The phrase “may you live in interesting times” is a statement usually attributed to China. While the statement is associated with a Chinese curse, it can describe the present state of the United States.
Americans are indeed living in interesting times. It is a time when America is being governed by a president whose personality seems more like a petulant child than a mature adult. It is a time when the US Constitution is being challenged by a Supreme Court that has decided that the president is closer to a king than not, given its support for the unitary executive theory. Many constitutional experts however, have deemed this theory unconstitutional.
Americans are being confronted with a president who would rather emulate Vladimir Putin than fulfill what the constitution deems for the office of the chief executive officer. Americans have witness a chief executive officer who is obsessed with buildings having his name etched onto it including the Kennedy Center. Displaying hints of being unhinged, the president had the “Presidential Walk of Fame” built. These are portraits of former presidents with insulting descriptions written beneath them. Interesting times indeed. This is in addition to what seems to be a revenge tour by the president as he tried to have his perceived enemies such as Letitia James, James Comey and John Bolton arrested and convicted.
Congress has seemingly abdicated its article one powers as defined in the constitution effectively giving the president carte blanche on many issues. This congress has been the least productive in over 50 years.
It is also a time however , when a significant segment of the population has decided they will not tolerate his narcissism nor his tendency towards authoritarianism.
There are many descriptions that describe the past year. They include profiles in courage and profiles in cowardice. 2025 can also be defined as the year of the shrinking congress and the year of incompetence. Most of all it has been a year of chaos and an administration which has seemingly gone rogue.
The economy, from a statistical perspective, is doing fairly well as it was under Biden. During Q3, GDP grew 4.3%. Investment, especially in AI, has been robust, predictions of a recession has not panned out and inflation has decreased. Nonetheless, the job market has softened, unemployment has increased and affordability remains a source of anxiety for Americans. It has been made worse for millions of Americans who have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act as congress has failed to continue the subsidies. Bankruptcies have increased and the farming sector is taking a huge hit because of the tariffs.
When it comes to affordability, the administration is experiencing the same thing that the Biden administration experienced. By not acknowledging the reality of the cost of living they have ignored the mistakes made by the Biden administration.
As 2025 began, with the election of Donald Trump, nations around the world braced for what was going to be a year of chaos and controversy. The administration’s contempt for its allies was in full view as the president stated a desire to annex Canada, Greenland and to take back the Panama Canal.
Nations, especially in Europe, immediately began feeling the effects of a second Trump presidency. The speech in February by Vice President JD Vance, at the 61st Munich Security Conference, excoriated European leaders. This was tantamount to a first shot over the bow about how this administration felt about Europe. The administration’s December National Security Strategy 2025, was condescending and patronizing in tone towards Europe.
As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continued, the year will be remembered for what seemed like a staged attack on the president of Ukraine by President Trump and Vice President JD Vance in the oval office. When it came to Ukraine, the president once again seemed to adopt the views of the Kremlin, as he laid out the red carpet for Putin during the so-called summit in Alaska. As the administration has consistently tried to get Ukraine to succumb to the demands of President Putin, Europeans have stood by President Zelenskyy.
The ending of US AID was a blow to America’s ability to use soft power. While the program had its problems, including corruption, ending this program has resulted in the preventable deaths of six hundred thousand people according to epidemiologist Brooke Nichols.
This year saw a detour from a campaign commitment to avoid unnecessary wars when the administration began blowing up alleged drug boats from Venezuela despite the lack of evidence being provided to the public. Many commentators have said the act violates international law and may also violate US law. Many commentators have said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is the guiding force behind this policy.
As the year ends, the US with the tacit approval of the president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, launched a missile attack in Nigeria.
On the domestic front, tariffs became a central component of the nation’s domestic and foreign policy. In what was called Independence Day, tariffs were imposed on over 180 nations in what seemed like a haphazard manner.
The deployment of the National Guard in cities with Democrat mayors, to supposedly combat crime, was heavily criticized. While the militarization of law enforcement is potentially a violation of the Posse Comitatus Act, it came to a head when President Trump told a gathering of military leaders to view the deployment as “ training grounds for our military.”
Deportation has become a rallying cry in America. This strategy, which many say has been orchestrated by Deputy Press Secretary Steven Miller, has prompted a tremendous pushback. Americans have been fighting back against ICE agents in a variety of ways. Using the legal system, community organizing strategies, as well as state officials limiting local law enforcement agencies from cooperating with ICE agents, every day Americans are finding ways of thwarting the sometimes illegal deportation of undocumented immigrants. Immigration also became highly racialized with the Trump administration. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s concurring opinion in Noem vs. Vasquez Perdomo, was interpreted as permission for racial profiling. Further proof was provided by the administration with the fast tracking of white Afrikaner’s refugee status. The lies about how the Black government of South Africa was committing genocide against the white population simply added fuel to the fire.
One of the most egregious actions in 2025, was the pardoning of the January 6th rioters.
2025 also gave rise to what can be called profiles in cowardice. From the capitulation by law firms such as Paul, Weiss, who made deals to provide free legal work for Trump supported causes prompted criticism. Their decision to bend the knee was made more egregious when other law firms sued the administration and won. Universities such as Columbia University, Brown, Northwestern and the University of Virginia were seemingly willing to give up their independence, as others such as Dartmouth and MIT fought back.
Given the administration’s obsession with the media, it is no surprise that reporters have been deemed “enemies of the people” by this administration. Starting before the election, media outlets such as the Washington Post and the LA Times pulled their endorsement of then Vice-President Kamala Harris. While their billionaire owners Jeff Bezos and Patrick Soon Shiong tried to rationalize their decision, their capitulation was seen as another example of a nation heading towards authoritarianism.
Other media organizations such as ABC and CBS, seemingly bent the knee. Nonetheless, as networks executives bent the knee, late night talk show hosts such as Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert held their own as they continued to excoriate the president during their monologues. The public backlash in the form of subscription cancellation after Kimmel was removed from the air, was another example of an electorate displaying more backbone than billionaire owners. The Ellison families attempt to buy Warner Bros. with a commitment to the president that changes will come to CNN, is another example of how media is slowly becoming an authoritarian tool of the world’s richest people.
While some of the wealthiest people displayed profiles in cowardice and a propensity to grovel, it has been matched by grass roots resistance. Two nation-wide “no kings day marches” drew five million and seven million people respectively.
As the administration sought to end DEI programs, the administration decided to replace DEI with incompetence or people who have been accused of sexual abuse such as Pete Hegseth and vaccine denier Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This is on top of the White House Border Czar Tom Homan, being accused of taking a bribe of $50,000.
2026 will be an interesting year as well. As Trump, is a lame duck president he will face several challenges. More republicans will not only retire, but with the exception of Speaker Johnson and Majority Leader John Thune, will be reticent about supporting a president whose popularity continues to slide. The special elections from November are a sign of things to come. Most analysts predict that democrats will retake the House of Representatives although retaking the senate will be more difficult. As a result, there will be a plethora of congressional hearings which may lead to several attempts at impeachment of cabinet officials.
The world has many hot spots, including Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, Venezuela, and Congo/Rwanda. Tariffs will once again take center stage as companies will begin to pass along the extra cost they have incurred. Deportations will continue as a point of contention as Stephen Miller will look to get more extreme even as the resistance to such measures grows.
America will celebrate its 250th birthday in 2026. The nation described by John Winthrop as “a city on a hill” is at a critical inflection point. It will have to decide if it wants to remain a republic or is it willing to go the way of nations such as Hungary and Turkey. The obvious attempt to control every aspect of American life by this administration will most likely become more of an albatross around the administration. America is indeed living in interesting times, but the American people will have the last say beginning in 2026.