A Tragic Change Just One Year Has Brought in the US
One year ago, the situation was entirely distinct. Before the US presidential election, thoughtful residents could acknowledge the nation's serious imperfections – its unfairness and inequality – but they continued to see it as the US. A democracy. A land where legal governance meant something. A state headed by a honorable and upright public servant, despite his older age and declining health.
Currently, as October 2025 ends, numerous citizens scarcely know the country we reside in. Persons alleged as illegal immigrants are rounded up and pushed into vehicles, occasionally blocked from fair treatment. The left side of the White House – is being torn down for a grotesque dance hall. The president is targeting his political rivals or supposed enemies and demanding the justice department hand over a huge total of citizen dollars. Uniformed troops are deployed into American cities on false pretexts. The military command, renamed the War Department, has – in effect – freed itself of regular press examination as it spends potentially totaling close to a trillion USD of taxpayer money. Institutions, attorney offices, media outlets are submitting under the president’s threats, and wealthy elites are handled as members of the royal family.
“The United States, only a few months ahead of its 250-year mark as the world’s leading democracy, has crossed the edge into authoritarianism and extremism,” a noted author, wrote in August. “In the end, more quickly than I imagined possible, it did happen here.”
Each day begins to new horrors. And it is challenging to understand – and painful to realize – just how far gone we are, and the rapid pace with which it unfolded.
Yet, we know that Trump was legitimately chosen. Even after his highly troubling previous administration and even after the cautions that came with the awareness of the conservative plan – despite the president personally stated openly he intended to rule as a tyrant just on day one – a majority of citizens selected him instead of Kamala Harris.
As terrifying as today's circumstances are, it’s even scarier to recognize that we have only been several months into this administration. How will three more years of this decline position us? And suppose that timeframe transforms into a more extended duration, because there is nobody to stop this ruler from opting that additional tenure is required, maybe for defense purposes?
Granted, not everything is hopeless. We will have midterm elections the coming year that could establish an alternate governmental control, in case Democrats retake one or both houses of parliament. There are public servants who are trying to exert a degree of oversight, such as lawmakers that are initiating an inquiry concerning the try to money grab from legal authorities.
And a leadership election three years from now could start our journey to recovery precisely as the previous vote placed us on this disappointing trajectory.
We see millions of Americans marching in public spaces across municipalities, like they performed in the past days during anti-authority protests.
Robert Reich, commented this week that “the slumbering force of the nation is stirring”, just as it did post-McCarthyism in the 1950s or amid the sixties activism or throughout the seventies crisis.
On those occasions, the listing ship eventually was righted.
The author states he recognizes the signs of that revival and sees it happening now. As evidence, he cites the recent massive protests, the widespread, cross-party resistance against a personality's dismissal and the largely united rejection by reporters to sign military mandates they only publish what is sanctioned.
“The sleeping giant perpetually exists inactive until certain corruption grows too toxic, an specific act so disrespectful of the common good, some brutality so disruptive, that he is compelled except to rise.”
It's a hopeful perspective, and I respect Reich’s experienced view. Possibly he may be validated.
In the meantime, the major inquiries endure: is the US able to ever recover? Is it possible to restore its status internationally and its devotion to legal principles?
Or should we recognize that the historical project worked for a while, and then – abruptly, completely – collapsed?
My negative thoughts suggests that the latter is true; that all may indeed be finished. My optimistic spirit, however, convinces me that we need to strive, in whatever ways we can.
For me, working in journalism analysis, that’s about urging journalists to live up, more completely, to their duty of scrutinizing authority. For different individuals, it may be working on congressional campaigns, or organizing rallies, or finding ways to safeguard electoral access.
Under twelve months back, we were in a separate situation. In the future? Or three years from now? The truth is, we cannot predict. The only option is try to continue fighting.
What Provides Me Optimism Currently
The interaction I have during teaching with young journalists, who are equally visionary and grounded, {always
