Trump who? We live in Musk’s world now.

Elon Musk, leading the ultra-wealthy, donated time, rhetoric and money to this fall’s presidential election. 

Before the election, his worth was estimated at $270 billion. He initiated a lottery in swing states, targeted at Trump voters, giving away $1 million a day. One million is 0.00037 percent of his net worth — which rounds to zero at two decimals. As Americans’ median net worth is just $192,200, this is like a middle-class American giving away 71 cents a day. 

Can we imagine how it would feel if our 71 cents could influence an election the way $1 million could? Musk could and did, and it paid off. Billionaires gained billions within 24 hours of the election results, and they are elated. Musk is now worth 50 times more than Trump’s mere $6 billion. And in this world — Musk’s and Trump’s world — money is the ultimate form of power. 

Musk has already been tapped to join the Trump administration and has even joined Trump family photos. He has Trump’s ear, and we can predict that Trump will yield to his influence. Last week, it was announced he will be in charge of cutting costs.  

If we want to know what to expect during the next four years, it would behoove us to examine what we know Musk cares about and where he and Trump are aligned. 

Both tend to operate from a space where consequences don’t have to matter. Both men have gained from their relationship with the government. 

Musk has sold billions of dollars in carbon credits as well as amassed wealth from government subsidies. Trump has dodged taxes and benefited from bankruptcy laws. 

They both have a penchant for misogyny. Musk has been accused of sexism and sexual harassment and has not shied away from this behavior in public. Similarly, Trump was found civilly liable for a sexual assault and notoriously bragged on tape about how his money and fame allows him to grope women.  

They overlap in their views on guns, restricting the rights of gay and transgender people and freedom of speech for some, even for misinformation and hate speech. 

There are those among us who believe having such a monstrosity of money influencing our political system will lead to a decrease in inflation and a protection of family values, however, social scientists show that inequality and such a vast disproportionality of resources is not great for sustainability. We imperil democracy when we amass such extreme wealth-hoarders. 

Relying on hope that the ultra-wealthy will “do the right thing” is not sound logic, especially since social science predicts the opposite: Wealth may actually decrease empathy and compassion. In 2023, the top 1 percent was worth $38.7 trillion, more than the combined wealth of the entire middle class.  

Trump is the first convicted felon elected president. He didn’t get there alone. In the weeks leading up to Election Day, billionaires stepped in to assist. They did so because they knew they stood to gain if he won. Musk’s wealth grew by a reported $26.5 billion within 24 hours of the election, putting his worth at $290 billion. 

As billionaires and their wealth increase, our prices go up in part because the capacity of our price ceiling rises. Without system checks such as targeted taxes, an economy anchored to billionaires will continue to negatively affect our ability to shelter, feed and care for ourselves because, relative to the ultra-wealthy, the average person’s purchasing power is sunk. 

As a sociologist extrapolating based on data available, trends point to a more unequal, violent, homophobic, misogynistic world, full of alternative facts, where the wealthy are increasingly prioritized in tax policy. The rest of us will be worthy only if seen as essential to the oligarch’s agenda. 

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

Megan Thiele Strong, Ph.D., is a San Jose State University sociology professor and a public voices fellow at the TheOpEdProject.