NYT: Trump Weakens as Resistance Grows Stronger
Tehran - BORNA - For those capable of seeing through Donald Trump's "kakistocracy"—a government run by the worst or least qualified individuals—2025 has been a harrowing year. He returned to power with renewed boldness, surrounded by sycophantic tech moguls who appeared to control not just the country but the spirit of the age. Since then, the year has been a succession of nightmares, characterized by masked gunmen on the streets, migrants sent to torture-ridden prisons in El Salvador, and corruption on a scale unimaginable even to the most flamboyant third-world dictators. This period also witnessed a shocking capitulation by many leaders in business, law, media, and academia.
However, as 2025 draws to a close, the New York Times notes that there are reasons for hope, largely thanks to millions of people across the United States who have refused to submit to the administration's bullying. When Trump began his second term, conventional wisdom suggested that resistance was fading, but that is no longer the case. The year 2025 saw some of the largest street protests in American history. Amanda Litman, founder of "Run for Something," reported more registrations for young progressives seeking local office than in all four years of Trump's first term. Even in Indiana, a Republican-dominated legislature rebelled against MAGA efforts to gerrymander congressional maps, fearing the backlash from voters.
Leah Greenberg, co-founder of the resistance group "Indivisible," stated that while Trump has caused extraordinary generational damage, he has failed to successfully consolidate his power. This failure is attributed not to the efforts of elite institutions or political leadership, but to ordinary people refusing to go along with fascism. A key example occurred in June when Trump’s planned military parade, intended as a display of dominance, failed in the face of massive "No Kings" protests across the country. Later, when Disney-owned ABC bowed to right-wing pressure by removing host Jimmy Kimmel for comments regarding the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a massive wave of boycotts against Disney+ and Hulu forced the company to reinstate him, marking a significant victory for freedom of speech.
Trump has also faced setbacks within the legal system. Although he has heavily corrupted the Department of Justice, his selective prosecutions of political enemies have been thwarted by judges and, more surprisingly, by grand juries. For instance, two grand juries refused to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James, whom the administration accused of mortgage fraud without credible evidence. According to the New York Times, Trump is ending the year weak and unpopular, with his coalition discouraged and plagued by internal rifts. Democrats dominated the November elections, even flipping school board seats across the nation—a sharp reversal from the cultural backlash that originally helped bring Trump back to power.
The American newspaper emphasizes that much of the credit for the revived resistance belongs to Trump himself. Had he focused his deportation campaigns only on criminals or avoided damaging the economy with erratic tariffs while mocking affordability concerns, he might have remained a more powerful figure. He remains an extraordinarily dangerous individual, especially as he feels increasingly cornered. For example, as of this writing, the U.S. could have been at war with Venezuela without the administration providing a plausible rationale for the escalation. Over the past year, it has become easier to imagine the moment his aura of invincibility finally shatters, primarily because a significant portion of Americans refused to be afraid of him or complicit in his actions.
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