Dear John,

This week marked one year since Trump’s inauguration. 

Trying to take stock of what’s happened in the year since he took office for the second time is a daunting task—from the barrage of executive orders to the appointment of unqualified cabinet members, restructuring and elimination of federal agencies, mass firings of federal employees, attacks on universities and women’s studies programs to elimination of diversity programs, and more. There’s a lot to keep track of. 

An analysis from the National Partnership for Women and Families chronicles 53 actions to date by the Trump administration that specifically targeted women and families. These ranged from impacts on women in the workplace, such as threatening the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, revoking policies governing sexual harassment, stripping protections for domestic workers, and other laws and policies that supported women and women of color in particular; to life-threatening impacts on women’s health, by gutting Medicaid, allowing the Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire and freezing funding for the Title X Family Planning Program. The list is far longer than I could include here; I encourage you to read it in its entirety. As I said, it’s a lot to keep track of—but each move is a blow to our fundamental rights, and we can’t let any action go unnoticed. The list will be our roadmap for restoring and rebuilding when the opportunity presents. 

It’s not just women in the U.S. who are being impacted: the dismantling of USAID funding last year, and most recently Trump’s radically expanded Global Gag Rule, announced just yesterday, threaten the lives and wellbeing of women worldwide. The Global Gag Rule has historically prevented NGOs around the world from advocating for or providing abortions if they are receiving U.S. funds—Trump reinstated the rule as one of his first actions in office. The new, expanded Gag Rule goes even further, applying the policy to organizations that advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion programs and support the rights of trans people. The change has the potential to affect billions of dollars in funding for organizations around the globe. 

Trump’s rampage over the past year hasn’t gone unnoticed by the American public. His approval ratings have dropped by over ten points since a year ago among registered voters, and his support among younger and nonwhite voters has dropped quite significantly, according to a New York Times/Siena University poll. When it comes to the reasons for these drops in his support, well, it’s just about everything he’s done: voters have unfavorable views of his performance on nearly every issue the poll asked about, in particular the economy and his handling of the Epstein files. 

It’s been a year of devastation—of severe threats to health and wellbeing, of economic loss, of fear for undocumented and immigrant communities. But it’s also been a year of resistance—from the sounds of fiery speeches in the halls of power to the cries of whistles in the streets of American cities. The resistance is massive, and growing every day. Millions have taken to the streets for No Kings marches. More than 600 lawsuits have been brought against the administration—and we’re winning most of them. Democrats saw significant victories in the elections last November—victories that were carried by women’s votes.

Ms. will be here for the fight forward, and to rebuild a democracy and a country that treats all of us as human beings entitled to equality, respect and justice under the law.

Onward,

Kathy Spillar

Executive Editor

Tune in for a new episode of Ms. magazine's podcast, On the Issues with Michele Goodwin, at MsMagazine.com, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Welcome to “The Magazine,” our mini-pod, which gives a peek into Ms. magazine’s forthcoming and current issues. In this episode, take a glimpse inside our Winter 2026 issue, which delves into the promise and potential of the abortion medication Mifepristone—which has been shown to treat a striking range of diseases and conditions including fibroids, breast cancer, depression, endometriosis and more. Also in the Winter issue: Jess Michaels on surviving Epstein, the Iceland “Women’s Strike” turns 50, and more. Get the magazine delivered right to your mailbox!

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U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation. For over 50 years, Ms. has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines, championing the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most impacted. With all that’s at stake for equality, we are redoubling our commitment for the next 50 years. In turn, we need your help, Support Ms. today with a donation—any amount that is meaningful to you. We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity.

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