We’re ten months into Trump’s second term, and it’s clear that the warnings weren’t exaggerations — and the lessons we learned on Inauguration Day have since become far more urgent.
The damage is deeper. The stakes are higher. The signs were there from the beginning. The truths we’ve learned in the last ten months aren’t just relevant — they’ve become the defining challenges of our time. Truths like…
Trump Didn’t Invent It, But He Made it Louder
The racism, sexism, and corporate greed Trump embodies didn’t begin with him. But six months into his second term and we’ve seen just how effectively he amplifies them. From executive orders targeting immigrants and refugees, to removing DEI protections for workers across the country, Trump has flushed decades of progress against systemic injustice down the drain.
As well, Trump has taken the lack of pushback he’s received and ran with it, showing clear authoritarian symptoms from sending troops into cities with no pretext, to making legislative decisions only meant to line his pockets.
The Democratic Establishment Still Doesn’t Get It
After losing the presidency, you’d think Democrats would have spent the last ten months doing some soul-searching and identifying where and how they’d failed to engage voters. Instead, we’re seeing hand-wringing, inaction, and a party that still isn’t addressing the root causes of its own failure.
While many progressives have called for holding up Trump’s bills and pushing against his anti-democratic actions, Democrats in power have given in on unqualified cabinet nominees and not held up bills that attack healthcare and other essentials. They also have resisted endorsing candidates like Zohran Mamdani and Omar Fateh despite their overwhelming popularity.
If we’re going to beat Trumpism, we can’t just oppose him — we have to build a bold, progressive alternative that listens to movements, not consultants.
The Media Loves a Spectacle
Trump may call them the “fake news media,” but don’t be fooled — he’s their favorite show. From breathless coverage of his presumed physical and mental decline to endless dissection of his social media posts, major outlets still treat Trump like a circus, not a crisis, and some, like ABC, have needlessly folded to pressure to settle and self-censor.
Ten months in, we’ve seen how distractions serve power. When cable news is chasing the latest outrage, real issues like corporate deregulation, ICE abductions, and voter suppression are barely mentioned or even unreported by the major news outlets.
Protest Works — But It’s Only the Beginning
Day Without Immigrants. Economic blackouts. Hands Off. No Kings. People are showing up to say they’re sick of the Trump administration — and it is making a difference. But protest alone isn’t enough.
We need to organize. Build power. Electoral wins that shift the landscape — not just react to it. The energy is there. Now, we have to build a movement that lasts longer than a news cycle.
Ten months into this administration, we’re still standing. Still fighting. But let’s be clear-eyed: this is not just a Trump problem. It’s a deeper, systemic rot. And if we want something better, something actually worth building, we have to do more than resist. We have to reimagine.
The hard truths? They’re still true. But so is this: we are not powerless.
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