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Twelve months back, the situation was utterly different. Prior to the US presidential election, reflective Americans could admit the nation's serious imperfections – its injustices and imbalance – however they still could see it as the United States. A democracy. A country where the rule of law meant something. A nation guided by a honorable and decent public servant, notwithstanding his older age and declining health.

Currently, in late October 2025, numerous citizens hardly identify the nation we reside in. Persons suspected of being unauthorized foreigners are detained and pushed into transport, occasionally blocked from fair treatment. The East Wing of the “people’s house” – is being torn down for an obscene event space. Donald Trump is targeting his political rivals or alleged foes and requesting federal prosecutors surrender a huge total of public funds. Uniformed troops are dispatched across metropolitan centers on false pretexts. The Pentagon, relabeled the Defense Ministry, has practically rid itself of day-to-day journalistic scrutiny during its expenditure of what could amount to close to a trillion USD from citizen taxes. Universities, legal practices, journalism organizations are buckling due to presidential intimidation, and rich magnates are handled as nobility.

“America, just months before its quarter-millennium anniversary as the world’s leading democracy, has crossed the brink toward dictatorship and fascism,” an American historian, commented recently. “Finally, faster than I believed likely, it occurred in America.”

One awakes to new horrors. And it's challenging to understand – and distressing to accept – how deeply lost we are, and how quickly it has happened.

However, we know that the leader was legitimately chosen. Following his profoundly alarming initial presidency and despite the cautions associated with the awareness of the rightwing blueprint – following the leader directly stated openly he intended to act as an autocrat just on day one – sufficient voters selected him over the other candidate.

While alarming as the current reality may be, it's more frightening to understand that we’re only nine months into this presidential term. What will three more years of this decline find us? And suppose the three years becomes an prolonged era, because there is not anyone to limit this president from deciding that another term is necessary, possibly for defense purposes?

Admittedly, there is still hope. We will have midterm elections next year that may bring a different balance of power, if Democrats recapture one or both houses of parliament. There are government representatives who are attempting to impose a degree of oversight, for example lawmakers currently launching an investigation regarding the effort to cash appropriation by federal prosecutors.

And a leadership election in 2028 could begin our journey toward restoration just as the prior selection placed us on this unfortunate course.

We see numerous residents marching in public spaces throughout communities, like they performed recently at democracy demonstrations.

An ex-cabinet member, commented this week that “the slumbering force of the US is awakening”, just as it did following the Red Scare during the fifties or amid anti-war demonstrations or throughout the Nixon controversy.

During those times, the unstable nation eventually was righted.

He claims he knows the indicators of that revival and notices it unfolding currently. As support, he points to the large-scale demonstrations, the widespread, bipartisan pushback regarding a personality's dismissal and the largely united refusal by journalists to sign military mandates they solely cover authorized information.

“The slumbering entity consistently stays dormant before certain corruption turns extremely harmful, an specific act so offensive toward public welfare, some brutality so disruptive, that it has no choice other than to stir.”

It’s an optimistic take, and I respect his knowledgeable stance. Possibly he may turn out correct.

At the same time, the big questions persist: is the US able to ever recover? Can it reclaim its position globally and its devotion to the rule of law?

Or do we need to admit that the historical project worked for a while, and then – swiftly, totally – ended?

My pessimistic brain indicates that the second option is true; that everything might be finished. My positive feelings, however, advises me that we have to attempt, through all methods available.

For me, as a media critic, that means urging journalists to live up, more thoroughly, to their duty of overseeing leadership. For different individuals, it might involve participating in political races, or coordinating protests, or developing approaches to defend ballot privileges.

Not even one year prior, we lived in an alternate reality. In the future? Or after another term? The truth is, we cannot predict. Our sole course is try to not give up.

What Provides Me Optimism Currently

The engagement I have in the classroom with young journalists, who are both visionary and practical, {always