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Nick Fielden's avatar

When will commentators stop describing Trump’s regime as “an oligarchy”? It is not.

An oligarchy means government by the few. It refers to the power that a small group yields, and that alone.

The reason for this confusion appears to arise from the fact that the small group of influencers that surrounds Trump is largely made up of billionaires, amongst whom Trump is himself one. But wealth is not an essential characteristic of an oligarchy. It only occurs in the case of Trump’s polity because billionaires are relatively thin on the ground.

Trump’s form of government is better described as ‘a plutocracy’, where wealth is a required criterion. And in Trump’s case, of course, the acquisition of personal wealth is a top concern.

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