In modern America, much of the general working class follows the schedule of waking up, driving to work on government-built roads, working in offices for businesses, and returning home. Beneath these seemingly ordinary moments lies a found reality: the deeply rooted correlation of government and business. The daily moments that intertwine government and business in the United States are ubiquitous, many people fail to recognize the significant impacts these two sectors of society have on every common citizen’s life.
The government and businesses are mutually dependent. The government enforces fair practices across industries and sets regulations to protect the health and safety of workers and the general public. Simultaneously, the government relies heavily on business for job creation and economic activity: the greater economic activity generated, the greater the increase in wealth, leading to the creation of a robust middle class. This symbiotic relationship has kept the power of business and government in check, limiting the power of both parties. Unfortunately, there have been exceptions.
A perfect example of this was the Gilded Age, a period of American history from the 1860s to early 1900s that marked an era of rapid industrialization, wealth inequality, and political corruption. Much of this era was vastly impacted by the close-knit relations of big business and the government, stemming from a combination of laissez-faire politics and the rise of politicians involved in both sectors. Big businesses utilized high tariffs, land grants, and weak regulations to create trusts, which in turn, created monopolies that controlled entire industries. A lack of income tax concentrated wealth among the elitist industrialists and financiers. By 1890, the top 1% of American families owned half of the country’s wealth. Business leaders lobbied to stop government regulations on businesses, funded political campaigns, and bribed politicians. Political machines, such as New York’s Tammany Hall, blurred the line between business and politics. Under the leadership of William Tweed, the group stole millions from New York City through fraudulent contracts and inflated invoices. At its peak, Tammany Hall controlled much of jobs, the police force, and the city economy.
Today, historians are calling the 21st-century United States the “Second Gilded Age.” With the election of President Donald Trump, another figure has emerged in the political spotlight: Elon Musk. President Trump has tasked Musk with the job of searching the federal government and pointing out inefficiencies, a job far different from creating Cyber Trucks and SpaceX missions to Mars. Musk’s often chaotic infiltration of various government agencies has sparked public alarm. More importantly, this relationship has reintroduced the role of big business and politics. With Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, now in control of one of the most powerful governments in the world, the question of democracy hangs in the balance. In the book “Power Play”, author Tim Higgins dives into the insights and motivation of Musk.
“There’s also this kind of “prove the world wrong” mentality”, Higgins said, “ For so long, he’s been told that what he was doing wasn’t possible, that he was crazy, that he couldn’t do it… When you talk to him, you realize he likes proving people wrong.”
During the 2022 midterm election, Musk backed up Republican candidates while labeling the Democratic party as the party of division. Musk formed a super PAC to support Trump’s re-election, donating more than $200 million of his own money. Following Trump’s election, Musk continued to gain public attention by his support of a far-right political party in Germany that has been accused of following Nazi ideology. Currently, Musk is leading efforts to scrutinize and cut federal agencies from within while his own companies receive multibillion-dollar contracts with the government. In an interview with President Trump and Elon Musk on Fox News, Trump dives into the current initiative in order.
“Those executive orders, I sign them, and now they get passed on to him and his group and other people, and they’re all getting done,” Trump said. “We’re getting them done.”
The relations between business and politics are not inherently negative; industries drive innovation, and the government provides oversight and regulations. But if left unchecked, corporate influence can skew government policies, echoing the corruption of the Gilded Age. As American history so blatantly shows, business power in the government can put the foundation of democracy at risk.
