In November, Senator Bernie Sanders wrote that the Democratic Party had “abandoned working class people,” and that because of this, “it should come as no great surprise that … the working class has abandoned them.” The results of the 2024 election proved that Americans are shifting away from the left. But if today’s Republicanism is supposedly aligned with the ideals of the average American, why is it supported by the three richest men in America?
Trump’s victory came as no surprise for me, especially after returning from a trip to Pigeon Forge, TN, where locals toted GOP merch like it might be the only thing in their closets. In the Smokey Mountains, I saw an America that was fed up with “liberal propaganda,” whose primary problems (like not being able to afford gas or grocery prices) were far more pressing than the heavyweight issues of the Democratic Party (climate change, far away wars, college debt, etc).
I saw an America that was hungry, and who viewed Donald Trump’s movement as sustenance. While the Harris campaign ran on promises of inclusion and fighting for women’s reproductive rights, I believe the American people saw Donald Trump’s stances as much more tangible. The average American may not be worried about the ozone layer, but they may be concerned about whether they can afford to buy lunchmeat for their kindergartener’s lunch box.
When the smoke cleared Nov. 5, the Republican party emerged victorious, and the Democrats waved a tarnished white flag, weary and disillusioned. According to CNN, “a stunning 96% of voters” factored the high prices of gas and groceries into their vote. Of those voters who said they were “very concerned” about the increasing price of essentials, 60% voted for Donald Trump. In other words, citizens who were anxious about affording their next tank of gas aligned themselves with Trump.
If it’s true that the Democratic Party has “abandoned working class people,” and that the Republican Party is the voice of the everyday American, I’m not sure why the spokespeople for this party are billionaires like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, all of whom attended President Trump’s inauguration.
Musk, whose friendship with President Trump is blossoming steadily, will head the new Department of Government Efficiency. The Grand Old Party is historically concerned with the livelihood of blue-collar workers and grassroots workfolk. And yet, as of Dec. 2024, the tech giant himself has a personal fortune of $442 billion dollars.
To put that in perspective, Musk could feed every single one of America’s 346 billion citizens for two months straight — buying them a McDonald’s breakfast, lunch and dinner — and still have enough money left over to provide power for the entire city of New York for the month of January ($64 million), free the country of Ecuador from all of their current debts ($59.7 billion), launch a rover to Mars ($2.8 billion), fund the entire Peace Corps for a year ($430.5 million), recover all of the insurance costs from the Los Angeles fires ($30 billion), buy an island in French Polynesia ($6.5 million), provide food relief for the entirety of East Africa ($6.2 billion) and still be the 28th richest person in all of America.
Americans who are concerned with being able to feed their hungry children’s mouths are latching onto a man who could feed every hungry child in America while still living a life of comfortable opulence.
Musk and other head-honchos get away with hoarding so much because the concept of “a billion” is nebulous to us plebeians.
We use the terms “millionaire” and “billionaire” interchangeably to denote a powerful tycoon. This language works in Musk’s favor — because we can’t get a good grasp on how much wealth he and other moguls possess, we are less likely to be enraged by their malfeasance. Not to mention that Musk and other plutocrats have an awkward, almost pitiable demeanor that makes it easy to detach their persona from their profits.
At the inauguration, Tesla’s CEO repeatedly thanked the elated crowd, promising, “safe cities, secure borders, sensible spending. Basic stuff.” But what exactly does “sensible spending” mean to a man who earns roughly $656 per second and could purchase the most expensive home on South Bend’s market with just a little over an hour’s worth of pay? And what does “basic stuff” mean to a tycoon who can own all of the stuff, ever?
America’s politics is riddled with inconsistencies.
A president who was formerly a property financier and Ivy-league graduate now rallies a sector of America that abhors privilege and elitism. A blue-blood who built his legacy from “a small loan of a million dollars” now captains citizens who value hard work and despise free handouts. The Democratic Party can be chameleon-like too — Sanders himself is part of the 1%, even after claiming that the growing disparity between rich and poor is a crisis. Left or rightwing, self-made or born with a silver spoon, America is under the control of aristocrats, the richest of whom stand behind Donald Trump.
Elon Musk and other magnates have learned to speak our language. They’ve trained themselves to be placid and relatable, with vocabulary like “sensible” and “basic.” How to speak billionaire these days? Apparently, just pretend to speak like everyone else.
Gracie Eppler is a senior business analytics and English major from St. Louis, MO. Her three top three things ever to exist are '70’s music, Nutella and Smith Studio 3, where she can be found dancing. You can reach her at geppler@nd.edu.
