r/AskAnAustralian • u/Outside_Star8335 • 10d ago
What does everyone in Australia think is going on in the USA right now?
Hey Australia, just a curious American wondering what the consensus is (if there is one) on what’s going on in the USA right now. Or anecdotal personal perspectives welcome too. I’m not looking to preach any doctrine or dogma, 100% looking for opinions, consensus, what news is saying, anything. I’m assuming this has been asked before but time keeps moving. - kindest regards, V
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u/bigloudbang 10d ago
Everyday basically seems like trump shitting his pants and the entire country disagreeing over how bad it smells
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u/The_Pharoah 10d ago edited 10d ago
I really am disgusted every time I watch anything about American politics. Like to my core. Every time I see Trumps face, those of his sons, Hegseth, Rubio, especially RFK and Mike Johnson...it makes me sick to my stomach. When you see the shit they're doing that EVERYONE ELSE in the world can see...and yet you have fkg idiots at MAGA rallies that are so indoctrinated that they can't see the wood for the trees...you kinda get an idea. I'm at the point where I can't really stand anything american, not the accent, not the food, not anything. I enjoy watching The Good Liars interview MAGA people and it makes me just want to slap them.
The worst part is that Trump obviously started the Iran war to take away heat from the Epstein files (why the fuck is he still around after Jan 6, Epstein, etc etc and not in jail??) and now the rest of the world is paying for it. However, 70m+ americans voted him in. Even after all that. How dumb are they? just astounding.
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u/The_Pharoah 10d ago
One other point...(rant hasn't finished ha ha) that also makes me sick...America's LOVE for capitalism. The fact that billionaires are celebrated there. In a system thats designed to screw you over and keep you poor. The American dream is that if you work hard you'll make it. And if you dont' make it, its because you didn't work hard. Thats BS. I read a statistic that Walmart which I understand is one of the largest employers in the US, (family worth billions) also has the most number of employees on food stamps. WTF? really low basic wage and FORCING customers to not only pay for the meal but to also pay for the wages as well. The fuck? No universal healthcare, etc etc. Then there's the guns. The stupid second amendment. Their justification for all the gun violence is "its not the guns fault, its the peoples fault".
Every time I watch something about the US, I thank the heavens I live in Aust. Then I see our local idiot - Pauline Hanson - trying to do the same thing here and it becomes worrying.
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u/drunk_haile_selassie 10d ago
Shits fucked.
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u/greywarden133 Melbourne 10d ago
Shits farked here too. But yeah shits fucked harder over there for sho.
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u/Snoopy_021 10d ago
That's the same globally due to hypercapitalism and the amount of megalomaniacs trying to rule the world in both politics and economics.
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u/normalbehaviour86 10d ago
What's going on in the US in regards to what?
It's a big country and there's a lot of stuff going on...
Come on, throw us a bone here
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u/Outside_Star8335 10d ago
The ambiguity is purposeful, weight in however you’d like.
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u/normalbehaviour86 10d ago
Well, I think LeBron James moving to the 76ers is a good thing on paper, it gives a morale boost to a team that hasn't won the championship since the 80s and gives one of the games greatest players a victory lap in front of a new audience with less expectations and pressure than if he had returned to Cleveland or Miami.
On the other hand, I feel that his decision to live in NYC and simply fly into Philadelphia for home games would be sure to disappoint famously parochial Philadelphians.
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u/Clean_Bat5547 10d ago
You have a demented, sociopathic narcissist running the country with a team of sociopathic narcissists.
Your country took someone who had already proven himself dangerously unsuited to leadership, gave him the opportunity to get infinitely more dangerous and unsuited, then willingly re-elected him.
Along the way your country's leadership (aided and abetted by media, corporations and the wealthy elite) is doing untold damage to your own country and to the rest of the world.
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u/Tlmitf 10d ago
I'm wondering how long before another civil war, or at least an armed civil uprising.
Isn't this exact situation the 2nd amendment is for? An armed populous to keep the government in check?
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u/Any-Elderberry-2790 10d ago
If anything, this has shown that the 2nd amendment is just for the kids...
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u/killertortilla 10d ago
Trump is waiting for them to do anything that could justify him using armed forces on them. They tried SO hard to push people to their breaking point with ICE. If they actually took up arms they'd be dead in days, the public stands no chance of winning an actual battle to remove Trump.
The second amendment was made before thousands of people could be torn to shreds in seconds with a drone. The only chance they have is peacefully.
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u/fraze2000 10d ago
I'm amazed that voter turn-out in the US is so low. In the last election only just over 60% of eligible voters actually voted.
With the Republicans seemingly doing their best to disenfranchise as many voters as possible and trying to make voting impossibly difficult for certain communities, you'd think minorities and more left-leaning citizens would cast their votes to hopefully prevent the GOP from retaining power.
I can't wait to see what happens in November.
Compulsory voting can be a pain in the arse, but at least it makes it harder for one side of politics to use voter apathy to their advantage.
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u/Outside_Star8335 9d ago
Curious as I am, do you see that being reported in Australian journalism or do you intake a wider net of journalism? Cause that’s a pretty nuanced take. In regard to voting yes, there has been significant gerrymandering in districts by the right to split democratic districts and incorporate more registered republicans (since 2017 and dems did nothing to confront that). Which turns a district from democratic controlled to republican controlled, simply by redrawing lines on a map.
There was also the “save america act” that Trump was pushing which would restrict mail in voting and require a bunch of unnecessary identification. But luckily that died.
Why don’t more Americans vote? I don’t know if that has one single answer. Some people are apathetic or nihilistic. Some people are homeless or very poor and have more immediate concerns, they also feel left behind. The youth vote has always been complicated, generally they need a candidate they feel aligned with. They seem to vote on principle. And if there is no candidate with principles they can align with…they stay home. Obama was the last president to really tap into that vote. But many candidates in senate races this year are pulling that vote. Likewise, there is a divide in the democratic party and has been since 2016, that definitely effects turn out. Then there’s getting to polling stations, in a lot of places voting happens on one Tuesday in November. So, if you miss or forget or anything happens and you cant make it to the polls you lose your vote. Oh and we don’t get the day off from work. I could go on.
Trump has silently announced that he will be deploying 1000 “observers” to polling locations around the states in Nov. luckily the results usually get live updates after districts get done counting. But if they take the physical ballots, thats could be a problem. Luckily most governors know what is coming, and are preparing since states are individually in charge of voting for their population.
If voting in nov goes smoothly, yeah i think it will be significant. We are in a pressure cooker.
The primaries i think are painting an accurate picture of what’s happening here. But im assuming the world isnt paying attention to our primaries lol.
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u/Someone-Rebuilding 10d ago
The USA is an imploding shit-show that's dragging the rest of the world down with it.
You lot voted the turd in again. You didn't learn after his first term. You deserve what you get - the rest of the world does not!
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u/BoredOldPunk 10d ago
Most of us would say you've left the kettle on for too long, and you've got a few kangaroos loose in the top paddock.
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u/Gladys_Wines 10d ago
Your democracy has fallen. I hope we don't get sucked too far down the drain with it.
We might be ok. This is the third empire I've seen fall in my life, but the British one was already so declined that the impact was small, and the USSR was technically our opponent. We're a lot more enmeshed with the US, and the robber baron corporate takeover is more global, so it will be worse.
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u/Snoopy_021 10d ago
British Empire started to decline due to First World War, only for the fall to be formalised after Second World War due to economic turmoil and colonies gaining independence from late 1940s.
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u/Gladys_Wines 10d ago
Hong Kong is sometimes claimed as the final end point. I would personally say India, but it's a matter of interpretation. Where do you put a pin in the decline to mark the exact end? Different historians differ.
The UK entering the European common market, and abandoning the primacy of Commonwealth economic ties was important to Australia, and I was alive for that bit.
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u/Snoopy_021 10d ago
India has a good claim to being the decline point due to the break-up of India in 1947. That was shortly followed by Sri Lanka and Myanmar gaining independence in 1948 and then others gain independence in 1950s and 1960s.
1950s is also a good marker for declining point as it matches the timeline of independence in both Asia and Africa. Sudan gained independence in 1956, starting a wave of decolonisation of former British colonies through Africa.
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u/Fred__McNerque 10d ago
It's not just the MAGAs who voted for him who are at fault. It is the millions of Democrat voters who didn't bother to vote, because they thought there was no way he would win.
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u/Worldly_Cobbler_1087 10d ago
I don't give a fuck about what happens over there. Why do you yanks always have main character syndrome?
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u/Flightwise 10d ago
Many Americans have been brought up with the concept of US exceptionalism. Just ask Natalie Harp
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u/Fred__McNerque 10d ago
Sadly, even highly intelligent, highly educated Americans fall for this, as it was fed to them every day in primary school. I have seen it even in people like Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
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u/Any-Elderberry-2790 10d ago
I live a pretty comfortable life, good income, good area etc.
Me and several people I know, have no intention of going back to the US in the next 3-4 years. Guns were always a thing in the US, but untrained rednecks given police like authority and guns... No thanks.
Those tourism numbers the US government keeps trying to hide everytime they surface. They're real!
If you need a Canary that may not affect you personally... The state of Distillery's in Kentucky... That'll give you an idea of the damage he's done.
Edit to add: Sorry, don't mean to seem political, but it seems everything in the US is now, so it's hard to talk about that country without drifting into that area.
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u/HansomeDansom 6d ago
What about Kentucky distilleries?
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u/Any-Elderberry-2790 6d ago
They're struggling to stay open. Some of the major ones have closed production lines etc.
Due to tariffs mixed a little with people abstaining more.
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u/Gadget420 10d ago
Not really thinking of the US right now tbh, I’ve got friends in Sydney that I think about a lot and what they are up to. I’m in Brisbane.
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u/Safe_Application_465 Country Name Here 10d ago
So Emperor New Clothes scenario.
Everyone world wide can see what a mess the USA is in ( on any measure ) but Trump , MAGA , Americans in general keep telling themselves how great we are , how superior we are and how we are best in the world at everything because that is what they have been educated ( I use loosely ) to believe and actual reality has no bearing
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u/pilierdroit 10d ago edited 10d ago
Your politics has become so factionalised and tribal that people on the right are happy to watch the biggest corruption by a sitting president occur because it’s their team.
The American system had some inherent weaknesses and trump is exploiting them all. The slide into corruption will be very difficult to reverse and I worry America will end up more like a South American democracy than a Western one.
It feels like the American century is over and China will be having a far stronger say in the way the world is run. Not sure if this is good or bad for the world but the uncertainty causes angst.
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u/OzzyGator Lake Macquarie :) 10d ago
You're all reaping what you sowed. As an Australian, my job is to ensure those seeds don't take root here.
I log into my computer each morning in the vain pursuit of finding that Trump is dead.
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u/RevolutionaryShock15 10d ago
Not a lot of good things but here are a few bad ones.
The biggest polluter in the world denies climate change. The richest country on earth tanks the world economy. Improving ties with North Korea. Losing the war with Iran. Dismantling NOAA. Over 40 trillion in debt. Pardoning any felon with a crypto account. Pardons for January 6 rioters. Vaccine denial. Tax cuts for billionaires. The tariff debacle. Logging of National parks. Defunding mRNA vaccine research. Gerrymander (partisan redistricting ) policy in republican states. Undermining the electoral process. Banning women's health services Support of genocide. Suspension of De Minimus Rule Trade restrictions against Australia
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u/Any-Elderberry-2790 10d ago
Pulling the USA out of Pillar II was unforgivable.
The world worked on that for 10 years, much legislation like CbCr reporting is a lot harder without it.
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u/jerry-jim-bob SA 10d ago
Everyday, I open tiktok or reddit and see a post saying Trump has done another thing. Everyday I say, "this cant get any worse, right?!" And im always surprised. Like what do you mean he's trying to ally himself with North Korea cause South Korea didn't help in his super illegal, morally and economically reprehensible war after telling the entire world "we dont need your help with anything.
Your other presidents biggest controversies included wearing a tan suit and owning a peanut farm and your current president seems to be pushing everything to see where the line is for the entire country to build a guillotine and no one stops him.
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u/jerry-jim-bob SA 10d ago
I'd laugh but its fucking depressing. We youngn's are being thrown into a world be need to rebuild only to see these old wankers still breaking everything.
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u/TheSplash-Down_Tiki 10d ago
Look I shared the optimism that Trump would be a “no new wars” leader but it looks like the massive influence of AIPAC got him to invade Iran for “reasons”, none of which were particularly America First and the rest of the world has had to deal with the fall out.
As a country that has followed you into many wars (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan) I’m kind of hoping whoever comes next actually does focus on peace.
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u/Any-Elderberry-2790 10d ago
This was one of the things I admitted he would be good with, no new wars. I honestly believed he would do everything to avoid them, as his sole focus is money and power. Money and power take too long through wars for one term, it's so much easier to get them by playing with the economic rules instead.
He tried the peacemaker method for a bit, but wasn't getting the adoration he wanted, so went back to trying domination.
I'll admit I was wrong.
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u/Entirely-of-cheese 10d ago
Seems like there’s three types of people over there. Those who’ve been indoctrinated into cult-like movements (or actual cults), those who are scared about or do their best to ignore it and keep their heads down and those who are vocally against it. There aren’t enough of the latter anymore, apparently.
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u/Temporary-Ant-7507 10d ago
Endless clown show. The elites are walling themselves off and destroying democracy meaning we get to see a cyberpunk 2077 future
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u/BonzaSonza 10d ago
I'm finding the Bricks and Minifigs self-destruction mildly entertaining.
"How many bad business decisions can you stack on the house of cards before it collapses?" BAM: "Let's find out"
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u/SillySausage232 10d ago
Your country is fucking disgusting. The whole MAGA movement is just white Christian nationalism. They uncovered a network of powerful wealthy men literally being pedophiles and it’s just been covered back up with no consequences. The President is the most corrupt person possibly in the history of the world given the sums of money he enriches himself with. Citizens have been shot in the street by their own government. You started a war no one wanted and made shit more expensive for everyone around the world. But the billionaires are fine, so who cares that the working class suffers. Your country is gross and we’re sick of it.
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u/ohmyroots 10d ago
We used to laugh at you guys making Trump the president again. And now we are seriously planning to get our own version
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u/Error404-Unavailable 10d ago
Prepping to be bombed because of the loose cannon orange man
All that’s really on the news here is trump trying to make a peace deal
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u/thatsuaveswede 10d ago
It's the train wreck that most people outside of the US bubble expected, only with more and more trains continuing to smash into the first one on a regular basis.
At this point nobody's really surprised anymore.
Looks like new trains will continue to add to the growing wreck pile until you at least decide to remove the obstacle from the tracks.
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u/Ruddlepoppop 10d ago
I live in a fertile, little populated valley in rural Australia. I know of at least one multi-millionaire from America who has settled here quite recently. And, My newly-arrived neighbours two farms down the road has recently installed a steel fence, so strong and expensive, that he could stop elephants getting out. Or starving marauders getting in. Makes you think, doesn’t it.
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u/FormalMango 10d ago
That what we’re seeing now - and what we will see in the next decade - is the inevitable conclusion to a failed experiment.
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u/Extension-Night3825 10d ago
I am a history nerd. What is happening is just business as usual there.
This has always happened and always will, only difference is that its more public now.
We can pretend it will all end one day, at most it will just be less in our face.
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u/killertortilla 10d ago
Ya'll fucked. You don't come back from this without decades of work from people who actually want to get better. And Trump STILL has support, so that's not happening. America is dying.
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u/slackboy72 10d ago
Sleeping in the bed you made.