Warning Signs from Trump’s Assault on Our Democracy Put The American Dream at Risk For the Next 250 Years

By Bridget Brink

Lansing Resident & former U.S. Ambassador

This week marks two and a half centuries since America declared our independence and rejected the tyranny of Great Britain’s king. In the 250 years since, the generations before us have faced challenges and triumphs that make us who we are.

But this July 4th, I fear the promise of the American Dream is slipping away for the generations of the next 250 years – not only our kids, but our kids’ kids and beyond. We have faced critical moments since the founding of our nation. And we have always found a way to come out stronger. But we need to act with urgency; there is too much at stake.

Our independent democracy has long been a beacon of hope and possibility for so many, including myself. My family was built on the American Dream:

I’m the granddaughter of a Lansing autoworker who worked at the Oldsmobile plant before shipping off to fight Hitler in Europe, leaving his newborn, my mom, behind. My grandparents did not see each other for three years and my mom didn’t know her own dad when he came home, but they understood fighting for freedom was right.

My mom became the first in our family to go to college, graduating from Michigan State University and becoming a public school teacher. She raised my sister and me as a single mom, and to make ends meet we lived with my grandparents. I’m a product of Michigan public schools, and my family taught me the values of hard work, integrity, and doing the right thing – no matter what.

Those values inspired me to proudly serve our country for 28 years under five Presidents in the U.S. Foreign Service. I started my career in war zones, served on President Obama’s National Security Council, and worked my way up to serve as Ambassador twice, including as the first woman to serve as U.S. Ambassador in a war zone. For three years, I led the American on-the-ground effort in Ukraine, working under daily missile and drone attacks, to repel Russia’s full-scale invasion and to fight for democracy. But when Trump kept siding with Putin, I knew I had to leave my career behind to resign in protest, to speak out against Trump and to run for Congress here at home in Lansing.

That is my American Dream – that the granddaughter of an autoworker, daughter of a single mom, can grow up to serve in the White House and a war zone. Only in America could I leave behind my career to speak out publicly about the harm to American interests from President Trump and come home to earn the support of my community to represent them in Congress. Because standing up to dictators and tyranny is what America was built on.

The American Dream means thatwith a strong education and hard work, anyone, no matter where they start in life, has a fair shot to succeed. But today, the American Dream, the promise of our democracy, is out of reach for too many.

I spent my entire career working in young democracies that emerged after the fall of communism’s Iron Curtain. I know the warning signs of an assault on democracy – and we’ve seen them right here in America under President Trump. They include:

Weaponizing our justice system against perceived political opponents, including elected leaders, journalists, businesses, and universities.

Militarizing our federal agents against our own citizens, including deadly violence in Minneapolis that killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and a cover-up of the truth.

Abusing presidential power to amass a personal fortune, including accepting “gifts” of a $400 million plane from a foreign country.

Launching foreign conflicts to distract from problems at home, with a war in Iran without justification or a clear strategic objective. Wasting billions of taxpayer dollars, putting our service members in harm’s way while sticking Michigan families with the bill and sky-high gas prices of nearly $5.00 a gallon.

Alone, each of these is a red flag.

Together, they point to a clear and present danger for our democracy.

We need to meet this critical moment in a way that honors the sacrifice of the generations who came before us and secures conditions for success for those who will follow for America’s next 250 years.

We must hold fast to who we are – a just and hard-working people, united in our love of freedom and the values that founded our nation, a 250-year-old experiment in democracy built on a free media, independent institutions, and checks and balances on power.

A government of the people, by the people, and for the people that leads with our values at home and abroad, showing leadership in the face of aggression, whether as an assault on our democratic values, or on our democratic neighbors – not weakness or complicity.

It also means understanding that this crisis comes from the belief that the American Dream is no longer possible as a result of a cost-of-living emergency that makes groceries, health care, and housing unaffordable for so many.

We have faced grave moments since the founding of our nation. And we have always found a way to come out stronger. If we can address this moment now, we will set the conditions for our future success.

This is why I left my career, spoke out against Donald Trump, and decided to run for Congress.  It’s about our kids and theirs.

I will never stop believing in the need for American leadership to secure our own future and offer the beacon of hope and possibility for every Michigander, every American, and so many others around the world.