Cassandra Versus Pollyanna: The Annus Mirabilis of Trump 2.0

Cassandra Versus Pollyanna: The Annus Mirabilis of Trump 2.0

The year 2025 is approaching its closing time, which invites retrospection and recapitulation. Numerous people, even among those whose convictions dovetail with our own beliefs, quickly forget the good and emphasize the negatives. Debates of the type “Cassandra versus Pollyanna” abound in times of reflection and can reveal a lot about human nature and group mentality.

When I first arrived in America, I had a Cassandra-like, typical East-European perception of life and politics, tinted by some existential sorrow and distrust of authorities. Being pessimistic and almost cynical seemed to my immature mind to be a wiser outlook on life. It also served as a coping mechanism against the inevitable pangs of disappointment. I soon learned that “How are you doing?” was just a polite greeting, not an actual question, since no one wanted to hear what was wrong with me or the world in the space of several seconds. 

Little by little, I embraced the “can-do” confidence, faith, and optimism so characteristic of the American way. In other words, to my own surprise, I became something of a Pollyanna, and I don’t regret my metamorphosis. This is not to say that there aren’t plentiful tragedies and horrors that affect the world and the human condition. Of course there are, and we must do our best to prevent and overcome them. But genuine happiness is inconceivable without feeling gratitude and evaluating things in perspective. A pessimistic outlook may be a quick painkiller against frustrated expectations. But it may also erode one’s resolve, while faith and hope frequently fortify one’s courage and open new possibilities for purposeful action.

This brings me to a reflection upon the achievements of 2025. The Trump 2.0 administration has been one of the most energetic and successful in history. The USA has brokered momentous peace deals and reached significant diplomatic victories. It has regained international respect and ensured beneficial trade agreements. Anti-Western indoctrination in government institutions, education, and business has been openly opposed and weakened. Our borders are secure, and numerous criminals have been deported. Several cities have witnessed reduced crime rates due to the National Guard’s deployment. Military recruitment has greatly increased, and national pride has been resuscitated. The energy sector is thriving, liberated from the burden of harmful and unscientific green obsessions. Tariffs and investments have generated substantial revenue, and the economy is continually improving.

We still have a long way to go in order to prevail in the long-term civilizational battle to preserve our values and reinstate them in our education and culture. It will take many years to eradicate the antisemitic, anti-American, and anti-Western poison that subverts Western societies from within and makes them vulnerable from without. Another dangerous development has been the increase of ideologically motivated violence, which shows the enemy’s desperation and audacity. We must be ever-vigilant and better defend ourselves against the unbridled aggression of cornered radicals.

But it is also important to give credit where it is due and acknowledge the undeniable positives. A Democrat administration would have been an unmitigated and almost irreversible disaster — international disrespect and waste of taxpayers’ funds on harmful globalist causes, rampant crime and illegal immigration, unsustainable socialist policies, expensive and inefficient green energy mandates, wokeness on steroids, pervasive hatred of America and the West imposed on children and youth, an expanding red-green-and-blue alliance, and destruction of our morale and meritocratic system, to name just a few glaring problems.

Instead, we are preparing to celebrate a quarter millennium since the most prosperous, free, and inspiring system of governance was invented. America is recovering from a massive assault on its soul, traditions, and ideals. It is emerging victorious as the strongest citadel guarding against the multi-faceted forces that desire destruction of the West and its principles. We need to keep fighting but also acknowledge that it has been a veritable annus mirabilis, which has rescued us from a bottomless precipice.

Churchill reportedly remarked that “[s]uccess consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” The past year commenced with a flying start, and the rest of it did not disappoint. It has been a rapid journey from failure not to another failure but to a meteoric success, which gives us all the more reason to remain resilient and optimistic. May 2026 be even better!

Nora D. Clinton is a Research Scholar at the Legal Insurrection Foundation. She was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria. She holds a PhD in Classics and has published extensively on ancient documents on stone. In 2020, she authored the popular memoir Quarantine Reflections Across Two Worlds. Nora is a co-founder of two partner charities dedicated to academic cooperation and American values. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and son.

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