President Donald Trump’s ongoing support of our country’s tech moguls has turned many concerned Americans toward a particular word: oligarchy. But, what does it mean?
According to the Oxford Languages Dictionary, an oligarchy is a “small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.” A country most well-known for oligarchical governance is Russia, in which Putin leads his government as a dictator partnered with allied billionaires. Within the context of American politics in 2025, this “small group of people” refers to the few, extremely wealthy who sit at the top 0.0001% of our economy.
To me, oligarchy stands as the antithesis of our democracy. Not only does the system of an oligarchy censor the voices of the people, but it invites a sense of ruthlessness and selfishness in our country. More specifically, it allows for the few in power to take advantage of their influence in order to benefit themselves. Right now, these “few” are represented by the top CEO’s of our world’s most well known corporations. So, the idea that these billionaires are capable of influencing our government is not just a simple concern. It is a threat to the very integrity of our government.
During Pres. Trump’s inauguration, the front rows featured America’s three richest people: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg. Combined, these CEOs sustain a worth of nearly a trillion dollars, with each also holding a rank among the top 3 richest people on earth.
Both Bezos and Zuckerberg have displayed their amicable relationships with the president, some even extending previous to his campaign this past year. Bezos had dinner with Pres. Trump and Elon Musk in Mar-a-Largo this past December. He has also publicly attended various meetings with Pres. Trump and other “tech titans” as far back as 2016. Zuckerberg spoke with conservative podcaster Joe Rogan in January and voiced his promise to eradicate fact-checks across his social media platforms. In response, Pres. Trump expressed his approval of Zuckerberg’s decision, deeming Meta to have “come a long way.” Zuckerberg also emphasized his growing partnership with the government, declaring it to be “fundamental” to the future of his company. As Zuckerberg solidifies Meta’s transition into a Trump-centered perspective, Meta’s stocks have also soared during Pres. Trump’s first few weeks in office. Seeing a 17% increase as a record high during a recent winning “stock run”, its 22.5% gain in 2025 makes it the best-performing Magnificent Seven stock.
Nonetheless, the owner of Tesla, SpaceX, and social media platform X Elon Musk stands out as the most prominent supporter of Pres. Trump. Emphatically endorsing Trump’s political endeavors, Musk has invested over a quarter of a billion dollars in his America PAC, a “political action committee” he founded in July 2024 to support Pres. Trump’s presidential campaign. As described on the official website, his PAC strives to “support these key values: secure borders, safe cities, sensible spending, fair justice system, free speech, and self-protection.” The website also features far-right content derived from his social media platform X across the homepage. After contributing $239 million dollars to his PAC, Musk remains the largest donor in the 2024 election cycle to either party, as stated by CBS.
However, his affiliation with the president does not end there. On November 12, Pres. Trump announced that Elon Musk would be at the forefront of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Having a billionaire in the White House is not a new phenomenon; however, Musk’s zeal toward Pres. Trump’s agenda partnered with his regulatory power over federal funds strikes many with concern. In this position, Musk is capable of cutting vital programs that span across America and beyond. However, many democrats are alarmed at the idea of the world’s richest man being in charge of our country’s spending. And rightfully so.
As recently as February 3rd, Musk bragged in a post on X about his decision to cut funding for the U.S Agency for International Aid, the country’s lead agency for humanitarian aid and an organization that has promoted democracy for decades. Musk proudly declared this decision as he “fed it into the wood chipper.” His excitement about his political vengeance does not end here, however. Musk has made a point to shame, attack, and mock those who dare to oppose his methods, including calling Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) “hysterical” in addition to baselessly accusing Treasury Department officials of “breaking the law every hour of the day.”
Musk has also voiced his goal to take over the Department of Transportation. Interestingly, this agency currently has six pending investigations into Tesla’s self-driving technology and the dozens of crashes caused by the cars’ computerized systems. “I’ve lost count of the number of investigations that are underway with Tesla. They will all be gone,” notes Missy Cummings, former senior safety advisor at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Despite public outcry, Pres. Trump’s ongoing support of Musk resounds in the press. “Elon is doing a great job, he’s finding tremendous fraud and corruption and waste,” he told reporters in early February. This comment comes as Musk’s DOGE has laid off numerous career employees and over 2 million federal workers grapple with the reality of their jobs being at risk by Musk’s “government shredding machine.”
Ultimately, it is easy to discredit Musk amidst his frequent social media posts, adoration of Pres. Trump, and his outrageous nature. However, we must remind ourselves that Elon Musk isn’t slowing down, and Pres. Trump’s adamant support of billionaires isn’t either. These two men are doing everything they can to seed distrust, unease, and division. Is America becoming like Russia with an oligarchical dictator? No. Is America changing as Pres. Trump and Musk wreak havoc? Yes. So staying in tune with what’s going on is so important to sustaining democracy in our country.
Image Sources: The Atlantic, Associated Press, American PAC, Fortune