commentary Surveys and data confirm a country in crisis — stressed and divided, but not yet ready to give up Published May 28, 2026 6:45AM (EDT) Polling and data confirm what millions already feel — the U.S. is in an emotional free fall (zpagistock/Getty Images) Civil rights activist and former sharecropper Fannie Lou Hamer was weary when she spoke alongside Malcolm X at a church in Harlem in December 1964. “I’ve been tired so long,” she said, “now I am sick and tired of being sick and tired.” More than 60 years later, many Americans share this feeling but in a different context. More than ten years of the Age of Trump — and the great problems that birthed it — have left us full of dread and weariness . The evidence is clear: Donald Trump ’s return to power is taking a deep toll on the American people’s psychological and overall health. According to the American Psychological Association’s recent Stress in America survey, more than half of American adults report feeling stressed, isolated and lonely.…