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This seems kind of pointless when the Fed can just print 2 trillions out of thin air.

Let’s not pretend they did anything as difficult as printing that much money. They just added 2 trillion to a value in a database somewhere.

Well, they'd need a debit and a credit entry on two systems at least.

Do you think that every dollar accounted for in the world is represented by a bill?

Currency is not money. It's not even a major component of what money is by almost any definition.

Either they printed 2 trillion physical dollar bills or they didn’t. I’m saying they didn’t. I’m curious what imaginary comment it is you’re replying to.

When people talk about printing money in an economic sense, they aren't talking about running a literal printing press. It is synonymous with increasing the money supply.

In the lingo of modern economics adding a decimal to a database which results in increasing the money supply is phrased as printing money.

In fact this is specifically what they are talking about in most cases, specifically not operating a physical printing press.

When the original poster said they printed 2 trillion, he was not implying they physically printed anything.

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