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In late October 2024, the environment was entirely different. Prior to the US presidential election, thoughtful Americans could recognize the country's significant faults – its inequities and inequality – however they continued to perceive it as America. A democracy. A place where constitutional order carried weight. A state guided by a dignified and ethical leader, despite his older age and growing weakness.

Currently, as October 2025 ends, numerous citizens scarcely know the land we live in. Persons believed to be illegal immigrants are collected and forced into transport, occasionally refused legal rights. The eastern section of the “people’s house” – is being torn down for a grotesque ballroom. The president is targeting his opponents or supposed enemies and demanding legal authorities surrender a huge total of taxpayer money. Armed military personnel are dispatched into American cities with deceptive justifications. The defense headquarters, renamed the Defense Ministry, has effectively liberated itself of routine media oversight as it spends possibly reaching almost one trillion dollars of taxpayer money. Institutions, attorney offices, media outlets are buckling due to presidential intimidation, and billionaires are handled as members of the royal family.

“America, only a few months ahead of its quarter-millennium anniversary as the planet's foremost free society, has crossed the brink into authoritarianism and fascism,” a noted author, stated recently. “Finally, swifter than I imagined possible, it did happen here.”

Every morning starts with fresh terrors. It is challenging to understand – and painful to realize – how deeply lost we are, and how quickly it occurred.

However, we know that Trump was properly voted in. Following his highly troubling first term and despite the cautions linked to the knowledge of the rightwing blueprint – following Trump himself stated openly he planned to rule as a tyrant solely at the start – enough Americans elected him instead of the other candidate.

Frightening as the present situation may be, it's more daunting to understand that we are just several months under this leadership. Where will another 36 months of this deterioration leave us? And what if the three years becomes a more extended duration, as there is no one to stop this leader from deciding that a third term is necessary, perhaps for national security reasons?

Certainly, all is not lost. There will be congressional elections next year that may create a new balance of power, in case Democrats retake either chamber of parliament. There exist government representatives who are trying to exert a degree of oversight, such as Democratic congressmen currently launching an investigation into the attempted cash appropriation from the justice department.

And a national vote three years from now could initiate our journey to healing just as last year’s election set us on this regrettable path.

There are millions of Americans protesting in urban areas throughout communities, like they performed in the past days in the No Kings rallies.

A former official, wrote recently that “the dormant powerhouse of America is stirring”, similar to past after the Communist witch-hunt era in that decade or amid the Vietnam war protests or throughout the Nixon controversy.

On those occasions, the unstable nation ultimately corrected itself.

He claims he recognizes the indicators of that resurgence and observes it occurring currently. For proof, he references the recent massive protests, the widespread, cross-party resistance against a personality's dismissal and the almost universal refusal by journalists to accept the defense department’s demands they only publish what is sanctioned.

“The slumbering entity consistently stays dormant before specific greed turns extremely harmful, some action so contemptuous of the common good, certain violence so noisy, that it is forced but to awaken.”

It's a hopeful perspective, and I value the author's seasoned opinion. Possibly he may be validated.

At the same time, the crucial issues endure: will the nation ever recover? Is it possible to restore its standing internationally and its commitment to constitutional order?

Or should we recognize that the 250-year-old experiment worked for a while, and then – abruptly, completely – collapsed?

My negative thoughts suggests that the final scenario is correct; that everything might be gone. My optimistic spirit, though, advises me that we must try, through all methods we can.

Personally, as a media critic, that’s about pushing media professionals to live up, more thoroughly, to their duty of scrutinizing authority. For some people, it may be engaging with political races, or organizing rallies, or developing approaches to protect electoral access.

Under twelve months back, we lived in a very different place. In the future? Or three years from now? The truth is, we cannot predict. All we can do is to strive to persevere.

What’s Giving Me Hope Now

The contact I have in the classroom with aspiring reporters, who are equally idealistic and grounded, {always