Right-wingers are arguing a recession may actually be a good thing.
With U.S. stocks continuing to tumble and President Donald Trump warning Americans that the economy is experiencing “a period of transition,” some of the president’s biggest fans are welcoming—not fearing—a potential recession.
Featured Video
Trump declined to rule out a recession in an interview with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo on Sunday, as his administration’s tariffs, tear-down of the federal bureaucracy, and general unpredictability spook investors.
The comments came just a few days after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the economy was in for a “detox period” as the Trump administration continues to cut federal spending, a phrase some commentators thought was a euphemism for “recession.”
Today, the stock market took another dive, part of a sell-off that essentially erased all the gains made in the wake of Trump’s November 2024 victory.
Daniel Ivandjiiski, proprietor of the far-right financial news blog ZeroHedge, opined in a post this morning that Trump might attempt to tip the economy into a recession on purpose and will get to blame it on former President Joe Biden if the economic pain comes early enough.
While some Trump supporters took issue with that possibility, many of ZeroHedge’s right-leaning, finance-savvy followers saluted Trump for playing 3-D economic chess, even if it means a short-term hit to their stock portfolios.
“Sooner the everything bubble is popped the better,” one post in the ZeroHedge comment section read. “Bring it.”
“Government needs a diet and a deep state detox,” another commenter agreed, echoing Bessent’s language.
For his part, Ivandjiiski, who is legally barred from working as a securities broker, thinks the supposed plan to tank the economy might have some smart political calculus behind it.
“Once the economy and markets have had their reset,” he wrote, “the economy and markets will levitate straight into the Nov 2026 midterms, which will cement the Republican grip on power even more.”
If the economy falters, Trump’s die-hard supporters seem prepared to parrot Ivandjiiski’s argument.
“It’s like when Kamala finally stops drinking,” wrote one conservative on X. “The detoxing will hurt, but you have to go through it to get healthy.”
“Fine by me,” another poster claimed. “As long as we get rid of the fraud, waste and abuse. Also, I’m glad we are stopping other countries from ripping us off, so this detox period is necessary.”
Others thought the cope was a bit excessive.
“I always liked the de-tox period,” joked one finance-focused account. “1929 was the best.”
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
