United States of Oligarchy How America's Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy

By: Casey Michel

Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2026-08-04

A staggering examination of how America's wealthiest infiltrated the government and allied with dictators, transforming the U.S. from democracy to oligarchy.

From the Rockefellers to the Vanderbilts, the world’s richest families have for centuries built their fortunes on American soil, serving as capitalistic success stories who grew their wealth among free markets and democratic protections. Now, that balance has shifted. Rather than the moguls and magnates of previous generations, the wealthiest individuals of the 21st century are oligarchs unto themselves – and owe much of their wealth to the most anti-democratic forces around the world.

There is Elon Musk, who has flung the doors of financing and influence open to dictators from Russia to China; Jared Kushner, who has brought in billions from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates while opening up unprecedented leverage for dictatorships; and a range of new techno-authoritarians trying to create a post-American future. And there are even more who have shunned the public spotlight, transforming entire industries into play-things for dictatorships in secret – all while the Trump administration sells American policy to the highest bidders across the globe, from Qatar to Turkey to Vietnam.

In United States of Oligarchy, Casey Michel illuminates a story decades in the making, from the earliest efforts to corral and combat American oligarchs, to the new crop of oligarchs dominating American democracy and making the world safe for dictatorship – all for their own benefit.

The oligarchs have risen and are attempting to reign. The only question remaining is whether or not it’s too late to stop them.