It has been little more than 100 days since Trump took office for the second time, and it seems that one theme has emerged more prominently than ever before - instability. From crashing the economy to desecrating our most-precious institutions and values, the current administration has wasted no time in making its intentions clear. Although it is no surprise to those who have taken Trump’s words at face value since his introduction to politics 10 years ago, the President has no interest in preserving democracy.
So, the question remains amidst the uncertainty - what comes next?
Feeling Reminiscent
Although many believed that the sanctity of the Constitution would dispel the threat for hostile takeover, recent months have shown us just how brittle the foundation that holds our republic together truly is. It is no secret that Trump worships autocratic leaders of past and present, like Hitler, Erdogan, Putin, and more, and even echoes their rhetoric when attacking those whom he holds as enemies of the United States. Thus, as we reflect on the steps that his administration has taken to entrench themselves in power, it is no longer possible to ignore the writing on the wall - American democracy is in certain peril.
As is common with authoritarian regimes, it is predominantly economic despair that precipitates the rise of fascist leaders, who often take advantage of the chaos to secure power and begin the lengthy process of dismantling key governmental institutions, like education, healthcare, infrastructure, and more. Due to the fact that Trump inherited the world’s strongest economy from Biden, this economic despair has been manufactured under the guise of tariffs and trade reform. Within 3 months, not only has the stock market reversed course from its years of steady gains, the US economy contracted in Q1, and the possibility of a recession in 2025 is nearing a certainty. The fallout of these disastrous policies has yet to come to fruition, but the potential for economic collapse is certainly tangible.
As the global trade war continues and the rest of the world proceeds to lose faith in America’s leadership capabilities, the decline will be swift. With China withholding freight from US ports, tariffs increasing the cost of goods for consumers overnight, American businesses reliant on supply chains that have now been thrust into jeopardy, and a citizenry decidedly unprepared to endure long-term financial hardship, the next few months could spell certain disaster for the United States. Trump is already a deeply unpopular president by any metric, but this trend may only be accelerated as his ardent supporters are faced with economic ruin due to his ‘policymaking.’ The overwhelming majority of Americans are already living paycheck to paycheck, and even a minor impetus would be enough to cause significant harm. Simply put, the looming recession could be the economic nail in the coffin for the eroding middle class, and will serve as a significant inflection point for employment in general.
Naturally, this leads to a frightening precipice - as the economy shrinks, jobs are lost, prices rise, debts accumulate, and average Americans become more-desperate, when will the citizens at-large turn on Trump? Millions upon millions of Americans have already surged into the streets for months on end in protest of the administration and its corrupt practices, with more protests planned for the coming days, but this is, in my mind, minimal compared to what can be expected if the United States finds itself in a standoff with a truly enraged citizenry. Due to his constraints as a narcissist, Trump is virtually incapable of changing course, admitting defeat, or reassessing his plans, meaning that he would much prefer to drive the hatchet deeper than seek resolution.
Americans are struggling, and the evidence is in plain sight. People are financing grocery purchases. Homes are no longer in the realm of ‘affordable.’ Wages are stagnant in the wake of rising inflation and costs. Employment prospects are dimmer. Farmers are already in crisis under the trade war with China. Personal debt is at an all-time high. Billionaires continue to get richer as the bottom 99% are left to pick up the pieces. Each day that Trump and his administration choose to pursue a course of action that serves to cripple the US economy, they draw closer to the day of bringing Americans to the point of desperation, and, if history has ever taught us anything, that’s not a great place for a fascist to find himself.
Nothing to Lose
What is truly staggering about the threat that Trump poses to the United States, and to the world as a whole, is the fact that he truly has nothing to lose. He has already been convicted of countless crimes and has successfully evaded prison multiple times, and, at nearly 80 years old, will not be alive to witness the cataclysmic impacts of policies that he is setting into motion. His family is insulated by his billions in ill-gotten gains, and he is surrounded by shameless sycophants and obsequious oligarchs who have proven that they are ready to bend the rules so long as they get their share of the plunder.
He has surrounded himself with loyalists who obey him above the law, and has purged any who had the moral fortitude to defy him in the past, including four-star generals, inspectors general, watchdogs, policy advisors, personal advisors, and more. He has proven repeatedly that his need to enact revenge supersedes any moral considerations. Any man who is willing to watch on in apathy as an angry mob seeks to hang his own Vice President on the White House Lawn, and then proceeds to grant pardons to these same violent, domestic terrorists, clearly cannot be held to any standard of human decency.
At present, we already find ourselves in the midst of a constitutional crisis. By defying court orders, as well as flooding the courts with unlawful executive actions, Trump and his administration have successfully unleashed an onslaught against the judiciary in the United States. Once again, the signs of fascism are etched into the wall for all to see.
Arresting judges. Deporting citizens without due process. Conducting unlawful raids. Revoking visa status illegally. Silencing journalists. Endless barrages of propaganda. These are the hallmarks of an authoritarian regime, and it often feels as though Trump and his administration are reading directly from the playbook.
So, if the Supreme Court, along with the Democratic Party, can no longer reign in Trump with the rule of law, what is capable of doing so, and when can we expect that to happen? The answer isn’t reassuring.
In my mind, it is often the case that we must be brought to the brink of collapse before any true progress can be made. Due to the cowardice of Republican leaders, who continue to enable Trump by voting along party lines, it is unlikely that we will see any successful impeachment effort or significant Act of Congress to staunch the bleeding anytime soon. Although the cracks have already begun to show in the ineptitude of his disciples, with Waltz leaving the National Security Council in disgrace, the simple fact is that Trump and his cronies have such a hold on power and a disdain for conducting themselves lawfully that they are unlikely to be rebuked by lawmakers from their own party. In any other US administration, unqualified officials, like Hegseth, Patel, RFK Jr., or McMahon, to name a few, would not have been confirmed, but are now in charge of the country’s most-valuable institutions. Furthermore, critical mistakes the likes of Hegseth’s Signalgate scandal would have been immediate grounds for resignation, followed swiftly by a promise to rectify the situation. Yet, in Trump’s America, accountability is fleeting, and evading it entirely is as simple as crafting the next crisis.
One thing that I can say for sure is that, as with any narcissist, Trump will continue to act even more erratically and irrationally the more he is challenged and cornered, and that reality is truly bone-chilling.
History Bears Repeating
Andrew Jackson once defied the Supreme Court, thrusting the United States into a constitutional crisis that resulted in one of the most-heinous transgressions against human rights in the nation’s history - the Trail of Tears. Nearly two centuries later, it appears as though Trump will follow his predecessor’s example in his own war against immigrants. So, to say that Trump’s actions at present are unprecedented isn’t entirely true, but the repercussions of them may prove to be.
It is with a heavy heart that I watch on each day as history repeats itself. I thought that we had learned our lessons. Trump’s agenda is so obviously steeped in hatred and ignorance that it is astounding to see how effective the propaganda surrounding it has been on the general public. When I learn about autocratic regimes of the past, and especially that of Nazi Germany, I often am astounded at how easily people were convinced by the blatant lies and deception of their leaders, as well as the people’s willingness to engage in violence and atrocity themselves. Yet, in 2025, there can be no doubt that we are seeing the dehumanization of immigrants as outsiders that draws startling parallels to Hitler’s regime nearly 100 years ago.
What we are facing in Trump and his cohort of conspiracy-fueled cronies is nothing short of a crisis, and one that we have seen play out in history, again and again. Spoiler alert - it doesn’t end well.
America has reached a defining moment. Our dedication to our creed, and to the principles that our founders espoused within our hallowed Constitution, will be tested to the fullest extent. We have seen dark days, and lived to overcome them. Ultimately, it is what we choose to do in this moment, at this crossroads, that will determine what comes next.
