Dear Jack Hassard,

I write to you again ¹ from a future that fills me with dread and a glimmer of hope. The years since Donald Trump’s rise have been a dark and perilous time for our once-great nation. His authoritarian rule has crushed the democratic freedoms we once took for granted.

Trump’s ascent to power in 2016 was a shock to the system, enabled by a perfect storm of factors—economic anxiety, racial resentment, and the naivety of those who thought, “It can’t happen here.” But it did. Through a campaign of lies, demagoguery, and a breathtaking disregard for democratic norms, Trump secured the presidency.

Nightmarish Four Years

What followed was a nightmarish four years that saw the steady erosion of our most cherished institutions. Trump’s blatant self-dealing and flagrant abuse of power finally caught up with him, as he was indicted on charges of business fraud in New York and rape and sexual assault. Yet his most ardent followers remained steadfast, deaf to reason and facts. He staged a violent coup on January 6, 2021 preparing his followers for the acceptance of violence as a political act.

The Election

As we approach the 2024 election, the specter of Trump’s return looms large. His fascist acolytes, empowered and encouraged, are poised to seize power once more. The stakes could not be higher – it is a battle for the very soul of America between the forces of democracy and the dark tide of authoritarianism. Listen to those who can teach you about tyrants and fascists, such as Ruth Ben-Ghiat. In her recent book, Strongman: Mussolini to the Present, she identifies Donald Trump as one of the strongmen, including Mussolini, Hitler, Berlusconi, Bolsonaro, Erdogan, and others.

You should also study the works of Dr Bandi X. Lee (The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump) and Dr. Robert Jay Lifton’s research on political violence, & malignant normality.

We who have lived through this dystopian era implore you: do not make the same mistakes we did. Be vigilant, be informed, and be resolute in your defense of freedom. The road ahead will be arduous, but the alternative is a future that none of us can bear to imagine.

Yours in hope,

Skyler

Footnotes

1. Skyler Fusaro is a fictional character that I created in 2012. From time to time, she reaches out to me to issue warnings and observations about important issues that we face in the early 21st century. Skyler lives in Atlanta (where I live) in the later part of the 21st century. Here is one of her letters, in which she challenges us about education and the climate crisis.