Trump Is Getting Closer to Having an ‘Infinite Money Pit’ | If the president takes over the Federal Reserve, he will have extraordinary power to reward his friends and destroy his enemies.
https://www.theatlantic.com/economy/archive/2025/09/trump-federal-reserve-control-unchecked-power/684279/?gift=lXA-n9tcY9sVZtA1URn9eHVyuwIlwMcMWvlxe-HGzd0
471 points · 106 comments · view on lemmy.world
106 Comments
Imperor@lemmy.world · 128 pts · 332d
If Trump takes over the FED, the US economy will go into an absolute tailspin and depression. The only reason inflation has been sort of brought back under control is the FED. Trump has no fucking clue what he's doing on a monetary level and neither does any of his ghouls and cronies.
relativestranger@feddit.nl · 52 pts · 332d
they know what they're doing. they're lining all the right pockets. it's just that they don't give a fuck about anything else when it comes to 'money'
Imperor@lemmy.world · 39 pts · 332d
They know what they're doing when it comes to funneling money into their own pockets, I agree here. But they'll do it in such a hamfisted way, that it will bring down the entire house of cards, because they don't understand or bother to understand the systems they're pilfering. Though, this might very well be part of what they want to accomplish anyway.
Rolder@reddthat.com · 14 pts · 332d
Doesn’t really matter how many dollars you dish out if the dollar isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on
dhork@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 331d
But once the dollar is worthless, then we can start using $TRUMP as currency
gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 331d
it'll either be cryptocurrency or hard currency like assets, goods, or maybe gold and such.
gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de · 1 pts · 331d
the thing is that it will take a while for the market to react, so short-term, the dollar would still have value, giving trump infinite buying potential.
JeremyHuntQW12@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 331d
N0t_5ure@lemmy.world · 36 pts · 332d
There is a reason that gold is at an all-time high (~$3735). Even adjusting for inflation, it is higher than the 1980 peak following stagflation from the 1970s. Moreover, central bank purchases have been the backbone of the current gold market, with central banks now holding more gold than U.S. treasuries, something that hasn't been the case since 1996. We're witnessing the demise of the dollar as the world's reserve currency in real time.
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 332d
Yeah, loose monetary plus goldbug speculation. The spread between gold and silver, for instance, has been widening while gold and platinum contract.
We're witnessing the reemergence of a multi-polar world. The dollar will take a hit. It's not the end of dollarization.
gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de · 4 pts · 331d
the thing is that if the US really goes through balkanization, that puts an absolute end to the US dollar.
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 331d
The US isn't composed of geographically well-defined socio-ethnoc groups. There's no bright line you can draw between Liberals and Conservatives, as evidenced by the number of "swing" states and the absurd lines you have to draw in order to gerrymander populations.
Lincoln was right. We're a nation that can be one thing or another. But a divide will not stand. Trying to put Texas and California and New York and Florida into separate counties won't work any better today than it did in the 18th century.
aesthelete@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 331d
The West Coast could be its own country. I'd be completely fine with that.
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world · -2 pts · 331d
Guess which state has the largest population of Republicans. Now guess the state that donates the most to the GOP. Now guess the state whose residents make to the highest percentage of Trump's cabinet.
xyzzy@lemmy.today · 10 pts · 331d
Formfiller@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 331d
Split it up and force the Nazis to move to their new christofacist kingdom
ubergeek@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 331d
That's not true, like at all.
There is a world of cultural difference between NY residents, Texas residents, and Oregon residents.
In fact, there's about 5 distinct socio-economic regions in the US.
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 331d
There is a world of difference between Houston's Third Ward, River Oaks, and Spring. Nevermind the difference between Sugar Land, The Woodlands, and Pearland. Or Austin, San Antonio, and San Angelo.
Where do you draw the line? Even Republican gerrymandering experts struggle with this question.
Far more than that, if you're looking closely
ubergeek@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 331d
No, its really about 5, distinct, socioeconomic regions in the US.
For example, the Great Lakes Region, the Pacific Northwest, Plains Region, etc.
mrmacduggan@lemmy.ml · 13 pts · 332d
I think he knows what he's doing, since all he's really doing is stuffing his pockets. Doesn't take a genius to cartoonishly sell out the entire planet's economy for personal gain. I'm sure if he manages to crash the dollar he'll be thrilled to roll out Trumpcoin as the alternative and then rugpull the world a second time.
gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 331d
for a currency to have actual value, some government with real (military) power must demand that currency via taxation. otherwise, at least theoretically, the paper currency has no actual value.
WildPalmTree@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 331d
Tell that to crypto currencies. Value is as value does.
gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de · 9 pts · 331d
I think you're completely underestimating what Trump taking over the FED could do. he could literally print arbitrary amounts of money and spend them however he wants. it would basically make money meaningless, and we'd probably go back to trading goods-for-goods after a while, but short-term, it would give trump unlimited economic power and that is a very very very frightening thing.
aesthelete@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 331d
The barter system wasn't ever a thing, Adam Smith was full of shit, and as long as the US government taxes us in USD, it'll always be relevant to us.
I should go exchange all of my savings for a different country's currency before the shit hits the fan, but I'm not even sure which country's currency would make sense.
ubergeek@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 331d
CAD, Europe, and Yuan make a lot of sense.
Yeller_king@reddthat.com · 3 pts · 331d
I don't think we'd revert to barter, we'd just informally adopt another currency like the euro.
Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 331d
Or CAD for anyone up North
JeremyHuntQW12@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 331d
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 332d
We're already 900k jobs off the beginning of the year estimate. Add in the tech sector investment in AI failing to pay out 2-3 years later, and Trump's been kicking the shit out of a wheezing horse since he took office.
Lowing interest rates on the eve of a recession has traditionally been a smart move. Much better than the Bush/Greenspan '06 decision to raise interest rates as the housing crisis began to spiral.
But he's plowing all this free money into a jobless crypto/tech bubble. Inviting enormous inflation in tech hardware and electricity, while these companies hemorrhage a bunch of jobs they have decided they don't need anymore.
This isn't just Trump. It's an economy wide death spiral that Trump's being bribed into fueling.
BakerBagel@midwest.social · 7 pts · 332d
Yeah this is essentially the end of neoliberal capitalism. We discovered that removing market regulations just males companies invest in unsustainable, short term schemes. What we are witnessing is the end of the ouroboros.
aesthelete@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 331d
Interest free money for the rich while the supply side of the house is incredibly fucked up, especially in key areas such as fucking food and shelter. What could go wrong?!
I, for one, look forward to the arrested development $15 banana costs after the hyperinflation kicks in!
/s if that ain't obvious
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 332d
What does FED stand for?
dhork@lemmy.world · -1 pts · 332d
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 332d
That's the Fed. What about the initialism FED?
dhork@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 332d
Fucking Every Dollar
SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 332d
Misspelled.
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 332d
Not Federal Ederal Deserve?
SabinStargem@lemmy.today · 48 pts · 331d
Money has no meaning once it becomes infinite. Trump clearly has no idea what the Great Depression was, nor what lead to Weimer Germany's collapse.
On the plus side, it is a fascist society that will be left holding the bag of shit. The blowback from economic annihilation tends to blow apart old ways of doing things. Provided we assert ourselves, we can recreate the USA to be something that isn't crap.
...at least, I hope that is the silver lining to all of this. 😰
gndagreborn@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 331d
The thing is, american society is already standing on stilts. Economic catastrophy would be a huge opportunity for reform, but the cost to human lives and livelihoods would be uncertainly high.
At this rate, it is inevitable.
Formfiller@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 331d
There’s going to have to be a lot blood to fix this. That is tragic
Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 331d
I mean it's going to happen eventually, and unfortunately the economic impact will be global. But I think countries are already trying to insulate themselves from the worst of it.
Juice@midwest.social · 6 pts · 331d
Centrist democrats in 5 years:
"Fascism sounds great on paper but it isn't economically viable"
prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 1 pts · 330d
That only happened the last time (Germany I mean) because they lost a world war.
And then this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan
It didn't just happen.
Juice@midwest.social · 1 pts · 331d
I really don't think Trump is creating an infinite money glitch, I think he is using the fed to crash the economy, and make a hefty sum on the side. Money isn't a commodity like diamonds, where there is a limit to how much diamonds you can mine. Money supply is pinned to the productive capacity of a national economy.
Money is a social relation. It takes the form of a commodity but oversupply and undersupply isn't determined by the number of dollars in circulation, its a relation between what can be produced and what is actually produced
Hayduke@lemmy.world · 25 pts · 332d
Congress could end this now. Call your local republican congressman and hold their feet to the fire.
obsidianfoxxy7870@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 11 pts · 332d
The one that isn't running for reelction, is extremely rich, and has never listened to me or even called/emailed me back.
FenrirIII@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 331d
Ted Cruz for me
ubergeek@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 331d
Schumer is going to write a sternly worded op ed for the Times, and talk about it on The View.
The op ed will feature liberal use of the hash tag "resist".
drdiddlybadger@pawb.social · 25 pts · 332d
For all of two seconds before the shit collapses.
ininewcrow@lemmy.ca · 18 pts · 332d
Money, no matter how much of it you have or believe you have is only as valuable as everyone believes it to be.
It's a modern day religion.
As soon as enough people lose faith in it, money becomes absolutely worthless.
You could get to the point of saying you own all the money ..... but if no one believes the money had any value any more, all that money no longer matters.
Wealth exists because we all believe in this world wide system of money and finance. If enough people stop believing or investing in it, all that wealth instantly disappears.
gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de · 6 pts · 331d
the thing that causes the dollar to have value is the fact that the US government demands that the people pay a certain amount of taxes in USdollars. if you can't pay that, you go to jail.
so, the dollar is an extension of military power. they're forcing you to do something, but instead of sending the military to your door directly and abducting you, they instead require that you either have a certain amount of dollars or they will send the military/police to your door. it's a placeholder for military power.
Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works · 2 pts · 331d
Well that's why the people who have all the "money" stamp their name on all the property instead of holding it as cash.
And any paper money has to have faith, even if its tied to gold you must have faith the government will actually keep their bargain. I personally would find it a blast to use gold and silver coins for everything just for the novelty of it. It wouldn't be hard to do because very little costs less than a dollar anyway.
switcheroo@lemmy.world · 17 pts · 331d
How the fuck did we get here so fast...??? This is fucking disgusting.
We are about to the place where the military is going to have to take a long hard look at who's side their on--- the American people or Shitler's because eventually the orange cancer is going to tell them to either full out bomb our own fucking cities, or our once-allies.
samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 17 pts · 331d
I want to believe the military would side with the people rather than blindly obey orders, but their track record hasn't been great so far.
Juice@midwest.social · 3 pts · 331d
It'll be messy. The best chance is if the rank and file corps break away from the higher level officers who are too ideologically or bureaucratically compromised to act against fascism.
But I don't see the conditions existing for that right now, although I'm far from a military expert. I know that a lot of soldiers are becoming pretty radical, at least when they leave the military they turn around and become socialists
SlartyBartFast@sh.itjust.works · 16 pts · 331d
If your economy crashes you're welcome to start using the Canadian dollar #11th Province
Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 331d
I could see it becoming a thing in the Northeast assuming they don't shut down the border.
AbidanYre@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 331d
All that does is drive up the exchange rate.
gandalf_der_12te@discuss.tchncs.de · 15 pts · 331d
i fucking warned about this
I literally talked about this 4 months ago.
Basically, if trump gets a hold of the central bank, it's over. The only way stopping arbitrary trumpian outcomes then is to completely de-dollarize the world (!!!). Imagine what that means.
to be honest, i have been a fan of a (slow) de-dollarization for many years now. it's just rapidly becoming way more urgent all of a sudden. we're not even remotely there yet. there is still way too much dependency on the dollar for so many things. we need to change that. but changing that would require change in so many things, including a broad overhaul of worldwide neoliberal agenda.
neoliberalism is already on the decline worldwide, but there's still a long way to go.
Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 331d
Hopefully it doesn't get replaced by something worse.
Doomsider@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 331d
Pretty sure it will just be blatant oligarchy with a side of dystopian neo feudalism brought to you by the Tech Bro... errr I mean Tech Lords!
someguy3@lemmy.world · 14 pts · 332d
Besides setting interest rates:
And:
BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 332d
The downsides are basically unlimited. Skew energy markets to kill green energy, make the market look strong while hiding inflation data, scaring the world off the USD as a reserve currency.
samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 13 pts · 331d
Looking forward to the (worthless) hundred trillion dollar bill!
SabinStargem@lemmy.today · 8 pts · 331d
relativestranger@feddit.nl · 2 pts · 331d
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Zimbabwe_$100_trillion_2009_Obverse.jpg
samus12345@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 330d
Just wait until the American 1 quadrillion dollar bill!
Juice@midwest.social · 10 pts · 331d
The whole point of the federal reserve is so that no special interest can seize control and crash the US economy on purpose. It sets up a political entity with vast but very particular powers, that is accountable to the president, so that it is almost always in the best interest of big finance not to crash the economy. The US government pays the federal reserve system, which is just a bunch of banks who buy into it, about 7-8% roi, to manage the money supply. Sometimes more money can still be made by crashing the US economy, for example the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008, and technically recessions are pretty good for the ruling class predators, but for the most part it provides concrete financial incentives for major institutions to keep the whole thing on the rails. It protects the economy from rogue bankers who already wield an incredible about of undemocratic power, from doing something selfish that would harm the country.
No one considered the possibility of a rogue president who selfishly wants to crash the US economy because he thinks it will help him become king. In that case, if he gets the approval of fed reserve bank executives, then there's nothing stopping him.
TheBloodFarts@lemmy.ca · 10 pts · 331d
All these rules rooted to the notion of "well we can always count on the president to be a morally good and reasonable person" are incredibly naive. Are many governments like this?
Dragomus@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 332d
Besides this, everyone seems to forget that the plan is to make Trump's crypto company World Liberty Financial the (only) company to spread the mandated official US stable coin.
Something he will fully have power over as a private citizen because it is arranged to be outside of government control ... so every transaction will put money directly in trump's pockets.
And by controlling the stable coin he can deny his enemies transactions (payouts) at will.
Treczoks@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 332d
And his biggest enemy ar the United States. Because he will absolutely destroy the economy if he gets his hand on the money machine.
captainlezbian@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 332d
It's not an infinite money pit and everyone in power who thinks thats what they have winds up with them and their country broke
WanderWisley@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 331d
Surely this will not have any kinda of repercussions whatsoever…
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 331d
If he gets his greasy little hands in there I'm done paying taxes
norwegern@lemmy.wtf · 3 pts · 331d
That wont do much. But get your state to refuse paying into the federal government, then we're talking.
Sam_Bass@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 331d
Sadly my state government are hardcore trump zealots
chilicheeselies@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 330d
If he does that im moving all my investments ohu of the us and coverting as much cash as i can to euros or rinimbi
brown567@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 332d
Correction: reward a few friends, possibly protect some others, and destroy literally everyone else
TipRing@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 331d
The US is increasingly resembling the 1986 comedy The Money Pit starring Tom Hanks and Shelly Long.
OctopusNemeses@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 330d
Didn't they already get something like a trillion dollar tax break in the first term? Once again the language used stuck on brinksmanship. The bad things are going to happen but never do. Until they do happen. The language never changes. It's the goal posts that move. The bad things that happened are memory holed. The next set of bad things are on the brink of happenning.
I'm pretty sure this is the primary mechanism that has enabled the slide into fascism. The population is reactive. Not proactive. If the perception is that something will happen, not has happened then you successfully subdued resistance all together. There's nothing to resist if perceptually nothing ever happens. We will never actually eat the rich.
deacon@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 331d
This time next year he will be enjoying daily dives into a literal pool of gold coins, à la Scrooge McDuck, and his craven creatures in red hats will still be marveling how he is for the common man.
SoloCritical@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 331d
Fall of Rome
someguy3@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 332d
fossilesque@mander.xyz · -2 pts · 332d
Godort@lemmy.ca · 9 pts · 332d
This is only true in the abstract. Yes, you are technically correct. Money only has value because a large enough group of people agree that it does.
But money is a shared token that describes the value of someone's time and effort which can be exchanged for goods and services. It's a common thing that can be bartered that everyone will accept. It's an incredibly useful thing for a society to have.
MML@sh.itjust.works · 6 pts · 332d
Don't almost all financial people agree that there needs to be some bottom level distribution to work? Cause it would seem the people hoarding all the wealth don't understand if they have enough of it it's actually worthless?
Godort@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 332d
This is also correct, but a different problem.
If there isnt enough money moving in circulation, it typically means that people are saving it for hardship rather than spending, which is in turn a sure sign of a poor economy.
The rich assholes at the top have been able to basically trust that smarter people will handle policies to prevent a major depression. Anyone that was old enough to remember the last one is dead now. Anyone that lives quarter to quarter doesn't care about market conditions 90 years ago.
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 331d
More like 100 years ago
aesthelete@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 331d
I want to stop reading this mindless refrain chirped out. Money isn't fucking Tinkerbell. The US government collects taxes in USD. If you don't want the feds showing up at your door and then dragging you to jail, you have to have money to pay taxes.
Godort@lemmy.ca · 1 pts · 331d
This was exactly my point. Money is real because having a common item that everyone agrees is valuable, which can be used to trade for goods and services universally is a boon for society.
Functionally, it doesn't matter if money is just some special paper, or a handful of metal discs or some number displayed on a computer screen, even if those things are technically worthless without people to ascribe value onto them.
aesthelete@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 331d
I functionally it matters what it is too because people will counterfeit it.
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 332d
The bank that holds my mortgage sure seems to think it is.
FenderStratocaster@lemmy.world · -5 pts · 332d
I say let him have it. I wanna watch it all burn to the ground.
kescusay@lemmy.world · 30 pts · 332d
I don't, I fucking live here and I'd like my money to be worth something next week!
ubergeek@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 331d
Start putting savings in CAD. I've opened a savings and started buying land in Canada.
kescusay@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 331d
Way ahead of you on the savings part, but how are you buying land in Canada without being a Canadian citizen?
ubergeek@lemmy.today · 1 pts · 331d
You can, as a non citizen buy land in some provinces.
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 332d
I already started moving what assets I could out of the country at the start of the year.
SabinStargem@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 331d
I swapped most of my savings into physical Euros. Way I figure, having gold or foreign currency is my best bet, since I can't leave.
SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 331d
That's a good start, but I'd go a step further and invest it in something that isn't subject to inflation like currency.
SabinStargem@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 331d
Unfortunately, I am not rich enough to afford property, nor have the storage for long-term food. At best, I have about 2 months of canned food, assuming that I was the only one eating it.
The only thing that is certain, is that I am definitely NOT ready for when the Greater Depression kicks into gear.
PowerCrazy@lemmy.ml · 2 pts · 331d
If you are thinking in terms of "my" or "I" you have already lost. You need community, you need city-services that can operate outside of a federal system, you need the ability to work with others to survive collectively.