Like many, I watched in stunned horror as Donald Trump crawled his way back into the highest office of our nation. I had hope in the American people: that they would not re-elect an impeached ex-president and convicted felon who had attempted to undermine our democratic process in a spectacle of populist-driven violence.
Yet, as the world held its breath, we witnessed the supposed leader of the free world continue on a spiraling path of democratic backsliding, with the American people affirming with a resounding electoral “yes”.
Donald Trump’s re-election is not just another four years. Between Trump’s life-term appointments to the federal bench and the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity, Trump has an incredible window of opportunity to cement his power. His legacy will be a generation-defining moment, entailing a lifetime of consequences for our political system and the international community.
The problem didn’t begin with Trump. While he poses a grave threat to our democracy and the future of millions of Americans, he is a logical conclusion of the contemporary American capitalistic tradition that enables policymakers funded by lobbyists to prioritize profit over citizens.
With 76% of the student population at Middlebury belonging to the top 20%, it is easy to feel untouchable. Despite what some students may believe, your blue home-state will not save your house from being burned down in uncontrollable wildfires that are exacerbated by America’s addiction to greenhouse gases. Whiteness will not protect you from extreme abortion restrictions or budget cuts of already underfunded federal and state departments. Nor will affluence shield your children from the bullet of the firearm belonging to a mass shooter.
History has shown us that the seeds of authoritarianism begin small, planted without public outrage among those who are already unwanted by society. Eventually, these seeds will grow to strangle us all, regardless of our assumed privilege. By infantilizing ourselves into believing systematic change is impossible, we accept the status quo.
As a native Texan, I have watched my state be continually devastated by a myriad of disasters as policymakers ignore the pleas of their constituents while remaining at the beck and call of the highest bidder.
I was born into the chaos of my parents fleeing Hurricane Katrina in 2005, a disaster that claimed the lives of 1,833 people. Following category four Hurricane Harvey, I helped clear the remains of the ruined houses of my neighbors. I watched as 17 Uvalde elementary students and two teachers were gunned down while our elected officials continued to take money from the National Rifle Association and gun rights groups, proclaiming, “It could have been worse.” I listened to how families burned alive in their homes when our electric grid failed during the Texas freeze while our senator fled to a luxury resort in Cancun. I have seen Texan women forced to fight in court while the maternal mortality rate dramatically increased by 56%. As a journalist, I have covered the criminalization of homelessness, where the City of Houston extensively fined and engaged in legal battles against volunteers feeding unhoused people.
These disasters are the results of special interest lobbying in both political parties, a phenomenon that predates the rise of Donald Trump. Despite various majority agreements on legislation — such as the American consensus for gun control — special interest groups now enhance the impact of the elites on legislation behind closed doors, threatening the power of the people.
In the U.S, reality is dictated by who has money. In 2016, 158 families, with the companies they owned or controlled, donated half of early money in the presidential campaign, accounting for $176 million. In the first half of 2024, the oil and gas industry spent $72 million on federal lobbying following the EPA’s implementation of regulation aimed to reduce fossil fuel emissions. Former President Joe Biden’s farewell address to the nation warned us of an oligarchy forming and controlling our national legislation — this was an admission of guilt. The oligarchy is here and thriving through a wealthy elite that can compel our elected officials through financial motivation.
According to our government, social safety nets such as house or healthcare insurance are too expensive; Israel requires $12.5 billion in direct military aid since 2023 despite its ongoing genocide; and countries such as Vietnam, Laos, Korea, the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq must be invaded for self-serving ideological and monetary goals. Rather than use our tax dollars to innovatively solve our society’s greatest problems, the U.S. government — regardless of political party — leverages them to fuel the decimation of innocents abroad, nauseatingly enriching those who gain monetarily from war and conflict.
With our political system resting on just two parties founded on inequality, how are we as individuals to change the genetic code of a nation?
This is not a call to despair, but rather a signal to be intentional in examining politics beyond face-value. Don’t rely on The New York Times or your first-year political science course to critically examine the world for you. Their value is only as extensive as your ability to look deeper than which facts are presented. Contextualization is your greatest weapon in freeing yourself from the illusions of what others want you to see.
A pillar in the foundation of our resistance to the state is understanding and sharing information in a setting that encourages critical thinking. The state’s abysmal leadership is reliant on our division and our submission to the government’s will. Learning and the pains that come with it are tools of resistance that have historically been in the line of fire within oppressive regimes.
Authoritarian systems feed on our despair. The greatest indoctrination into complacency is the belief that as citizens of the most powerful nation on Earth, we hold no power. Our generation is addicted to cynicism, and we have earned every right to be. Previous generations have failed us considerably in every metric. But to endure and fight for radical change must mean surrendering ourselves to hope.
