Hold On to What’s Right

Why our values still matter—even when everything feels wrong

If there’s one thing that unites those of us alarmed by Donald Trump’s assault on the nation, it’s a painful mix of shock, disorientation, and—let’s be honest—fear. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) recently acknowledged that these feelings have even permeated the halls of Congress. “We’re all afraid,” she told a crowd in Anchorage. “I’m oftentimes very anxious myself about using my voice, because [the] retaliation is real.”

I often hear similar expressions of anxiety and fear from people who recognize me in airports or around my neighborhood. They tell me they feel exhausted, anxious, and even depressed. I’m not a counselor, so I don’t offer therapeutic advice. But I do say this: You’re not alone.

Counselors across the country are reporting a surge in demand for their services, much of it driven by the chaos and tension coming out of Washington.

In North Texas, two therapists, recognizing the strain their peers were under, organized a course called “Navigating Politics in the Therapy Room.” It was very well attended.

In New York, a professor of psychiatry named Jack Drescher (not Descher) observed that Trump’s presidency has made life harder for many. “It feels like the intensity of anxiety is higher,” he told The Independent.

In Washington, D.C., psychologist Andrea Bonior told Axios that the “rapid-fire” pace of events is overwhelming people’s ability to cope. I agree. The sheer breadth of outrageous actions makes it feel like nothing is safe or stable anymore.

As Trump has attacked and dismantled one federal agency after another, he’s left people feeling unsafe and uncertain—no matter where they live or work. He has coerced law firms that once opposed him to provide over $1 billion worth of free legal services. Foreign nationals here legally have been detained without warning. He’s strong-armed universities into changing policies. By openly defying court orders, he is undermining the rule of law—the very foundation that distinguishes a democracy from a dictatorship. And now, he's driving us into a recession that will hurt nearly everyone except the very wealthy.

But beyond the damaging policy changes, Trump is eroding something even deeper: our shared sense of American morality. At the top of this list is the continued incarceration of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in a notoriously dangerous prison in El Salvador—a facility now receiving individuals swept up in ICE’s deportation campaign.

As you may know, Abrego Garcia was wrongly arrested and deported over a month ago. He had lived and worked legally in the U.S. since 2011. The Trump administration has admitted he was deported in error. Yet, they continue to use semantics and bureaucratic maneuvering to defy court orders demanding his return. People are rightly outraged by such a blatant injustice being carried out in full view of the world.

And the immorality doesn’t end there. The President and his allies have targeted military veterans by slashing the healthcare workforce dedicated to their needs. They’ve halted shipments of food and medical aid to countries suffering from famine and disease. Elon Musk—acting as the administration’s chief budget-cutter—claims that no lives have been lost as a result. But this is simply false. As Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times has reported, children in South Sudan have already died because U.S. food shipments were cut off.

As Trump traffics in immorality, illegality, and cruelty, tens of millions of Americans are experiencing the kind of distress that any decent person would feel. And that’s because we are decent people.

This is where I believe I can offer something beyond what a therapist might say. I find strength when I reconnect with my values and remind myself: We are not defined by what Trump says or does. We remain committed to the ideals of decency, generosity, lawfulness, and justice.

Hold on to that truth, and you just might feel a little more sane—no matter what they do.