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Consumer Trauma and the Ongoing Psychological Toll of Trumponomics on Americans
Consumer Trauma and the Ongoing Psychological Toll of Trumponomics on Americans

Newsweek

time4 days ago

  • Business
  • Newsweek

Consumer Trauma and the Ongoing Psychological Toll of Trumponomics on Americans

In his first inaugural address in 1933, former President Franklin D. Roosevelt laid out a political axiom that would come to shrewdly diagnose America's thorny brand of insularity. "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself," Roosevelt told an audience from the Capitol steps, as the nation stood with the Great Depression newly against its back—and little did they know—a second world war shortly ahead. In recent times, the saying has become little more than lazy exposition in Hollywood hero monologues rather than a nugget of wisdom that American politicians and voters genuinely honor. And what doesn't often get recited along with Roosevelt's signature proclamation are the immediate words that followed, where the revered president signaled out the "nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance." President Donald Trump departs after delivering the commencement address at the 2025 U.S. Military Academy Graduation Ceremony at West Point, N.Y., on May 24, 2025. President Donald Trump departs after delivering the commencement address at the 2025 U.S. Military Academy Graduation Ceremony at West Point, N.Y., on May 24, 2025. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images Just several months into his second term, President Donald Trump has shown that he's going to have a volatile hold on Americans' spending decisions over the next four years, and with it a shrewd grip on their mental health. As an epidemiologist who studies and designs interventions for mental health, I frequently see how concern over things like wages, taxes, and inflation emerge as major risk factors for depression. When this strain over finances becomes recurrent, it can become something even more complex and dangerous: trauma. Saying that the present economic uncertainty could be traumatizing to Americans may seem like hyperbole. But consider how economists have long been fusing clinical terms into their terminology, like "consumer anxiety," to acutely describe the impact of financial markets on everyday people. The deep economic uncertainty that we're experiencing due to Trumponomics though is making consumer anxiety a deeply insufficient metric. With the U.S. Court of International Trade currently blocking the sweeping tariffs Trump announced in April, and deep uncertainty about what lies ahead, we're now at a point where we have to consider how quickly our nation's consumer anxiety is turning into consumer trauma. The Trump administration's intentions to create dense, contagious pockets of trauma throughout America were clear early on. In 2023, the current director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought discussed wanting federal employees to be "traumatically affected" as part of a grand Trumpian vision to shrink the federal workforce. How would they go on to attempt that? By castigating federal employees' work and nudging them to resign via quixotic demands and hostile buyout offers. Trauma occurs when we find ourselves exposed to something distressing and seemingly unpredictable (or uncontrollable), like a car accident or physical assault. When we experience a trauma, the part of our brain that's responsible for detecting personal threats, the amygdala, becomes hypersensitive. This means we become extra alert and responsive to things we perceive to be a potential threat. And we're then pushed to either fight, succumb, or retreat if that threat materializes. On the other end, when we want to avoid traumatizing others, we're generally expected to offer safety, grace, and reassurance. Rather than that, Trump's initial response to Americans' concerns over his tariffs has come in the form of taunts—character insults and gaslighting that have included telling us on TruthSocial, "Don't be Weak! Don't be Stupid!"—and then several days later, to "BE COOL." But most American consumers believe they'll be the ones absorbing Trump's tariffs. While Trump's negotiations have thus far consisted of a number of empty threats, last-second retreats, and fairly brief periods of implementation—which seems innocuous enough—it's precisely this kind of unevenness that characterizes traumatization. The power of trauma lies in its ability to diminish our sense of current safety and future stability. Analysts have dubbed Trump's bartering approach "TACO"—Trump Always Chickens Out. But his approach more acutely reflects the parable of the boy who cried wolf. Except in this strange universe, the boy retains his control and safety from beginning to end while everybody else is imperiled. According to a Quinnipiac poll conducted in April, 72 percent of voters indicated that they believe tariffs will hurt the U.S. economy. Americans' fears over the consequences of tariffs, however, have yet to tame President Trump's unpredictable tendencies. His staccato approach to economic policy of promises to start, rescind, or pause tariffs—and other potentially economically distressing decisions—ensures we all stay on high alert. As people await Trump's response to the recent federal ruling, they're undoubtedly asking themselves: "Will the tariffs be re-introduced? How do I adjust?" Already, many Americans have plans on precautionary saving and stockpiling goods, trauma-aligned behaviors, in response to increasing costs. Seventy-five percent of people in an April Harris poll said the current economy has negatively affected their decision to buy a home, and 65 percent in the same poll said it has negatively impacted their decision to have a child. And we can't forget the interpersonal impacts. Trauma makes us less trusting and less connected with one another and the world. People who have experienced trauma express lower levels of relationship satisfaction, decreased motivation, and an overall lower quality of life. We shouldn't take this lightly. Unlike bad economic policy, which can generally be revived through good economic policy, a deep fraying of Americans' trust and connection to the country and its economic systems may not be something the nation can so easily recover from. Jerel Ezell is a political epidemiologist and visiting scholar at the University of Chicago Medicine. He studies the cultural aspects of policy and health. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.

Trump Says 'I Rebuilt the Military' During West Point Speech
Trump Says 'I Rebuilt the Military' During West Point Speech

Yahoo

time24-05-2025

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Trump Says 'I Rebuilt the Military' During West Point Speech

President Donald Trump delivers the commencement address at the 2025 U.S. Military Academy Graduation Ceremony at West Point, New York, on May 24, 2025. Credit - Saul Loeb—Getty Images President Donald Trump returned to the United States Military Academy at West Point on Saturday to give the commencement speech to the graduating class of 2025. Adorned in his trademark 'Make America Great Again' hat, Trump spoke to the 1,002-strong class for just under an hour. During his address, he lauded the United States Army as the 'greatest and most powerful Army the world has ever known.' Beyond this, he stated that he is the one responsible for the Army's might. 'And I know because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military,' Trump told the crowd. 'We rebuilt it like nobody has ever rebuilt it before in my first term.' Trump went on to push his American-first ethos, saying: 'We're getting rid of the distractions and we're focusing our military on its core mission: crushing America's adversaries, killing America's enemies, and defending our great American flag like it has never been defended before.' In his rally-style speech, Trump celebrated the achievements of the students, while also lauding his own presidency—including his cracking down on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. West Point has found itself in the center of the DEI-related pushback, especially related to the banning of books and educational programs that the Trump Administration says promote DEI. In February, West Point disbanded its Society of Black Engineers club as well as multiple other clubs listed under 'affinity' groups on the club directory. This followed Trump's Jan. 20 Executive Order titled 'Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing' and a Jan. 21 Executive Order titled 'Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.' A subsequent Jan. 29 instruction from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saw the announcement of a new task force.'I direct the establishment of a multi-functional 'Restoring America's Fighting Force' task force charged with overseeing the Department's efforts to abolish DEI offices and any vestiges of such offices that subvert meritocracy, perpetuate unconstitutional discrimination, and promote radical ideologies related to systemic racism and gender fluidity,' Hegseth said. Beyond clubs, West Point has reportedly purged work by diverse authors from its libraries and has removed discussions of systemic inequities from its classrooms, leading aWest Point professor to resign, saying: 'I am ashamed to be associated with the academy in its current form.' Trump addressed his DEI measures during his West Point commencement speech, saying he has 'liberated our troops from divisive and demeaning political training.' 'There will be no more critical race theory or transgender for everybody, forced onto our brave men and women in uniform or on anybody else, for that matter, in this country,' Trump said. 'And promotions and appointments will not be based on politics or identity. They'll be based on merit…We're a merit-based country again.' Trump claimed that his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, 'subjected the armed forces to all manner of social projects'—something he says is no longer. The President's speech comes after he and Hegseth have fired multiple senior military officers who were known to endorse DEI efforts. The Trump Administration has also once again banned transgender people from serving in the military and has ordered new physical standard tests which will require the same standards for both men and women. The change in requirements to serve in combat roles is expected to drastically cut the number of women in said roles. Contact us at letters@

A new doctrine? Trump lays out vision for US military and global role at West Point address
A new doctrine? Trump lays out vision for US military and global role at West Point address

First Post

time24-05-2025

  • Politics
  • First Post

A new doctrine? Trump lays out vision for US military and global role at West Point address

President Donald Trump ripped US diversity and inclusion policies, knocked NATO, and took credit for building up the military on Saturday in a campaign style commencement speech at the prestigious West Point Military Academy in New York. read more US President Donald Trump delivers the commencement address at the 2025 US Military Academy Graduation Ceremony at West Point, New York, on May 24, 2025. AFP Photo President Donald Trump delivered a campaign-style commencement address at West Point Military Academy on Saturday, sharply criticising US diversity and inclusion policies, NATO, and taking credit for strengthening the military during his tenure. Wearing a 'Make America Great Again' hat, Trump blended his political views with military themes, asserting that he had rebuilt the armed forces 'better than ever' and eliminated 'social experiments' such as critical race theory education and support programs for transgender soldiers. He also claimed responsibility for increased military recruitment. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Defending his isolationist approach and skepticism toward longstanding alliances, Trump argued that US leaders over the past 20 years had needlessly involved the military in foreign conflicts that wasted resources and lives. He criticised military leadership for being clueless in overseas operations. Trump concentrated on removing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies intended to boost representation of racial and sexual minorities, including women, in the military ranks. This effort has extended to pulling numerous books on the history of racism from military academy libraries. Addressing the graduates, Trump said previous administrations had burdened soldiers with 'absurd ideological experiments,' pursuing social and political agendas while neglecting border security. 'All of that's ended. You know that,' he declared. 'They're not even allowed to think about it anymore.' He emphasised that the military's mission is to 'dominate any foe' and 'annihilate any threat to America,' not to 'host drag shows.' Trump tapped into widespread public frustration after the prolonged wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, vowing that the U.S. would no longer try to 'spread democracy… at the point of a gun.' His reset also included harsh criticism of US allies in Europe and Asia, whom he accused of cheating America financially, though he claimed they no longer do so. Throughout the speech, Trump wore his campaign hat and hailed his anticipated November election victory as a 'great mandate' granting him the freedom to act as he wishes. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD While Army officers are prohibited from political involvement, applause from cadets during the speech was inconsistent. Those invited to speak at the event kept their remarks personal, avoiding any direct mention of the president. However, Trump's reshaping of the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has stirred discomfort among some. West Point philosophy professor Graham Parsons resigned this month, accusing the academy of abandoning its principles to meet White House ideological demands and expressing shame. Parsons criticised new guidelines discouraging discussions of racism or sexism while promoting the narrative of America as an unwavering force for good, calling the policies 'brazen demands to indoctrinate, not educate' in a New York Times opinion piece. With inputs from agencies

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