January 24, 2026

Only a day before Donald Trump stood on a global stage and declared that he was prosecuting political enemies, Prime Minister Mark Carney issued an important warning: “We know the old order is not coming back. We shouldn't mourn it. Nostalgia is not a strategy.”

In his observation, Carney touched on America’s Achilles’ heel and the challenge for the pro-democracy movement. Though the United States is a young country, we celebrate it as the world’s oldest democracy. Though Jim Crow ended only a generation ago, we recite how this country guarantees liberty and justice for all.

The United States’ identity is entangled in nostalgia. We tell ourselves that the Statue of Liberty’s torch guided immigrants towards a beacon of hope. Our presidents paved the path to peace in two world wars. We are not only a world power, but the global light of justice and liberty. 

There is a reason why Donald Trump’s slogan to Make America Great Again resonated with the masses, even though it excluded so many.

Like many families, mine came to America to flee persecution. Under the Russian czars, they lived in the Pale of Settlement — the only area in the empire where Jews were allowed to legally reside. Life in the Pale was difficult. Jewish families were subject to pogroms, where they would be beaten, killed and expelled from their villages. 

America wasn’t the only safe haven, but it was certainly a safe haven for many — including my family. As Holocaust survivor Benjamin Meed was told when his boat docked at New York Harbor after the long journey from Warsaw, “Everything is open to you. What you do is up to you.”

That America doesn’t exist anymore. And we cannot afford to be nostalgic for it. Yet, we still are.

During his testimony on Thursday, former Special Counsel Jack Smith warned: “If we do not hold the most powerful people in our society to the same standards, the rule of law, it can be catastrophic. It can endanger our election process, it can endanger election workers and ultimately, our democracy.” 

While I agree with the threat posed by Trump, I worry about Smith’s use of the word “if.” We do not hold the most powerful people in our society to the same standards. The rule of law is not applied fairly or to all. 

Our election process is already endangered. Election officials are regularly doxed and attacked by Trump and his supporters. Our democracy is already on life support. It is already catastrophic. 

Worse still, it’s not coming back. Those who are looking in the rearview mirror and expecting the rule of law to crawl back to us are fooling themselves. Those who expect the old norms and institutions to protect us are endangering our democracy.

For over a year now, Trump has targeted and threatened his political opponents. His administration has ignored court orders. His party is actively trying to manipulate and rig the next election for his political party.

The paradox of the current moment is that while none of this is normal, it is also not extraordinary. It is the country in which we live, and we are not going back to a previous era. Those who sit around and insist things will revert after Trump is gone have learned nothing from the history of why many of our families once fled to this country.

It’s heartbreaking that this is what the United States has come to. But we are doing ourselves a disservice by thinking otherwise. 

From what I witnessed at Davos, our NATO allies have come to terms with the new world order. The United States is no longer a steady ally and a trusted global power — but an unstable volcano ready to erupt. We cannot be looked to for democracy, nor can we be the torchbearers for peace. They should be wary of us, and they should be prepared for uncertainty. 

Just as nostalgia is not a strategy for them, it cannot be one for those of us who care about democracy and free and fair elections. 

There are no longer huddled masses at the Statue of Liberty. Instead, we see ICE agents terrorizing our cities.

Our government no longer believes that its power comes from the consent of the governed. Instead, Trump believes power comes from threats and force.

Most importantly, we no longer have a country in which we have one system of justice for all, and no one is above the law. 

However, if we allow ourselves to let go of nostalgia and recognize our current reality, we can, as Carney said, “build something better, stronger, more just.”

Now, here's a little joy from a pawtner in the opposition.