OK, so apparently the claim that "no one will ever trust the US or their commitments again" means that businesses and governments will still enter into all manner of trades and alliances and business arrangements with the US, but in their heart of hearts, they won't actually trust the US?

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ceejayoz a day ago | parent | next [-]

Think of it this way:

You loan a friend $5k. They promise to pay it back. They don't.

You may still hang out! But you may never loan them money again unless they give meaningful evidence they've changed.

The US probably has one concrete chance left to prosecute, convict, and jail these folks to rebuild trust. My vibe from the Democrats is that they'll whiff that opportunity.

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senordevnyc 18 hours ago | parent [-]

But...countries, individuals, and companies the world over are loaning the US money right now. They're trading with the US, they're doing joint military exercises, they're forming new alliances, they're visiting the US, they're sending their kids to school here, they're buying real estate here.

Don't get me wrong, I loathe Trump and what his band of nutjobs has done to this country. The damage is deep and long-lasting.

But we're not quite yet a global pariah that no one will touch with a ten foot pole, nor are we (as some other commenter hilariously suggested) a failed state. Not yet. Not really even close.

Honestly, these discussions usually look more to me like what people wish was true, probably because they're both angry and powerless, than any kind of sober assessment of reality.

All that said, it'll be interesting to look back on this moment in a decade or two and see where it was going. History is notoriously difficult to predict.

EDIT in response to your links below: of course these all have been impacted!

We're talking about the claim that "Nobody and no country will trust the US or their commitments ever again."

Which is nonsensical, as proven by all your handy stats showing that many, many people, companies, and countries still trust the US.

	▲	ceejayoz 18 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		> they're doing joint military exercises Some of them to protect against us! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Arctic_Endurance (Which, for the record, is pretty new, at least for NATO.) > they're visiting the US Staggering dip in US tourism is a troubling sign for the future: https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/25/travel/analysis-tourism-fewer... > they're sending their kids to school here https://time.com/article/2026/05/12/us-university-higher-edu... "Foreign student enrollment at U.S. universities for the 2026 spring semester fell by 20% from last spring, according to a new report by organizations including U.S.-based international education nonprofit NAFSA." > they're buying real estate here https://www.newsweek.com/foreign-buyers-flee-u-s-housing-but... "Foreign buyers continue fleeing the U.S. housing market, with their activity falling 14 percent between April 2025 and March 2026 to the second-lowest level since the National Association of Realtors (NAR) started tracking purchases in 2009." > Honestly, these discussions usually look more to me like what people wish was true… Indeed! See above.
	▲	ceejayoz 18 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		> We're talking about the claim that "Nobody and no country will trust the US or their commitments ever again." > Which is nonsensical, as proven by all your handy stats showing that many, many people, companies, and countries still trust the US. Hurr durr, yes, it's not an instant process. You slayed the strawman, saving you from engaging with the points everyone's making! The collapse of the USSR took decades, too. Were they trustworthy? Is the used car salesman trustworthy, or do people just need used cars still, for now? Hell, you don't trust my links, yet you engage (well, sorta) with me here. Right?

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Paradigma11 19 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Yes, but it will be much more expensive and inefficient compared to the trades and alliances with nations that are trusted. Basically the US is a failed state. Functioning nations can make agreements that survive leadership changes. The US is not one of those.

	▲	senordevnyc 18 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Ah, now the US is a failed state. As in, the government has lost control, state monopoly on violence is gone, armed groups have taken over, no public services, etc. Just like Somalia, Yemen, etc. Makes sense.