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At the end of the day, the super rich are not the puppet masters of a dictatorship. They’re just the next in line for the scam. And as history shows, the house always wins.
If history has taught us anything, it’s that billionaires who cozy up to authoritarian rulers are about as wise as a turkey voting for Thanksgiving. Donald Trump and his entourage—let’s call them “oligarch wannabes”—harbor an outright disdain for American democracy, believing a dictatorial state run by a “unitary executive” (read: a king in a bad spray tan) would be far more profitable for the ultra-rich.
But there’s one small problem: that’s not how dictatorships work.
The Dictatorship Myth: When the Rich Get Played
American billionaires seem to think they’ll be running the show under an autocrat, but they might want to have a quick chat with Russia’s oligarchs—or at least the ones who haven’t “accidentally” fallen from balconies.
In Putin’s Russia, the richest don’t own their wealth; they rent it from the regime. Step out of line, and your assets—along with your ability to breathe—become state property faster than you can say, “defenestration.”
Historically, this isn’t a new trend. When the Roman Republic collapsed after the Gracchi brothers tried to limit the amount of land the wealthiest could own, the empire that followed quickly became a playground for despots.
The wealthy thought they’d be safe under imperial rule, but what they got instead was a parade of megalomaniacs like Nero, who famously set fire to Rome (and probably would have called it “fake news” if Twitter existed).
Trump’s Pyramid Scheme for the Rich
Right now, we’re watching a similar illusion play out. Figures like Elon Musk and other Trump-aligned billionaires have convinced themselves that democracy is an inconvenience to their bottom line.
They see taxation and regulations as a burden, failing to realize that in an authoritarian state, their entire fortune becomes a line item in the dictator’s personal budget.
And here’s the kicker: they know Trump is running a con—at least on his working-class supporters.
These billionaires understand that Trump’s economic promises are as solid as a Trump University diploma. They know he has no intention of uplifting the average American. The irony, though, is that these same billionaires are also his ultimate marks.
Once Trump—or any would-be autocrat—controls the levers of power, their wealth is only theirs until he decides it isn’t.
That’s how every dictatorship operates.
In Nazi Germany, Hitler strong-armed industrialists into funding his war machine. In Venezuela, Hugo Chávez nationalized businesses at will. And in modern Russia, billionaires don’t have power—they have permission.
The Big Reveal: Billionaires Aren’t as Smart as They Think
The wealthiest Americans might be clever when it comes to stock manipulation and tax loopholes, but they seem oblivious to one fundamental truth: authoritarian rulers don’t share power. Trump’s loyalty lasts exactly as long as you’re useful to him. The moment you’re not? Well, let’s just say the walls at Mar-a-Lago might start looking a little taller.
The super-rich are betting on Trump to dismantle democracy so they can make a quick buck, but they fail to realize that once democracy is gone, so is their safety net.
The American legal system, while annoying to them now, is the only thing standing between their billions and a leader who wakes up one morning and decides they should “donate” their fortunes to his cause.
At the end of the day, they’re not the puppet masters of a dictatorship.
They’re just the next in line for the scam. And as history shows, the house always wins.
But don’t think the working stiffs are going to benefits somehow from an imperial Trump, none of the money will trickle down, either.
Putin is worth an estimated $200 billion, and the average Russian makes $600/month, or 600 Trump 2025 eggs from his personal goose.
Graham Green
Graham H. Green has worked behind the scenes in entertainment for many years and through a variety of presidential administrations, as a lighting director with CNN and the LA Times. Now semi-retired, his focus is on storytelling. He is currently shepherding his film Force Drift starring Nichelle Nichols through the festival circuit.
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