To understand the current state of the U.S. dollar, one must first accept that global finance is less a science and more a cultish devotion to a specific brand of green-tinted wallpaper. We are told that the dollar’s status as the world’s reserve currency is a result of American ingenuity and stability, when in reality, it is simply because the rest of the world hasn't yet found a more reliable way to hallucinate together. Enter Donald Trump, a man whose understanding of economics is roughly equivalent to a toddler’s understanding of gravity—he knows things fall down, but he’s absolutely convinced he can sue the floor into submission.

Recent analysis suggests that Trump has fundamentally damaged the dollar, a revelation that should surprise absolutely no one who has been paying attention for the last decade. The damage, we are told, will become fully apparent during the 'next crisis.' This is the economist’s way of saying the patient is already dead, but the smell hasn't yet reached the waiting room. The critique of Trump’s economic legacy isn't just about his erratic trade wars or his obsession with forcing the Federal Reserve to print money like it was coupons for a failing casino; it is about the destruction of the one thing that keeps the whole charade afloat: the illusion of predictability.

The American Right, those self-styled paragons of fiscal responsibility, watched in a state of catatonic hypocrisy as the national debt ballooned under their orange standard-bearer. They scream about 'socialism' whenever a poor person gets a bandage, yet they cheered as a billionaire used the treasury like a personal slush fund to subsidize his ego-driven trade disputes. On the other side of the aisle, the Left clutches their pearls with performative outrage, acting as if the dollar was some sacred relic before Trump arrived, ignoring the fact that the system was already a teetering pile of IOUs held together by the threat of military intervention and the lack of a better alternative. Both sides are equally deluded, worshipping a piece of paper while the man at the helm treats the global economy like a game of 'Monopoly' where he’s allowed to make up the rules as he goes.

Trump’s weaponization of the dollar—using it as a blunt instrument for sanctions and diplomatic coercion—has done more to dismantle American hegemony than any foreign adversary could ever dream. By turning the global financial system into a partisan playground, he has practically begged the rest of the world to find the exit. China, Russia, and even the EU have begun looking for the door, not because they have better systems, but because they are tired of being tethered to a sinking ship captained by a man who thinks 'interest rates' are something you pay to keep a tabloid story quiet. The 'America First' doctrine was always a misnomer; it was 'America Alone' in a room with a debt ceiling that is rapidly becoming more of a suggestion than a limit.

The 'next crisis' will not be an anomaly; it will be the logical conclusion of a system that allowed itself to be hijacked by a personality cult. When the next collapse hits, and the dollar’s value evaporates like a campaign promise, the experts will sit in their mahogany studios and wonder where it all went wrong. They will point to tariffs, to the dismantling of trade agreements, and to the sheer, unadulterated chaos of the 45th presidency. But the truth is simpler and more cynical: the dollar was a house of cards, and Trump was the gust of hot air that finally convinced everyone the wind was blowing.

We are currently living in the 'grace period,' a twilight zone where we pretend that the numbers on our screens still mean something. Trump didn’t invent the fiscal irresponsibility of the United States; he just took the mask off and showed the world that the emperor wasn't just naked, but actively trying to sell his clothes to the highest bidder. The damage is done. The erosion of trust is not something you can fix with a new tax bracket or a slightly more articulate occupant in the Oval Office. We have shown the world that our currency is as volatile as a late-night tweet, and the world has taken notes. The tragedy isn't that Trump broke the dollar; the tragedy is that we were stupid enough to believe it was unbreakable in the first place. Now, we simply wait for the bill to come due, watching as the architects of our ruin argue over who gets to hold the pen while we sign the final bankruptcy papers for the American Dream.