Welcome to the new American oligarchy: Trump’s rise was decades in the making

President Donald Trump’s rise is not an anomaly – he is the product of forces set in motion 50 years ago, driven by massive deregulation and key Supreme Court decisions that dismantled a century of safeguards against corporate political spending, explains Thom Hartmann, author of ‘The Hidden History of American Oligarchy.’ Together, these forces steered America toward oligarchy. Trump recognized the cracks in our system—and moved in to exploit them. In this next chapter of America’s story, “Velshi” will track those who wield economic power to undermine everyday Americans–including the tech-industrial complex now occupying the halls of American power.