Corruption and Money

Among Trump’s loudest rallying-cries was his pledge to “drain the swamp”. Indeed, the promise to do away with the web of corruption, grifting, nepotism, and financial dependence purportedly characteristic of “the system” is a staple of all populisms. The irony is that populist movements, if and when they come to power, tend to be swampier than their establishment opponents. What is even more ironic, or maybe just tragic, is that so many people do not seem to care.