Revisiting the Gilded Age: Trump's Version is Gaudier

Here's a quick refresher on America's Gilded Age (1870s to the late 1890s) for context on this post;

Under Trump's regime there's been a lot of talk about the Gilded Age in the nation's past. It occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive era. The name came about thanks to Mark Twain's 1973 novel The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today.

The Gilded Age was an era of fabulous wealth and stark poverty. Historians say the rapid changes were a result of the Industrial Revolution.

It's Deja vu in 2026. The gap between the average American and the proliferation of billionaires has reached a critical point where we have a White House serving the wealthy and ignoring the rest of us.

We're living with a president that could have been snatched from the Gilded Age. Trump's ambitious restoration of Washington D.C. monuments and his new gold infused projects would make John D. Rockefeller, Cornelius Vanderbilt and J.P. Morgan proud. I'm sure they would have donated money to Trump...in exchange for favors. 

The White House is undergoing an endless display of gaudy gold decorations that would make any rich Sheik feel right at home. The Oval Office looks like a 19th century bordello. Golden letters are above every room so Trump can find his way around the White House.

The richest men in the Gilded Age were a group of powerful industrialists and financiers often termed "captains of industry" or more appropriately "robber barons." 

Today, we have the MAGA cult CEOs and a billionaire president who along with his family of robber barons are ripping Americans off.

One of Trump's golden grifts stands out among the rest of the chaos he's creating; the now infamous proposed White House ballroom that would span about 90,000 square feet and is designed to accommodate about 650 people for seated events. 

I've seen photos of mockups of what the fabulous ballroom will look like (top of page) and there's gold features everywhere. 

From the numerous golden chandeliers to the gold gilding on the ceiling, around the sides, and on the floor, Trump's vision is a MAGA version of the Hall of Versailles. But gaudier.

Currently the Trump regime is regilding the Arts of War and Arts of Peace monumental sculptures (which feature four massive bronze gilded horses and human groups) with gold near the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington Memorial Bridge. That's costing taxpayers about $5.1 million dollars.

As it Stands, the comparisons between the first Gilded Age and the one we're currently living in is disturbing because this version is happening under an authoritarian regime.