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Twelve months back, the landscape was completely separate. Before the US presidential election, considerate Americans could admit the nation's significant faults – its unfairness and inequality – but they still could identify it as the US. A free society. A land where constitutional order carried weight. A state led by a dignified and upright leader, notwithstanding his elderly years and declining health.

Nowadays, in late October 2025, many of us hardly identify the nation we inhabit. Individuals alleged as undocumented migrants are rounded up and shoved into vehicles, at times refused legal rights. The East Wing of the White House – is undergoing demolition for an obscene event space. The president is targeting his political rivals or perceived antagonists and requesting federal prosecutors surrender a massive sum of public funds. Armed military personnel are being sent into American cities under fabricated reasons. The military command, relabeled the Department of War, has practically freed itself of routine media oversight as it spends potentially totaling almost one trillion dollars from citizen taxes. Colleges, attorney offices, media outlets are submitting from leader's menaces, and rich magnates are regarded as members of the royal family.

“The United States, just months before its 250-year mark as the world’s leading democracy, has fallen over the edge toward dictatorship and extremism,” Garrett Graff, commented this past summer. “Ultimately, more quickly than I thought feasible, it transpired in America.”

Each day begins to new horrors. It is challenging to understand – and painful to realize – how severely declined our nation is, and the speed at which it occurred.

Yet, we understand that the leader was properly voted in. Despite his highly troubling initial presidency and even after the alerts linked to the understanding of the conservative plan – despite the leader directly declared plainly he intended to be a dictator just on day one – a majority of citizens elected him rather than the other candidate.

While alarming as the present situation are, it’s even scarier to realize that we are just nine months into this administration. What will another 36 months of this downfall find us? And suppose that period becomes an prolonged era, since there is nobody to restrain this president from opting that another term is necessary, maybe for security concerns?

Admittedly, not everything is hopeless. There are congressional elections the coming year which might create a new balance of power, should Democrats retake one or both houses of parliament. There exist public servants who are striving to exert certain responsibility, like Democratic congressmen currently starting a probe into the attempted money grab by federal prosecutors.

And a presidential election in 2028 could begin the path to healing precisely as the previous vote put us on this unfortunate course.

There exist millions of Americans marching in the streets throughout communities, similar to recent in the past days at democracy demonstrations.

Robert Reich, commented this week that “the slumbering force of America is awakening”, exactly as before following the Red Scare in the 1950s or during the Vietnam war protests or during the Nixon controversy.

In those instances, the unstable nation finally returned to balance.

He claims he understands the signals of that revival and sees it happening now. As evidence, he points to the recent massive protests, the broad, cross-party resistance regarding a broadcaster's firing and the almost universal refusal by journalists to sign government requirements they only publish authorized information.

“The sleeping giant consistently stays dormant before specific greed turns extremely harmful, some action so contemptuous of the common good, certain violence so noisy, that he is compelled but to awaken.”

It's a positive outlook, and I value Reich’s experienced view. Perhaps he will prove to be right.

Meanwhile, the crucial issues remain: can America return to normalcy? Can it reclaim its standing globally and its commitment to constitutional order?

Or must we acknowledge that the national endeavor functioned for a period, and then – swiftly, totally – ended?

My pessimistic brain suggests that the second option is true; that everything could be lost. My positive feelings, nevertheless, advises me that we need to strive, by any means we can.

In my case, working in journalism analysis, that’s about urging journalists to adhere, more fully, to their duty of overseeing leadership. For some people, it may be participating in election efforts, or coordinating protests, or developing approaches to safeguard voting rights.

Not even one year prior, we were in an alternate reality. A year from now? Or after another term? The reality is, we cannot predict. Our sole course is to attempt to continue fighting.

What Offers Me Optimism Currently

The interaction I experience with students with young journalists, that are simultaneously visionary and realistic, {always