Transcription
The world has had enough of America's geopolitical and economic hegemony, and Trump is making a bad situation worse. There's going to be the death of a dollar.
As bad as the economy was under Biden, it's going to be worse under Trump. As high as inflation was under Biden, it's going to be higher under Trump.
Ask 1,000 Americans about the economy, and you'll get 1,000 different answers. But what's really going on? In this video, I'm going to show you facts that can't be argued with. I focus on the actual numbers, not the noise. And these numbers are telling a very disturbing story. Here are 15 facts about the messed up state of the US economy that nobody can deny. And number 15 is going to shock you.
Number one, the conference board's leading economic indicators dropped way more than anyone expected last month. During the first half of 2025, they fell even faster than they did in the second half of 2024. The US indicators kept falling in June, said Justina Zabinska Lmonica from the conference board. Sure, stock prices went up and that helped a bit, but it wasn't enough to make up for how pessimistic consumers are, how weak manufacturing orders have gotten, and the fact that unemployment claims have been rising for 3 months straight.
Number two, we just found out that sales of used homes dropped to their lowest point in 9 months. High home prices and mortgage rates are killing the housing market. This isn't just bad news for people trying to buy houses. When the housing market tanks, it drags everything else down with it. Construction jobs disappear, furniture stores see fewer customers, and even moving companies struggle. The ripple effects hit the entire economy. Right now, many Americans are completely priced out of home ownership, while others who want to sell are stuck because they can't afford to buy anything else.
Number three, millions of Americans with health insurance are about to get hit with huge rate increases next year. Insurance companies are planning to raise premiums by about 15% for 2026 plans. And that is the biggest jump since 2018. And if you get insurance through your job, you're not safe either. More than half of big companies are planning to make their employees pay more by raising deductibles, co-pays, and what you have to pay out of pocket.
Number four, beef prices in the United States have gone up 9% since January. First it was eggs, now it's beef. Remember when egg prices went crazy? Well, those came back down after they got the bird flu under control and farms started producing again. Now beef is hitting record prices. The Department of Agriculture says it's selling for $9.26 26 cents a pound. In June, steak prices were up 12.4%. Ground beef was up 10.3% compared to last year.
Number five, way more Americans are using buy now pay later loans just to buy food. 25% of people using these loans say they've bought groceries with them. That's up from just 14% a year ago as grocery prices keep going up. A third of Generation Z users have done this, making groceries their fourth most common purchase with these loans, and that's after clothes, tech stuff, and home items.
Number six, inflation just had its biggest monthly jump in 5 months. This probably means the Federal Reserve won't be cutting interest rates anytime soon. What does this mean for regular people? It means borrowing money stays expensive. Credit cards, car loans, mortgages, all of it costs more. When the Fed keeps rates high, it's supposed to cool down the economy and bring inflation under control. But it also makes life harder for anyone who needs to borrow money. And with inflation picking up speed again, there's no relief in sight.
Number seven, 23% of Americans have decided to put off retiring. That's up from 14% last year. But here's the really scary part. Get this. The average 55-year-old only has $50,000 saved up for the rest of their lives. It's just not nearly enough for retirement. Think about what this means. People who thought they'd be relaxing and enjoying their golden years are instead stuck working into their 70s. Some people are doing it because they want to stay busy, but most are doing it because they have no choice. With $50,000 bucks in savings, you might last a couple of years if you're lucky. Health care costs alone could wipe that out. This is a retirement crisis that's only getting worse.
Number eight, almost 70% of Americans are dealing with anxiety and depression because of money problems. Americans are carrying close to record high credit card debt. We're talking $1.18 trillion according to the Federal Reserve. This isn't just about numbers on a balance sheet. We're talking about people losing sleep, fighting with their spouses, and struggling with mental health issues because they can't pay their bills. When you're carrying thousands of dollars in credit card debt at 25% interest rates, it feels impossible to get ahead. Every month, more of your paycheck goes to interest payments instead of actually paying down what you actually owe. It's a trap that millions of Americans are caught in.
Number nine, the number of Americans who can't get enough food has almost doubled since 2021. Back then, Congress had boosted food stamp benefits and expanded the child tax credit, which helped reduce poverty and gave people more money for food. We're talking about families in one of the richest countries in the world who are going hungry. Parents are skipping meals so their kids can eat. People are showing up at food banks who never thought they'd ever need their help. When those government programs got cut back, millions of families lost that safety net. Now food prices are higher than ever and more people are struggling to put dinner on the table.
Number 10. Transportation and freight companies everywhere are doing mass layoffs. Companies involved in shipping, manufacturing, lumber, distribution, and logistics have all been hit. In just the last few weeks, 4,137 job cuts have been announced. This would not be happening if the economy was doing well. When things are good, there's tons of stuff being shipped around the country. But that's not what we're seeing now, is it?
Number 11. There's a hidden crisis that's crushing the middle class. Their work is worth less while everything costs more. Economist Jeff Snder says we've actually been in a recession since 2020-2021, even though the official GDP and job numbers look okay. The middle class depends on their paychecks as their main source of wealth. But inflation and rising costs are eating away at what those paychecks can actually buy. People can afford way less than they used to, and they're frustrated about it. The average work week has dropped to levels we haven't seen since the pandemic and the 2008 recession. Employers are cutting hours because costs are so high, which means less money for middle class workers. Blue-collar jobs are doing better, but middle management and white-collar finance jobs are getting squeezed.
Number 12. The new budget bill is going to cost 80% of American families more money, hitting the middle class especially hard. Only the richest 10% come out ahead with this bill. It makes health insurance more expensive by cutting Medicaid, potentially leaving millions without any medical coverage at all. It also cuts food assistance programs and raises energy costs by getting rid of clean energy tax breaks. Middle class families who are already struggling from recent inflation are going to get hit the hardest.
Number 13, the planned mass deportations are going to cause major economic problems and social chaos. Kicking out of the country millions of undocumented workers will leave a lot of American companies without the workers they need. This could lead to job losses in other areas and leave sectors like health care and elder care without enough staff, especially in places like Florida. The whole process is going to cost a fortune and cause massive social disruption.
Number 14. Cutting federal programs like Medicaid and education is going to hurt millions of people and make inequality worse. These cuts are going to harm millions of Americans by reducing access to health care, reducing access to education, and also other essential services. The bill adds over $3 trillion to the deficit over 10 years, which could balloon to $4 trillion with interest costs. This could push our debt to GDP ratio to 130% by 2034. Higher government interest costs mean more of your tax money goes to paying interest instead of actual services. And higher interest rates could add over $1,000 a year to typical mortgage payments.
And now number 15. On top of all these economic problems, we're also dealing with the AI revolution. Robert Kaiosaki who wrote Rich Dad Poor Dad says AI is going to cause massive unemployment. He called it the biggest change in modern history in a post on July 1st. AI will cause many smart students to lose their jobs. AI will cause massive unemployment. Many still have student loan debt. He's not the only one worried. Dario Amod who runs the AI company Anthropic recently warned that AI could wipe out half of all entry-level office jobs and push unemployment up to 20%. With AI and other new technologies, our society is changing fast. A lot of people think many of these changes aren't good for regular folks. It's going to be really hard to make smart decisions in this situation because the old ways of doing things don't work anymore.