A letter from 2026

It’s worse than we thought.

October 24, 2026

Dear Friend,

I hope all is well where you are. I’m managing. As difficult as my situation is, at least I have friends here. It helps make the long, anxious days a little easier. None of us knows exactly what to expect next.

Mostly, it’s frustrating. We tried so hard to warn people. It wasn’t hard to figure out. The signs were always there…Donald Trump’s admiration for authoritarian leaders and their strongman tactics, his rhetoric that normalized and celebrated illiberalism, his stated threats against anyone who criticizes or disagrees with him. But I guess too many Americans failed to understand that it could really happen here. They didn’t listen to John Kelly or Mark Milley. And now, here we are.

Even worse, I’m not sure how we’ll get out of it. As soon as Trump seized power, one of the first things he did was make voting nearly impossible. Taking federal control of state voter rolls? I mean, how are you supposed to vote someone out if they control who is allowed to vote in the first place? And even if you are able to vote, it doesn’t matter all that much. His people are running the election boards. So much for election integrity.

One of my friends here is from CBS. They were one of the first outlets to go when the media crackdowns started. Considering how many journalists are here, I don’t know how you’re getting any news these days on the outside. I suppose state-sponsored propaganda dominates the market. Try to listen to the indie outlets while you still can, before they’re caught up in the next sweep. My friend told me it got pretty violent last time.

Speaking of which, I hope your arm has healed. I know you protested when we were rounded up, and I’m grateful to you for that. I’m also thankful your injuries weren’t any worse. I wish I could say I’m surprised that Trump turned the military on you, but I’m not. I heard some service members refused to go along with his orders. What courage! A few of them are here now. Please don’t try protesting again though. It’s just too dangerous right now, with the increased surveillance.

I’m really worried about my mom too. As you know, she is a Mexican immigrant. Since the deportations started, she has lived in constant fear, especially since I’m not there with her. Even though she is an American citizen, plenty of legal immigrants have been caught up in the raids as well, sent back to countries they haven’t lived in for decades. The large encampments across Arizona and Texas sound horrifying, with thousands of people waiting to find out their fate. My mom doesn’t leave the house anymore because of the surging hate crimes against anyone who isn’t white. Once again, too dangerous.

I heard the economy is in a shambles. Ironic, isn’t it? I don’t know what people expected would happen if you deport one-fifth of your workforce. Not to mention the impact of the new tariffs. How many businesses have gone bankrupt now? And the poor farmers. The tariffs are the last thing they needed, with all the climate issues already impacting crops. Well, we were warned. I wonder how all the older people who voted for him feel now that their Social Security has been slashed.

The situation in Europe is really concerning. I knew as soon as Trump let Putin take Ukraine, there’d be a domino effect in the Balkans. Last I heard, Putin had made incursions into Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Moldova, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Has it gotten any worse since then? Without us defending NATO, I fear our allies in Western Europe are next. In all my years in national security, I never once thought the U.S. would officially be on the side of the anti-democratic aggressors.

But it makes sense in a grotesque sort of way. We’ve become more like Russia, China, and North Korea since Trump returned to office. His ongoing attacks on our democratic institutions, his weaponizing of the DOJ, and his takeover of the media to spread disinformation…it’s all perfectly aligned with what those countries do. And with help from JD Vance, he’s also turned us into a theocracy not unlike Iran. They’ve literally reorganized the entire federal government that way!

Women must be feeling it strongly. From what I’ve heard, reproductive rights have been rolled back across the board, and the Christian nationalists in the judiciary aren’t doing a thing to stop it. Our voices have been marginalized; incidents of harassment, abuse, and discrimination are rising; and some in the administration openly talk of repealing the 19th Amendment. How is this our reality in 2026?

I can’t even imagine what people of color and the LGBTQ community are going through. I guess it’s only a matter of time until the legal protections they fought so hard for are overturned, and the militarization of the police has made it a more dangerous world for people who were already vulnerable. With the federal agencies created to help safeguard our civil rights now gone, who knows? I suspect some may end up here with me.

I bet Trump, his family, and his allies are profiting from it all quite well. Trump Media is basically an arm of the government now, and with the family takeover of the RNC, they have complete control over the fundraising apparatus. Who’s going to stop him? I’m told that Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, David Sacks, and Bill Ackman have reaped untold profits in exchange for their support too. I wonder if it was worth selling their souls.

I’m going to be honest with you—it’s hard to stay hopeful. We’ve never lived in an America like this. I know the fight for liberty, justice, and truth continues, and it is important that we stand united against the forces that seek to divide us. I just hope it’s not too late.

Take good care of yourself, my friend. Oh and make sure you delete this message when you're done reading it. Can’t take any chances nowadays.

Your friend,

Olivia Troye

Inmate #111967

Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp