The American National Republic: Lucy's Story

Global fertility rates have been declining steadily since the 1960s and this is particularly pronounced in high-income countries. In today's political climate, President Trump has won a second term, fueled by political extremism and religious fundamentalism. From his first term, he pushed the US Surpreme Court to have a conservative 6 to 3 majority. During this election, the Republican party won both the US Senate and US House, primarily by adding right-wing extremists to the government. Unhindered by other branches of government, during the first month of Trump's term, he has shut down federal funding, halted communication from the NIH, the EPA, and the CDC, and begun dismantling the government by eliminating 15% of the government workforce and 40% of the funding. He completely halted federal funding for 60 top US universities, essentially crippling those schools. He cracked down on immigration, while also created 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico. He allowed a foreign oligarch (Elon Musk) to control major parts of the government, including complete access to the Treasury department, the IRS, and countless government records. Musk’s underlying goal was to rebuild the breeding population, calling for “extreme breeding.” While he quickly exited the increasingly paranoid Trump administration, his fingerprint stayed: abortion is banned while gay rights and access to birth control are in jeopardy. Anxiety, particularly amongst the educated, is at an all time high in the USA as freedoms for everyone, but especially women, are slowly eliminated.

The Patriot Renewal Act, signed under emergency executive order, granted the administration near-total authority to address what it called America’s existential crisis. Just weeks after the coordinated bombing of the Federal Reserve in New York—a tragedy that claimed hundreds of lives—the government identified a loosely defined coalition of leftist extremists, immigrant groups, and academic institutions as responsible. Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to violently silence protests in New York, LA, and other major cities. Nationwide military checkpoints were established under the pretext of securing public safety, while mass arrests swept through university campuses, news organizations, and activist networks. Those accused of subversion were held indefinitely, many disappearing into privatized detention centers operated by defense contractors with no oversight. In Washington, political opposition crumbled—some centrist lawmakers resigned out of fear, while others fell in line, their silence bought through corporate incentives or direct threats. The 2026 midterm elections were canceled, officially “postponed” due to ongoing unrest, but no new date was ever set. Public protests were crushed with military precision, aided by autonomous drone policing, mass surveillance, and social credit systems implemented through nationalized social media platforms. The internet was no longer free, as major technology firms—now answerable to state oversight—curated and filtered all content.

By 2028, the nation was unrecognizable. The administration, increasingly influenced by religious hardliners, declared that the plummeting birth rate constituted a national emergency, justifying a wave of sweeping social reforms under the Family Protection and Growth Act. Women were barred from high-level employment and financial autonomy was systematically eroded—bank accounts were linked to marriage status, and single women found themselves unable to work or own property. Fertility screenings became mandatory, and those deemed capable of bearing children were placed into a government tracking system, supposedly for repopulation efforts. Politically dangerous women are placed in secret “breeding factories” akin to rape camps. Public executions were broadcast to instill fear, while the Department of Homeland Security conducts routine cleansings of dissident neighborhoods. Mass migration out of the country became nearly impossible—passports were revoked, and international travel was restricted under the guise of “national security protections against ideological subversion.” On July 4, 2029, the president announced an indefinite suspension of the Constitution, declaring the birth of the "American National Republic". Congress was dissolved, courts abolished, and the nation was placed under the control of a ruling council of “Citizens,” selected from the wealthiest, most loyal right-wing figures. The American flag was lowered, replaced with a new emblem symbolizing faith, order, and obedience. From that moment the United States was gone.