The State of American Democracy Remains Uncertain, Under Threat
Oscar Lakowicz
He/Him
Contributor
3/4/25
Americans made their choice on November 6th 2024. That choice was to re-elect the thirty-four count convicted felon, liable for sexual assault, womanizing, racist and known scam-artist Donald J. Trump as President of the United States. Donald Trump has called this election a ‘mandate’ from the people, and as the GOP controls all three branches of the federal government it is clear that he will get his way.
The President made his agenda clear with his cabinet picks including Matt Gaetz, the former congressman who was found by the House Ethics committee to have been paying a seventeen year old child for sexual encounters, as Attorney General, has now removed himself from consideration for the role as confidence in his hearings was limited. Pete Hegseth, the accused sexual abuser and alcoholic whose last role was acting as a Fox News personality, as Secretary of Defense. Krist Noem, self-admitted dog killer, as Secretary of Homeland Security. Tulsi Gabbard, peddler of Russian propaganda and friend of former dictator of Syria Bashar al-Assad as director of National Intelligence. Robert F. Kennedy Jr, vaccine denier, as Secretary of Health and Human Services and Kash Patel, conspiracy theorist as Director of the FBI.
The President’s picks have not been exclusive to just political allies and entertainment personalities, but also includes prominent donor to his campaign Elon Musk as head of “D.O.G.E” or the Department of Government Efficiency. While the Trump administration claims Elon Musk is not an employee of D.O.G.E it has been clear from multiple interviews featuring both Musk and Trump that Musk is the acting head of the new department.
The second Trump administration has already made waves by renaming the ‘Gulf of Mexico’ to the ‘Gulf of America’ as well as seemingly abandoning campaign promises including no taxes on tips, and the reduction of inflation on day one. Trump has begun the process of peace talks regarding the Russo-Ukraine war without President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky present showcasing his willingness to work with Dictator Vladimir Putin. Under Trump’s directions, JD Vance has made a speech proclaiming that Europe can no longer rely on the United States, and has gone on record supporting the far-right party of Germany in their most recent elections.
Democrats have been plugging the holes of the sinking nation where they can, however with a minority in the House, Senate and Supreme Court there is little to be done on a national scale. That is not to say that democrats are doing nothing, notably Democratic Governors have taken the stand defending their states from Trump’s overreach. Governor J.B Pritzker of Illinois, Gavin Newsome of California, and most recently Governor Janet Mills have all stood up to Trump and stood by their states, willing to stand in-between the president and their states most vulnerable communities.
All of this is to say that the state of American Democracy seems fickle and uncertain, as the heads of our most critical government agencies are now staffed by incompetent Trump loyalists, and the richest among us has seemingly unlimited control of staffing the government head to toe. Our allies have begun to realize that this America may not be willing to stand up for democracy and western values as they have become accustomed to. America as the liberal internationalist state it has been known as may be quickly vanishing. Democrats are patching holes in a sinking ship, but we will not give up. We will always be the party of the people his loss will not deter us from being the party of empathy, compassion, and defenders of human rights. We will never stop trying to make America the nation we know it can be.
Oscar Lakowicz,
President of the Plymouth State University Democrats
(note: If you are interested in learning how you can help fight back against the Trump administration, please join us at our weekly meetings on Thursdays at 4:15 PM in Rounds Hall Room 307.)