My own thoughts on the subject:
The America we have known—rooted in shared values, civic unity, and a belief in upward mobility—is lost forever, not through a single catastrophe, but through a slow erosion of trust, truth, and identity. Once bound by a common narrative of freedom and opportunity, the nation now finds itself fractured along political, cultural, and economic lines so deep they seem irreversible.
Technology, once heralded as a democratizing force, has accelerated division. Social media algorithms feed outrage and misinformation, replacing national discourse with tribalism. Institutions that once commanded broad respect—Congress, the press, the justice system—have become arenas for partisan warfare. The very concept of objective truth has eroded, replaced by curated realities that affirm individual biases.
The Trump presidency marked a dramatic turning point. Donald Trump’s rise exploited and widened existing fault lines, transforming politics into spectacle and loyalty tests. His unapologetic attacks on the media, judiciary, intelligence community, and even the electoral process normalized institutional distrust. More dangerously, Trump helped mainstream a deep skepticism—if not outright hostility—toward science and expertise. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he publicly mocked scientists, contradicted health guidelines, and elevated conspiracy theories, contributing to avoidable deaths and permanent damage to public confidence in science.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which should have led a coordinated federal pandemic response, was marginalized and undermined. Political appointees attempted to rewrite scientific reports and silence public health officials. Experts were pushed aside in favor of ideologues who minimized the severity of the crisis, exposing the fragility of America’s public health infrastructure.
Trump also appointed individuals with little to no experience to powerful positions, prioritizing loyalty over competence. Key departments like Education, the Environment, and Homeland Security were led by figures who often opposed the missions of their own agencies. This erosion of institutional integrity weakened domestic governance and diminished America’s standing abroad.
Trump’s treatment of longstanding American allies further accelerated the nation’s loss of global respect. He openly berated leaders of NATO countries, questioned the value of mutual-defense commitments, and demanded loyalty tests of nations that had stood beside the United States for generations. Traditional partners such as Canada, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom were subjected to public insults and erratic diplomatic behavior, undermining trust built over decades. By treating alliances as transactional and adversarial, Trump destabilized the cooperative frameworks that had underpinned global security since World War II, leaving allies uncertain and adversaries emboldened.
On the world stage, this broader disregard for diplomacy fractured relationships and allowed rivals to expand their influence. Withdrawals from the Paris Climate Accord, the Iran nuclear deal, and other international commitments signaled a retreat from leadership and reliability. America's reputation as a steady, principled global partner was replaced by unpredictability and unilateralism.
Perhaps most disturbingly, Trump attempted to wield the Department of Justice as a political weapon. He pressured DOJ officials to investigate critics, interfere in prosecutions, and challenge election results. His attempts to use the courts to punish adversaries reflected authoritarian instincts that threatened the rule of law.
Economically, the American Dream has faltered. For many, upward mobility has become a myth, as wages stagnate and generational wealth gaps widen. The social contract—work hard, play by the rules, and succeed—feels broken.
Most profoundly, the American sense of we—a shared national identity—has fractured into us versus them. Without a unifying narrative, even patriotism has become contested.
This is not to say America cannot adapt or evolve. But the version many remember—confident, cohesive, and united in purpose—is gone. What replaces it remains uncertain, but the old America, for better or worse, is lost to history, lost to her allies, and worst of all, lost to her people.
