If a president of a superpower wanted to destroy his own country, what steps would he take?

[impulse]

1 minute ago, jerrymahoney said:

Whether right or not, what's going down now should not be such a big surprise.

 

It's decades (and $trillions) overdue.  So is slamming the brakes on throwing USAID (and other US tax) money around under the stupid thought that you can buy the respect and admiration of the merchant world.  Who will just keep screwing you while thanking you and handing out meaningless awards.

 

[jerrymahoney]

I'm not getting into that. All I posted was to show that a win-or-lose mindset was his going back 30+ years.

[KireB]

4 hours ago, impulse said:

He may just throw open the border to all and sundry.  That's a sure way to destroy a country. 

 

Just ask the Europeans...

 

 

 

Or Biden..............

[thaibeachlovers]

I guess they'd keep letting the rest of the world rip them off while spending trillions giving them free stuff, plus they'd let every loser on the planet cross the border and give them free stuff.

[save the frogs]

19 hours ago, BLMFem said:

Somehow I doubt that.

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1356642-tesla’s-sales-plummet-marking-lowest-numbers-in-three-years/

who do you work for? 

 

[spidermike007]

1. Imposing massive tariffs on nations worldwide, and ignoring the fact that the US became the world's largest economy specifically because of very low tariffs. Duh! 

2. Insulting and alienating close allies and friends. 

3. Demonizing opposing political parties. 

4. Taking advice from unhinged extremists, who know nothing about anything, because you think they are cute. 

5. Siding with dictators who are genocidal and untrustworthy, and making them the exception to the tariffs. 

6. Spending as much time as possible on the golf courses.

7. Threatening sovereign nations with a takeover.

8. Appointing neopytes with no experience and no management skills to head massive departments. 

9. Pretending it is all a big success. 

 

 

 

[jerrymahoney]

11 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

9. Pretending it is all a big success. 

Well Mr. Spider, just say to yourself over and over:

 

It's just an overdue market correction.

[WDSmart]

Read Project 2025 for the answer...

[Gottfrid]

On 4/4/2025 at 11:03 AM, Presnock said:

BTW, why didn't his tariff chart have Russia on it?

Because he is Putin´s infiltrator in the US, and the people were stupid enough to appoint him as president.

[JJ-Thailand]

He should do his best to piss everybody off, even neighbors.

[thaipo7]

On 4/3/2025 at 11:58 PM, Dan747 said:

Ask the former USA President Biden??

Right - Include Obama too.  He started the idea of destroying the US.

[Walker88]

Yo, MAGAs...please tell us how Biden followed the ChatGPT outline and destroyed the US.

 

Under Biden, the economy boomed. Growth was highest since the late 1990s, US growth from 2021-2024 was three times the average of G7 nations, post-Covid inflation was brought down faster in the US than any other major nation, more jobs were created under Biden than under any POTUS ever, 800,000 new manufacturing jobs were created, ground was broken on the first US chip plants in decades, massive infrastructure repairs took place, the US was respected around the world, the stock market performed well and even made hundreds of billions for guys like Zuckerberg, Bezos, Musk and Ellison, and the average American's net worth jumped (unless one was a MAGA, as they seem to have missed out on the greatest opportunity to get wealthy ever). Heck, even crime dropped, as it tends to do in times of abundance.

 

So, MAGAs, go through the list generated by AI. Point out what Biden did per those lists and how that "destroyed" America.

 

Those of us who saw our fortunes grow since 2021 wonder where this "destruction" is, but it would be nice to have more of the same, instead of the obvious carnage we are experiencing since 20 January 2025.

 

It's quite clear that the crashing markets are going to hurt Consumer Confidence, already at a multi-year low. Over the next few months unemployment is going to move upward, probably to 6% before Autumn, and maybe 8% by 2026. The deficit is going to get even worse, as the combo of a declining economy and job losses at the IRS (the IRS itself estimated tax cheating is going to add $500,000,000,000 per year to the deficit, as fewer IRS staff will be unable to chase tax cheats), relationships with former allies are in tatters, and the US is in great danger of losing the foreign buyer of US Treasury debt. Who is going to step in and replace foreign money, and at what price?

 

Oh, and MAGAs, please refrain from saying justice was "weaponized" under Biden. Al Capone could make a more reasonable claim than POTUS, who stole and lied about taking highly classified documents, tried to overthrow the results of the election, called his goobers to DC knowing what they would do, and then pardoning the very terrorists who beat and bear sprayed 140 police and tried to hang the sitting Vice President. He was indicted because all the evidence suggested he committed crimes.

[Screaming]

I think old Biden almost achieved this goal by lying about his dementia and pretending to be in control and coherent. Another term of his failing mental health and he could have taken the United States with him.

[Walker88]

Another way a President can destroy his country is to treat soldiers over which he is ostensibly Commander-in-Chief as suckers and losers, choosing instead to go hang out with a bunch of 7th Century barbarians who are paying him. Money over duty.

 

I recall during the Obama Administration when the remains of two men working for the agency, killed in Afghanistan, arrived at Dover. The then CIA Director and several senior staffers drove from Langley to Dover to meet the aircraft at 2am. The two deceased men's families were present and the folks from the agency did their best to comfort them. Once the remains were turned over for burial, the agency folks drove back to Langley and went straight to work.

 

Respect.

 

Respect is something of which the current POTUS is incapable. It's all and only about him.

[mrwebb8825]

On 4/3/2025 at 11:03 PM, Presnock said:

BTW, why didn't his tariff chart have Russia on it?

Here’s The Full List Of Trump's Reciprocal Tariffs Announced Wednesday

"Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Fox News Wednesday Russia wasn’t on the list because sanctions already imposed on the country prevent most U.S.-Russia trade so higher tariffs weren’t necessary."

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2025/04/02/heres-the-full-list-of-trumps-reciprocal-tariffs-announced-wednesday/

 

Google is your friend.

[mrwebb8825]

On 4/3/2025 at 10:55 PM, RSD1 said:

How much of the following is already in play now, and where?
 

ChatGPT's answer:

 

That’s a heavy but thought-provoking question. If we’re exploring this as a theoretical or fictional scenario, maybe as a plot for a story or a political thought experiment, then it would make sense to look at it through the lens of plausible actions that could systematically weaken or destabilize a powerful nation from the top down. Here are some steps such a leader might take:

 

1. Undermine Institutions

Attack the credibility of key institutions like the judiciary, free press, intelligence agencies, and electoral systems. Cast doubt on their integrity to erode public trust.

2. Polarize the Population

Stoke division along racial, religious, economic, or ideological lines. Encourage tribalism and turn groups against each other to create internal chaos and distrust.

3. Corrupt the Rule of Law

Appoint loyalists instead of qualified professionals, weaken checks and balances, pardon allies indiscriminately, and ignore legal norms.

4. Suppress Dissent

Use state power to silence critics, intimidate journalists, and limit free expression. Target whistleblowers and protestors under the guise of national security or public order.

5. Destroy Alliances

Withdraw from international treaties, insult allies, and cozy up to adversaries. Undermine global credibility and weaken strategic partnerships.

6. Tank the Economy

Implement reckless fiscal or trade policies, stir up investor fear, ignore inflation or debt, and mismanage crises to trigger recessions or long-term decline.

7. Exploit National Emergencies

Use crises like pandemics, wars, or economic collapses to seize more power, suspend civil liberties, and push through unpopular or extreme policies.

8. Weaken the Military

Undermine the chain of command, politicize the military, purge experienced leaders, or engage in reckless conflicts that sap strength and morale.

9. Manipulate Elections

Interfere with voting systems, suppress voter turnout, question results, or delay elections to create uncertainty or justify emergency rule.

10. Encourage Conspiracy and Disinformation

Flood public discourse with false narratives to confuse people, distort reality, and make truth seem subjective or unknowable.

 

---

 

Grok's answer:

 

A president intent on destroying their own superpower would likely focus on undermining its core strengths—economic stability, military power, social cohesion, and global influence. Here’s a hypothetical breakdown of steps they might take:

 

1. Economic Sabotage: Push policies that tank the economy—massive, unsustainable debt through reckless spending or tax cuts with no plan to balance it, devalue the currency by meddling with central bank independence, or impose crippling trade barriers that alienate allies and disrupt supply chains. Encourage corruption to drain public funds and erode trust in institutions.

2. Military Weakening: Slash defense budgets without strategy, abandon key alliances like NATO, or pull troops from critical global hotspots, leaving a vacuum for rivals to exploit. Neglect infrastructure like naval fleets or cyber defenses, and leak sensitive intel to adversaries under the guise of “transparency.”

3. Social Division: Amplify cultural rifts by picking fights over divisive issues, weaponizing media to pit groups against each other—race, class, religion, whatever works. Undermine education with propaganda or defunding, ensuring a less capable future workforce. Ignore or exacerbate public health crises to sow chaos.

4. Institutional Erosion: Appoint loyalists over competence to key positions—judges, generals, agency heads—turning government into a personal fiefdom. Attack the rule of law by pardoning cronies, ignoring court rulings, or rigging elections. Dismantle checks and balances by bullying Congress or the press into submission.

5. Global Isolation: Pick pointless fights with allies, cozy up to hostile powers, and ditch international agreements—trade, climate, security—leaving the country friendless and exposed. Project weakness by botching responses to crises, inviting opportunists to test borders or influence.

6. Infrastructure Collapse: Let roads, bridges, power grids, and tech networks rot through neglect or outright sabotage. Block disaster relief or recovery efforts, turning natural setbacks into permanent scars.

 

The result? A superpower gutted from within—broke, divided, defenseless, and irrelevant. Historically, no leader’s pulled this off single-handedly; it’d take a mix of intent, incompetence, and a complicit or apathetic system. Look at cases like Venezuela under Maduro—hyperinflation, exodus, and isolation—or Rome’s later emperors fiddling while barbarians closed in. Self-destruction’s a slow burn, not a switch flip.

 

 

 

Try asking Grok this question: Where do you see America in 4 years? This the answer I got from Chatgpt:

In four years, America will likely be navigating a mixture of challenges and opportunities, depending on political, social, and technological shifts. There are several areas to consider:

1. Political Landscape: The political scene could look significantly different, especially depending on the outcome of upcoming elections in 2024. The U.S. might face ongoing political polarization, but there could also be efforts toward greater bipartisanship or reform, particularly in areas like voting rights, election security, or campaign finance.

2. Economy: The economy could be in recovery, though it will likely still face uncertainty due to inflation, debt, and global supply chain disruptions. However, technological advances, such as in AI and clean energy, could create new industries and opportunities for growth. The job market might also evolve with a stronger focus on remote work, gig economy roles, and automation.

3. Technology: America's role in tech innovation will continue to expand. The rise of artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and biotechnology could redefine industries and societal norms. Ethical considerations regarding these technologies will likely become a focal point for policy discussions.

4. Social Issues: Social movements, especially surrounding racial justice, gender rights, and climate change, will likely continue to shape public discourse. How the country addresses these issues—both legislatively and culturally—will have lasting impacts on American society.

5. Foreign Relations: America’s relationship with other countries, particularly China and Russia, will be key. The U.S. may further define its role on the global stage in terms of diplomacy, military presence, and trade partnerships.

6. Climate Change: The focus on sustainability and climate policy could grow. The U.S. will likely face increased pressure to address the environmental impact of industries, with more investment in renewable energy, climate resilience, and reducing emissions.

Overall, America in four years will likely be dealing with both the lingering effects of current global challenges and seizing the opportunities from emerging technologies, with the potential for significant societal shifts along the way. What aspect of America's future do you find most intriguing?

 

[rasg]

On 4/4/2025 at 5:05 AM, Serenity_Now said:

Everybody wants to be a stand up comedian these days

It was a very valid point. Biden's handlers wrote the playbook on trashing the US.

[rasg]

On 4/4/2025 at 7:51 AM, jerrymahoney said:

Donald Trump said in his 1990 Playboy interview:

"The Japanese cajole us, they bow to us, they tell us how great we are and then they pick our pockets. We're losing hundreds of billions of dollars a year while they laugh at our stupidity."

That's how he saw the world 35 years ago. Little has changed.

Maybe but he was and is right.