Elon Musk is the leader of the ultra-rich. donated time, discourse and money to the presidential election this fall.

Before the election, his fortune was estimated at $270 billion. He launched a lottery targeting Trump voters in swing states, giving away $1 million a day. One million is 0.00037 percent of his net worth; which rounds off to zero to two decimal places. The median net worth of Americans is exactly $192,200That’s like a middle-class American giving away 71 cents a day.

Can we imagine that our 71 cents could influence an election by as much as $1 million? Musk could, and he did, and it paid off. Billionaires made billions within 24 hours of election results and they are very happy. Musk is now worth 50 times more than Trump 6 billion dollars. And in this world – the world of Musk and Trump – money is the ultimate form of power.

Musk had already been selected to join the Trump administration and even Trump attended family photos. He has Trump’s ear, and we can predict that Trump will succumb to his influence. It was announced last week that he would be responsible. reduce costs.

If we want to know what to expect over the next four years, it will be up to us to examine what Musk cares about and where we know he aligns with Trump.

Both tend to work from one area the results are not like that It has to be important. Both men profited from their dealings with the government.

Musk sold billions of dollars carbon credits and also accumulated wealth government subsidies. Trump has escaped from taxes and benefited bankruptcy laws.

Both have a tendency toward misogyny. Musk is accused sexism and sexual harassment and he didn’t hesitate this behavior in society. Similarly, Trump was found legally responsible. sexual assault and as everyone knows he bragged on the tape He describes how his money and fame allowed him to grope women.

They overlap among themselves opinions about gunsRestriction of the rights and freedom of expression of homosexual and transgender people for someeven for misinformation And hate speech.

There are those among us who believe that having such a monstrous amount of money influencing our political system will lead to lower inflation and the preservation of family values, but social scientists show that: inequality and such a huge disproportion of resources Not good for sustainability. We endanger democracy when we gather together such extreme wealth hoarders.

It makes little sense to rely on the hope that the ultra-rich will “do the right thing,” especially since social science predicts the opposite: Wealth may actually reduce empathy and compassion. In 2023, The top 1 percent was worth $38.7 trillionmore than the combined wealth of the entire middle class.

Trump is first convicted criminal elected president. He didn’t get there alone. In the weeks leading up to Election Day, billionaires He stepped in to help. They did it because they knew if they won, they would win. Musk’s wealth increased with a report $26.5 billion Within 24 hours of the election, its value reached $290 billion.

As billionaires and their wealth increase, our prices also increase partly because our price ceiling capacity increases. Without systemic controls such as targeted taxes, an economy dependent on billionaires will continue to negatively impact our ability to house, feed, and care for ourselves because the purchasing power of the average person is sunk compared to the ultra-rich.

As a sociologist who makes predictions based on available data, the trends point to a more unequal, violent, homophobic, misogynist world full of alternative realities where the rich are increasingly prioritized in tax policy. The rest of us will only be valuable when deemed necessary for the oligarch’s agenda.

Trump may be our next president, but this history will be understood through his right-hand man, the richest man in history.

Megan Thiele Strong is Ph.D., San Jose State University. professor of sociology and a friend of mine who is the voice of public opinion OpEd Project.

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