Manufactured Populism

Tech Billionaires Expose MAGA’s Populism Charade

Donald Trump’s carefully cultivated image as a “regular guy” is a sham, as evidenced by a photo of him enjoying a luxury Diet Coke gifted by Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey. This image, along with the presence of tech billionaires at Trump’s inauguration, highlights the burgeoning oligarchy undermining democratic principles. This strategy, employed by Trump and other wealthy figures, leverages “vice-signaling”—public displays of amorality—to connect with working-class voters, obscuring the regressive economic policies that primarily benefit the wealthy. Ultimately, this manufactured populism masks a system designed to redistribute wealth upward, leaving the working class to bear the costs.

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