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In late October 2024, the landscape was completely separate. Before the US presidential election, reflective residents could admit America's serious imperfections – its unfairness and imbalance – but they still could identify it as the United States. A free society. A country where the rule of law carried weight. A state guided by a honorable and ethical official, even with his advanced age and declining health.

Nowadays, in late October 2025, countless Americans scarcely know the nation we live in. People alleged as undocumented migrants are collected and pushed into vans, at times refused legal rights. The left side of the “people’s house” – is undergoing demolition to build a lavish ballroom. The president is persecuting his opponents or alleged foes and insisting legal authorities hand over a huge total of citizen dollars. Soldiers with weapons are dispatched to US urban areas on false pretexts. The military command, relabeled the War Department, has effectively rid itself of regular press examination during its expenditure of possibly reaching almost one trillion dollars from citizen taxes. Colleges, attorney offices, media outlets are buckling from leader's menaces, and billionaires are regarded as aristocracy.

“The United States, just months before its quarter-millennium anniversary as the planet's foremost free society, has tipped over the limit toward dictatorship and extremism,” Garrett Graff, commented in August. “Ultimately, more quickly than I thought feasible, it transpired here.”

One awakes to new horrors. And it's difficult to grasp – and painful to realize – just how far gone we are, and the rapid pace with which it occurred.

Nevertheless, it is known that Trump was legitimately chosen. Following his profoundly alarming initial presidency and despite the cautions that came with the awareness of the conservative plan – even after the president personally stated openly he would act as an autocrat just on day one – enough Americans chose him instead of the other candidate.

While alarming as the present situation may be, it's more frightening to recognize that we are just three-quarters of a year into this presidential term. What will another 36 months of this deterioration position us? And suppose that timeframe turns into a more extended duration, because there is not anyone to stop this president from deciding that another term is essential, perhaps for national security reasons?

Certainly, there is still hope. There are midterm elections the coming year which might establish an alternate governmental control, if Democrats retake the Senate or House of Congress. There are government representatives who are attempting to apply some accountability, for example Democratic congressmen who are starting a probe concerning the try to money grab from legal authorities.

And a national vote three years from now could start the path to healing just as the previous vote put us on this regrettable path.

There are millions of Americans demonstrating in the streets across municipalities, like they performed last weekend during anti-authority protests.

Robert Reich, commented this week that “the great sleeping giant of the nation is awakening”, just as it did after the Communist witch-hunt era during the fifties or during the Vietnam war protests or during the Nixon controversy.

In those instances, the listing ship ultimately corrected itself.

Reich says he knows the indicators of that resurgence and observes it occurring currently. As support, he references the recent massive protests, the broad, bipartisan pushback regarding a personality's dismissal and the almost universal defiance by media to sign military mandates they report only what is sanctioned.

“The dormant force perpetually exists asleep before some venality grows too toxic, a particular deed so offensive toward public welfare, some brutality so noisy, that it has no choice except to rise.”

It’s an optimistic take, and I appreciate the author's seasoned opinion. Possibly he may be validated.

In the meantime, the crucial issues remain: is the US able to ever recover? Can it reclaim its status internationally and its commitment to the rule of law?

Or do we need to admit that the 250-year-old experiment succeeded temporarily, and then – suddenly, utterly – failed?

My negative thoughts suggests that the latter is correct; that all may indeed be finished. My optimistic spirit, however, tells me that we have to attempt, by any means possible.

For me, as a media critic, that involves pushing media professionals to adhere, more completely, to their duty of overseeing leadership. For some people, it could mean engaging with political races, or planning demonstrations, or discovering methods to safeguard electoral access.

Not even one year prior, we were in a separate situation. Twelve months later? Or after another term? The reality is, we are uncertain. All we can do is to strive to not give up.

What Offers Me Hope Now

The interaction I have with students with young journalists, who are equally idealistic and realistic, {always