Donald Trump has officially become the new president of the United States. His predecessor, Joe Biden, has gone to the landfill of history. Biden ranks among the worst American presidents ever, which is no small feat given the fierce competition. Traditionally, there has been no shortage of psychopaths, genocidal fundamentalists, mass murderers and corrupt bureaucrats in the top US political establishment.

In his inaugural speech, Trump offered many promises to satisfy constituencies expecting their slice of the American pie. It’s no wonder his proclaimed “to-do” list includes contradictory proposals.

It was reassuring to hear that Trump’s administration would affirm freedom of speech in the US. This is both good and necessary, since people have long been persecuted for “heretical” or “politically incorrect” statements, whatever that may imply. For years, those with “radical” views — such as questioning official policies or protesting genocides — have been oppressed, fired or accused of “harassment,” “intimidation,” “creating unsafe environments” (the recent MIT student case is only a drop in the ocean) or worse.

However, how will freedom of speech be reintroduced when, in the same speech, Trump announced disciplining educational institutions for teaching children “to hate our country”? He promised this “will change starting today, and it will change very quickly.” He pledged to “completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal and all of these many betrayals.” If he were honest, he would clarify that working-class people have constantly been betrayed by the elite and the super-wealthy corporate sector aligned with political power.

For another example, Trump said: “We have a public health system that does not deliver in times of disaster, yet more money is spent on it than any country.” This is a gross understatement. The US “health system” is an international scandal — by far the most dysfunctional in the world when comparing treatment costs, total spending and outcomes. In America, if you are poor, any system (of “justice,” “health” or “education”) fails you and becomes a problem, not a solution.

Does Trump’s speech offer any assurance that this will change? Does the presence of leading corporate representatives next to the new/old president suggest a reversal of these trends? Quite the opposite. It signals that nothing significant will change, and these injustices may even worsen.

Let’s not mince words: America is not a democracy; it has never been one. It is a Liberal establishment, dominated by one big-business party with two factions — “Republicans” and “Democrats.” Though they differ on immigration or the number of genders, both agree on the essentials: the business sector should keep running the show, in the US and, if possible, worldwide. They also agree that no real democracy should ever be allowed, as it would strip the wealthiest and most privileged of their fortunes and perks. Both endorse American suprematism and are proud of American nationalism, which they call “patriotism.” Both are capitalist fundamentalists, though one side dresses it in “Liberal” form (burning “witches” for any heresy that diverges from the established [Neo]Liberal party line), while the other side cloaks it in religious language (calling itself “Christian,” though it is farther from any meaningful Christianity than traditional atheism or even old-fashioned Satanism).

Take Forbes’s list of the world’s richest people. In a sane, humane, or democratic society, this would be impossible; there would be no billionaires or even millionaires. Democratic means would align wealth and success with one’s contribution to society, not its destruction. Privately owned wealth should never be excessive, as it harms society. The richest should not have more than ten times the wealth of the poorest, with a goal of lowering that gap further. Today, they hold hundreds or even thousands of times more than the average. A society’s success is measured by the quality of life of its poorest and most vulnerable.

What we live through is a serious pathology. Corporate, political and much of the intellectual elite work to perpetuate this pathological system. Most people help sustain it, allowing themselves to be victims of massive propaganda and an “entertainment industry” that treats them as consumers or commodities — or both. Trump is not a solution, just as Biden, Barack Obama, or Bill Clinton never were. It’s not only “Liberals” or “Right-Wingers” making your life miserable; it’s the capitalist system. Capitalism kills. Let’s kill it before it kills everything and everyone else.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.