Over the past few days, I was first in Washington, D.C., and then in Ottawa, Canada. My conversations with human rights advocates, anti-corruption watchdogs, and government officials in the U.S. capital were sobering. Confidence is in short supply. Every day brings new blows:

The U.S. president and his family are shamelessly enriching themselves through cryptocurrency deals. In the first half of 2025 alone, more than 800 million dollars flowed into the Trump Organization’s accounts. In effect, anyone can now buy Trump’s attention and favor with no oversight. Trump is also tearing down parts of the White House to build a ballroom — financed through “donations” from corporations like T-Mobile. 

Meanwhile, ICE officers are dragging people out of their cars and homes every day. And Congress, paralyzed by partisan gridlock, has failed to pass a budget. The result: the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. Some federal employees, now unpaid for weeks, are being supplied with food donations.

And yet: American civil society is not frozen in shock. There are signs of hope. Here are five that stayed with me:

1. 1. Learning from Eastern Europe: U.S. NGOs are sending delegations to Poland and Hungary to learn from activists there how to deal with authoritarian regimes.
2. 2. Trump is running out of lawyers: The best prosecutors are refusing to work for the president, they resign or are getting fired. The few who stay behind lie in court and end up disbarred, or bungle their cases with basic procedural mistakes.
3. 3. No appetite for monarchs: Millions are taking to the streets under the slogan “No Kings” to protest Trump’s regime. Peaceful demonstrations are taking place in thousands of cities nationwide.
4. 4. Unlikely alliances: Instead of merely writing indignant letters, civil society groups are acting strategically, reaching out to conservative allies such as chambers of commerce, police departments, and disillusioned Republicans to defend the rule of law.
5. 5. Democrats fighting back: Several Democratic politicians are waging determined anti-Trump campaigns – from Gavin Newsom in California to Zohran Mamdani in New York.

If five sparks of hope aren’t enough, you only have to look north. In Canada, laws are being passed and enforced that even we in the EU can only dream of. The country is a global leader in rule of law and lobbying transparency. There’s an independent commissioner solely responsible for monitoring conflicts of interest. Every elected official, including their spouses, must disclose their finances to him. Violations are made public.

Corporate influence is also kept in check: lobbyists must register and log every meeting with lawmakers. They can’t give gifts worth more than €25 – enough for a coffee and a slice of cake, but not for dinner, and certainly not for travel. Canada’s current Commissioner of Lobbying even plans to tighten the rules further. You have to imagine Nancy Bélanger as a very happy woman.