By Hannah Grissel
President Trump and his administration are carrying out a hostile corporate coup that will harden America’s already present oligarchical political system. Trump not only lied to his supporters about being the champion of the working man, he acts purely in self-interest and the interests of the ultra-rich.
Even before this hostile takeover of American government by the 1 percent, evidence began to surface that the U.S. government was already operating in the interests of the ultra-rich.
In 2014, Martin Gilens of Princeton University and Benjamin Page of Northwestern University concluded, after an exhaustive and comprehensive study of the economics involved in policy, “Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.”
This study is proof that we as a nation nearly operate as an oligarchy rather than a democracy. Theories claiming our government is run by the 1 percent aren’t new by any means, but to have empirical evidence to bring validity to these theories are.
Even Trump himself acknowledged governmental corruption and proclaimed he would be the man to fix it. On the campaign trail, he declared over and over he would “drain the swamp” of corruption, lobbyists, campaign finance, etc.
One specific swamp creature he enjoyed mentioning was Goldman Sachs. While playing the role of “champion of the American middle class,” Trump denounced Goldman Sachs and repeatedly called it out for defrauding the American people and tweeting about its “egregious” ownership of certain politicians.
So, in turn, one might think bringing anyone from Goldman Sachs onto his team wouldn’t be good for his image. However, the president of Goldman Sachs, Gray Cohn, will likely be his director of the Office of Management and Budget. I’m speechless to this point.
On top of literally going back on his word, Trump has stacked his Cabinet with the very people he claims to want to drain from the swamp. According to Politico, this Cabinet “could be worth as much as $35 billion,” making it the wealthiest ever.
This isn’t to say their wealth is the problem. The problem is that many of these Cabinet members and their companies have spent millions on bankrolling politicians’ campaigns and lobbying in the pursuit of personal economic interest.
In August, Trump claimed, “My campaign is about reaching out to everyone as Americans and returning to a government that puts the American people first.” What is obvious now is that there are varying interpretations of a “government that puts the American people first.”
His supporters surely understood this as a government that can ensure job/housing security and lower taxes, creating a higher income for the working class. Though I believe Trump understands this promise to translate to a “government that puts the wealthiest American people first.”
If we thought having oligarchs running things behind the veil through the practice of legal (and sometimes illegal) forms of bribery was bad, then we’re in for a ride. These oligarchs are being assigned to the highest positions of power in the U.S. government.