Since the 46th President Joe Biden entered the White House in January of 2021, the state of political affairs at the global and domestic levels has been dreary and tumultuous for the union. Soaring inflation has crippled the middle class of the country, which continues to shrink, and the overall quality of life within the country continues to decline. Millions of illegal migrants continue to pour across the southern border annually, with thousands arriving daily; the president and his federal administration seem powerless or uninterested in stopping the crisis.
Alarmingly, at the international level, global politics are as chaotic as they have been in years, with foreign adversaries of America and the western world taking provocative and assertive positions on the world stage. Russia remains embroiled in a heated conflict in Ukraine, in which over half a million individuals are estimated to have already lost their lives. China continues to act aggressively in the pacific, and recently flew an aerial military operation over the island of Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory. North Korea continues to launch missiles and hold military parades in its capital city. Paired with this, military confidence in the United States continues to decline, and less and less able-bodied Americans are willing to serve. A F-35 fighter jet crashed in South Carolina, further damaging the view of the competency of the military. The F-35 fighter, which costs $100 million for a single plane, crashed last week in a field in Williamsburg County. The pilot ejected from the plane following a malfunction 60 miles before it crashed.
In the Pacific, China has threatened an American ally, stoking tensions. The Philippines continues to quarrel with China over oceanic regions in the South China Sea that both nations claim as their own. The ongoing tensions between the two countries are likely to continue. This means the United States, a key ally of the Philippines, could get involved.