Have Billionaires Gone Too Far?

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The New Yorker

Washington, News, Politics, President, Wickenden, Wnyc, Barack, Obama, Lizza

4.3 • 3.9K Ratings

🗓️ 9 May 2026

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The über-rich have enjoyed a remarkable degree of sway in Donald Trump’s Washington—but they may now be facing a backlash. The Washington Roundtable traces the signs of invigorated “pitchfork politics,” such as Zohran Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax in New York, a wealth tax on the ballot in California, and recent protests against the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s involvement in the Met Gala—and what these efforts reveal about the cultural and political limits of oligarchy. The panel is joined by Brooke Harrington, a Dartmouth professor of economic sociology who trained as a wealth manager to embed inside the world of the super-rich. Together they examine whether the “broligarchs” have overplayed their hand, what history tells us about when élites lose their grip on power, and whether the left or the right is better positioned to harness growing inequality and anger as a political weapon heading into the 2026 midterms and beyond.

This week’s reading:

“All the President’s Contractors,” by Antonia Hitchens
“Two Hundred and Fifty Years of Complicated Commemoration,” by Jelani Cobb
“For Putin, Problems (and Paranoia) Keep Mounting,” by Joshua Yaffa
“The Pope’s First Anniversary Is Marked by More Sparring from the White House,” by Paul Elie
“Barack Obama Considers His Role in the Age of Trump,” by Peter Slevin
“How the Iran War Is Shifting Power Toward China,” by Ishaan Tharoor
“The A.I. Industry Is Booming. When Will It Actually Make Money?,” by John Cassidy
“How a Congressional Primary Became a Proxy Battle Over A.I.,” by Gideon Lewis-Kraus
“The Real Cost of Downsizing Social Security,” by E. Tammy Kim

See the Washington Roundtable live at 92NY on June 4th.

The Political Scene draws on the reporting and analysis found in The New Yorker for lively conversations about the big questions in American politics. Join the magazine’s writers and editors as they put into context the latest news—about elections, the economy, the White House, the Supreme Court, and much more. New episodes are available three times a w… Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you're a fan of the political scene podcast from The New Yorker, I hope you'll join us for a live taping of the show at 92 NY in Manhattan.
0:09.3	We're going to be talking about Donald Trump's falling approval numbers, the prospects of a comeback for the Democratic Party in the midterms.
0:18.5	And let's just say the potential threats to the integrity of the election that are coming from
0:24.1	the president.
0:25.1	I hope you'll join me, Evanos, and my colleagues Susan Glasser and Jane Mayer on June 4th at 7 p.m.
0:32.3	Ticket information is at 92NY.org.
0:39.0	Amelia Island, Florida invites you to breathe a little deeper
0:42.9	and enjoy the luxury of letting go.
0:45.9	Discover the tranquil seaside getaway
0:48.4	embraced by salt air, sunshine, and authentic southern charm.
0:53.7	Find your unwind at amelia Island.com.
0:59.4	There are banners up all over town at construction sites.
1:03.7	They were put up by Donald Trump that say thank you Donald Trump
1:06.7	and have a picture of himself in a hard hat.
1:21.9	You know, it's just an unusual sort of thing to, like, put up a huge banners at public expense with your picture on them thanking yourself.
1:25.5	It's the latest outcropping of... Pyongyang on the Potomac is season puts, Pianong on the Potomac. I mean, there is, of course, he has just unveiled his golden statue of himself at his club, but at least that's his own club. These are our city streets. I have to say, it's got to be a good time in the golden statue business. Like, if, you know, it's been a tough millennium, I guess, in the Golden Statue business.
1:45.3	They haven't had as much business since, like, Caesar.
1:48.1	Even Caesars were in marble.
1:51.1	Yeah, good point.
1:52.2	It was a little more subtle.
1:55.0	Welcome to the political scene from the New Yorker, a weekly discussion about the big questions in American politics.
2:06.6	I'm Evan Osnos, and I'm joined as ever by my colleagues, Susan Glasser and Jane Mayer. Hi Susan and hi Jane.
	...

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