During a recent appearance on MSNBC, NYU professor and author Scott Galloway outlined a deeply concerning view of the state of American politics, arguing that wealth now determines who gets rights and who doesn’t.
“The bottom line is rights and democracy have become purely a function of how wealthy you are in America,” Galloway said.
“The wealthiest 1% are protected by the law but not bound by it. And the bottom 99% are bound by the law but not protected by it.”
In the interview, Galloway made his sharpest critique yet: “I think we’ve essentially become a kleptocracy that would make Putin blush.”
He cited President Donald Trump’s family’s growing wealth since taking office as evidence: “In the three months since the inauguration, the Trump family has become $3 billion wealthier… That’s $1 billion a month.”
Galloway argued that this isn’t new but has reached a staggering scale: “To be fair, it’s been a slow creep of corruption… Democrats and other Republicans have been engaging in corruption for tens or hundreds of thousands. This is now corruption for billions.”
His remarks, resurfaced and expanded upon by political commentator Kyle Kulinski on The Kyle Kulinski Show, sparked intense discussion online.
Kulinski described Galloway’s take as “undeniably accurate,” especially in the context of rising inequality and systemic disregard for ordinary people.
A Parallel to Authoritarianism
Galloway warned that the U.S. is resembling pre-World War II Germany more than people are willing to admit.
“I don’t think there’s that much difference between us and Germany in the 1920s and ’30s,” he said, suggesting that the elite class today has the resources to insulate itself from national decline.
“If things get really bad and they start rounding up Jews as they did in the ’30s… I have the money to peace out to Milan or Dubai,” he said, highlighting how the ultra-wealthy have effectively built their own systems, from healthcare and education to legal protection and security.
“There’s an emerging transnational oligarchy where you essentially have your own schools, you have your own defense, you have your own healthcare, you have your own laws,” Galloway explained.
Grift Over Governance
Kulinski took those comments further, comparing the Trump administration to a mafia family.
“If the Trump administration brought the same competence and elegance to governing as they bring to grifting, we’d be in a much better place,” Galloway said.
Kulinski listed several examples of what he characterized as grift, including Trump’s $100,000 watch sales, meme coins, NFTs, and international business deals.
“Think about the amount of effort that went into Trump selling watches… He’s got all these different things the the amount of effort that goes into all of the different crimes…I mean, it’s astronomical,” Kulinski said.
“But when it comes to governing the country, it’s literally just like, f*** everybody and let them die.”
Policy That Hurts the Most Vulnerable
Kulinski also criticized recent legislation that cuts food assistance and healthcare access for millions.
“Cutting 3 million people off food stamps, cutting free school lunch for kids… this is all a catastrophe,” he said.
“They just superfunded the ICE Gestapo in this country. Now, ICE is the biggest domestic law enforcement operation, maybe ever in history. It’s bigger than many countries’ militaries. This is what they’re doing,” Kulinski added.
“The amount of effort that goes into the bad s*** that they do is astronomical,” he said.
“And the amount of effort to govern the country, like he said, Michael Corleone is running the grift. Fredo Corleone is running the country. That’s right.”
‘No Gentleman’s Disagreement’
Both Galloway and Kulinski argued that this is not just a political divide; it is an all-out assault on ordinary Americans.
“We are so far beyond, ‘Oh, we just have a gentleman’s disagreement about the policies that are best for the country.'” Kulinski said.
“Ain’t no gentleman’s disagreement…These are criminals doing criminal s.”
As Galloway put it, “Your rights are entirely correlated now to your wealth.”
With elites profiting and disengaging from the system while basic rights erode for everyone else, Galloway warned that democracy itself is at stake.
And as Kulinski emphasized, “The question is how quickly can regular people wake up and fight back.”
Whether that fight happens through voting, protest, or systemic reform remains to be seen, but both argue the clock is ticking.