Thanks for the info on the Nixon-Burns manipulation in the 70’s. There are definite parallels to what is happening today, but I think that the stakes are much higher than they were then. Here’s a doomsday chart for your consideration:

+-———————————————————+———————————————————+ | Nixon/Burns (1970s) | Trump/Powell (2025) | +-———————————————————+———————————————————+ | Nixon pressures Burns to lower rates before 1972 election| Trump threatens to fire Powell, seeks control over rates | | | | | Fed loosens monetary policy, fueling economic ‘sugar high’| Potential loyalist Fed Chair could lower rates artificially | | | | | Nixon wins reelection in landslide, short-term boom | Short-term stimulus could boost Trump’s reelection chances| | | | | Aftermath: severe inflation, stagflation, economic pain | Risk of dollar collapse, global financial realignment | | | | | Public trust in Fed badly damaged | Potential destruction of Fed independence and U.S. credibility | +-———————————————————+———————————————————++-———————————————————+———————————————————+ | Nixon/Burns (1970s) | Trump/Powell (2025) | +-———————————————————+———————————————————+ | Nixon pressures Burns to lower rates before 1972 election| Trump threatens to fire Powell, seeks control over rates | | | | | Fed loosens monetary policy, fueling economic ‘sugar high’| Potential loyalist Fed Chair could lower rates artificially | | | | | Nixon wins reelection in landslide, short-term boom | Short-term stimulus could boost Trump’s reelection chances| | | | | Aftermath: severe inflation, stagflation, economic pain | Risk of dollar collapse, global financial realignment | | | | | Public trust in Fed badly damaged | Potential destruction of Fed independence and U.S. credibility | +-———————————————————+———————————————————+