Written by Nathan McDonald, Sprott Money News

There is no denying it: the political climate within the United States is toxic, and the ramifications will have long-lasting effects. To those who think they can stick their heads in the sand and ignore it, you are kidding yourselves.

Things will return to normal, no doubt—but not before a great upheaval occurs. To many, the election of Donald Trump was that upheaval, as a massive trend reversed and a new path was set in motion.

For better or worse, this is the path we are on now. America is moving in a direction that is seeing it focus more and more on itself, becoming ever more insular. For those that believe in globalism, this is a scary thought. To others, it is exactly what they have been waiting for.

This climate has torn families apart, as lines are drawn in the sand. I have heard countless stories about once-peaceful family gatherings taking a turn for the worse. Friends have stopped speaking to each other. But why? Why is this all happening?

Undeniably, Donald Trump is the most polarizing President we have seen in decades—maybe even longer. He has made many enemies along the way, and he is going to make many more. But what you must understand is that to his die hard, loyal supporters, this is necessary to get the job done. In their eyes, the time for the velvet glove treatment is over. It's time to get down to work.

Many "news" stories are blown out of proportion, making matters appear much worse than they actually are. The dying, corrupt, dinosaur MSM is largely to blame for this. They are one of the biggest threats to society as a whole, as they pump out clickbait articles and headlines that pit people against each other.

These stories are filled with half-truths and lies-by-omission. Both sides are guilty of this, whether it is the horrendous CNN or the laughable Fox News.

Fortunately, these networks are dying. People are "waking up" and doing their own research, exposing these media companies for the farce they have become. Unfortunately, this is not happening fast enough and much more damage will be inflicted in their dying gasps.

As I have stated in previous articles, I believe 2018 will see a resurgence in the commodities bull market of the past. We will see gold, silver, oil and many other hard assets go up in price significantly as they come back in vogue.

This will occur not only for the many reasons I have mentioned, but also because of the increasingly unstable political climate.

As the world continues to be rocked back and forth, fund managers (and individuals in the know) will move back into safe haven assets in an attempt to protect their clients' wealth (and their own).

2018 will see much more turmoil and many more explosive "hit pieces" that will push the left and the right further apart, until things reach a breaking point and a snap occurs.

It is then—and only then—that we will be able to move back to the common ground known as the center. The pendulum has swung too far. A return to normality is coming, but not yet...

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Written by Nathan McDonald, Sprott Money News

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