Plutocrats and Kings of Cash: The System Devouring Democracy
How the Trump Administration has seized control through wealth, corruption, and unchecked influence
What happens when a nation’s laws are shaped, not by the will of the people, but by the wallets of the powerful? Plutocracy is more than just a system where the rich get richer—it’s a structure where wealth buys influence, rewrites policy, and silences the rest. In a plutocracy, billionaires don’t just fund campaigns; they help write the laws. Corporate interests don’t just lobby—they shape entire agendas. This post breaks down the core traits of plutocratic rule, showing how economic power quietly overrides democratic ideals, eroding equality, accountability, and access from the inside out.
What is Plutocracy
What happens when a nation’s laws are shaped not by the will of the people but by the wallets of the powerful? Plutocracy is more than just a system where the rich get richer—it’s a structure where wealth buys influence, rewrites policy, and silences the rest. In a plutocracy, billionaires don’t just fund campaigns; they help write the laws. Corporate interests don’t just lobby—they shape entire agendas. This post breaks down the core traits of plutocratic rule, showing how economic power quietly overrides democratic ideals, eroding equality, accountability, and access from the inside out.
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Regardless of how you define it, there is no doubt that Trump, enabled by wealthy elite and Christian Nationalists, has quickly transformed our government. He has declared that he “runs the country” and “runs the world” and has posted AI photos of himself as a king and as a pope. The Oval Office is now a gilded, ostentatious display of wealth more fitting to monarchs of olden days.
That’s scary, I know! But we have to understand what we are dealing with in order to fight it. If you look at other countries who have been taken over, you know that, once authoritarians seize power, either by election or refusing to leave office, it is difficult to overthrow them. If we don’t figure it out, we will end up like Russia under Putin, Venezuela under Meduro, and Hungary under Orbán, among others.
Keep in mind that the government Trump and his loyal billionaires and Fox Media personalities are creating deliberately benefits white, wealthy elites - at the expense of the rest of society. A country by the wealthy, for the wealthy. That is the mandate for Christian Nationalist as detailed in Project 2025 .
Trump appointees and his nominees confirmed by Congress are unqualified, inexperienced, super loyal sycophants who are now in virtually every position in the Trump Administration. That is so Russell Vought, the architect of Project 2025 and now Director of the Office of Management and Budget, along with Vice President, J.D. Vance, and other Christian Nationalist leaders could dismantle the government and sculpt the plutocracy without interference from people who would fight to save democracy.
How did they do it so quickly?
Elon Musk was given the task of destroying the parts of the government that benefit social programs and promote democratic principles domestically and around the world. The choice of Musk was deliberate. As a civilian, he did not have to endure a confirmation process and was able to work quickly to do the damage outlined in the project 2025 manual.
Musk was rewarded four ways.
First, the 65 investigations for actual and potential illegal activities across all of Musk’s companies disappeared.
Second, Musk had access to competitor’s government contracts and bids that he could counter.
Third, Musk was given various opportunities for Starlink to expand its reach, including internationally, as State Dept. officials have encouraged countries facing U.S. tariffs to contract with Starlink.
Fourth, Trump halted federal research into space pollution which removed potential regulatory hurdles for SpaceX and Starlink and raises concerns about long-term environmental impact of increased satellite deployments.
Distract and Destroy
I researched media extensively over the weekend to identify the actions and inactions of the Trump administration and other Republicans which exemplify plutocratic characteristics. Some examples may have escaped our notice, or have been put aside because the regime is trying to distract us with pressing issues like snatching people off of the streets and putting them in gulags. The Trump tariffs have also diverted our attention while he continues to trash our norms and laws. It looks as if they will return the tariffs back to nearly where they were originally, now that they have accomplished most of their coup.
There is still a lot of DOGE infiltration happening right now in our government. So, it looks like we will face even more flagrant corruption and destruction during the 49 months the Tump regime is out of office. Pay particular attention to what is in the proposed 2026 budget. The money cut from the budget is from programs that serve society, regardless of income, age, or ethnicity, and clearly supports increasing wealth for corporations and the wealthiest individuals in the country.
Plutocracy – A government dominated by the wealthy
Wealth equals power – The richest individuals or corporations hold major political influence.
The Trump administration has appointed numerous wealthy individuals to key government positions, reflecting the influence of affluence in political decision-making. 10 key members of the administration are Billionaires.
Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, was instrumental in eliminating government social programs, agencies and federal employees without Congressional approval.
Elon Musk is not a government employee and had access to government contracts held by potential competitors. He also had numerous investigations into his businesses which were dismissed.
Trump has allowed Elon Musk to peddle his StarLink company in foreign countries as a bargaining tool for Trump’s tariff negotiations.
2. Policy for the few (Laws and decisions disproportionately benefit the upper class)
Income inequality is exacerbated by disproportionate tax benefits tor the wealthy.
Deregulation of pollution measures and safety rules, opening up our public water and land to drilling and mining prevents our enjoyment of public parks and endangers our health and safety, but increases income for corporations.
House Republicans introduced legislation to sell approximately 460,000 acres of federal land in Nevada and Utah. This prioritizes developers and mining companies over affordable housing and tribal land reclamation.
3. Big money in elections (Campaigns rely heavily on billionaire donors and Super PACs)
Citizen’s United - need I say more?
Elon Musk bought his DOGE appointment by donating $288 million to Trump’s campaign. His super PAC, to which he was the sole donor, focused on voter outreach in key swing states
Musk also gave away $1 million daily to randomly selected voters in swing states who signed a pro-Trump petition. Unethical and most likely a violation of election laws, but he did it again in a special election in Wisconsin, which his candidate lost.
4. Limited upward mobility (Economic systems favor wealth preservation over opportunity)
Cuts to education funding, including proposals to eliminate the Department of Education, will hinder opportunities for upward mobility among lower-income populations.
Opportunities for upward mobility are also affected by the elimination of DEI programs. Remember, the emphasis is on increasing the white and wealthy population.
Trump is trying to eliminate the Dept.of Education and let states fund their own schools. Some states are already providing vouchers for private schools which are used mostly by wealthy families who have never attended public schools. Without federal funds, public education will suffer as vouchers programs are increased and state dollars are diverted to them. (See my April 30 post “Your Taxes, Their Religion: The Scotus Case to Watch.”)
5. Tax breaks for the rich (Fiscal policy often reduces taxes on high earners and capital)
The 2026 budget proposal includes significant tax cuts that disproportionately benefit high-income individuals and corporations, while reducing funding for social programs that benefit all of society. (I will discuss Trump’s “Big Beautiful Budget” in a future post)
6. Corporate influence (Lobbyists shape regulation in favor of big business)
The Ethics in Government Act (1978) places some lobbying restrictions on former officers, employees and elected officials. However, “shadow lobbying” is a loophole which should be closed.
Trump revoked Obama’s ethics pledge, then issued his own version with fewer restrictions.
To increase corporate profits, Trump has ended regulations intended to reduce pollution and also those concerned with consumer safety.
7. Pay-to-play access (Political access often depends on donations or elite connections)
You need not look any further than the $239 million donated by tech companies such as Meta, Amazon, and Alphabet and financial firms to Trump’s inauguration fund. This surpassed the previous record of $107 million set in 2017. No surprise that these mega-donors were seated on the podium with Trump.
While portions of the surplus from the 2025 inauguration have designated purposes, the full accounting and distribution of these funds is subject to scrutiny.
Trump hosted fossil fuel CEO’s during his campaign - promising to deregulate and to expand drilling and mining on federal lands.
Buying $millions worth of Trump’s meme coins will get you an invite to a small gathering at the White House with Trump.
Trump regularly hosts lavish dinners and golf outings at Mar-a-Lago for his wealthy donors. (At taxpayer expense, of course)
8. Democracy in name only (The average citizen’s voice holds less weight in decisions)
Our representatives to Congress are supposed to represent us in creating policy and laws. The current Congress has remained silent on Trump’s lawless behavior, including letting Elon Musk hollow out government agencies and dismantle programs such as USAID that Congress authorized.
DOGE has copied our personal info data bases to hard drives in the hands of civilian techies.
Most Republican elected representatives are not holding town halls or allowing any input from constituents about the illegal orders and actions of Trump and his bank of loyalists.
The proposed budget eliminates or substantially cuts programs that exist to serve the general public, regardless of income, to protect our environment, and to promote diplomacy around the world through our charity.
This contrast reflects a fundamental shift: domestic and social programs face deep cuts, while military, border spending, and tax relief for higher earners expand.
Call to Action
If you’ve ever felt like your vote matters less than a billionaire’s donation—you’re not imagining things. Understanding plutocracy is the first step toward resisting it.
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Because democracy can’t survive when wealth speaks louder than citizens.