The “United” States Protests: A Nation In Distress
Kings Shall NEver RUle US…Unless?
Protests are nothing new, especially in the United States. One could say this nation started because of one giant protest against British rule. We didn’t want a distant king to ever rule over us… but what about one that’s not so distant? That seems to be what modern day Americans are asking themselves right now. However, can you have an America without a democracy? Are we actually heading towards a king/ monarchy or is it something much worse?
Politics are always fun because as a journalist, you should always try to stay unbias, stick to the facts and stand by the truth… however in politics, what even are the facts? The “facts” and “truth” become extremely murky when discussing them in these situations. As the saying goes, history is written by the victors. So what may be the truth or facts now - may not be depending on who comes out on top or who you even ask today. Also, what is right or wrong is a philosophical question that is always changing depending on what our society deems is right or wrong. I’ll be trying to do the herculean task of coming off as unbiased as I can in this article. With all of that out of the way, let’s begin and examine the current state of the United States, if you can even call them united now.
The Divided States of America
Starting off strong and unbiased there, I know… but lately they don’t fell very united, I feel like almost everyone can agree about that. Where did this division begin? When did it start? Well, we’ve always been divided in some way or form for forever. I mean, we literally had a Civil War with ourselves over whether or not we should be able to own slaves… or it was about state rights, depending on who you ask - which still mostly was about the state right to own slaves. Anyways, that’s a whole article for another time. Point is we’ve been deeply divided before to the point almost half the states tried to break away and form their own nation. So this is nothing new per say but that doesn’t make it good or ok. Does that mean we are heading towards another civil war? I wish I could definitively say no but only time will tell.
Let’s get back to that question now, where and when did this current divide start? Again, it’s hard to pin point an exact time and place, due to people always having differing views. I’m sure some people will say on January 20th in 2017 when Donald Trump was inaugurated for his first term. However, that would be a bit revisionist history because we were not exactly sure how and what a Trump presidency would actually look like. However, the seeds of the current divide were definitely planted during the 2016 presidential campaign with the rise of the terms “fake news” and “misinformation” in mainstream media. Those two phrases set the groundwork for an easy out for politicians, news organizations or just regular people to distrust and ignore any information they wish, no matter how true or fact based that info may be.
That pesky question is still not answered, I know, so let me finally answer it. 2020. When the entire world went into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. During this time, partly probably due to the mental stress put on everyone due to an event like a global pandemic, is when finally the divide really split. We had the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests, with the counter protest group All Lives Matter (ALM) starting, as well as the All Cops Are Bad (ACAB) movement begin to have a lot coverage and steam across the U.S. Also, by this time Trump was in his final year of his first term and people finally knew how a Trump presidency would actually be like. Then add on the impossible task to control and respond to a pandemic in a way without over-reaching government power and also trying to run a campaign to get re-elected, Trump was put in a tough position. However, getting rid of Obama’s pandemic response team in 2018 maybe wasn’t the best play in hindsight.
So, we already have all of these things happening… and then the results for the 2020 presidential election came in. Joe Biden has beat out Trump - or did he? That’s the question Trump sent out to the world and his supporters. Did Biden actually win? Or did the Democrats cheat and commit election and voter fraud? All of this then led up to January 6th, 2021. Where after a Trump rally, which turned into a riot, in Washington D.C., his supporters stormed the Capital Building in attempts to stop Congress from formalizing Biden’s victory. Congressmen and woman fled the building or barricaded themselves inside to protect themselves as these rioters threatened their lives. Eventually after all the chaos died down, according to the courts, the election was valid after many lawsuits were filed.
So why is this is all happening? Why are we so divided still? Sounds like everything is fixed! The 2020 election was proven to be valid and Biden served his full term! However, people, including Trump, still claim this election was stolen in what is now deemed “The Big Lie.” Ok well, anyways, we’re no longer in a pandemic and have a vaccine for Covid-19! However, a rise in distrust in our medical institutions and leaders due to the “rushed” Covid-19 vaccine has given a rise to anti-vaccine sentiment and… masks!? Also, even though we may no longer be in lockdown, that effect on the economy and trade is still being felt worldwide with inflation happening almost everywhere at a higher rate than usual. You may be thinking after reading this, well thank god Trump can’t run for another term, especially after being impeached twice. Well.
Trump Is Elected President For A Second Term… And Beyond?
The interesting thing about democracy and America is even if you are a felon convicted on 34 counts, proven to have sexually abused someone in a civil trial and, like previously stated, was impeached twice among many other things - you can still run and win a presidency in the United States apparently. Even though Trump wouldn’t even be able to vote in certain states due to his felony charges. Also, remember those rioters who threatened politicians and stormed the capital in 2021 I just mentioned? They were all pardoned by Trump in an executive order on the first day of his second term. Speaking of executive orders, there are way too many to reasonably bring up that have been enacted not even 100 days into Trumps second term. Those orders paired with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), yes named after the doge meme and cryptocurrency Dogecoin, headed by - or created by/ completely unaffiliated with depending on who you ask - unelected billionaire, Elon Musk, that is currently investigating wasteful spending… there is a lot going on.
For the sake of this article we are going to focus specifically on one executive order. The one trying to get rid of birthright citizenship that Trump ordered on his first day in office of his second term. Why is this one so important? Well birthright citizenship is stated in the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Yes, THAT Constitution. How is this possible? How can a part of the Constitution be just written away, just like that, in a executive order issued by one single person? Well, the thing is, it can’t be done… or at least shouldn’t be able to be done. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments for this executive order on May 15th. No matter what the ruling is, the current President of the United States tried to amend the constitution solely by himself. If that isn’t abuse of power, what is?
Again, there is so much happening so it’s hard to cover absolutely everything. Currently, we have some people calling for election fraud or interference in the 2024 election as well. With things like Elon Musk offering a $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes in Pennsylvania and just a bunch of people in disbelief that Trump could be elected for a second term. Especially since Trump only received 49.8% of popular vote with Kamala Harris only ~2.3 million votes behind him at 48.3%. Those numbers alone just show how divided the country is at this point, at least of people who actually decided to vote. People are frustrated, upset, confused, etc. You may think then, well no matter what, at least Trump can’t run for a third term, right? Well.
According to the 22nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, no, he can’t. However, Trump is not ruling out running for a third term, saying “There are methods to do so.” At this point, you may be asking, what even is the point of the Constitution if one person could just decide to completely ignore it or change it? If you are thinking this, you’re not alone.
Hands OFF Protests Are Happening Across the Entire Nation
Sweeping the nation this year, in blue and red states, large cities and small towns, the “Hands Off” Protests are happening everywhere. Both Democrats and Republicans are joining in, especially after the current trade war Trump has started that has currently tanked our stock market, economy and is added to the list of things that is straining our international relations. People are upset, a lot of people, and they are exercising their right to peacefully protest everywhere. Even in places like Fremont, OH - which has a population of ~15,700 - are seeing protests happen with 130 protesters showing up at the most recent one held on April 19th, 2025. My coverage of that event can be watched below.
The first nationwide protest, held on April 5th, 2025, was estimated to have 3-5 million people show up in resistance against the current Trump administration. Why? Well as I’ve said multiple time, there are so many things happening that it’s impossible to keep up with and state everything here. It’s gotten to the point that no matter what you support, you may find something you hold near and dear under attack or trying to be changed. Especially if you like living under a Democratic Republic form of government, which undeniably the current administration is straying away from. The very foundation of what America is and stands for, is changing or you may say is under attack. So now is the time to act if you believe your rights are under attack or being compromised. However, maybe these changes benefit you or maybe you even like them. Under a democracy, like ours currently is, you are free to believe that. That’s your right. However, what happens when that right is taken away? I guess only time will tell and the victors will answer that question in the history books. Thank you for reading.
