Is the United States a Democracy or an Oligarchy?
Story by Judah Hillman. Photo courtesy of MaxPixel.
The U.S. has historically proclaimed themselves as the ‘land of the free,’ serving the people as the world’s oldest democracy. During President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, notable billionaires—including Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon—were in attendance. Their presence prompted some Americans to question Trump’s true intentions as president, and many wondered whether he wants to turn America into an oligarchy, rather than a democracy.
An oligarchy is defined as a government in which a small group of typically wealthy people have control over a country. Oligarchies typically exclude voices of minorities and the poor working class, allowing for the wealthy and notable to remain in power. In contrast, a government system run by a democracy gives supreme power to the people, by giving them the right to vote for their own elected representatives.
Many of Trump's cabinet members are wealthy: 4 out of 22 members are billionaires with net worth ranging from 2.5 to 80 billion, and several others are millionaires. It's necessary for presidential candidates to fundraise huge amounts in donations during their campaign in order to advertise, pay staff, and fund campaign-related travel. One clear example is Trump, who raised 1.4 billion dollars in donations during his 2024 presidential campaign through a combination of direct campaign donations and donations to outside groups supporting Trump. His opponent, Kamala Harris, raised 1.9 billion. The more money presidential campaigns accumulate, the more they are able to advertise, increasing their likelihood of getting into office. Given how important campaign donations are, it is almost mandatory for politicians to raise money from the extremely wealthy. This raises the question: do the wealthy have too much influence over politics?
Who Is Really In Control?
The United States operates under a system of representative democracy, not direct democracy. This means that citizens do not vote on laws directly, but rather elect representatives who are supposed to represent their interests while in office and vote on laws on their behalf. The purpose of holding elected office, whether you are a state representative or the president, is to represent all citizens effectively.
Politicians often use money as a factor for decision making. This includes vast donations from wealthy billionaires. Congressional corruption can thus easily occur due to self interest, instead of the interest for the people they represent. Running a campaign is expensive, so in order to gather more donations that help win elections, members of Congress often turn to extremely wealthy individuals and prioritize their opinions on policy in exchange for more donations. The more influence money has on politics, the less democratic the system becomes.
Experts Respond
To dig further into the controversy over whether America demonstrates democratic or oligarchical characteristics, I reached out to several professors around Washington D.C and asked them: “Is the U.S better characterized as an oligarchy or democracy?'’ and '’How can the U.S. better practice democratic principles?'’ Three professors responded: Joshua Ferrer, Assistant Professor of Government at American University; Dr. James Stocker, Associate Professor of Global Affairs at Trinity Washington University; and Dr. Justin Litke, Assistant Professor of Politics at The Catholic University of America. All three professors expressed how America is better classified as a democracy, but some expressed concerns about the amount of influence that money has on politics in the United States.
Dr. James Stocker, Associate Professor of Global Affairs at Trinity University, explained how although the U.S is classified as a democracy, it’s currently under risk of potentially becoming an oligarchy due to high tech companies gaining “enormous economic power, control over our personal data, and the ability to shape the media environment.” In order to better practice democratic principles, he noted that it is critical to improve the political and media literacy of Americans. “Government for the people and by the people only works if the people are educated, informed, and engaged.” To create a more effective democracy in America, it is important to be aware of the credibility of information and remain informed.
Joshua Ferrer, Assistant Professor of Government at American University, explained how American democracies allow for “free and fair elections, civil liberties and freedoms, the rule of law, a free press, freedom of speech, and competitive elections,” which doesn’t allow for many oligarchical characteristics. However, due to an increasing amount of money in politics, it “gives political elites much more leeway to act in their own self-interests.” Dr. Ferrer noted that this may be troublesome for the foreseeable future if politicians prioritize their own self-interest instead of prioritizing the interests of all American citizens. Ferrer went on to explain how the U.S. violates numerous democratic principles, including uneven representations between different states. “A half a million people in Wyoming get the same amount of representation as nearly 40 million people in California. And DC's 700,000 residents get no Senate representation.”
Dr. Justin Litke, assistant professor of politics from The Catholic University of America, explained simply that, “if by democracy is meant a regime in which elections determine the officeholders, who then make public decisions, then we can't be anything but a democracy,” with no further comment on how to practice democratic principles.
Overall, the U.S is officially characterized as a democracy, but the amount of power and influence the wealthy have in politics raises risks of America becoming an oligarchy. As citizens, we have the duty to remain informed and educated about our government and use our collective power to serve the people rather than give up our power to the wealthy.
Judah Hillman is a senior at Friendship Technology Preparatory Academy.