The rise of corporatism in the United States is examined in The Corporate Coup D’état. Canadian political philosopher John Ralston Saul once wrote that “we are in the midst of a coup d’état in slow motion,” in regards to corporate interests influencing the government. However, it turns out that the coup was not in slow motion, since it only took a few decades to enter into a corporatist world and get someone like Donald Trump elected into the White House. At the core of this corporate coup d’état is the disillusionment of those living in America’s rust belt, facing extreme unemployment and poverty.
In The Corporate Coup D’état, filmmaker Fred Peabody (All Governments Lie) examines the rise of corporatism and the closing of steel plants in the rust belt resulted in former Democrats voting for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. The film includes the opinion of a number of experts, including political philosopher John Ralston Saul, New York Times bestselling author and journalist Chris Hedges, and investigative reporter Phillip Martin.
Corporatism was a term that was defined Italian fascist Benito Mussolini and The Corporate Coup D’état makes a point to show the parallels between Donald Trump’s “Make American Great Again” speeches and quotes made by Mussolini. This documentary is ultimately a very sad story about how corporations moved their operations way from working class towns, such as Camden, NJ and Youngstown, OH, resulting in unemployment and poverty, making Donald Trump’s promises quite enticing. Altogether,The Corporate Coup D’état is a film that should make you quite scared for America’s future.