Pete Buttigieg warns that America is on the brink, blaming a needless Iran war, runaway debt, and a tax system that favors the rich — bad news for taxpayers, workers, and anyone hoping for stability.

• The US is stuck in a costly Iran war Trump promised to avoid, with troops dead, gas and food prices up, and a bill already past $37 billion.
• Buttigieg says the war looks like a distraction from the Epstein files and higher living costs, and there's no clean way out now that Iran can throttle the Strait of Hormuz.
• He calls the national debt the biggest threat, arguing Bush- and Trump-era tax cuts for the wealthy explain most of it — and that without reform the country risks a currency crisis or catastrophe.
• On money, he backs higher taxes on the rich, closing the loophole where billionaires borrow against stock to live tax-free, and says the system taxes work more than wealth.
• He leans toward running in 2028 and warns AI could either shorten the work week or hand even more wealth and power to whoever owns the machines — a policy choice, not a tech one.

Outlook: The Iran war, the debt, and the AI jobs shock all look set to dominate the run-up to 2028, with no easy fix in sight.