A Tragic Change Just One Year Has Caused in the United States

Twelve months back, the situation was utterly separate. Prior to the American presidential vote, considerate citizens could recognize the nation's significant faults – its unfairness and inequality – yet they could still identify it as the United States. A free society. A place where constitutional order meant something. A nation guided by a dignified and decent leader, despite his older age and increasing frailty.

Nowadays, as October 2025 ends, numerous citizens hardly identify the nation we inhabit. Individuals believed to be undocumented migrants are detained and shoved into vehicles, at times refused legal rights. The eastern section of the White House – is being torn down to build a lavish ballroom. The leader is persecuting his political rivals or alleged foes and insisting the justice department hand over a huge total of taxpayer money. Armed military personnel are dispatched into American cities under fabricated reasons. The defense headquarters, rebranded the Defense Ministry, has – in effect – liberated itself of routine media oversight while it uses what could amount to nearly $1tn in public funds. Institutions, law firms, media outlets are buckling from leader's menaces, and wealthy elites are handled as nobility.

“The United States, shortly prior to its 250-year mark as the world’s leading democracy, has tipped over the limit into autocracy and fascism,” Garrett Graff, stated in August. “In the end, more quickly than I thought feasible, it transpired here.”

Every morning starts to new horrors. And it's challenging to understand – and distressing to accept – how deeply lost we have become, and how quickly it occurred.

However, we know that the president was duly elected. Following his deeply disturbing first term and despite the cautions that came with the understanding of the conservative plan – despite the leader directly declared plainly he planned to rule as a tyrant just on day one – enough Americans selected him rather than the other candidate.

As terrifying as the current reality is, it's more daunting to realize that we have only been several months into this presidential term. How will three more years of this deterioration leave us? And suppose the three years transforms into a more extended duration, since there is nobody to limit this leader from determining that additional tenure is essential, perhaps for security concerns?

Admittedly, all is not lost. We will have legislative votes the coming year that could bring a different balance of power, should Democrats recapture one or both houses of Congress. We have public servants who are striving to apply a degree of oversight, like lawmakers currently initiating an inquiry regarding the effort to money grab from legal authorities.

And a leadership election in the next cycle could begin our journey to healing just as the previous vote set us on this disappointing trajectory.

We see countless citizens marching in public spaces throughout communities, similar to recent last weekend during anti-authority protests.

Robert Reich, wrote recently that “the slumbering force of the US is rising”, exactly as before after the Communist witch-hunt era in that decade or throughout anti-war demonstrations or in the Nixon controversy.

On those occasions, the tilting vessel ultimately corrected itself.

He claims he knows the indicators of that revival and notices it unfolding currently. As support, he points to the large-scale demonstrations, the broad, cross-party resistance regarding a broadcaster's firing and the near-unanimous defiance by media to accept government requirements they solely cover approved content.

“The slumbering entity perpetually exists inactive till certain corruption grows too toxic, an specific act so offensive toward public welfare, certain violence so disruptive, that it has no choice but to awaken.”

It’s an optimistic take, and I appreciate Reich’s experienced view. Maybe he’ll be validated.

At the same time, the big questions endure: is the US able to return to normalcy? Can it reclaim its position in the world and its commitment to constitutional order?

Or must we acknowledge that the historical project worked for a while, and then – suddenly, utterly – failed?

My pessimistic brain suggests that the latter is true; that all may indeed be finished. My hopeful heart, though, convinces me that we have to attempt, in whatever ways possible.

Personally, working in journalism analysis, that involves encouraging reporters to commit, more fully, to their purpose of holding power to account. For some people, it might involve participating in political races, or organizing rallies, or developing approaches to protect ballot privileges.

Not even one year prior, we existed in an alternate reality. A year from now? Or in several years? The truth is, we cannot predict. The only option is to attempt to not give up.

What’s Giving Me Hope Now

The engagement I have during teaching with young journalists, who are equally idealistic and realistic, {always