Welcome to Trump’s America, The i Paper’s World Insight series presenting the sharpest, deepest thinking on an era-defining shift in history and politics, investigating how Donald Trump and his administration have changed the US and the world – and where we go from here.
• Trump assassination threats have radically changed the US Secret Service• The rich are building their own America• The more America spends on healthcare, the sicker it gets
Tessa*, a 39-year-old astrobiologist with a PhD in geology, graduated and immediately found a postdoctoral position in Arizona. “Astrobiology is literally what I’ve wanted to do since I was 12,” she told The i Paper, and she was well on her way to fulfilling her dream.Then Donald Trump came into office. Research funding was slashed and her position was cut. In November 2025 she began looking for a new job – and the search dragged on. She applied to almost 300 jobs in her field, but could find nothing. In desperation, she took a job as a Starbucks barista. Finally, in late March she found a job as a research facilitator, teaching other researchers to use supercomputers. The pay is reasonable, but she is very aware that she is not doing “what I’ve spent my entire adult life training for” — her own research, not helping others with theirs. “With the job market being what it is,” she says, “I feel like I’m basically stuck here.”Michael*, a 45-year-old writer and editor in Connecticut with 13 years of experience, has been out of work for 18 months. He says his recent job search is “brutally demoralising” and rarely receives a reply to his applications. His wife was laid off too, and although she managed to find another position, her salary has been significantly reduced. They’ve had to dip into his meagre savings.“I’m watching things like retirement or a college education for my child recede further and further from reality,” he told The i Paper. “I want to work. I’m desperate to work. But work doesn’t want me.” Tessa and Michael are among the many professionals facing salary cuts, redundancy and unemployment in an increasingly precarious American white-collar economy.
