"BILLIONAIRES ARE PLAYING WHACK-A-MOLE WITH OUR GOVERNMENT!"

Billionaires, unlike elected officials, are not beholden to voters. They’re accountable only to themselves and their profit motives.

Today’s episode is one you’re going to have to sit down for, maybe with a strong cup of coffee, or something stronger, because we’re about to confront the existential threats facing our democracy head-on.

We’re living in an era where billionaires and political extremists are playing chess with our government, and, spoiler alert, they’re not on our side. Elon Musk, the self-anointed tech messiah, is doing what he does best; disrupt, destabilize, and deceive. This time, he is taking aim at a bipartisan effort to keep the government’s lights on. That’s right; an actual, rare moment of political cooperation, and here comes Musk to blow it all up.

Why? Power. Influence. Control. The usual suspects.

We’ve got a new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, who’s walking on a high wire with no safety net. Johnson’s hold on the speakership is already fragile, and now he’s facing the nightmare scenario of a government shutdown. You’d think he’d be doing everything in his power to avoid it, but when you’re backed into a corner by the far-right MAGA extremists in your own party, you’re not the one calling the shots. This is what happens when you hand the keys of power to chaos agents—they’re going to drive you straight off a cliff.

But it’s not just the politicians. No, we’ve got a billionaire problem too. Let’s talk about Elon Musk. The guy’s no longer content with running Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly known as Twitter). Now, he’s dipping his fingers into U.S. governance. When Musk, as a private citizen, starts throwing his weight around to influence government shutdown negotiations, we have to ask ourselves, has he crossed a line? Has he gone from private citizen to shadow government operative? And here’s the real kicker: Is it even legal for him to interfere in government operations like this? This isn’t some "free speech" debate. This is a question of whether or not Elon Musk is actively trying to destabilize the U.S. government.

Where’s the accountability for these people? If you’re an average citizen, you’d be charged with conspiracy, obstruction, or worse. But if you’re a billionaire, apparently you get to call it "disruption" and "innovation." It’s like the old saying goes: When the poor steal, it’s a crime. When the rich steal, it’s business. So, where’s the Justice Department on this? Where’s Congress? Will there be any investigation into whether Musk’s actions cross the line from influence to interference?

Now, let’s talk about the man at the center of it all; Donald Trump. If you are one of those who think Trump’s chaotic approach to domestic governance is bad, imagine what it’s going to look like on the world stage when he’s back in the White House. We’re talking about potential flashpoints in Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and Syria. Trump’s strategy is simple: sow chaos, burn it all down, and claim he’s the only one who can fix it. Remember his love affair with Vladimir Putin? You think Putin wanted Kamala Harris to win in 2024? Of course not. He’s counting on Donald to get back in power and hand him Ukraine on a silver platter.

And then there’s the Middle East. Trump’s decisions during his first term gave us the Abraham Accords, but they also gave us emboldened hardliners in Gaza, and if he’s back in the driver’s seat, we’re likely to see even more instability in the region. You can’t govern by tweets and tantrums when you’re dealing with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran. But we’ve seen Trump do it before, and I suspect, he’ll do it again.

What’s at stake here isn’t just government funding or diplomatic stability. It’s democracy itself. The guardrails are off, and the people nominated to hold the wheel are unqualified, unhinged, or uninterested in the common good. If you’re not paying attention now, you’re going to wake up one day in a country you don’t recognize.

So, what do we do? We shine a light on it. We demand accountability from our leaders, from our billionaires, and from ourselves. We call out the hypocrisy, the greed, and the power plays for what they are—attacks on our democracy.

Here Today to help me unpack the mess is none other than

Anand Giridharadas

, a journalist, author, and one of the most fearless voices calling out the power structures that have a chokehold on our democracy. He’s the author of "Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World" and "The Persuaders," where he masterfully exposes the contradictions of wealth, power, and influence. Anand’s insights on the intersections of money, politics, and public trust are as sharp as they are necessary—and more importantly, what we can and must do to fight back. So, let's go now to that conversation.

and now for today's Mea Culpa:

The idea of a billionaire-led administration may have sounded revolutionary at first business-minded leaders running the government with "efficiency" and "success"; but the reality is far more dangerous than anyone could have anticipated. When billionaires take the reins of government, they bring with them not only vast sums of money but also deep-rooted conflicts of interest that threaten American democracy, both in the short term and long term.

In the short term, billionaires in government wield their wealth to quash dissent and avoid accountability. Take, for example, the recent lawsuit against ABC, which resulted in a $16 million settlement. While the details of the case remain tightly sealed, it’s clear that corporate power; backed by billionaire interests, can stifle media scrutiny and limit the public’s access to truth. This isn’t just about one lawsuit. It’s about setting a precedent where corporations and billionaires use their money to "resolve" issues quietly, shielding themselves from transparency and accountability. Meanwhile, the public is left in the dark, unaware of the true extent of wrongdoing.

Then there’s the lawsuit against the Des Moines Register and pollster Ann Selzer. What’s at stake here isn’t just a legal dispute, it’s an attack on the very process by which public opinion is measured and reported. Polling data plays a critical role in shaping electoral strategy and informing voters. If billionaires can use their legal teams to undermine the credibility of polling institutions, then they can manipulate the narrative in their favor. It’s not hard to imagine a future where legitimate polls are discredited simply because they don’t produce "favorable" results for those in power.

In the long term, a billionaire administration poses an even greater threat to democracy. Billionaires, unlike elected officials, are not beholden to voters. They’re accountable only to themselves and their profit motives. This self-serving agenda can lead to policies that favor the wealthy at the expense of everyday Americans. Regulatory rollbacks, tax cuts for the rich, and weakened labor protections are just a few examples of how billionaire influence has already shaped American policy. Left unchecked, this trend could further widen the wealth gap, weaken democratic institutions, and turn the United States into an oligarchy where money—not votes—determines the nation’s future.

So, how did we get here? How did so many Americans come to believe that billionaire leadership was a good idea? The answer lies in the myth of the "self-made" billionaire. Figures like Donald Trump and Elon Musk present themselves as "outsiders" who know how to "fix" government because they’ve "built" successful empires. But this is a con. Their success stories often leave out the advantages they started with—whether it’s inherited wealth or favorable regulatory loopholes. The promise that "what’s good for billionaires is good for everyone" is a lie that’s been marketed to the American public for decades. It’s a story reinforced by television, social media, and political talking points that celebrate wealth as a sign of moral superiority.

Americans bought into this myth because they’ve been told that billionaires are the "winners" and everyone else should aspire to be like them. But in reality, billionaire-led governance erodes democracy and concentrates power in the hands of the few. If we continue down this path, the public’s voice will be drowned out by money, and our democracy will be reduced to a plaything for the ultra-wealthy. It’s time to wake up and recognize that billionaires don’t govern for the people—they govern for themselves.

In the meantime, all we can do is wait to see what happens post January 20^th, and as always, thanks for listening.