# How is this going to end? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [February 5, 2025, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914 "2025-02-05T07:59:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2025, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/21 "2025-02-05T22:50:59Z")
But that’s only one half of the equation. What are the possible effects of the Birthright Citizenship Executive Order? - children of non-citizen aliens do not receive American citizenship. As you say, extremely unlikely to be upheld by the courts, and impractical given the way births are recorded in the US, anyway. - increased rhetoric against non-citizen aliens and persons with skin tones associated therewith in the popular mind. - decreased willingness or even ability of such people to appeal to authorities when needed These last two effects are much less tangible, but seem a lot more serious. Basically, the Order has no effect on citizenship but does a bang-up job of shoring up institutional racism, which is harder to dismantle (see: history, 1965–2025). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2025, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/22 "2025-02-05T22:53:18Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > But that’s only one half of the equation. What are the possible effects of the Birthright Citizenship Executive Order? Good points. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2025, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/23 "2025-02-05T23:44:29Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > I didnt vote for trump. Neither did I. The “we” refers to the country as a whole. Unless someone thinks he didn’t really win the election. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2025, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/24 "2025-02-06T22:29:25Z")
Yesterday it was a land grab and ethnic cleansing in Gaza Today sanctioning the International Criminal Court. This is Zaphod Beeblebrox gaming out what needs to be done to remain in the social pages. Show me a poll that indicates all this stuff isn’t wildly popular with his base. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2025, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/25 "2025-02-06T23:35:40Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Show me a poll that indicates all this stuff isn’t wildly popular with his base. The MAGA base isn’t reachable and so doesn’t matter. The problem is swing voters. Fewer government workers likely sounds good to them. Attempting to be color blind probably sounds good to them. Slashing foreign aid sounds good to them. The idea that immigrants lower wages, by competing for jobs, sounds correct to them, even though the opposite is true. I’m not sure what they really think about gender transition, but less of it probably sounds good to them. Now, inflation doesn’t sound good to them. The China tariff increase will hurt MAGA, as will the end of being able to get stuff mailed to you tariff-free: [Shein, Temu, Amazon Haul set for price hikes](https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/shein-temu-amazon-haul-set-price-hikes-us-shuts-trade-loophole-2025-02-04/) ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2025, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/26 "2025-02-06T23:44:37Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Polls show that while a majority of voters don’t like Trump personally they approve of the actions he has/is taking so far. The end result of all of this will likely be the collapse of the USA. I still think that the majority of voters **don’t really know** what actions he has taken. We have a serious messaging problem in this country and I have no idea how to resolve it. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/27 "2025-02-07T00:05:15Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > The problem is swing voters. > > Fewer government workers likely sounds good to them. > > Attempting to be color blind probably sounds good to them. > > Slashing foreign aid sounds good to them. > > The idea that immigrants lower wages, by competing for jobs, sounds correct to them, even though the opposite is true. > > I’m not sure what they really think about gender transition, but less of it probably sounds good to them. Which is why I don’t believe in “swing voters”; just right wingers who lie about it. Look at your own list; all they care about is hurting people, and they consistently take the side of the extreme right. Just like MAGA. And a difference that makes no difference is no difference. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/28 "2025-02-07T00:57:59Z")
I suggest the first step would be to reinstate the [Fairness Doctrine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_doctrine) and make it apply to all social media like FB, Insta, X, etc. Of course the GOP and the Murdochs will fight to the death to prevent that from happening. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/29 "2025-02-07T01:13:21Z")
> [@bump](#): > > But they’ll still trade with us, they’ll still ally with us, etc… just knowing that crazy manic Uncle Sam could pop out at any moment. Trade maybe, but allies? Impossible. The US has now acquired the reputation of being an unreliable and untrustworthy partner and such a reputation will be very hard to escape. I am very afraid that the world’s disdain is permanent. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/30 "2025-02-07T01:20:54Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > The US has now acquired the reputation of being an unreliable and untrustworthy partner and such a reputation will be very hard to escape. I am very afraid that the world’s disdain is permanent. I’m worried about this too. Sure, maybe he gets trounced in the midterms and a Democrat president is elected in a landslide in 2028, and makes great efforts to normalize things again. But then in 2032, JD Vance or one of Trump’s sons gets elected. If you are a foreign country, you have to be concerned about the US. If Trump was one-and-done and had gone to jail as the law said he was supposed to, and was blocked from being able to serve as president for orchestrating an insurrection as the law said he was supposed to, then maybe the world might have seen the years between 2016-2020 as a fluke. But seeing him get reelected and be even more bonkers the second time around, you can’t write that off as a blip. A blip doesn’t repeat itself, and you have no guarantee it won’t again, and perhaps be even worse next time. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/31 "2025-02-07T01:38:58Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I still think that the majority of voters **don’t really know** what actions he has taken. The same low information voters who weren’t paying attention before are still not paying attention now. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/32 "2025-02-07T02:44:27Z")
Some dipshit somewhere is going to disrupt payments on US Treasury bonds and then things will get REALLY interesting. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/33 "2025-02-07T02:57:04Z")
We’ve got Musk’s techbros already burrowing into the Treasury systems. We’ve got another debt limit deadline coming up in March. What could possibly go wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/34 "2025-02-07T03:37:00Z")
They want to break the federal government; “accidentally” wrecking its computer systems would be an effective way to do that. Can’t pay out Social Security if the files on whom it’s owed to are all gone. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/35 "2025-02-07T03:51:00Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Which is why I don’t believe in “swing voters”; just right wingers who lie about it. Look at your own list; all they care about is hurting people, and they consistently take the side of the extreme right. Just like MAGA. A lot of them voted for Obama. And Bernie Sanders probably believes that migrants lower wages, or at least he used to. And they aren’t sure of the items on the list the way the actual Trumpers are. And they don’t like autocrats, especially Elon. Do I see a problem with keeping keeping progressives and Obama/Clinton/Reluctant Trump voters in the same tent? Sure, today, but something might come up that unifies them against MAGA. Maybe inflation. If social security direct deposits are even a wee bit late, as you just suggested is possible, that’s it. (Although someone at SSA and Treasury is surely smart enough to do extra backups with Musk around.) ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/36 "2025-02-07T06:17:54Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > And they don’t like autocrats, especially Elon. > > Do I see a problem with keeping keeping progressives and Obama/Clinton/Reluctant Trump voters in the same tent? I don’t _believe_ that they are “reluctant Trump voters”, or that they “don’t like autocrats”. They are just unwilling to own their actions. They wanted an autocrat and so voted for one. They are just MAGA but dishonest about it. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/37 "2025-02-07T15:14:24Z")
Bleak as this sounds, there’s a non-zero chance of it being accurate. “Bottom” is Trump using extralegal means to either grant himself a third term or to cancel the 2028 election altogether. I’d like to think that it can’t happen but when POTUS and the governing party decide otherwise, who will stop them? ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/38 "2025-02-07T22:36:56Z")
The United States is scheduled to host the G20 next year. There is a non-zero chance of this being cancelled or changed. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2025, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/39 "2025-02-07T23:08:36Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > I’d like to think that it can’t happen but when POTUS and the governing party decide otherwise, who will stop them? Chief Justice Cannon ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2025, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914/40 "2025-02-08T03:25:58Z")
> [@Red\_Wiggler](#): > > Bleak as this sounds, there’s a non-zero chance of it being accurate. “Bottom” is Trump using extralegal means to either grant himself a third term or to cancel the 2028 election altogether. I’m concerned about the 2026 elections, whether if polling looks bad for the GOP we’ll have a “crisis” that requires suspending elections “for the duration.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-this-going-to-end/1013914.md?page=3)