Columnist likens billionaires to Jews persecuted by Nazis

Matthew Yglesias is a centrist political operator with a history of having the worst opinion on every topic. He may have outdone himself this time, comparing criticism of billionaires to the suffering of Holocaust victims.

First, they came for the billionaires…

It's time to take a bold stand in defense of America's oft-maligned billionaire class.https://t.co/QhStxRtf1y pic.twitter.com/bxYzVYVSnX

— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) December 29, 2025

Oh dear

Yglesias is referencing First They Came, which is a poem by the German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller:

First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
Then they came for the Socialists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Socialist
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist
Then they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me

While it’s common for people to reference this poem, it’s rare that someone does so as clumsily as Yglesias.

The problem is that billionaires aren’t a minority group which is being targeted by the state. They’re an ultra-minority group which is literally working hand in glove with the state as it targets others:

US President Donald Trump invited the world's richest billionaire oligarchs to sit at the center of his inauguration.

Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, & Google CEO Sundar Pichai symbolically sat with Trump's cabinet picks.

A dozen billionaires will be in the Trump admin. pic.twitter.com/9CHzpmFAEU

— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) January 20, 2025

The Trump administration has been using the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a Gestapo-like force. This has seen them pulling people off the street much like the Nazis targeted the Jews and the Communists.

“ICE pepper sprayed a disabled woman using a cane, after an abduction raid in her neighborhood. A St. Paul, MN PD Officer then shoves her down hard to the ground after she was already incapacitated and stumbling backwards. (11/25/25)” pic.twitter.com/JgkJg5tb0P

— Ted Cruz Called The FBI on me (@weareronin47) November 26, 2025

Are ICE agents black bagging billionaires?

They are not.

But billionaires like Peter Thiel are profiting from ICE’s activities by providing the tech infrastructure they need to oppress the non-rich population:

Palantir sells AI tools that help law enforcement agencies like ICE analyze massive amounts of personal data.

It's a big reason why it is quickly becoming the most dangerous corporation in America. pic.twitter.com/NC4jgDpx8Y

— Robert Reich (@RBReich) December 7, 2025

People had other criticisms of the Yglesias post too:

My dude, they literally never came for the billionaires.

Elon Musk Wealth
2012: $2 billion
2025: $737 billion

Jeff Bezos Wealth
2012: $18 billion
2025: $255 billion

Mark Zuckerberg Wealth
2012: $18 billion
2025: $234 billion

Federal Tipped Minimum Wage
1991: $2.13
2025: $2.13 https://t.co/v3nidp4CdX

— Warren Gunnels (@GunnelsWarren) December 29, 2025

Come on man, this one is easy.

The Koch brothers have been cramming money into the Cato Institute for decades to make it shit out anti-train propaganda to keep everyone commuting by car whether they like it or not.

And that’s not the only connection! Just the most obvious one. https://t.co/sbmdYv43iD pic.twitter.com/dk78x6lJtj

— Kyle 🚄 (@KyleTrainEmoji) December 29, 2025

People additionally pointed out that billionaires tend to gum up the system like hair in a plug hole:

The correct Marxist line on billionaires is not that they are too powerful but that they are impotent. They represent the waste and hoarding of society's productive powers. The growth of billionaires coincides with stagnation and a decline in economic dynamism. https://t.co/QQjWdBAKvJ

— John Ganz (@lionel_trolling) December 29, 2025

This certainly makes sense, right?

It’s not for nothing that things are getting harder for most people while they’re getting so much easier for billionaires.

Loser mentality

Trump has performed so poorly in office that it should be easy for the Democrats to return to power. As people have highlighted, however, Democrat politicians and advisors have a knack for identifying the worst possible policy platforms:

The seeds are being planted for the Democratic Party to lose against all odds in 2028. Healthcare costs are out of control. Running on Medicare for All or even a public option would crush. Instead they will run on AI development, billionaire appreciation and permit reform in CA. https://t.co/jp3jakNUiT

— Kate Willett (@katewillett) December 29, 2025

It’s pretty obvious why they’re drawn to billionaires, anyway, as Mrs Merton said to Debbie McGee:

"So, what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?" pic.twitter.com/gZ1fFWKuq8

— 🇬🇧📺 Classic British TV 📺🇬🇧 (@Classicbritcom) March 9, 2025

Featured image via Institute of National Remembrance