A Heartbreaking Change a Single Year Has Caused in America
In late October 2024, the situation was utterly separate. Prior to the national election, thoughtful residents could admit the nation's deep flaws – its injustices and inequality – however they still could perceive it as the United States. A democratic nation. A place where legal governance held significance. A country headed by a dignified and decent public servant, even with his elderly years and declining health.
These days, in late October 2025, many of us barely recognize the nation we live in. People suspected of being illegal immigrants are detained and pushed into vans, sometimes denied due process. The East Wing of the presidential residence – is being destroyed to build a lavish dance hall. The president is persecuting his adversaries 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 Pentagon, renamed the Defense Ministry, has practically freed itself of day-to-day journalistic scrutiny during its expenditure of potentially totaling close to a trillion USD of taxpayer money. Institutions, attorney offices, media outlets are buckling due to presidential intimidation, and billionaires are treated like aristocracy.
“America, only a few months ahead of its 250th birthday as the planet's foremost free society, has tipped over the limit into authoritarianism and fascism,” Garrett Graff, commented this past summer. “Ultimately, faster than I imagined possible, it did happen here.”
Each day begins to new horrors. And it is difficult to grasp – and agonizing to acknowledge – how deeply lost our nation is, and the rapid pace with which it has happened.
However, it is known that Trump was legitimately chosen. Even after his deeply disturbing previous administration and following the cautions linked to the knowledge of the rightwing blueprint – following the president personally declared plainly he would be a dictator solely at the start – enough Americans selected him instead of the other candidate.
While alarming as today's circumstances is, it’s even scarier to understand that we have only been three-quarters of a year under this leadership. How will another 36 months of this downfall find us? And if that period becomes something even longer, as there is no one to stop this leader from deciding that additional tenure is necessary, maybe for national security reasons?
Admittedly, not everything is hopeless. We will have congressional elections in 2026 that may bring a different political equilibrium, if Democrats recapture one or both houses of Congress. There exist elected officials who are attempting to impose some accountability, such as lawmakers who are launching an investigation regarding the effort to fund seizure by federal prosecutors.
And a national vote in 2028 could start us down the road toward restoration exactly as last year’s election put us on this unfortunate course.
We see countless citizens protesting in public spaces of their cities, similar to recent in the past days in the No Kings rallies.
Robert Reich, commented this week that “the great sleeping giant of the US is awakening”, similar to past post-McCarthyism in that decade or during the sixties activism or during the seventies crisis.
During those times, the unstable nation finally returned to balance.
The author states he knows the signals of that resurgence and observes it occurring now. For proof, he cites the recent massive protests, the extensive, cross-party resistance regarding a personality's dismissal and the near-unanimous rejection by reporters to agree to government requirements they solely cover approved content.
“The slumbering entity consistently stays dormant before specific greed becomes so noxious, a particular deed so disrespectful of societal benefit, some brutality so noisy, that the giant has no choice except to rise.”
It's a positive outlook, and I appreciate his knowledgeable stance. Possibly he may prove to be right.
At the same time, the major inquiries remain: is the US able to return to normalcy? Is it possible to restore its position in the world and its adherence to constitutional order?
Or do we need to admit that the historical project functioned for a period, and then – suddenly, utterly – failed?
My cynical mind tells me that the final scenario is correct; that everything could be lost. My positive feelings, however, convinces me that we must try, in whatever ways available.
For me, working in journalism analysis, that’s about urging journalists to adhere, more thoroughly, to their purpose of overseeing leadership. For some people, it might involve working on political races, or coordinating protests, or discovering methods to protect voting rights.
Under twelve months back, we were in a separate situation. In the future? Or three years from now? The fact is, we are uncertain. All we can do is try to persevere.
What Offers Me Optimism Currently
The engagement I experience during teaching with young journalists, that are simultaneously hopeful and grounded, {always
