A critical take arguing the US is propping up the dollar and a financial bubble through force and deregulation, which is bad for ordinary Americans but good for billionaires and insiders.

• Bank stress tests were made easier, so big banks passed — clearing the way to roll back rules put in place after the 2008 crash.
• The US is pushing sanctioned countries like Venezuela and Iran back onto the dollar after attacking them, blocking a shift to China's yuan or other currencies.
• Trump says oil floods should drop gas to $2, blames oil companies, and pushes lower interest rates and deregulation — moves that mainly help wealthy buyers snap up assets.
• Wealth is getting more lopsided: headline GDP and stock numbers look great because a few people like Elon Musk are ultra-rich while most have little.
• The next speculative craze is betting markets, with Meta and others planning prediction apps that dodge gambling laws using in-app "coins."

Outlook: Expect more deregulation, continued pressure to force trade back into dollars, and a growing bubble in crypto, AI, and betting markets.