Finding optimism amid Trump’s attack on science

Of all the industries facing historic damages, cutbacks, defunding, and restrictions under the current president, let’s talk about the science and research industry.

In January, Nature published a comprehensive graphical article that shows exactly how much has happened in the last year alone. Year one of his second term. I highly encourage you to scroll through the article, but here are a few highlights I’ve handpicked and paraphrased:

• Over the course of 2025, more than 7,800 grants were cancelled or suspended—and these were grants that were already approved and funded to scientists. We’re talking about billions of dollars of critical research funding. The administration was also grossly biased. They canceled or froze funding for projects not aligned with the regime or its beliefs. These include researchers working to understand misinformation, vaccine hesitancy, infectious diseases, and anything related to under-represented ethnic and gender groups. In fact, Trump literally created a list of banned key words to filter and reject research and grant proposals that includes DEI, LGBTQ, autism, disabilities, climate change, vaccines, pregnant people, housing, and many more.

• Federal agencies—which include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (protects public health from infectious disease), Environmental Protection Agency (protects natural resources and environment), Food and Drug Administration (protects public health by regulating food and drugs), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (monitors and predicts daily and severe changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts) and more—each lost roughly 20% of their staff. Employees were either fired during mass layoffs or left voluntarily with incentive packages. The data shows many of the 25,000 employees were early in their career.

If the impact of those two bullet points hasn’t fully sunk in, PAUSE HERE. Read them again before continuing and consider the impact of these changes.

Ok, I think you’re ready: Our president is taking money away from scientists who are exploring and understanding things he doesn’t agree with. Topics he wants to silence and erase, or things that help him maintain a dedicated, loyal, and misguided follower base. Our president closed the door to budding scientists just starting out, eager to make a difference, needing to secure their next step in their careers. He’s essentially telling them, “You and your work are not welcome here and will not be supported.”

As such, the next generation of American scientists are taking their ideas, innovations and sense of discovery elsewhere. This article from The Guardian tells stories of scientists finding funding and a viable future in Europe, Australia, and Asia.

Another article from The Guardian outlines how this “war on science will cause lasting damage,” and offers a close look at the fields of public health, climate, environmental protection, and nuclear safety. Again, I encourage you to read the article in full, but here are a few quotes that reinforce the arguments from above:

• “The significant loss of scientific expertise we’ve seen across multiple fronts… could take decades to restore…”
• “The Trump administration is trying to undermine the scientific method as a basis of making determinations…”
• “It’s designating which kinds of science are good and which are inappropriate.”
• “They’re sidelining science. At the same time, they’re uplifting junk science and quackery that’s going to help and support their billionaire [supporters] and bottom lines.”

I ordered optimism. Where the hell is my optimism?

If I’m supposed to make it through this time without being ignorant, without avoiding every speck of news and daily turmoil, by being active and engaged in my community, you better damn well serve up some optimism!

As a professional communicator, I have immense gratitude for journalists, editors, and outlets (like those cited above) for their work. They’re capturing what’s happening in this moment, reporting the need-to-know info, and keeping a record at such an overwhelming and dark time. Their work matters.

Let me also be the one to say that the way news articles are written today can so often leave the reader *raises hand* feeling extremely overwhelmed, hopeless, depressed, and immobile. Let’s just look at the three sources I cited above:

• The Nature article ends with a sprinkle of optimism, showing graphs and info about how lawmakers in the House and the Senate are rejecting budget cuts proposed by Trump for research and development. In some cases, they’re even slightly increasing budgets! I think what’s lacking here though is context. After scrolling through all the bad things in that article, it feels a little promising to read this and hear that our representatives are blocking some intended damage, but what does that mean given all that has already been done? Will this outweigh that? Will this make a difference, and how? Is this a glimmer of hope or just something that’s not as bad as everything else?
• The first article from The Guardian offers a few real, individual stories of young scientists and what they’re doing to bounce back amid the turmoil. One paragraph talks about a new union formed within the UAW for NIH researchers. That was the biggest takeaway for me, and I wanted to know more about that initiative, what they’ve been able to accomplish or change since forming the union. It was two sentences (40 words) out of an 1,800-word article.
• The second article from The Guardian, unfortunately, gave no sense of optimism. It really painted a picture of lasting damage and deeply unsettling impacts for our health, environment, and future.

A quick note: In general, I think outlets like Nature and The Guardian do a decent job. If you poke around on their websites, you can easily find headlines that do center stories about individuals or organizations fighting back, like scientists pushing back on Trump’s desire to takeover Greenland or OB-GYNS turning to advocacy. I’m not trying to put anyone on blast; I’m just pointing out that even my sources for this blog help illustrate a larger problem in news and journalism.

Not every piece of news can be positive or have a happy ending, I get that. But by omitting or downplaying optimism, the news industry is giving the administration what it wants. Trump wants us to feel overwhelmed, hopeless, immobile. This guarantees that we won’t fight back, we’ll just tune things out for our sanity which gives the administration runway to keep making horrific and historic changes to our world. At times, I have to tune things out and I know friends and family are doing the same. I have to stop reading, stop scrolling, stop consuming just so I can enjoy my day and not get dragged under.

Optimism is a critical piece that we need in order to feel like we still have a chance. It gives us a glimmer of hope to stand up for what we believe in. It motivates us to be engaged. I believe news outlets—and all communicators, especially now—have a duty to not only report the facts but also to help readers find optimism as a form of resistance. Whether that means telling more in-depth stories of individuals fighting back or mentioning organizations that are standing up for science or helping the reader find glimmers of hope with added context, there is an opportunity for optimism in news reporting.

So, in an effort to lead by example, I’ll be ending this rant with a dose of optimism. 😊 Below, I have resources and tips for staying hopeful, positive, and engaged right now.

Some good news and sources of optimism

1. New, creative grant funding opportunities are popping up for science. One I heard about is called 50X50 Science Across America. It’ll be a YouTube series launching this fall, promising to “uncover the most compelling science in America.” The endeavor will feature 50 creators, 50 scientists, across each of the 50 states, giving a $10,000 grant to each participant. The project is video based, so it will be highly visual and help us see inside science projects from across the country. I’m excited to see what inspiring work is happening all around us.
2. There are breathtaking developments happening in science every day. I highly recommend subscribing to Science News because just reading about the awe-inspiring, confusing, creepy, funky things happening in science is a dose of optimism in and of itself. I find the writing style of this outlet to be very readable and approachable too.
3. There are ways to hear directly from scientists too. For example, I stumbled upon the “Science for Everyone” blog. The author, Terry McGlynn, is a biology professor and he says, “everyone needs science, and science needs everyone.” The blog has been around since 2013, and he uses it as a space to pull back the curtain and share “practical challenges” of being a scientist today. His takes and topics fill a gap not covered by traditional / mainstream media, like “sciencing for the joy of it” or candidly talking about scientist reactions to federal funding cuts. He regularly offers concrete actions and updates in the form of an “Academic Mixtape” so it’s easy to feel connected to the good things happening in science.

Things you can do

1. Support organizations and causes that are fighting for science. If you’re up for activism, Stand Up for Science is your go-to. From providing scripts for contacting representatives and policymakers to organizing rallies and protests, this organization will help you take action. In addition, the Union of Concerned Scientists is a national nonprofit using science for a “healthy, safe, and just future.” They offer reports on pressing topics, blogs, a network for scientists, and tangible ways for everyone to help. Donations to these organizations are also an option.
2. Find community. For me, that has meant seeking out resources of support for science communicators. For example, this year I found two that help people like me in my field. First, The Open Notebook, which offers a wealth of “training and educational materials for journalists who cover science.” This is a one-stop shop with advice on how to tell science stories better. Second, the Association of Science Communicators, is a professional organization which held its annual conference earlier this month. It’s hard not to feel hopeful and engaged when you’re part of a larger group that’s doing the same work you’re doing and believes in its importance.
3. Stay curious. Find ways to support science activities and events in your own community. I just recently learned about Science on Tap events, which sound like science-y TED talks that take place at bars and breweries. Count me in! Stay engaged with your local museum. You can even take part in real-world science projects from your home or by contributing to citizen science, thanks to the Society for Science.

Despite the attack on science, scientists are still here. They’re still doing important work. Let’s do what we can to support them and tell their stories… to find optimism and inspire others. 🌻