With chaotic cabinet picks, talk of taking foreign territories and the inauguration of Big Tech — I mean, President Donald Trump — it has been an eventful couple of months since November.
History tends to repeat itself, and oligarchy is the thing on everyone’s mind. Even former President Joe Biden, who warned Americans against the ultra-wealthy digging its claws into democracy in his Farewell Address, sees the threat. All the while, I cannot help but find it ironic that instead of draining the swamp, Trump worsened the rot — inviting billionaires not just to his inauguration, but into the ranks of the White House itself through the new, so-called “Department of Government Efficiency.” Amid Trump’s eyebrow-raising guestlist were tech giants like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerburg, former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and, of course — how could I forget — the champion of humanity himself, Elon Musk. Not to mention, all of them were seated in front of Trump’s own cabinet. Money makes the world go ‘round, right?
The thing is, this is not unfamiliar to American history. Robber barons — ultra-rich, unethical American industrialists in the Gilded Age — had an enemy in Teddy Roosevelt. Back then, when a bunch of rich guys got together to create monopolies at the expense of the American people, trusts were broken and punished by those elected to be in charge. Now? They have a friend, and a good friend indeed, in Trump. I say we “Make America Great Again,” in that regard — instead Trump’s “great:” continuing to line their pockets.
Already, I see the consequences of letting the elite work themselves directly into politics instead of hiding behind their campaign donations. Musk and Altman are already competing for the king’s favor, fighting over whose AI initiative will prevail and who has more dollar signs secured over the other. In fact, Altman outwardly criticized Musk on X, insinuating that he acts in the interest of his companies rather than in the interest of the country. Corporations like Target, Meta, Amazon, McDonald’s and Walmart were quick to bend the knee through halting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts, oftentimes ending their reporting to the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index in addition. It is truly a battle of the billionaires, and we are their captive audience — begging for reasonably-priced eggs and health insurance claims to get approved before we are six-feet-under.
Trump promised the war in Ukraine would end within 24 hours of his being in office. As of “Reflector” press time, it is well over 24 hours of the second Trump administration, yet there is no solution. Trump promised relief for Americans who continue to suffer from inflation and price gouging, yet economists report that his tariffs may result in higher prices for the consumer, according to the Tax Foundation. Besides, was it not fellow Republican President Bush who attempted this with the steel industry — and failed? The list goes on.
Perhaps the most egregious thing is Trump presents this all as virtuous. Not only has he convinced his base this is what success looks like for the average American, he claimed during his inaugural speech he is divinely chosen to do the job. I never would have thought the divine right of kings applied to American presidents, but I suppose it fits the theme of this administration by taking us a few centuries back. Combine this with Trump’s priority in appointing loyalists and punishing dissent, and we should all be shouting, “God save the king!” America — the writing is on the wall. Stop ignoring it.
image sources
- tump fixed-01: Graphic by Olivia Pastrick
- flag-02: Graphic by Olivia Pastrick
