America's sleeping giant wakes up —to a nightmare

U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump participate in an observance ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon, in Washington, D.C., September 11, 2026.

We’re now officially in the run-up to the midterm elections, with 51 days to go before Election Day 2026.

The good news is most Americans now understand how bad Trump is. With the exception of Nixon, he’s the most unpopular second-term president at this stage in his tenure in the history of polling going back to the 1940s.

On issues where he once was strong — like the economy, national security and immigration — Trump is now underwater, with more Americans opposing than supporting his policies.

All the major problems America now faces are entirely self-inflicted by Trump.

Before he was reelected, the United States was not at war with anyone, and oil moved freely through the Persian Gulf. Now, we’re mired in a war in Iran without apparent end, the gulf is blocked and the Red Sea potentially blocked — sending oil prices soaring. We’ve also strengthened and made more militant Iran’s ruling regime.

Before he was reelected, the U.S. economy was in good shape. The Economist called it “the envy of the world.” Now prices are rising faster than wages, meaning that most Americans are becoming poorer. We’re even in a trade war with our heretofore closest ally, Canada, and Trump is posting insulting memes about Canada and its prime minister on social media.

Before he was reelected, hardworking people in our communities — many of them neighbors and friends — felt safe. Now his mass deportations have created trauma and chaos in our communities, including unpredictable arrests, imprisonments, deportations, and deaths.

Finally, Americans are seeing this rot. The great sleeping giant of America is awakening.

But I need to warn you against three attitudes I’m picking up among Democrats and progressives that frankly worry me.

The first is complacency. Some people tell me that Democrats are “sure” to take the House and have a “good chance” to take the Senate.

Maybe the betting odds show this, but taking the House is far from a sure thing. As to the Senate, we need to hold all the seats held by Democrats and also flip five additional ones (I say five because Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman may switch to the Republican Party after the midterms, or vote with Republicans).

Moreover, polls are notoriously unreliable, as we’ve painfully learned.

So please do not fall into complacency. It’s far too easy to sit on your hands and expect that we have the votes. Take nothing for granted.

The second attitude I worry about is the opposite: defeatism. Some people tell me Democrats and progressives “don’t stand a chance” because Trump won’t allow it. He’ll stop at nothing. The fix is in. He’s already sowing chaos on mail-in ballots. And what about the $5,000 bribes, and his bonkers request that his followers cheat?

Please don’t fall into defeatism, either. There’s a decent chance we will win both chambers — if we work hard enough.

The third attitude that worries me is cynicism. Yesterday someone said to me it “doesn’t matter” if Democrats take the House or even the Senate because Trump will just ignore whatever Congress does.

Look, I know how harrowing the last year and a half has been. Many of us were shocked when he was reelected and have been shocked since then at how ignorant and horrific he and his regime have been.

But there’s no excuse for cynicism. If Democrats control the House, they can make life exceedingly difficult for Trump; if they also control the Senate, they could possibly (with the help of some Senate Republicans) convict him of impeachable offenses and send him packing.

It’s critical that each of us work as hard as we can over the next 51 days to (1) get everyone who’s qualified registered to vote, and then help ensure that they do vote (check out vote.org), (2) protect our electoral machinery from any and all interference, (3) explain to everyone who’ll listen why this election is so vitally important, and (4) not succumb to complacency, defeatism, or cynicism.

We are the only people who will rescue us from this nightmare. We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for. The next 51 days are crucial.

Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at https://robertreich.substack.com/

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