The US Government has never defaulted on its debt under the current (~50 year old) global financial system.
It HAS defaulted when transitioning off the gold/silver standard, when the world moved off Breton Woods, and during the Civil War.
I’d note that each of those defaults were related to the total collapse of the existing rules for national/global finance.
So ultimately, these defaults do bolster the case for the “never defaulted” folks: a default could literally bring an end to the current global financial system.
It HAS defaulted when transitioning off the gold/silver standard, when the world moved off Breton Woods, and during the Civil War.
I’d note that each of those defaults were related to the total collapse of the existing rules for national/global finance.
So ultimately, these defaults do bolster the case for the “never defaulted” folks: a default could literally bring an end to the current global financial system.
Edit: corrected 75->50 year old system