‘'The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today' was a satirical novel written by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, which was first published in 1873. The book’s title became synonymous with graft, materialism, and corruption in American public life in the years after the end of the Civil War.
Here is the approximate percentage of total U.S. wealth held by different groups:
Top 1%: Held about 31% of the total net worth in Q2 2025.
Top 10%: Held approximately 69% to 70% of the total wealth (this includes the top 1%, the 90th-99th percentile, which holds about 36.4%, and the 50th-90th percentile, which holds 30.3% - the calculation is derived from combining data snippets for specific percentiles as the 10% figure isn't explicitly stated as a single data point in the 2025 results).
Older data from 2016 and 2022 suggest this figure has been consistently high, around 68% to 70%.
Bottom 50%: Held only about 2.5% of the total U.S. wealth in Q1 2025.
5) Pardon of January 2006 United States Capitol attack defendants, almost 1,600
There are more, including a former member of Congress.
The wealth of the Trumps in 2025
As of late 2025, the estimated total net worth of the Trump family is approximately $10 billion, an amount that has reportedly doubled since the 2024 election.
The primary driver of this significant increase has been investments in cryptocurrency ventures.
- Donald Trump: His personal net worth is estimated to be between $5 billion and $7.3 billion, with much of the recent gains coming from cryptocurrency and his media company, Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG).
- Jared Kushner: Now a billionaire, his net worth is estimated at $1 billion, largely due to his private equity firm, Affinity Partners, which raised significant capital from Middle East backers after he left the White House.
- Eric Trump: His wealth has increased substantially from an estimated $40 million the previous year to around $750 million, primarily through his involvement in family businesses and crypto ventures.
- Donald Trump Jr.: His net worth has risen to an estimated $500 million, up from $50 million, also fueled by the "anti-woke economy" and crypto investments.
- Barron Trump: The youngest son, at 19 years old, has an estimated net worth of $150 million, mostly from his own early involvement in cryptocurrency.
- Ivanka Trump: Her net worth is estimated at around $100 million, though she has largely distanced herself from politics and certain family business ventures.
- Melania Trump: Her net worth is estimated to be between $50 million and $70 million, derived from modeling, speaking engagements, and her own business ventures, including a meme coin.
Richard Hofstadter (1916-1970), a renowned American historian and in his series of essays published in 1948 as 'The American Political Tradition,' Chapter VII is titled 'The Spoilsmen: an Age of Cynicism.' He wrote:
"In the years from Appomattox to the end of the nineteenth century, the American people settled half their continental domain, laid down a vast railroad system, and grew mighty in the world on their great resources in coal, metals, oil, and land. There is no other period in the nation’s history when politics seems so completely dwarfed by economic changes, none in which the life of the country rests so completely in the hands of the industrial entrepreneur.
In business and politics, the captains of industry did their work boldly, blandly, and cynically. Exploiting workers and milking farmers, bribing congressmen, buying legislatures, spying upon competitors, hiring armed guards, dynamiting property, using threats and intrigue and force, they made a mockery of the ideals of the simple gentry who imagined that the nation’s development could take place with dignity and restraint under the regime of laissez-faire.
John D. Rockefeller: "God gave me my money"
John D. Rockefeller — The World’s First Business Billionaire
John D. Rockefeller's relationship with competition was one of elimination, as he used his company, Standard Oil, to aggressively acquire or drive rivals out of business, thereby achieving a monopoly.
He viewed his approach as bringing "order and efficiency" to a chaotic market, using ruthless tactics like secret railroad rebates to cut prices and consolidate control, ultimately dominating over 90% of the U.S. oil refinery market by 1878. This led to public backlash and eventually resulted in antitrust legislation like the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Supreme Court-mandated breakup of Standard Oil in 1911.
President Theodore Roosevelt had a contentious relationship with John D. Rockefeller and his company, the Standard Oil monopoly. Roosevelt viewed Rockefeller's trust as a "bad trust" that harmed the public good and used aggressive antitrust tactics to break it up, viewing the company as an example of the corporate power he wanted to curb. While he personally "did not much like Rockefeller," Roosevelt's primary concern was the monopoly's anti-competitive practices, such as cornering the market and underpaying workers.
John D. Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839, and died on May 23, 1937, at the age of 97.
The Irish Interest in the Gilead Age
- Continuation of Total War Tactics: Having successfully used a "scorched earth" policy in the Shenandoah Valley during the Civil War to destroy the Confederacy's food supply and capacity to wage war, Sheridan applied similar tactics in the West. This involved attacking Native American villages in winter quarters, destroying their food, material goods, and ponies to break their ability to resist and force them into submission.
- Forcing Relocation onto Reservations: The primary goal of the U.S. government at the time was to clear the Great Plains for white settlement and transcontinental railroad expansion. Sheridan's campaigns were intended to compel the Plains tribes to relocate to government reservations, ending their nomadic lifestyle and traditional way of life.
- Destruction of the Bison Herds: A central part of Sheridan's strategy was promoting the widespread slaughter of American bison (buffalo), the primary source of food, clothing, and shelter for the Plains Indians. By eliminating this vital resource, he aimed to destroy the Native Americans' self-sufficiency and force them to rely on government rations on the reservations.
- Perceived Efficiency and Justification: Sheridan and his superiors, like General William Tecumseh Sherman, believed that using decisive, overwhelming force, even against non-combatants, was a pragmatic way to end the conflict quickly and minimize long-term casualties for both sides. He reportedly stated, "If a village is attacked and women and children killed, the responsibility is not with the soldiers but with the people whose crimes necessitated the attack".
- Prevailing Attitudes: His actions reflected the prevailing attitudes of the era, which often viewed Native Americans as obstacles to national expansion and consolidation. The infamous quote, "The only good Indian is a dead Indian," is widely attributed to him (though he may have denied coining the phrase, it became associated with his reputation and policies).
