After President Donald Trump’s inauguration, there’s much to be said about those he chose to keep close to him.
It was undeniable that Trump’s inauguration had some of the biggest names in the country, with his friend Elon Musk, and other big tech billionaires sitting front and center with Trump’s staff for this current administration behind them.
There’s a clear understanding of how the U.S. has entered into an era of oligarchy. The elite rich are taking control of the country, and rumors of either Mark Zuckerberg or Musk possibly owning TikTok have spread. This means the app will now be regulated by those who support Trump and his fascist agenda. This can be seen already in the respective apps owned by these billionaires, as Facebook and Twitter are notorious for promoting right-wing agendas while silencing or restricting progressive movements or beliefs from being shared by users.
Democracy is hanging by a thread as Trump’s administration begins to take action in the country. Within the first hours of his presidency, Trump revoked the Equality Act, erasing decades of progress and protections toward women, people of color, immigrants, and those in the LGBTQ+ community. Amazon was the first to silently use the revoking of this act in their favor, quietly removing protections for Black and LGBTQ+ workers from their company policy. Anyone who watched the inauguration knows that Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos, was one of the prominent figures sitting beside Musk and Zuckerberg in the front row during the ceremony.
In retaliation to Amazon’s actions, Costco highlighted its stance on diversity, setting the tone for other companies to go against the “anti-woke” propaganda the Trump administration has preached for the past few years.
Additionally, it should concern everyone how our previous president left us with a warning about our future. Former president Joe Biden warned that the U.S. was becoming an oligarchy of tech billionaires wielding dangerous levels of power and influence on the nation.
Republicans and other conservatives have attempted to push a narrative denying that Musk did a Nazi salute during the inauguration, instead claiming he was communicating “my heart goes out to you.”
The backlash and censorship for criticizing Musk’s actions have already led to a woman being fired from her job. Sam Kuffel, a weather reporter from Milwaukee, was terminated after commenting under an Instagram post showcasing Musk’s Nazi salute. Kuffel wrote “Dude, Nazi saluted twice. TWICE. During the inauguration,” according to the New York Post.
This is a prime example of how censorship could become a large part of our society as people like Musk are protected by their friendship with Trump. It’s problematic how right-wing politicians have attempted to switch the narrative surrounding the meaning behind Musk’s actions. Germany even censored Musk’s arm, highlighting how it was not a mere thoughtless action, but one born from Nazism.
Sen. Bernie Sanders highlighted the switch in who truly controls the government in an X post.
“When I started talking about Oligarchy, many people didn’t understand what I meant,” Sanders wrote. “Well, that’s changed. When the three wealthiest men in America sit behind Trump at his inauguration, everyone understands that the billionaire class now controls our government. We must fight back.”
Books, mobile apps, certain types of speech, and even human rights are being restricted or banned entirely. We should not submit ourselves to silence or fear. We are entering a dangerous path in America, with the wealthiest people’s pockets growing heavier while the lower class is struggling to survive each day.
Trump stated during his campaign that he did not associate with and would not act upon Project 2025. Yet, in the days following his inauguration, he eliminated various acts highlighted in the project’s document. Some of these include raising the cost of prescription drugs, ending climate protection, ending birthright citizenship (however, 22 states have sued him in retaliation), and starting a mass deportation of immigrants.
Everyday Americans can’t afford rent, groceries, or medical treatments, yet the focus of this presidency is not on aiding working people but on ensuring that they struggle even more. At the same time, billionaires continue to be cherished and uplifted by the government.
Trump’s priorities are on silencing and eliminating the rights of American citizens and non-citizens. It’s vital for everyone living in the U.S. to remember that when our society turns into an oligarchy, democracy will not remain.