Power & Trump

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These two images feature Donald Trump and two of his children, Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. The first picture shows the three individuals on the set of The Apprentice, a reality television show that Trump both produced and starred on. In addition to having been born into an extremely wealthy family, Trump managed this advantage to exponentially increase his wealth and power. His position on The Apprentice was a public display of this economic power which he utilized to accumulate additional power and transcend into the political sphere of power. In the second image, Trump stands beside his children once again, however in this image, he is president of The United States. In The Power Elite by Wright Mills, the author describes the power elite as a triangle of power composed of the military, economic, and political spheres (8). Despite being separate institutions, they are increasingly intertwined, and the decisions within one sphere have profound affects on the other two. Additionally, Mills emphasizes that the power elite of these institutions come from similar origins, thus resulting in a social and psychological unity that allows for "interchangeability of positions within and between the three dominant institutional orders" (19). Donald Trump is a prime example of having utilized his economic power to gain power in the political institution, despite having few prerequisites for the political power. It is significant that he is accompanied by his children in both pictures as they have been given access to both of these institutions through their father. Mills contends that the individual not only gains power through the family they were born into, but also the corporation in which they spend their time involved in (8). By their affiliation with Donald Trump, they have spent time in these institutions and gained power through such. Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Donald Trump Jr. represent members of the contemporary American bourgeoisie, having monopolized wealth in addition to power and prestige, as well as utilizing their power in one sphere to gain access to another sphere. 

Clary, Timothy A. 2017. “Donald Trump with Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr in New York, New York, on 11 January 2017.” From The Guardian. Retrieved April 4 2023 (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/04/donald-trump-jr-ivanka-trump-2024-presidential-election-poll) 

Mills, Wright C. 1956. The Power Elite. Oxford University Press. 


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