A Tragic Shift a Single Year Has Made in the United States
In late October 2024, the environment was completely different. Before the US presidential election, reflective residents could recognize America's serious imperfections – its unfairness and imbalance – but they continued to perceive it as America. A democracy. A country where legal governance held significance. A country headed by a dignified and decent leader, despite his advanced age and increasing frailty.
These days, as October 2025 ends, many of us scarcely know the land we live in. Persons suspected of being unauthorized foreigners are collected and shoved into vehicles, sometimes blocked from fair treatment. The left side of the presidential residence – is being destroyed for an obscene ballroom. The leader is harassing his political rivals or supposed enemies and demanding federal prosecutors surrender a huge total of public funds. Uniformed troops are being sent across metropolitan centers on false pretexts. The Pentagon, renamed the Department of War, has – in effect – freed itself of routine media oversight while it uses what could amount to nearly $1tn of taxpayer money. Institutions, attorney offices, news companies are buckling under the president’s threats, and rich magnates are regarded as aristocracy.
“The US, only a few months ahead of its quarter-millennium anniversary as the planet's foremost free society, has tipped over the edge into authoritarianism and totalitarianism,” Garrett Graff, stated in August. “Finally, swifter than I imagined possible, it did happen in America.”
Each day begins amid recent atrocities. And it's challenging to understand – and painful to realize – just how far gone our nation is, and the rapid pace with which it has happened.
Yet, we know that the leader was properly voted in. Despite his highly troubling initial presidency and following the alerts that came with the awareness of the conservative plan – following the president personally said publicly he would rule as a tyrant just on day one – enough Americans selected him over the other candidate.
While alarming as today's circumstances may be, it's more frightening to recognize that we are just nine months into this administration. Where will three more years of this downfall position us? And what if that timeframe becomes a more extended duration, since there is nobody to restrain this leader from determining that another term is essential, perhaps for defense purposes?
Certainly, there is still hope. We will have midterm elections the coming year that could create a new balance of power, if Democrats regain either chamber of Congress. We have public servants who are trying to impose some accountability, for example representatives currently launching an investigation regarding the effort to fund seizure by federal prosecutors.
And a national vote three years from now could start us down the road to recovery precisely as the previous vote placed us on this regrettable path.
We see countless citizens marching in public spaces across municipalities, like they performed in the past days in the No Kings rallies.
An ex-cabinet member, commented this week that “the dormant powerhouse of the nation is rising”, similar to past post-McCarthyism during the fifties or amid the sixties activism or throughout the seventies crisis.
During those times, the listing ship ultimately corrected itself.
He claims he understands the indicators of that revival and observes it occurring now. For proof, he cites the large-scale demonstrations, the extensive, cross-party resistance against a television host's removal and the near-unanimous rejection by reporters to sign government requirements they only publish what is sanctioned.
“The slumbering entity consistently stays dormant till specific greed turns extremely harmful, an specific act so disrespectful of societal benefit, specific cruelty so disruptive, that the giant has no choice but to awaken.”
It's a positive outlook, and I appreciate Reich’s experienced view. Perhaps he will be validated.
Meanwhile, the major inquiries persist: will the nation regain its footing? Can it reclaim its standing in the world and its devotion to legal principles?
Or must we acknowledge that the 250-year-old experiment functioned for a period, and then – suddenly, utterly – failed?
My cynical mind tells me that the second option is correct; that all may indeed be gone. My positive feelings, though, tells me that we need to strive, through all methods possible.
In my case, as an observer of the press, that’s about pushing media professionals to live up, more completely, to their purpose of holding power to account. For different individuals, it could mean participating in political races, or organizing rallies, or discovering methods to protect ballot privileges.
Not even one year prior, we were in a very different place. A year from now? Or in several years? The truth is, we don’t know. All we can do is try to not give up.
What Offers Me Optimism Currently
The engagement I encounter during teaching with young journalists, who are both idealistic and realistic, {always
