One year ago, the situation was entirely different. Ahead of the US presidential election, thoughtful Americans could recognize America's significant faults – its unfairness and inequality – yet they still could identify it as the United States. A democratic nation. A land where constitutional order held significance. A nation led by a respectable and decent public servant, even with his older age and declining health.
Nowadays, in late October 2025, many of us barely recognize the nation we reside in. Persons believed to be illegal immigrants are detained and pushed into vans, at times denied due process. The East Wing of the White House – is undergoing demolition to build a lavish dance hall. Donald Trump is targeting his political rivals or alleged foes and demanding the justice department hand over a huge total of public funds. Uniformed troops are deployed to US urban areas under fabricated reasons. The defense headquarters, rebranded the Defense Ministry, has practically rid itself of day-to-day journalistic scrutiny as it spends possibly reaching almost one trillion dollars from citizen taxes. Institutions, attorney offices, news companies are yielding due to presidential intimidation, and rich magnates are regarded as members of the royal family.
“The US, just months before its 250th birthday as the globe's top democratic nation, has fallen over the brink into autocracy and totalitarianism,” an American historian, wrote recently. “Ultimately, swifter than I thought feasible, it transpired in America.”
Each day begins with fresh terrors. And it is challenging to understand – and painful to realize – how severely declined our nation is, and the rapid pace with which it has happened.
Nevertheless, we understand that the leader was legitimately chosen. Despite his profoundly alarming first term and following the alerts associated with the awareness of the rightwing blueprint – following the president personally declared plainly he intended to be a dictator just on day one – a majority of citizens selected him over Kamala Harris.
As terrifying as today's circumstances is, it's more frightening to realize that we are just three-quarters of a year into this administration. Where will three more years of this downfall find us? And if that timeframe transforms into an prolonged era, since there is not anyone to limit this ruler from determining that additional tenure is essential, perhaps for national security reasons?
Certainly, there is still hope. We will have midterm elections the coming year which might bring a different political equilibrium, if Democrats retake either chamber of parliament. We have public servants who are attempting to apply some accountability, like representatives who are initiating an inquiry regarding the effort to fund seizure by federal prosecutors.
And a leadership election in the next cycle could initiate our journey to recovery precisely as the prior selection set us on this disappointing trajectory.
There exist numerous residents protesting in public spaces across municipalities, similar to recent recently at democracy demonstrations.
A former official, stated lately that “the dormant powerhouse of the nation is awakening”, just as it did after the Communist witch-hunt era in the 1950s or amid anti-war demonstrations or during the Nixon controversy.
On those occasions, the tilting vessel finally returned to balance.
He claims he knows the signals of that resurgence and observes it occurring at present. As evidence, he cites the widespread marches, the broad, cross-party resistance against a broadcaster's firing and the almost universal refusal by journalists to accept the defense department’s demands they only publish approved content.
“The slumbering entity always remains inactive till specific greed grows too toxic, a particular deed so contemptuous of the common good, some brutality so loud, that the giant is forced but to awaken.”
It's a hopeful perspective, and I appreciate the author's seasoned opinion. Possibly he may prove to be right.
In the meantime, the major inquiries remain: is the US able to ever recover? Can it retrieve its status internationally and its adherence to constitutional order?
Or should we recognize that the national endeavor functioned for a period, and then – swiftly, totally – ended?
My pessimistic brain suggests that the second option is correct; that everything might be gone. My hopeful heart, nevertheless, advises me that we need to strive, by any means available.
In my case, working in journalism analysis, that means urging journalists to live up, more thoroughly, to their duty of scrutinizing authority. For different individuals, it could mean working on congressional campaigns, or organizing rallies, or finding ways to protect voting rights.
Not even one year prior, we lived in an alternate reality. Twelve months later? Or in several years? The reality is, we cannot predict. Our sole course is to strive to not give up.
What Offers Me Optimism Currently
The contact I have in the classroom with aspiring reporters, who are equally visionary and practical, {always
