Closer than they appear
Rethinking my optimism about the future under Trump 2.0
Anyone who has driven a car recognizes the warning on the passenger-side mirror: “Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.” I was never curious about why this is the case for that mirror alone until I came up with the title for this article! The passenger-side mirror has a convex shape that widens the driver’s field of view but makes objects appear smaller and, therefore, farther away than they are. This seemed like an appropriate metaphor for assessing the first 72 days of the second Trump presidency because the time of America’s reckoning may be closer than it appears.
We have yet to reach the symbolic 100th day of the new administration. However, it’s safe to say that Trump has established his tone and intentions, telling us what we can expect for at least the next 305 days until a new Congress is seated, potentially one less inclined to roll over and have its belly rubbed while Trump and his acolytes actively make a mockery of the legislative branch’s co-equal status under the Constitution.
On that note, it’s fascinating that in the past 72 days, President Trump has signed 109 executive orders but only two laws, the Laken Riley Act and the short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown. The next presidential administration can rescind Trump’s executive orders, but that hasn’t stopped him from conducting ostentatious signing ceremonies for his executive orders, flourishes usually reserved for signing bills into law. I believe the ceremonies are intentional; after all, he is a showman who knows the impressionability of his audience, and these displays lend his executive orders the authority of law.
When I last wrote, I provided a lengthy assessment of the history that undergirds American authoritarianism and presaged Trump’s return to power, Trump’s motivations, which are less ideological than personal, and the chances of challenging his authoritarian agenda. My perspective was guardedly optimistic:
Do we have an opportunity to correct our course? Perhaps.
We have a mid-term election in 2026 in which the Democrats could regain control of one or both chambers of the U.S. Congress, not to mention two gubernatorial elections this year that will speak to how the nation feels about what the Trump administration has done thus far. Let’s not forget that over 77,900,000 Americans, a very slim majority, did not vote for Trump in 2024. He doesn’t have the mandate he claims, and the polls just 50 days into his presidency indicate growing dissatisfaction with his campaign of disorientation and destruction.
I also suggested that Americans would not stand for us to sink to a level of authoritarianism reminiscent of Nazi Germany because of our diversity and foundational strengths:
I don’t think we will descend into the hellscape that was Nazi Germany, even if all the precursors are present. I may still be naive for believing this, but I think Americans will recoil if we ever get close to that point. Unlike the Weimar Republic after World War I, our economic and democratic foundation remains strong. We are also a much more diverse nation, and the homogeneity that a Nazi-like takeover would require isn’t present. In fact, we may be witnessing the last gasp of a fearful and fading American demographic, at least I’d like to think so. Short of using violence to make their reign permanent, I don’t see them prevailing.
However, my optimism has faded since I wrote those words. It’s not that I don’t think they’re still relevant; I’ve become more pessimistic about what we are losing that we may not get back.
As someone who was born, raised, and came to manhood during the Cold War, I believed in America’s role as a defender of freedom and a reliable partner to other democracies around the world. We were not immune to domestic conflict and international realpolitik, but our leadership in the free world was a source of pride at home and confidence abroad. Our allies trusted us and fought alongside us in war zones around the globe, shedding their blood along with ours because they believed we were fighting together for the good of mankind. I once wrote with great passion about the goodness of America and its role in the world:
America, unlike empires past, never stays where it is not wanted and almost always leaves a nation better than it was when we first arrived. From the shores of Normandy to the beaches of the south Pacific, most of the world owes its prosperity and freedom to the United States of America. Whatever the circumstances that led us to be where we are, certainly the people of our armed forces, if not the government, have always tried to do the right thing by our fellow human beings. We have generously given more in charity and shed more blood for the betterment of our world than any other nation and for that I make no apologies.
To me, a nation of America’s military power and economic prosperity could have been like other empires in history, using its might to bully lesser nations and impose its will on the weak. I always believed we were different - exceptional, if you will:
…[A] “shining city on a hill,” a force for good in the world, and richly blessed by God because we have used our power to advance freedom rather than tyranny, seeking only enough territory to bury our dead from the wars fought in foreign lands to save millions of people from oppression…With our combination of military might, the largest economy in world history, and a higher number of immigrants than any other nation that has ever existed, we believe that we are exceptional, and we are a stabilizing and comforting presence in the world.
Given my lofty view of America and its role in the world, you can imagine how dismayed I am to learn that our closest neighbor, Canada, is in talks to strengthen its alliance with Europe over fears of American aggression toward them, with their foreign minister declaring, “The rhetoric coming out of the White House is not only concerning, but it is also, you know, a threat to our sovereignty.”
Nations that once entrusted us with their most sensitive intelligence are now fearful of sharing with us because of concerns we might provide valuable information to the Russians, either willfully or through incompetence or indifference. Our actions in the international arena have us mentioned in the same breath as Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran, and others like me, who believed in an America that “has stood against aggressors, dictators, tyranny, and evil for a long time,” are embarrassed by what this administration has done to our reputation around the world:
Today, I am in the last chapter of this life. I thought I had seen it all. But I had not. When I saw the name "America" aligning itself with China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, a shame swept over me I never knew before.
Twelve other countries refused to sign a UN resolution regarding Russia as the aggressor in the Ukraine-Russian war. This alignment, particularly with countries known for their human rights abuses and aggressive foreign policies, is a betrayal of the values America has always stood for.
We are even trying to dictate our European allies' values. Trump insists that foreign nations doing business with the United States government must abolish their diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Belgium’s Finance Minister, Jan Jambon, pushed back, saying his nation has a “culture of ‘non-discrimination’” and “We have no lessons to learn from the boss of America.” Their Foreign Minister and Equal Opportunities Minister were also resistant, saying the U.S. demand was a “step backward.”
“Diversity and inclusion are not just buzzwords, but the foundations of a strong and dynamic society,” they said. “They strengthen our economy, foster innovation and allow talent to flourish.”
The French minister of foreign trade, Laurent Saint-Martin, also refused to comply:
“All of this is progress that corresponds first and foremost to our French values, we are proud of this and we don’t want to compromise on it,” Saint-Martin said. “We can’t just cancel the application of our own laws overnight.”
Trump and his lieutenants speak of our European allies with undisguised contempt. In case anyone thought this was just a show for public consumption, the recent revelations in the private Signal national security group chat, in which a journalist from The Atlantic was inadvertently included, make it clear that their disdain for Europe is legitimate and personal. To quote Danish foreign minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen as he criticized Vice President Vance’s condescending statements about Denmark’s administration of Greenland, which has inexplicably become a target for American territorial expansion, “This is not how you speak to your close allies.”
American foreign aid agreements to provide food, medical care, and other humanitarian assistance to impoverished nations, promises of protected status for immigrants fleeing persecution or hostilities in their homelands, contracts with private companies to provide support to government agencies, and research grants to elite colleges and universities to advance knowledge and improve lives, all previously backed by the “full faith and credit” of the United States, have been terminated abruptly and with extreme prejudice. The nation that so many have counted on for 80 years since the end of World War II can no longer be trusted. Our word means nothing in the world now, and that lack of trust will endure even if we somehow sweep this brutal regime out of Washington in 2028.
What also will be remembered is our cruelty. The social media posts from the White House are aggressive, vengeful, mean-spirited, and representative of the current occupant. I would never have imagined an image from an official White House communications office like the one below. However, for an operation whose official statements are intended to be “authentically vulgar, unflinching, and cruel” as a reflection of the man in charge, this is a feature, not a bug:
America was once known as a nation where even criminals received due process and were treated humanely, but that’s another belief that’s been ground underfoot and tossed into the rubbish as this administration trashes all semblances of American decency while crowing, “America is back!”
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem filmed a “public service announcement” threatening undocumented immigrants with incarceration in a Salvadoran prison known for its human rights abuses. In the video, she stands in front of a cell at this very prison, holding prisoners who have recently been deported from the United States based on unverified claims of gang membership without due process to ensure that innocent individuals have not been wrongly imprisoned, an outcome that has been confirmed.
Not only was this publicity stunt cruel and mocked our reputation as a compassionate and honorable nation, but it was also probably a violation of the Geneva Convention, which is relevant since the administration invoked a rarely used wartime act to justify their dismissal of due process. Jonathan Last of The Bulwark writes:
Liberal regimes have standards for the treatment of prisoners. These standards are codified under the Geneva Conventions, which the United States has signed and ratified.
Among the standards dictated by the Geneva Conventions is this: Prisoners may not be publicly exploited for purposes of propaganda.
Another standard of liberal governments is that people who present themselves through legal pathways as refugees fleeing oppression are vetted and provided due process, not disappeared into foreign gulags.
And yet here we are.
Last also writes, “We have seen this kind of thing before. Just not from America. I want to be deadly serious about this: We are now the bad guys.” He concludes about Secretary Noem’s actions:
She is sending a message on behalf of her country.
The message is this:
America is no longer a shining city on a hill. It is no longer the leader of the free world. It no longer stands on the side of liberty as a beacon for those who yearn to breathe free.
This is the land of wolves now.
And the wolves are circling their prey. Institutions that were once trusted and relied upon throughout society as protectors of truth, wisdom, and the rule of law have been disparaged and demonized for so long now by this autocratic populist movement that they have been labeled “enemies of the people”—and far too many people believe this because their leaders would rather exploit their fears to gain and retain power than do the hard work of building a virtuous society that respects the dignity of every human being. That would take a selfless and sacrificial form of leadership foreign to this regime.
Because they have stirred resentment in people toward these institutions for decades, they now have license to abuse, among others, the press, elite colleges and universities, and American jurisprudence, who are being locked out, starved of federal funding, or threatened with calls for impeachment or punitive executive action, unless they capitulate to government demands. Some of these demands include paying a ransom to Trump to make the harassment disappear. If the rule of law still applied in America, this would be called extortion and an abuse of presidential power.
Regarding the press, where did we get the idea that they are supposed to say only flattering things about the president and that they are traitors if they don’t? It is the responsibility of the press to “comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable,” as Chicago Evening Post journalist and humorist Finley Peter Dunne wrote in 1902. Human beings are fallible, and leaders are particularly susceptible to temptations and failings that have impacts extending beyond themselves and affect countless lives other than their own.
I find it unbelievable that we readily accept that everything the Trump administration says or does should never be questioned or challenged. To suggest that questioning authority is un-American is simply wrong. We are a nation founded on the principle of questioning authority, even as King George III declared his rule was absolute. That is why the First Amendment to the Constitution in the Bill of Rights forbids the government from curtailing the freedom of the press, religion, speech, peaceful assembly, and petitioning the government for “a redress of grievances;” it doesn’t forbid us from being critical of our government.
However, Trump bans media outlets that don’t bow at his feet from access to the Oval Office and special press events, ridicules press reporting and reporters that paint him and his administration in an unfavorable light rather than addressing the inconvenient truths they reveal, interrupts or is terse or rude to reporters he dislikes, and prioritizes propaganda channels whose limited journalistic integrity is offset by copious amounts of sycophantic coverage.
Friends, these men and women are not gods. Everyone is capable of error or sin, without exception: “As the Scriptures say, ‘No one is righteous— not even one’” (Romans 3:10). Their inability to admit wrongdoing or mistakes is not a strength or a virtue, and aggressively doubling down when caught in an error or a lie isn’t principled or courageous. It is particularly dismaying to see so many professed Christians incapable of finding any fault whatsoever in their preferred politicians when they know that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
We shouldn’t be surprised that a movement that refuses to acknowledge its sins is actively seeking to whitewash American history and assuage fragile egos. A well-adjusted nation shouldn’t fear the truth but learn and grow from the revelations, as I did when I realized how much of American history was unknown to me until late in life:
When it comes to history, my admonition is to let the truth be told. Jesus said, “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). The context of this verse is that we are all slaves to sin, and only in humility and repentance can Jesus do His work on us and set us free. I don’t fear history because the God who orchestrated it promises to redeem it someday, and He has yet to break His promise.
As I absorb everything, I confess my hopes for restoring the America I revered are gradually fading. As an Air Force veteran, I dedicated nearly a decade of my life to defend America against nations who deploy masked government agents in street clothes to seize civilians off the streets and detain them without charges. I never envisioned that America would become one of those nations.
I have also realized that much of the damage can’t be undone. We can’t restore the collegiality and trust we once had with our allies; they know that a single American election can upend an alliance forged over decades in an instant. Our confidence in institutions designed to promote democracy and the rule of law, promulgate truth, increase knowledge and wisdom, and keep power in check can’t be recovered. I’m not suggesting they have no fault whatsoever in their demise, but we have deliberately beaten them down for decades to the point where public confidence in them has eroded beyond repair.
The Scriptures remind us of the impermanence of the nations: “He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them” (Job 12:32). The prophet Isaiah says, “He brings the princes to nothing and makes the rulers of the earth meaningless” (Isaiah 40:32).
No earthly empire is eternal, which is why, as Christians, we are to place our devotion in the God who is everlasting, and “has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).
Whatever my emotions about the fate of the nation God has chosen for me to call home, I must remain focused on “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable” and “anything [that] is excellent or praiseworthy” (Philippians 4:8), particularly for hurting people, whether they see this time as a “golden age” or something much less auspicious.