A Devastating Change Only 12 Months Has Brought in the US

Twelve months back, the situation was entirely separate. Before the American presidential vote, thoughtful residents could recognize the nation's significant faults – its unfairness and imbalance – yet they continued to identify it as America. A free society. A place where the rule of law meant something. A state led by a honorable and upright official, despite his elderly years and growing weakness.

Nowadays, as October 2025 ends, many of us barely recognize the nation we live in. People suspected of being illegal immigrants are detained and pushed into transport, occasionally denied due process. The eastern section of the “people’s house” – is being torn down for a grotesque event space. The president is targeting his adversaries or supposed enemies and requesting federal prosecutors surrender a massive sum of public funds. Uniformed troops are dispatched across metropolitan centers with deceptive justifications. The military command, relabeled the Department of War, has – in effect – freed itself of day-to-day journalistic scrutiny as it spends potentially totaling nearly $1tn from citizen taxes. Universities, law firms, journalism organizations are yielding due to presidential intimidation, and wealthy elites are regarded as nobility.

“America, only a few months ahead of its 250^th birthday as the planet's foremost free society, has tipped over the limit into authoritarianism and totalitarianism,” an American historian, commented recently. “Finally, faster than I imagined possible, it occurred in this country.”

Every morning starts with fresh terrors. It is challenging to understand – and agonizing to acknowledge – how severely declined we are, and how quickly it has happened.

Nevertheless, we know that Trump was properly voted in. Following his highly troubling initial presidency and even after the warnings linked to the understanding of Project 2025 – despite the president personally declared plainly he intended to act as an autocrat just on day one – sufficient voters selected him rather than his Democratic opponent.

As terrifying as the present situation are, it's more daunting to understand that we’re only three-quarters of a year into this administration. Where will an additional three years of this deterioration find us? And suppose that period becomes something even longer, because there is nobody to restrain this leader from determining that additional tenure is necessary, maybe for defense purposes?

Certainly, there is still hope. There will be legislative votes in 2026 that may establish an alternate governmental control, in case Democrats regain one or both houses of Congress. There exist elected officials who are trying to impose a degree of oversight, such as Democratic congressmen that are launching an investigation concerning the try to fund seizure by federal prosecutors.

And a national vote in 2028 could begin the path toward restoration precisely as the previous vote set us on this disappointing trajectory.

There are numerous residents demonstrating in public spaces across municipalities, as they did in the past days in the No Kings rallies.

A former official, stated lately that “the great sleeping giant of the US is stirring”, exactly as before following the Red Scare in the 1950s or amid the sixties activism or in the seventies crisis.

During those times, the tilting vessel ultimately corrected itself.

Reich says he recognizes the signs of that awakening and sees it happening at present. As evidence, he cites the large-scale demonstrations, the widespread, bipartisan pushback against a television host's removal and the largely united defiance by media to agree to government requirements they report only approved content.

“The sleeping giant perpetually exists dormant before specific greed turns extremely harmful, an specific act so disrespectful toward public welfare, certain violence so disruptive, that it has no choice other than to stir.”

It’s an optimistic take, and I value the author's seasoned opinion. Possibly he may turn out correct.

At the same time, the major inquiries remain: will the nation ever recover? Can it reclaim its status in the world and its commitment to legal principles?

Or do we need to admit that the 250-year-old experiment worked for a while, and then – swiftly, totally – ended?

My cynical mind suggests that the second option is true; that everything could be gone. My optimistic spirit, however, advises me that we have to attempt, through all methods possible.

In my case, as an observer of the press, that’s about urging journalists to commit, more completely, to their purpose of scrutinizing authority. For some people, it might involve working on election efforts, or coordinating protests, or finding ways to safeguard voting rights.

Less than a year ago, we were in a very different place. Twelve months later? Or three years from now? The truth is, we cannot predict. The only option is to strive to persevere.

What Offers Me Optimism Currently

The interaction I have in the classroom with new media professionals, who are both idealistic and practical, {always