By J. H. Irwin
Author | Storyteller | Capturing Life, Memory, and Meaning
We have era designations such as BC and AD. I have been thinking about another one I look forward to using: AT, After Trump.
It will never be an official designation on a calendar, but for so many of us, it will describe a turning point we have been longing to reach. A time when we can begin looking ahead with hope again.
So many Americans have experienced this era as a succession of losses. Loss of hope, loss of pride in our country, loss of financial security, and fear over whether our healthcare and our rights will survive the next political decision. There is an exhaustion that comes from constantly wondering what will happen next and who will be hurt by it. Over time, that exhaustion can make a person forget that a different future is possible.
But I believe we will get beyond this. Leadership that serves all of us can return, hope can return, and some measure of unity can return. We have lived with so much division that it can be difficult to imagine a country where disagreement does not consume every conversation. I can still imagine it, and I believe we have the ability to build it.
Hungary offers a reason to hold onto that belief. In April, voters ended Viktor Orban’s 16 years in power and chose Peter Magyar and his Tisza party. Orban’s government had weakened judicial independence and restricted media freedoms, drawing sustained criticism over its authoritarian direction. Yet voters were able to bring his long tenure to an end.
Our countries have different histories and different political systems, but I see something deeply hopeful in that result. A leader who appears impossible to dislodge can lose the public’s support. People who have grown tired of being told to accept the way things are can choose another direction. Hungary’s election reminds us that an entrenched political era can end.
The work afterward is already beginning. Hungary’s new government has established an anti-corruption body, which announced its first investigations in September, and has stated its intention to rebuild trust with its European and NATO partners. An election can open the door to renewal, but the repair requires work long after the celebrations are over.
We will have our own work to do. There will be rugs to lift and dark corners to examine, places where wrongdoing was hidden and accountability was avoided. There will be relationships to rebuild, public institutions to strengthen, and economic insecurity to confront. Some of that work will take years, but the length of the task should give us a reason to begin, not a reason to surrender.
And we should think carefully about what we are rebuilding. Simply putting everything back as it was will leave too many people facing the same frustrations and unmet needs that existed before this era. We have an opportunity to build something that works for life as people are actually living it today. A country where working hard offers a reasonable chance at stability, where getting sick does not unravel a family’s future, and where everyone’s rights are protected.
That will require the old guard to make room for a new generation of leaders. Leaders with fresh perspectives, practical ideas, and a willingness to listen to the average citizen. Leaders who understand what rent, groceries, childcare, and healthcare mean to a household trying to make it through the month. People should be able to recognize their own lives in the priorities of those elected to serve them.
Zohran Mamdani offers one example of the possibilities that fresh leadership can bring. In September, he and Governor Kathy Hochul launched New York City’s free 2-K childcare program, with its first phase serving more than 2,000 two-year-olds. That is a concrete step toward easing a burden families carry every day. For me, it demonstrates how hope becomes more meaningful when people can see a change in their own lives.
No leader will fulfill every promise or solve every problem. We should expect honest explanations, measurable progress, and a willingness to change course when something does not work. The next generation deserves our attention and our encouragement, along with the accountability that keeps public service connected to the public.
I want leaders who have witnessed the pitfalls of figures such as Orban and Trump and understand the responsibility of taking us forward. I want them to recognize that people are weary of government conducted as a constant battle for personal power. There is so much talent, imagination, and compassion in this country. We deserve leadership that helps those qualities flourish.
Kings, dictators, autocrats, and anyone who believes a nation exists to serve their personal ambitions represent a model of power humanity should be leaving behind. If we are to survive and thrive on this planet, we need leadership rooted in human rights, cooperation, and respect for the people whose lives are affected by its decisions. The future should offer greater freedom and opportunity to ordinary people. It should give our children more room to live, love, and become who they are.
I believe unity can grow from that kind of leadership. We will still have disagreements, and some wounds will take a long time to heal. But we can share a commitment to fair elections, equal rights, honest government, and the dignity of our neighbors. We can learn to see one another as people with lives, worries, and hopes worth understanding.
Our part in this future begins now
We can vote, support thoughtful candidates, stay engaged in our communities, and insist that those who represent us do their jobs. We can also offer encouragement to people who have become too tired to believe their participation matters. Hope grows stronger when we give it something to do.
I do believe we will one day look at the Trump MAGA era in the rearview mirror. I believe we can regain pride in our country by making it more worthy of the people who call it home. And I believe we can make America great again in the purest sense of those words: through compassion, fairness, opportunity, and leadership truly devoted to we the people.
AT, After Trump, is how I imagine the beginning of that next chapter. There will be difficult days, but there will also be the relief of knowing we are working toward something better. We have every reason to keep moving toward that future. I still believe in us.
Words can still move the world. Read mine → https://substack.com/@jhirwin