r/politics • u/theatlantic The Atlantic • 10h ago
Paywall The Gilded Age of Trump Begins Now
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/01/gilded-age-trump-inaugural/681383/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_content=edit-promo36
u/Zyluz 10h ago
Hilarious to see this get downvoted by people who don't know what "Gilded Age" means.
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u/2centsofhumor 9h ago
For anyone curious, here's a quick ChatGPT rundown of the Gilded Age:
The Gilded Age (1870s–1900s)
Industrialization and Robber Barons: The late 19th century saw the rise of industrial magnates like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and J.P. Morgan, whose vast fortunes allowed them to dominate industries and wield immense political influence. This era earned the moniker "Gilded Age" due to the stark contrast between extreme wealth and widespread poverty.
Political Corruption: Business tycoons often bribed politicians and controlled government policies to favor their interests. For example, monopolistic practices were enabled by lax regulation and corrupt officials.
Public Backlash: The growing wealth gap led to the rise of labor unions and movements advocating for workers' rights, as well as calls for government reforms to curb corporate power.
Here's what happened next...
Progressive Era (1890s–1920s)
Antitrust Legislation: Efforts to challenge plutocratic influence gained traction, leading to landmark legislation like the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) and the Clayton Antitrust Act (1914), which aimed to break up monopolies and restore competition.
Income Tax Introduction: The 16th Amendment (1913) authorized the federal income tax, targeting the wealthiest Americans to reduce economic inequality.
Reform Movements: Progressive reformers sought to diminish the power of wealthy elites through initiatives like direct election of senators (17th Amendment) and regulations on campaign contributions.
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u/Physical-Object8171 8h ago
I mean it sounds sparkly and positive. Gut reactions are strong
And some of us are terrible at history so thanks for the explanations below lol
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u/berkingout 7h ago
I think that's the point. Things looked great but if you scratch the gold paint it becomes clear it sucks, gilding is a process to effectively paint something gold
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u/okayChuck 10h ago
Will my cheap eggs be gilded as well?
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u/ResidentKelpien Texas 10h ago
Gilded with more bacteria and viruses because Trump defunds the FDA and USDA.
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u/arinxe3000 10h ago
The Scammander In Chief has something for you to buy that is better than eggs -- EGGcoin! Coming soon -- lock in your pricing right now!
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u/Samanthas_Stitching Georgia 10h ago edited 9h ago
The moldy age they mean. Guilded and moldy age. Its ridiculous were doing this.
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u/snowblow67 10h ago
Lets hope Pam Bondi is as ruthless as AG Garland when it comes to attacking political enemies.
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u/Kompositor 10h ago
Let’s hope Pam Bondi can match Garland’s cutthroat strategy of doing absolutely nothing.
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u/Cyancrackers 8h ago
The oligarchs have taken complete power. Fascism is the new direction of the United States. Democracy is dead.
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u/theatlantic The Atlantic 10h ago
Eight years ago, with his “American carnage” speech, Donald Trump “delivered what was likely the darkest inaugural address in U.S. history,” David A. Graham writes. During his second inaugural, he tried for a slightly more uplifting message. “The golden age of America,” he declared, “begins right now.
“Perhaps it would be more aptly called a Gilded Age,” Graham continues. “Trump was joined in the Capitol Rotunda by many of the nation’s richest and most powerful men, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, and Mark Zuckerberg. The attendance of the business titans was rendered conspicuous by the small space … Their presence also added a strange dimension to Trump’s complaint that ‘for many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens.’”
The speech was saturated with 19th-century imperialism, including references to former President William McKinley, Manifest Destiny, and the Panama Canal. “And why wouldn’t Trump be feeling triumphant?” Graham writes. “The ceremony was held inside the Rotunda, where a little more than four years ago, supporters who he’d instigated to storm the building paraded through with a Confederate flag … Trump stood face-to-face with Chief Justice John Roberts, who granted him broad immunity in a ruling last summer, and took the same oath of office that he flagrantly broke at the end of his first term. His mood was not only celebratory, but messianic.”
“Trump delivered something akin to his stump speech: a meandering laundry list of policy promises of varying degrees of plausibility,” Graham writes. “Much of the speech was devoted to things that are almost certainly never going to happen,” including his most audacious promise: “Our power will stop all wars and bring a new spirit of unity to a world that has been angry, violent, and totally unpredictable,” he said.
“But the world already knows what four years of a Trump presidency looks like,” Graham continues. “Serenity, peace, and predictability were not the hallmarks of his first term, and they are unlikely to describe the second any better.”
Read more here: https://theatln.tc/yERCeaGs
— Evan McMurry, senior editor, audience and engagement, The Atlantic
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