EU criticized as messy—U.S. reality is worse

If, as President Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. said, the EU is “a little bit of a mess,” then the United States is a much bigger one.

Serwan Zangana | Exclusive to iKurd.net

“The European Union has been a little bit of a mess,” the U.S. President’s son, Donald Trump Jr., said as he spoke to political leaders and business figures in a recent visit to Bosnia in Eastern Europe.

Perhaps Trump Jr. is living in a different America than the average Americans are living in. Obviously, “The American Dream” can be a debatable subject as the economic hardship is causing distress and affecting the majority of people, and the crisis in the American communities is creating more divisions in the country with political conflict and government policy that is taking America to uncertainty.

Affordability has become a major issue in the U.S., and both the Democratic and Republican Parties have contributed to this problem. According to the Joint Center for Housing Studies/American Community Survey data, 43.5 million American households were under the burden of high costs in 2024 and spent more than 30% of their income every month on housing costs.

Also, in such a powerful nation as America under a democratic system and over 160 years since the declaration of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, racial inequality remains an entrenched problem in the U.S. According to the United States Census Bureau (2023), 56.2% of Blacks were under the burden of high costs and paid more than 30% of their income on housing costs compared to Whites (46.7%) who were under the burden of high costs. The disproportionality is clearly visible in housing, and indeed, in many other areas in the U.S.

Apparently, there are even more obstacles to becoming a homeowner as people struggle economically; they are not able to afford purchasing houses. According to a Bankrate survey in 2024, people listed the reasons that create difficulties for them to purchase houses as follows: 54% said that their income is not high enough, 51% said that the cost of living is very high, and 18% cited credit card debt.

Obviously, seeking “The American Dream” is not as simple as written and preached by politicians, as they can be framed as the main impediments to affordability through policies and unjust laws, which put people under restrictions. As Chen Zhao, the head of economics research at Redfin, said, “The American Dream, to the extent that it involves buying a home and raising your family, has become a lot tougher.”

Seemingly, “The American Dream” is becoming more of a “Utopian Dream,” which means an ideal or perfect world, but in fact such a world is unrealistic and unattainable.

The U.S. politicians are the engineers of the conflicts and crises that directly impact the American communities, and most of the U.S. Presidents and their administrations have driven America into some global conflict or war that left a legacy of suffering for the American people.

The American economy is shrinking for the public and booming for the political community, including the Trump administration.

According to Matt Stoller, director of research at the American Economic Liberties Project, the American economy is doing very well traditionally, which means looking at a strong stock market, low unemployment, and rising GDP can be indications of a good economy. Such analysis, of course, was prior to the U.S.-Iran war.

At the same time, Stoller said that the average Americans do not see such a good economy, which is the reality that the American people are living in.

The U.S. foreign policy in funding wars has always been a major factor in draining American financial resources and affecting American lives. Also, such a policy that causes turmoil in the world can be another reason to produce more adversaries for the U.S., and hence pose a threat to American citizens who are living abroad.

However, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) officially informed Congress that on day 6 of the Iran war, it cost the U.S. $11.3 billion, and $16.5 billion on day 12.

It is noteworthy that in 2019, President Trump called former President Jimmy Carter to talk about China, which was wise of Trump to seek former President Carter’s advice as he was one of the most respected presidents in U.S. history. According to former President Carter, President Trump expressed his concern regarding China as it is advancing rapidly and surpassing the U.S. in numerous aspects.

In response to Trump, Carter stated, “I normalized diplomatic relations with China in 1979. Since 1979, do you know how many times China has been at war with anybody? None. And we have stayed at war.” Furthermore, Carter stated that, “We have wasted, I think, $3 trillion,” on military spending and wars.

The U.S. government is monopolizing the country’s economy with a complex tax system and implementing fees and regulations through various methods, which generally impacts the middle and lower middle class. The ongoing economic problems in America and people’s struggle on a daily basis can raise a question: Is America a nation that can only be afforded by the rich?

Overall, both U.S. domestic and foreign policy have inflicted damage on America and demonized Americans across the world. But how far can such a policy push the world until it collapses? Indeed, every U.S. policy is painted colorfully to be exported to non-Western nations to serve America’s interests. Ironically, the U.S. is attempting to solve the world’s problems while Americans are sinking in the political mud.

With political stubbornness and politicians’ rigid mindsets, the U.S. is trending downward and running on a rough path. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, as a co-writer with James Patterson of the book The President Is Missing published in 2018, wrote that, “… in America. Politics is little more than blood sport. As a result, our willingness to believe the worst about everyone outside our own bubble is growing, and our ability to solve problems and seize opportunities is shrinking…”

Apparently, if the European Union is “a little bit of a mess” as Trump Jr. said, the United States is definitely a big mess.

Serwan Zangana, a contributing writer for iKurd.net, lives in Virginia, U.S. He serves as a correction officer.

The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of iKurd.net or its editorial team.