Always take everything that politicians, corporate executives, Twitter talking heads, and other public figures say about macroeconomics at face value, especially if it sounds alarmist. Lately many of them have been saying that "the US is in decline," "the dollar's dominance is ending," "a new currency block is emerging," etc. Usually, like most people, they don't understand macroeconomics. They may be parroting something they read on the Web without realizing it.

If I may quote J. M. Keynes: "Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back."