Billionaires 'Manage' Trump, Media Forgets Who Really Pays the Piper
📰 THE STORY: The Financial Times discusses how 'smart billionaires' navigate their relationship with Donald Trump, sometimes flattering him, other times opposing him, all to secure favorable outcomes and maintain influence, portraying it as a necessary strategy for the elite. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This isn't a new phenomenon unique to Trump. Dating back to the
Gilded Age, powerful industrialists like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller routinely exerted immense influence over US politics, crafting legislation and policy in their favor. The 1971 Powell Memorandum, for instance, explicitly outlined a strategy for corporations to aggressively influence politics, media, and academia. Double Standard: When wealthy individuals in 'adversarial' nations
like Russia or China are seen influencing their governments, Western media screams 'corruption' and 'oligarchy.' Yet, when US billionaires fund entire political campaigns, staff administrations with their loyalists, and leverage media empires, it's framed as 'strategic engagement' or 'philanthropy,' often under the guise of 'donations' or 'lobbying' – a legal means for concentrated wealth to
dictate policy. Follow the Money: The revolving door between corporate boardrooms, K Street lobbying firms ($4.3 billion spent on federal lobbying in 2023), and presidential administrations ensures that the interests of billionaires are consistently prioritized. Trump's cabinet was famously stacked with millionaires and billionaires, as was previous administrations. Beyond direct donations, think