talk 😉

I think it's going to be very difficult to get him out of the White House. He caused absolute chaos last time. As this is his second term, and his last, I really don't see it going very well.

Taken from Perplexity.ai just now, an interesting summary:

'Since Donald Trump assumed office, his administration has taken significant steps to reduce the size of the federal government, including shutting down or severely curtailing the operations of several agencies. Most recently, on March 15, 2025, Trump signed an executive order targeting seven additional federal agencies for dismantling. These include the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and others focused on homelessness prevention and minority business development[1][2]. These actions are part of a broader effort led by Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, which has overseen over 100,000 federal job cuts and the restructuring or closure of other agencies like the Department of Education and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau[1][3][7].

Basis for Claims of Dismantling Democracy

Critics argue that these moves go beyond cost-cutting and represent a systematic effort to undermine democratic institutions:

1. *Control Over Elections*: Trump has sought to weaken independent election bodies like the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) and Election Assistance Commission (EAC), potentially increasing his influence over electoral processes. His administration has also rolled back protections against foreign election interference[4][6].

1. *Erosion of Checks and Balances*: Trump has removed officials from independent agencies and replaced them with loyalists, undermining their autonomy. This includes dismissing members of regulatory bodies like the FEC without cause[4][6].

1. *Suppression of Dissent*: The administration has targeted media outlets critical of Trump through regulatory inquiries and proposed measures to censor or shut down unfavorable platforms, raising concerns about press freedoms[4][6].

1. *Authoritarian Tactics*: Scholars and democracy advocates liken Trump’s actions to those of elected autocrats who consolidate power by dismantling institutional safeguards. These include pardoning allies involved in anti-democratic activities and sidelining judicial oversight[5][6].

Taken together, these actions have led many experts to warn that Trump's governance style threatens democratic norms by concentrating power in the executive branch and weakening institutions designed to ensure accountability and fairness in governance.'

Citations:
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/15/us/politics/trump-order-voice-of-america.html
[2] https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/trump-doge-voice-of-america-voa-kari-lake/
[3] https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-agencies-offer-staff-new-buyouts-ahead-trumps-layoff-deadline-2025-03-11/
[4] https://www.democracydocket.com/analysis/trump-control-elections-plan/
[5] https://www.democracydocket.com/opinion/donald-trumps-plot-against-america/
[6] https://apnews.com/article/trump-democracy-autocrats-authoritarian-constitution-threat-542ac437a58880e81c052f8f2df1643f
[7] https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2025/03/13/heres-where-trumps-government-layoffs-are-targeted-as-judge-orders-reinstatement-of-thousands-of-fired-workers/
[8] https://www.brookings.edu/articles/dangerous-cracks-in-us-democracy-pillars/
[9] https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/how-trumps-proposed-radical-expansion-of-executive-power-will-impact-our-freedoms
[10] https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-doge-congress-4e0c025629e8a0c758d13dc916ab4f43
[11] https://www.vox.com/on-the-right-newsletter/396127/trump-democracy-executive-orders-day-one
[12] https://www.npr.org/2025/03/15/nx-s1-5328721/reduction-in-force-rif-federal-workers-job-cuts-musk-doge-layoffs
[13] https://apnews.com/article/job-cuts-doge-reductions-force-rif-musk-197a432955b328073714bcc0e4ff95be
[14] https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/15/donald-trump-agency-cuts-00232119

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Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share