What I Think My Future Will Look Like Living Under Trump's Rule

It ain't good.

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I have not been very optimistic lately about our country surviving as the nation I have known for 77 years. I have read article after article and watched podcast after podcast about how we are fighting back and winning against Trump’s authoritarian takeover of our beloved country. But in my opinion, I don’t see the momentum, and I fear for my immediate future; the years I have remaining in this life.

I am a gay senior citizen in a same-sex marriage, and I am sure there are millions like me who are also concerned about their futures. I am genuinely alarmed at how quickly and easily Trump has been able to undermine our democracy. Just a few short years ago, I had complete confidence that my so-called golden years would be worry-free and comfortable. I believed my marriage was secure, my Social Security was strong, and my healthcare was adequate; if not becoming more inclusive and affordable.

I first began to worry when our conservative and bigoted Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, going against the wishes of the majority of Americans. At that time, Justices Thomas and Alito voiced their intention to “revisit” same-sex marriage, hoping to make it illegal once again.

Throughout Trump’s first term, I remained concerned as calls to abolish same-sex marriage became increasingly frequent and determined. My well-meaning but uninformed straight friends tried to reassure me by saying that the Supreme Court had already made it legal. Time and time again, I had to remind them that abortion had also been legal before Trump got involved, and that, in all likelihood, they themselves had voted for him.

I watched Trump campaign, and ultimately win the 2024 election, by attacking and demonizing transgender people and the LGBTQ+ community. Voters were frightened by a group of fellow citizens who make up less than 1% of the population. It is disheartening to realize that many of the people who supported Trump, and therefore his anti-gay, anti-trans agenda, were my own friends and even my family. They smiled to my face, yet voted to take away my marriage, my rights, and my freedoms.

Nine months into Trump’s second term, I have watched a Supreme Court I once respected and trusted actively assist him in dismantling the Constitution and stripping away the rights and freedoms of countless people, including women, immigrants, and people of color. Any day now, I expect the headlines to read, “SCOTUS Reverses Obergefell v. Hodges,” thereby nullifying all gay marriages. As far as the federal government will be concerned, I will no longer be married and will no longer enjoy any rights as a gay citizen. Thank God, for now, I live in New York State!

In New York, I will still be considered married and granted the same rights as any married couple living in the state. However, I will no longer be able to file a joint federal income tax return, and my husband will not be able to collect survivor benefits upon my death. Many other federal benefits would also be lost for couples in which one spouse is a veteran or a federal employee.

After losing my marriage and my rights as a gay person, there is a strong possibility that I will also lose my healthcare or be unable to afford my medications. This could happen if Trump succeeds in dismantling Medicare and Social Security. There is no hope of Republicans implementing their own healthcare program, as they have failed to introduce a plan in the past eight years. They have attempted to repeal the ACA more than 70 times without offering a replacement.

Losing my Social Security and healthcare will almost certainly shorten the time I have left on this earth; but perhaps that has been the Republican plan all along. I am sure Republican oligarchs view people like me as an economic burden. Yet, there is still more damage Trump can inflict on me and others like me.

After my marriage is taken from me and my Social Security and Medicare have been decimated, I will have only a few rights remaining. Among them are my right to vote, my freedom of speech and assembly, and my right to dissent. But we have seen how those rights are being challenged, as evidenced by Trump’s use of ICE as his personal police force.

I may be viewed as being negative or complaining about the actions, or lack thereof, by the Democratic Party. Yes, I am complaining. I’m upset that the party rolled over so easily and conceded defeat when Trump won the election. There were no lawsuits or calls for investigations into election irregularities. Even before that, I blame former Attorney General Merrick Garland and President Biden for not aggressively investigating Trump and Republican members of Congress for their roles in the January 6th insurrection.

Democratic leaders such as Chuck Schumer have passed their prime but have refused to hand over the mantle of leadership to younger, more progressive members of the party. Leaders like AOC, Bernie Sanders, Newsom, and Buttigieg are vigorously opposing Trump at every step, while others have settled for making speeches and calling for bipartisanship. The old guard cannot even unite behind the Democratic mayoral candidate for New York City, Zohran Mamdani. I do not consider my opinions to be an attack on the Democratic Party. I do not want to settle for mediocrity. I want the party to be inclusive and the best it can be.

I am sure some people reading this will dismiss my concerns as the paranoid ramblings of an old gay person, believing they have nothing to worry about. Well, I have news for you: except for the fact that I am gay, you are in the very same boat, especially if you are older, a person of color, poor or middle class, or even just a Democrat.

I’m not ready to give up; far from it. I still have some hope that a few Republican members of Congress will wake up, grow a spine, and start standing up to Trump. If all members of Congress were true American patriots, they would honor their oaths of office and stop Trump in his tracks.

I am proud of the federal judges in the lower courts who have done a fantastic job upholding the Constitution and thwarting Trump from bulldozing it along with the East Wing. The Supreme Court, on the other hand, has been complicit in Trump’s authoritarian takeover. I consider all the conservative judges on the Court to be corrupt, racist, Christo-fascist traitors.

Above all, I have the greatest respect and trust for the millions of everyday American patriots who showed up and protested Trump’s regime during the two No Kings Day demonstrations. I am confident that the movement will grow louder and stronger in the coming weeks. Hopefully, it can build unstoppable momentum leading into the midterm elections, inspiring voters to turn out in such huge numbers that any Republican attempts to rig the election will be defeated.

If all else fails, I can envision the military arresting Trump, his Cabinet, and the Republican leadership in Congress, dissolving the Supreme Court, and placing Obama in the White House until our democracy can be restored. This may be only a dream now, but the way things are going, it may not be so far fetched.

Let’s hope for the best outcome for our country in these terrible and uncertain times. I don’t want to worry about my future, and I’m sure you don’t either. So let’s do something about it. Resist!

Check out my new publication, Stephen Sovie’s Blog, the Other Side of My World