A Devastating Change a Single Year Has Made in the US
In late October 2024, the situation was utterly distinct. Before the American presidential vote, reflective Americans could recognize the nation's serious imperfections – its inequities and imbalance – yet they still could identify it as America. A democracy. A land where the rule of law carried weight. A country guided by a dignified and decent leader, even with his older age and declining health.
Currently, as October 2025 ends, countless Americans hardly identify the nation we live in. Individuals believed to be undocumented migrants are detained and forced into transport, at times refused legal rights. The East Wing of the White House – is being destroyed to build a lavish dance hall. The leader is targeting his political rivals or supposed enemies and requesting legal authorities transfer an enormous amount of citizen dollars. Armed military personnel are dispatched across metropolitan centers with deceptive justifications. The military command, rebranded the Defense Ministry, has effectively rid itself of routine media oversight during its expenditure of what could amount to nearly $1tn of taxpayer money. Institutions, attorney offices, journalism organizations are submitting from leader's menaces, and wealthy elites are regarded as aristocracy.
“The United States, just months before its 250th birthday as the world’s leading democracy, has tipped over the limit toward dictatorship and totalitarianism,” Garrett Graff, commented recently. “Ultimately, more quickly than I thought feasible, it occurred here.”
Each day begins with fresh terrors. And it is hard to comprehend – and agonizing to acknowledge – how severely declined we have become, and how quickly it unfolded.
Nevertheless, we know that Trump was duly elected. Despite his deeply disturbing first term and despite the cautions linked to the awareness of Project 2025 – following the leader directly said publicly he intended to act as an autocrat just on day one – sufficient voters selected him instead of his Democratic opponent.
While alarming as the current reality is, it's more daunting to understand that we have only been several months into this administration. What will another 36 months of this downfall find us? And if that timeframe transforms into something even longer, since there is nobody to stop this ruler from deciding that another term is necessary, maybe for national security reasons?
Granted, there is still hope. We will have legislative votes next year that may create a new governmental control, in case Democrats retake one or both houses of parliament. There exist elected officials who are trying to impose some accountability, for example Democratic congressmen that are initiating an inquiry concerning the try to money grab from legal authorities.
And a national vote in 2028 could begin us down the road to recovery just as last year’s election placed us on this disappointing trajectory.
There are numerous residents marching in urban areas of their cities, like they performed recently at democracy demonstrations.
A former official, stated lately that “the dormant powerhouse of the US is stirring”, exactly as before following the Red Scare in that decade or amid the Vietnam war protests or during the Nixon controversy.
During those times, the listing ship finally returned to balance.
Reich says he knows the signs of that awakening and observes it occurring currently. As evidence, he cites the large-scale demonstrations, the extensive, bipartisan pushback against a television host's removal and the near-unanimous refusal by journalists to agree to the defense department’s demands they only publish approved content.
“The slumbering entity always remains asleep until some venality becomes so noxious, an specific act so contemptuous toward public welfare, some brutality so loud, that it is compelled but to awaken.”
It's a positive outlook, and I respect Reich’s experienced view. Possibly he may prove to be right.
At the same time, the crucial issues endure: will the nation ever recover? Can it retrieve its position globally and its devotion to constitutional order?
Or do we need to admit that the 250-year-old experiment succeeded temporarily, and then – abruptly, completely – collapsed?
My cynical mind indicates that the second option is correct; that everything could be lost. My hopeful heart, however, convinces me that we need to strive, through all methods available.
For me, working in journalism analysis, that’s about pushing media professionals to live up, more thoroughly, to their mission of holding power to account. For some people, it might involve participating in congressional campaigns, or planning demonstrations, or finding ways to safeguard ballot privileges.
Not even one year prior, we lived in a very different place. Twelve months later? Or three years from now? The reality is, we don’t know. The only option is to attempt to persevere.
What’s Giving Me Hope Now
The interaction I have during teaching with young journalists, who are equally hopeful and realistic, {always
