In the next two years, the U.S. government will be shaped by power struggles among different Trump factions. And, of course, Trump wants as much power as possible for himself.
Trump world now includes the conflicting agendas of kakistocracy, oligarchy, and “Christian” Nationalist theocracy.
A kakistocracy is governed by the least competent. Trump’s first move has been to appoint people to his administration who will just say “yes sir,” even if it means breaking the law or ignoring the Constitution, and even if the appointees know nothing about the departments they are appointed to lead.
To accomplish his goals, Trump will install kakistocracy. Remember this strange word. You will hear it again.
Trump has nominated a whole cabinet of dangerously under-qualified candidates who will be loyal to him without question.
Once Trump’s cabinet is in place, he will hold sway over the good part of the “deep state”: the government workers with experience and skill who don’t change with every administration. These government experts may be allowed to stay only if their motto is “In Trump we trust.”
Oligarchy is government by the rich. To gain greater influence over the nation’s wealth, Trump will expand the political power of the American oligarchy. Who are the oligarchs? They are the top 1% who have inherited wealth, the CEOs who make 250-338 times more than their mid-level employees, and entrepreneurs who have amassed astronomical wealth.
Trump does not just want to be an oligarch, he wants to be the oligarch’s puppet master, the one pulling the strings just as Putin does in Russia. Even if he does not have the most money, he can still assert the most power.
If you watched Trump’s inauguration on January 20, 2025, you saw the richest tech billionaires seated on Trump’s right, just behind his family members. There they were, their influence front and center, Bezos (Amazon and the Washington Post), Rocket Man Musk (X and SpaceX), and Robot Boy Zuckerberg (Facebook). These “Masters of the Universe” already hold remarkable sway over what Americans buy, pay attention to, and believe.
More disturbing even than the obscene amount of money driving politics is the power of the tech bros to control popular opinion. Tech algorithms now drive the national conversation and are designed not to inform but to hold attention. The easiest way to keep eyeballs on a screen is with fear and outrage, Algorithms learn what grabs attention and keeps users glued to the screen by presenting progressively radical, exciting links.
Because the fastest way to engage is to enrage, vitriol is being pushed by Musk on X (formerly Twitter) and Zuckerberg on Facebook under the mantle of promoting free speech. Zuckerberg has gone as far as to abandon fact-checking on Facebook.
Theocracy is a government run by religion. In addition to kakistocracy and oligarchy, theocracy threatens American ideals and civil liberties. “Christian” Nationalism proposes Sharia-style laws based on the Jewish Old Testament, ironically with no consideration at all for the teachings of Jesus.
Ordinary people suffer under kakistocracy when clueless ”elites” run the government. Ordinary people suffer under oligarchy when the interests of the wealthy come first. Ordinary people suffer under theocracy when a state religion is imposed on everyone. “Christian” Nationalism may be the biggest threat, as religious zealots seek to dominate the “Seven Mountains” of family, religion, education, media, arts and entertainment, business, and government [source?] The best we can hope for as a nation is to rebalance the power structure with mid-term elections in 2026. Maybe we can reinvigorate democracy. In the meantime, those of us who are not clueless, rich, or religious enforcers, by far the majority of people in this country, are going to miss a government run by and for the people.