Tech Titans and Trump Are Playing Nazi Jenga with Democracy
The world has become a billionaire playground where they align with fascist regimes to make even more profit
Democracy is not a given. It’s not a monument that’s been there forever and will stand forever, no matter how hard we lean on it. It’s like a Jenga tower—precarious, wobbly, and one wrong move away from collapsing into a pile of blocks. Taking us with them.
And right now, a handful of tech billionaires and Trump’s far-right cronies are playing a very dangerous game of Nazi Jenga with our democracy. Spoiler alert: they’re not great at it, and we’re all about to lose our basic rights.
The rise of Trump and his far-right cronies has been a masterclass in exploiting fear, division, and grievance. But what’s even more alarming is how tech billionaires—the supposed geniuses of our age—are aligning with this agenda, turning social media platforms into propaganda machines.
The result? A perfect storm of manipulation, censorship, and authoritarian tendencies that threatens to topple the democracy we’ve spent centuries building.
Let’s look at some of the strategies they’ve used to manipulate and divide the US (and the world). There will be a second and probably third part to this article discussing other fascist destabilization strategies Trump has been using. But I didn’t want to turn this into a longread.
The Art of Blaming Everyone Else
Let’s start with the oldest trick in the authoritarian playbook: blame an outsider for your problems and make them the scapegoat for everything that’s going wrong. The Nazis did it with Jews and communists. Trump does it with immigrants, the media, and “the swamp.”
Fascism thrives on division. It needs an “us vs. them” mentality to survive, and nothing creates that division faster than scapegoating.
By blaming a specific group—whether it’s Jews in 1930s Germany or immigrants in modern America—fascist leaders redirect public anger away from systemic issues and toward a convenient target.
It’s a psychological sleight of hand: “Don’t look at the crumbling infrastructure, the wage stagnation, or the corporate greed. Look at them. They’re the problem.”
This tactic is so successful because it taps into our primal emotions: fear, anger, and the desire for belonging.
When people feel economically insecure or socially marginalized, they’re more susceptible to messages that promise simple solutions to complex problems. And what’s simpler than blaming a single easily identifiable group (or two, or three) for all your troubles? Just get rid of them, and all will be well (great) again.
Take Trump’s shameful 2017 Muslim ban, for example. And of course his current anti-immigration agenda. These aren't just policy proposals—they're a message. They tell his base: “Your fears are valid, and I’m the only one who can protect you.”
And tech billionaires? Well, they’re happy to provide the megaphone as long as they can make more money.
Their social media platforms are a propaganda machine on speed.
They amplify the far-right’s vile propaganda, spreading it efficiently without context or fact-checking. The result? A surge in anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes and a further erosion of trust in democratic institutions.
Remember, we have social media platforms to thank for much of the predicament we are in right now.
The manipulation of public opinion their algorithms achieve is unbelievably powerful. Let’s not forget that Facebook has already contributed to an actual genocide.
Along with right-wing megaphones like Fox News, they’re the ones shaping the public perception of the world, and they’re the ones that enabled Trump’s rise in the first place.
During the 2016 election, Meta’s algorithms turned into a misinformation superhighway, amplifying fake news and divisive content faster than you can say “Russian bots.”
Why? Because outrage drives engagement, and engagement drives profits. You can sell more ads on your platform when more people are on it rage-clicking. And that’s all that matters. Engagement and retention. Never mind that it also drives societal collapse—those quarterly earnings aren’t going to inflate by themselves!
According to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook knows they're contributing to societal collapse but choose to ignore this:
a Facebook research team warned the company in 2018 that their “algorithms exploit the human brain’s attraction to divisiveness.” This research was allegedly shut down by Facebook executives, and Facebook declined to implement changes proposed by the research team to make the platform less divisive
And now Big Tech is falling in line to support Trump’s fascist agenda and throw money at him. Why? Because they know he will open the floodgates to deregulation and allow them to make even more money without any repercussions.
The swamp that Trump promised to drain is lining up behind him to support his agenda to make him, and others like himself as rich as possible. To support him, social media operators like Musk and Zuckerberg ensure that his message is spread while dissent is suppressed.
Let’s not forget that Musk, the self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” bought Twitter (now X) and promptly reinstated banned accounts, including Trump’s. And turned it into a far-right, incel hellscape where he ineptly trolls for attention and admiration. Because nothing says “democracy” like giving a platform to someone who tried to overturn an election. Musk’s vision of free speech seems to be: “Free for me, not for thee.” Unless, of course, “thee” is a far-right troll—then, by all means, tweet away.
Musk openly used his money to manipulate the public all through the election by funding Super Pacs who spread disinformation. And is now trying to do the same thing in the UK and Germany.
And we all saw Zuckerberg slither to Mar-A-Lago to suck up to the new fascist power. His announcement to remove fact-checking and allow hate speech as part of the “public discourse” on his platform is a joke. Yeah, fuck you, Mark - the public discourse is a cesspool poisoned for years by the weak moderation on your platform and its algorithm that amplifies hate.
The Outsider Myth
Trump’s entire shtick is that he’s an outsider, a maverick fighting against the corrupt elites. Never mind that he’s a billionaire who’s spent his life rubbing elbows and colluding with those same elites. He doesn’t care for anyone’s benefit but his own. He would sell a refrigerator to a penguin, and he’s sold millions of Americans on the idea that he’s their savior.
The outsider myth works because it taps into a deep-seated distrust of institutions and politics that so many people have (for good reason). When people feel left behind by the system, they’re more likely to embrace someone who promises to tear that system down.
And Trump, with his anti-establishment rhetoric, has become the arsonist - but he’s not burning down the system that makes people feel disenfranchised. He’s burning down our democracy.
His followers don’t realize the outsider myth isn’t about actually being an outsider. It’s about appearing to be one.
Trump rails against the “swamp,” but he’s as much a part of it as the politicians and institutions he attacks. He’s the swamp monster that has come to life to eat you. He’s a billionaire who’s spent decades gaming the system for his own benefit. Stealing and exploiting people. Yet, by positioning himself as a rebel, he can channel public anger and frustration into a powerful political force.
Tech billionaires, meanwhile, have embraced this outsider myth with gusto. They’re the “disruptors,” the “innovators,” the guys in hoodies who are too cool for suits. But let’s be real: when you’re worth billions and control the platforms where billions of people get their news, you’re not an outsider. You’re the establishment on steroids. You’re the machine that we should rage against.
And yet, they’ve managed to convince many of their aficionados that they’re the good guys. Geniuses and savvy innovators. Say something critical of Musk, and the fanboys will crawl out of their cellars to tell you that he’s the greatest genius ever and that you’re just too stupid to see it.
The danger of Trump’s outsider myth is that it undermines trust in democratic institutions.
When people believe that the system is irredeemably corrupt, they’re more likely to support radical solutions—even if those solutions involve dismantling democracy itself.
This is how authoritarianism takes root.
It starts with a charismatic leader who promises to clean house, but it ends with the concentration of power in the hands of a few.
Trump discredits institutions to concentrate power just like the Nazi’s did
One of Trump’s biggest achievements is the way that he has managed to discredit all important institutions and anyone who might hold him accountable.
The media:
Trump’s infamous “fake news” mantra isn’t just a catchy phrase—it’s a weapon.
By labeling any critical coverage as “fake,” he’s created a reality where facts are subjective, and the truth is whatever he says it is.
This isn’t just about discrediting journalists; it’s about dismantling the Fourth Estate, the watchdog that holds power accountable.
When people stop trusting the media, they stop trusting the information they need to make informed decisions. And that’s precisely what Trump and any fascist system wants.
Sound familiar? It should, because the Nazis did the same thing.
Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, famously said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
The Nazis didn’t just criticize the media—they destroyed it. Independent newspapers were shut down, and those that remained were forced to toe the party line. By controlling the narrative, the Nazis turned the media into a tool for spreading their ideology and silencing dissent.
Trump may not have state-controlled media (yet), but his attacks on the press serve the same purpose: to erode trust in any source of information that doesn’t align with his agenda.
Then there’s the judiciary.
Remember Trump’s attacks on “so-called judges” who ruled against his travel ban?
Or his habit of calling any legal setback a “witch hunt”? By painting the judiciary as partisan and corrupt, Trump undermines the rule of law itself.
The judiciary is supposed to be a neutral arbiter, a check on executive power. But when people see it as just another political tool, they’re more likely to accept authoritarian measures in the name of “justice.”
The Nazis, of course, took this to the extreme. After coming to power, they purged the judiciary of anyone who wasn’t loyal to the party.
Judges who refused to comply were replaced with yes-men who rubber-stamped Nazi policies. The rule of law was replaced with the rule of the Führer. Trump hasn’t gone that far—yet—but he has turned the Supreme Court into a weapon for his agenda. And his attacks on the judiciary follow the same playbook: discredit the institution, weaken its authority, and pave the way for unchecked executive power.
And let’s not forget the electoral system.
Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud in the 2020 election weren’t just about overturning the results—they were about sowing doubt in the very foundation of democracy.
When people believe elections are rigged, they lose faith in the democratic process. And once that faith is gone, it’s much easier to justify authoritarian rule. After all, if the system is broken, why not tear it down and start over?
The Nazis, too, understood the power of undermining elections. Before Hitler came to power, the Nazis used propaganda to discredit the Weimar Republic’s electoral system, portraying it as corrupt and illegitimate.
Once in power, they abolished free elections altogether, replacing them with sham referendums designed to give the appearance of popular support.
Trump’s claims of voter fraud may not have led to the abolition of elections (yet). But they serve the same purpose: to delegitimize the democratic process and create an opening for authoritarian rule.
The parallels between Trump and the Nazis are chilling, but they’re not accidental.
Discrediting institutions, manipulating media and scapegoating minorities are tried-and-true tactics for authoritarian leaders. It’s how they consolidate power, silence opposition, and create a reality where they are the only source of truth and justice.
And when tech billionaires amplify these attacks on democracy—whether through social media algorithms or lax content moderation—they’re not just enabling Trump; they’re enabling the rise of authoritarianism.
Institutions are the glue that holds democracy together. Our democracies are based on a system of trust for our institutions. Trump (and far-right leaders all over the globe) have succeeded in weakening this trust and, with it, our system and democracy.
When our institutions are weakened, the whole system becomes vulnerable.
The Nazis showed us what happens when those institutions are destroyed. Trump and his allies—with the help of tech billionaires—are pulling at that glue, one thread at a time. If we don’t stop them, the Jenga tower will fall, leaving us to deal with the ruins of our democracies.