We are about a third of the way through Trumps first 100 days of his second term as president, and things are still changing fast. These turbulent updates are significant enough that it is causing some to hit the panic button: Five former Treasury secretaries wrote to The New York Times with a clear message: Our democracy is under siege. And despite Trump winning the popular vote, Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny and the Richard C. Levin Professor of History at Yale University, believes a coup is, in fact, happening. Others are hopeful that the contraction of the federal workforce would speed innovation by eliminating red tape and removing alleged corruption. Glug Glug., begins one Substack post from January 27 by James Howard Kunstler, a cultural critic best known as the author of The Geography of Nowhere, thats the sound of a swamp being drained. (His blog is titled Clusterfuck Nation.) He continues: You might be just realizing that the Joe Biden regime was not a government at all, but rather, a colossal racketeering operation.Thanks to his work as a developer, Trumps reputation among architects was low even before he entered politics. Bill Menking, our cofounder, was no fan of the Donald: In a piece published in the runup to the 2016 election, he wrote, Trump, more than any builder in New York in the late 20th century, has transformed the city with barely the slightest architecturally-worthy design or public service. Beyond the plea from Bishop Mariann Budde and the protests of Democratic senators, public outcry against Trumpsand Musksreorganization of the federal government has been less intense than when he took office for his first term. Here, AN gathers collective stirrings.An AIA AffirmationAfter the election last November, many organizations issued statements on what the transition could mean for the environment, economy, and racial and gender equity.On January 28, just days before Lakisha Woods stepped down as CEO/EVP, the AIA sent an email to its entire membership reaffirming its commitment to climate leadership and equity, diversity, and inclusion. It concluded: AIA will continue to advocate on policies related to EDI and the climate, and we remain dedicated to advancing civil rights, promoting sustainable communities, and supporting policies that uplift all populations. Together, we will lead with purpose, champion design excellence, and keep members informed as developments unfold. Read the full email here.Economic RumblingsAs reported in Construction Dive, on a February 4 earnings call, Troy Rudd, CEO of AECOM, said that he was optimistic: We anticipate opportunities arising from the new administrations commitments to our robust economy supported by a prudent deregulation and push for energy independence that positions the U.S. as an attractive destination for capital investment and growth.Despite the fact that AECOM has contracts with USAID and EPAagencies that are being gutted by Elons Musketeers most of the firms government work comes from the Department of Defense, where there is anticipated funding growth.Links to the databases of current projects and recently completed buildings under the purview of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operationsthe government entity that manages the planning, acquisition, design, construction, operations, maintenance, and disposal of U.S. governmental diplomatic and consular property overseasappear to be deactivated. These holding facilities could be permanent structures designed by architects or more temporary arrangements. According to Semafor, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is in discussions with Phoenix-based Willscot about leasing the companys mobile structures to house undocumented detainees, the people said. Willscots products are commonly used as construction-site storage and office space.Still, January was marked by a drop in the AIAs Architecture Billings Index. AIA Chief Economist Kermit Baker said, Stubborn inflation, persistently high interest rates, and labor concerns continue to weigh on the willingness of owners and developers to move ahead with construction projects. And in response to softer market conditions, architecture firms have been moving to right-size their operations.I Got Got!Widespread layoffs and a mandate that employees log their daily accomplishments have impacted government employees across numerous departments, and some architecture offices have courted this talent to join their ranks. Many formerly employed individuals took to LinkedIn to voice their disappointment with the new rules and sudden terminations. This includes a botanist who worked at the National Park Service, a structural engineer at the Environmental Protection Agency, and a communications specialist at the Department of Energy. Others have sounded the alarm for institutions like the National Archives. Last week, Amina Hassen, an urban strategist, posted on LinkedIn about her experience being fired as an employee of The Lab at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which builds capacity for government organizations to transform their programs, processes, and people through human-centered design. Hassen said she was fired (illegally?) from my role with the Lab @ OPM as a new employee within my first year as a civil servant. Hassen previously held roles with WXY Studio and was a founding member of BlackSpace.The severity of the situation led Rachael Dietkus, a social workerdesigner who is currently a design supervisor with the U.S. Digital Corps, to post a guide about the intentional weaponization of trauma. In her own post about employment uncertainty, Dietkus shared that in addition to seeking her own opportunities, she is advocating for the dozenssoon to be hundredsof public interest designers and civic technologists who have dedicated themselves to mission-driven work and are now navigating a sea of uncertainty.Some Sustainable SunshineEven as Trumps Cabinet leaders roll back many advances related to climate change, mass transit, and energy standards, one expert remains optimistic. Ed Mazria, founder and CEO of Architecture 2030, wrote in a text published by Architectural Record and Common Edge that in an era dominated by furthering self-interests and polarizing political debates on climate change, a quiet revolution is taking place, regardless of the political landscape.He said that recent data marks a watershed moment: global building sector operating emissions (heating, cooling, lighting, hot water, plug load, etc.) stabilized between 2018 and 2022, decreased by 1 percent in 2023, and are projected to continue falling under government announced pledges, even as global building stock expanded by approximately 320 billion square feet (29.7 billion square meters) from 2018 to 2024the equivalent of the total building area of the United States. Since 2005 in the U.S., building sector operations achieved remarkable energy efficiency and emissions reductions regardless of the political climate. Energy intensity steadily improved, declining by approximately 16 percent. And even more impressive were the decreases in CO2 emissions intensity from 2005 to 2023: residential buildings dropped by 39.5 percent, and commercial buildings by 47.9 percent. Overall, total emissions from U.S. building operations fell by 32 percentall while the sector added roughly 70 billion square feet of new construction.Mazria points to the ambitious climate priorities of industry organizations as a driver of this change. The quiet revolution taking place in architecture and planning illustrates that solutions to our greatest challenges already exist and are being implemented every day by professionals who understand that shaping the built environment means shaping our collective future.Diversity, Equity, InclusionThe push to scrub diversity, equity, and inclusion requirements has sent agencies, schools, and universities scrambling to update websites and adjust job titles. On Friday, February 14, Trumps Department of Education, according to the New York Times, warned that they risked losing federal funding if they continued to take race into account when making scholarship or hiring decisions, or so much as nodded to race in all other aspects of student, academic and campus life. The letter gave schools 14 days to respond.Earlier, The Smithsonian Institution said that it would close its diversity office, freeze hiring for all federal positions and require workers to return to in-person work in order to comply with recent orders from President Trump, according to The New York Times. According to student reporting at The Daily Pennsylvanian, the Stuart Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania removed the website for its Inclusion and Belonging initiative on Thursday, February 6. This was followed by a Friday afternoon email to the school by its dean, Fritz Steiner, who acknowledged that some of our Web-based communications are undergoing review to ensure compliance with nondiscrimination policy and federal law. He continued: Speculation about our programs, however, is unfounded. Our Student Services team will continue to support all members of the Weitzman community. His message concluded: I understand that the recent executive orders have created uncertainty in many areas, and I share your concerns. However, I am confident the Weitzman community will continue to thrive.This tracks with developments at other prominent universities: Yale University acknowledged that the use of federal funding to study issues related to diversity may have to be re-evaluated and that its diversity language may need to be tweaked. The Columbia Spectator, the student newspaper at Columbia University, reported that language about diversity, equity, and inclusion policy were removed from some of the schools websites after Trumps executive orders.Classicism BattlesAfter Trumps executive order about architectural style, Dezeen interviewed Justin Shubow on the subject. Shubow argued that classicism in the U.S. doesnt have a history of being aligned with white supremacist or fascist efforts: I dont think when African Americans look at the US Supreme Court, they see a racist building. This is America. Were not Germany. Our history is completely different when it comes to government buildings. He also took aim at the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.: The FBI building is a brutalist design its going to be demolished since its been aging very badly. Shubow later appeared on the Ben Shapiro Show to state his case. AN contributor Keren Dillard took up the topic in her new newsletter, BAD.d: The Black Architecture and Design Digest. After the end of her text, which includes references to Nadir Z. Lahijis Can Architecture be an Emancipatory Project?, Dillard concludes: It is undeniable that an architects practice is embedded in racial violence, and in our current moment, it is important to recognize the agency of the architect in choosing to partake in or prevent spatial acts of violence.A View From Across the PondCommentary from England doesnt paint the U.S. in a flattering picture. The cover of the latest issue of Architects Journal conflates Trump with The Brutalist: In an illustration by Louis Hellman, Trump is seen sitting in a Brutalist throne with some sort of device that is inscribed DRILL BABY DRILL.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Architects Journal (@architectsjournal)Megalomaniac? Genius? The former property moguls cultural impact is already profound, Emily Booth wrote. Architecture and power have always gone hand-in-hand, of course (even if power hasnt been grasped by the profession itself).Outrage?Where is the outrage in the architecture community? By Inauguration Day in 2017, eight years ago, The Avery Review had compiled an issue titled And Now: Architecture Against a Developer Presidency, which was then published as a book.Many others voice positions with more abstract language that still indicates political awareness. In uncertain times, we choose action: strengthening partnerships, expanding collaborations, and rallying the networks that sustain movements, Katie Swenson wrote in a February 12 email update from MASS Design Group. Beyond the trope of Dems in disarray, there is fatigue, after hard pandemic years and 18 months of protests and counterprotests about the war in Gaza. (Offhandedly, Trump proposed that the U.S. take over the territory for redevelopment, which prompted one analyst at the libertarian think tank The Cato Institute to title the scheme Mar-a-Gaza. The idea bears resemblance to Benjamin Netanyahus Gaza 2035 plan.)The first Trump presidency inspired a backlash that shouldnt be forgotten. Writing in AN in April 2021, Kate Wager argued that it would be a terrible, terrible waste for architecture to abandon its new critical, activist tendencies in favor of what was a rather odious and uninspiring and unjust status quo to begin with.When recently asked if he had seen any moments of resistance, a prominent architecture critic replied, No, architects, like everybody else, seem to have given up. There may be some holdouts: Earlier this month, a successful New York architect proudly told me that he had peed on a Cybertruck in protest. A bit misguided, but in these unprecedented times it can feel good to let off some steam.