Karl Rove, in a Wall Street Journal column, calls widespread public distrust of institutions and a rising fascination with conspiracy theories the most dangerous trend of 2025. He praised some positive signs on immigration, crime, the economy and foreign policy but warned that President Trump’s rhetoric and a wave of conspiratorial and antisemitic claims are deepening divisions. Rove urged Americans to rebuild trust, restore civility and “get our act together” to avoid long-term damage.
Karl Rove Warns ‘Dangerous’ 2025 Trend: ‘We Have to Get Our Act Together’
Karl Rove
Veteran Republican strategist Karl Rove outlined what he called “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of 2025” in a new opinion column for The Wall Street Journal, warning that a troubling theme has emerged as the year closes.
Rove acknowledged several positive developments — improvements in immigration enforcement, declines in certain crime measures, signs of economic resilience and constructive movement in parts of foreign policy — but argued these gains are overshadowed by deeper social and political problems.
He singled out growing public weariness with President Donald Trump, suggesting that many voters are increasingly focused on the most offensive or cruel aspects of his rhetoric rather than the broader record. Rove also warned of a widening fascination with conspiracy theories, citing renewed attention to the Jeffrey Epstein case, the anti-vaccine campaigning of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and an uptick in antisemitic rhetoric among some voices on the Right.
Rove described troubling examples of conspiratorial and demeaning discourse — from accusations that foreign leaders’ spouses are not who they appear to be to claims that Jewish influence controls U.S. foreign policy — and said many voters view these developments as deranged. He also noted that intensifying factionalism within both major parties and upheaval in the media ecosystem are deepening public distrust.
“The prevailing theme is the public’s pervasive distrust of virtually every institution in American life. There’s almost no authority figure or august body in our society in which most people have confidence. That’s dangerous for the country,” Rove wrote.
He warned that mutual contempt and exhaustion now define much of public life and urged Americans to rebuild trust and restore civility. Rove closed on a cautiously optimistic note: “We have to get our act together. How the coming year plays out will have enormous, long-lasting consequences. We all have work to do rebuilding trust and restoring civility. Because we’re Americans, I’m betting we’ll get it done.”
Context: Rove’s column is both a critique of current political rhetoric and a call to repair the institutions and norms that sustain civility and democratic debate.
