Donald Trump’s cabinet of billionaires reflects a long-standing disconnect between Republican voters and reality. Somehow, a large chunk of the GOP base still believes that the interests of the ultra-wealthy align with their own. But as Bill Maher famously pointed out over a decade ago, that’s nothing more than a dangerous fantasy:
We have this fantasy that our interests and the interests of the super rich are the same; like somehow the rich will eventually get so full that they’ll explode, and that the candy will rain down on the rest of us; like they’re some kind of piñata of benevolence. But here’s the thing about a piñata – it doesn’t open on its own, you have to beat it with a stick.
And Maher was spot on. The billionaires in Trump’s orbit aren’t looking out for working Americans—they’re hoarding wealth, rewriting tax laws to benefit themselves, and gutting the social safety net. If I were a billionaire, I’d be worried right about now—because sooner or later, people are going to realize that piñatas don’t break open on their own.