“But I think getting close to Trump is about extending that economic power, that media power up to direct political power, and in a sense, breaking down the traditional boundary between the private and the public sphere,” argues Prof Carl Rhodes, professor of organisation studies and dean of the Business School, University of Technology Sydney.
Australians join super-rich cosying up to Trump – and aren’t afraid to say what they want Gina Rinehart and Anthony Pratt are among the super-rich seeking a direct line to the US president and a chance to increase their already immense power.
Prominent at Trump’s intimate indoor inauguration sat the three wealthiest people on the planet: X’s Elon Musk, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg.
The billionaires jostling for position in Trump’s inner circle already wield immense power.
Flanked by other members of the billionaire’s club, they sat centre of a single row of people worth more than a trillion dollars, perched on fold-out chairs.
