Dalio's cycle isnt fed by economics, or something inalienable. It's the consequence of human nature, a more elaborate "weak men make bad time" cycle.

If the people realize at some point they're in a downward spiral, they can reverse the tendency.

This is exactly what happened with Trump, and this is what he's been saying since the beginning with the MAGA slogan: America is dying, but together, we're going to make it great again.

Trump is a glitch in the matrix, an exception to the rule. We'll see if his efforts sustain but I think they will because the concept of decadence today is much more known and accepted than it was even 100 years ago.