The Billionaire Funding France’s Far Right

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Pierre-Édouard Stérin is financing projects to make France less Muslim, more Catholic and more capitalist. He says his program has trained thousands running for municipal office on Sunday.

As France elects thousands of mayors this Sunday, one of the most influential players is not on the ballot.

His name is Pierre-Édouard Stérin. He is a billionaire entrepreneur who left France 14 years ago to pay less tax, but has since spent millions, he said in an interview, to “ensure France doesn’t disappear.”

Inspired, he said, by George Soros’s support for liberal causes, Mr. Stérin has steered money to right-wing think tanks, political training programs, social media influencers and nonprofit groups to shape the country according to his beliefs — anti-immigrant, free-market, less Islamic and more Catholic.

One program funded by Mr. Stérin has, by his count, trained at least 4,000 right-wing candidates in the municipal elections. With the far-right National Rally party projected to potentially win the presidency next year, Mr. Stérin is striving to accelerate France’s rightward shift.

“I dream of a France that is once again economically powerful and a France that rediscovers a sense of values, that embraces its Christian roots,” Mr. Stérin, 52, said.

The France of Mr. Stérin’s dreams would be more capitalistic, socially conservative and Trumpian — and to his critics, racist. It would tolerate little immigration, particularly from Muslim countries that France colonized. Undocumented immigrants who commit crimes or do not work would be deported. Muslim dress would be banned in public, and halal food no longer served in schools.

“I am even further to the right than the far right on immigration,” said Mr. Stérin, who also considers the National Rally’s economic program too “statist.”

Mr. Stérin wants to ban abortion, access to which was enshrined two years ago in the French Constitution; to swell Catholic church attendance; and to encourage more French couples to procreate. Since he funds Christian projects, he said, he hopes he might eventually be canonized as a saint. He disputes the idea that his views on migration clash with those of Pope Leo XIV.

Finally, he would slash the country’s taxes; dismantle the welfare system; privatize education and health care delivery; and end public funding for culture. “I am a fervent supporter of competition,” he said.

The ultimate goal, Mr. Stérin said, is to bring to power a right-wing government that fundamentally changes how the country looks and works. » | Catherine Porter | Catherine Porter, who has covered the French far right for years, interviewed Pierre-Édouard Stérin and several of his former and current employees and associates. | Sunday, March 22, 2026

Tucker Carlson Blows Up at Rutger Bregman in Unaired Fox News Interview | NowThis

Feb 20, 2019 | Fox News refused to air this full interview with historian Rutger Bregman after Fox News host Tucker Carlson lost his temper, calling his guest a 'tiny brain...moron' during the interview.

During the Rutger Bregman interview, host Tucker Carlson goes off on Bregman, calling his guest a 'tiny brain...moron.' NowThis has obtained the full segment of the unaired interview with historian Rutger Bregman that Fox News refused to air. Watch it here first..

Rutger Bregman, Historian, Called Out Billionaires Face to Face in Davos

He explains all in Switzerland.

The Billionaire Crime Ring

Feb 17, 2026 | The Epstein files coverup. The environmental toxicity crisis. The cost of life crisis. Permanent war. Masked stormtroopers. Corrupt politics. One global crime syndicate. A crime so big you can't see it. Or the billionaires who run it. Learn the tools. Take back our economy. Take back our future.

Our so-called democratic leaders have just allowed THIS SHIT to happen! They haven’t had the SPUNK to do ANYTHING about it! The West needs CHANGE, BIG CHANGE. SOON! Kick the MORONS out of office and let the grown-ups take the reins. But we must make sure that these grown-ups have SPUNK. Lots of it! — © Mark Alexander

Bernie Sanders Unleashes Fury on Musk & Billionaire Class, Demands Wealth Tax Now

Feb 21, 2026 | Sen. Bernie Sanders warned that despite huge gains in productivity and technology, American workers are earning less than they did more than 50 years ago after inflation, while the richest Americans prosper. He argued that this crisis is driven by a “massive concentration of ownership,” noting that just four Wall Street giants, BlackRock, Vanguard, Fidelity, and State Street, are now major shareholders in about 95% of U.S. corporations.

Bernie Sanders is the man who should be president. Now this man really would make America great again! If only the American voter could be more clear-eyed! Were Bernie Sanders made president, we’d see a nation emerge which is far more at ease with itself, and it would be, of course, eminently fairer. An America governed by Bernie Sanders wouldn’t put a stop to the accumulation of wealth—nobody should want to do that—but an America governed by Bernie Sanders would endeavour to give every American a chance to succeed in life. Let us pray that Americans will one day see the light! — © Mark Alexander

‘These Billionaires Are Going to Learn…’: Bernie Sanders Fiery Speech in California | US News

Feb 19, 2026 | US News: In a fiery speech in Los Angeles on 18 February, the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders criticizes ‘grotesque’ levels of economic inequality. Billionaires are “treading on very, very thin ice,” He warned imploring California voters to fight “grotesque” levels of economic inequality by approving a proposed tax on the state’s richest residents.

The Vermont senator railed against the “greed”, “arrogance” and “moral turpitude” of the nation’s “ruling class”, calling it “fairly disgusting” that some ultra-wealthy tech leaders have fled California – or are threatening to do so, if the proposed wealth tax becomes law.

Massive Labor Day Protests as Americans Stand Up for Their 'Workers over Billionaires' Rights

Sep 1, 2025 | Hundreds of protests were organized across the country as part of the national “Workers Over Billionaires” effort, a mass action calling for the protection of social safety nets such as Social Security; the funding of public schools, healthcare, and housing; amid the fascist takeover by Trump and his billionaire friends.

ANTHONY DAVIS can be supported on Patreon here.

"A Rotten Racket" Senator Whitehouse Rebukes Republican Bill

Jun 30, 2025 | June 29 | Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) speaks on the Senate Floor in opposition to the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" that only benefits the wealthiest in our country.

Sheldon Whitehouse represents Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate, where he champions policies to uphold American leadership in the world, protect our planet in a changing climate, and hold the powerful accountable.

AOC and Bernie Sanders 'Fight Oligarchy' Rally in Denver, Colorado

Mar 22, 2025 | FULL SPEECH: The resistance arrives as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders tour the country standing up to Trump's authoritarianism. All across the country, people are tired of the greed of the billionaire class. They are tired of a corrupt political system that leaves working people behind.


Five Minute News can be supported on Patreon here.

Thom Hartmann Program: Trump, Billionaires, and the Fight for Media and Political Control

Dec 31, 2024 | Trump's second-term ambitions reveal an unsettling alliance with billionaires and corporations, reshaping media narratives and leveraging lawsuits to suppress dissent. From rigged editorials to polling manipulation claims, the stakes rise as Democrats seek bold leadership for a new era.

What's behind the US Indictment of Indian Billionaire Gautam Adani? | DW News

Nov 21, 2024 | Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, one of the world's richest people, has been indicted on multiple counts of fraud in the US. The criminal charges are related to his alleged role in a scheme to bribe officials in India. Prosecutors say he and other senior executives paid more than 250 million dollars to win contracts for his renewable energy company. His Adani Group has issued a statement describing the allegations as baseless.

Democracy Now! "Open Celebration of the Oligarchy": Both Dems & GOP Sucked Up to Billionaires in 2024 Election

Nov 8, 2024 | In the wake of the reelection of Donald Trump, some of the richest people in the world saw their net worths soar as stock prices rapidly shot up. "What was different about this election was how central billionaires were in the entire political discourse," says The Lever's David Sirota, who joins Democracy Now! to discuss the outsized role of the super-rich in U.S politics, pointing out that both Trump and Kamala Harris campaigned heavily with billionaires, including Elon Musk and Mark Cuban. "These people are not giving money simply out of the goodness of their hearts. They want things. They have policy demands," Sirota says. "The investors, the donors, like billionaires, are looking for a return on their investment." Sirota, who previously worked as a communications adviser and speechwriter for the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, also explains how Elon Musk's influence on Trump's campaign is a preview of the power he could wield if he ends up appointed to the Trump administration.


Democracy Now! can be supported here.

Thom Hartmann Programm : Inside Billionaires' Brazen Attempt at Fascism

Nov 5, 2024 | This is not how a democracy is supposed to work. The “demos” in democracy means “the people.” Democracies are supposed to fulfill the will of the people; add the protections for minority groups a republic provides and you have what the Founders called “republican democracy” and we refer to as a democratic republic.

Are Billionaires a Problem? | ARTE.tv Documentary

Mar 26, 2024 | The richest man in the world - Frenchman Bernard Arnault - is worth more than 200 billion euros. Around the world, the super rich are getting ever richer. Since money can buy power and influence. Are billionaires undermining democracy?

The Truth About Elon Musk and Tesla | The Billionaires Who Made Our World | Channel 4

Aug 2, 2024 | Some racist and offensive language. Landmark series lifting the lid on Silicon Valley's tech titans - Gates, Bezos, Zuckerberg and Musk - who changed our world forever, from how we communicate to how we shop and the information we get. What's the truth about the Tesla billionaire, space pioneer - and new owner of Twitter?

Next Generation of Billionaires Collect More Wealth from Inheritance than Work, Says UBS

THE GUARDIAN: Swiss bank favoured by super-rich says 1,000 billionaires are likely to pass on $5.2tn to their children over next 20 years

Luxury yachts in Monaco. Photograph: Eric Gaillard/Reuters
Newly minted billionaires have collected more of their wealth from the deaths of relatives than through their own work and entrepreneurship, according to a Swiss bank favoured by the super-rich.

Of the 137 people who became billionaires in the 12 months to this April, 53 inherited a combined $150.8bn (£119bn) from their family, the report by UBS found. This exceeds the combined $140.7bn created by “84 new self-made” billionaires over the same period.

The bank said it was the first time in the nine-year history of its annual report on the fortunes of the richest 0.00004% of society that “the next generation of billionaires accumulated more wealth through inheritance than entrepreneurship”.

Benjamin Cavalli, the head of strategic clients at UBS Global Wealth Management, said: “This is a theme we expect to see more of over the next 20 years, as more than 1,000 billionaires pass an estimated $5.2tn to their children.” » | Rupert Neate, Wealth correspondent | Thursday, November 30, 2023

Billionaires Are Lining Up to Fund Donald Trump’s Anti-Democratic Agenda

THE GUARDIAN: The more disturbing Trump’s public proclamations become, the more US plutocrats seem to want him to win

‘On Veterans Day, Trump pledged to ‘root out the communists, Marxists, fascists and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country’.’ Photograph: Carlos Barría/Reuters
As an ever-greater portion of the nation’s total wealth goes to the top, it’s hardly surprising that ever more of that wealth is corrupting US politics.

In the 2020 presidential election cycle, more than $14bn went to federal candidates, party committees, and Super Pacs – double the $7bn doled out in the 2016 cycle. Total giving in 2024 is bound to be much higher.

That money is not supporting US democracy. If anything, that money is contributing to rising Trumpism and neofascism.

There is a certain logic to this.

As more and more wealth concentrates at the top, the moneyed interests rationally fear that democratic majorities will take it away through higher taxes, stricter regulations (on everything from trade to climate change), enforcement of anti-monopoly laws, pro-union initiatives and price controls

So they’re sinking ever more of their wealth into anti-democracy candidates.

Donald Trump is going full fascist these days and gaining the backing of prominent billionaires. » | Robert Reich | Tuesday, November 21, 2023

The public doesn’t understand the risks of a Trump victory. That’s the media’s fault: With democracy in the balance, the press must relay the crucial importance of this election and the dangers of a Trump win »

Patient privacy fears as US spy tech firm Palantir wins £330m NHS contract: Awarding of contract to create new data platform prompts immediate concerns about security of medical records »

Michael Lambert : Why Did These BILLIONAIRES Back BREXIT?

Oct 21, 2023 | It was easy for some billionaires to recommend Brexit, the result of which was unlikely to affect them. Many of the national newspapers such as the Sun, The Times, The Telegraph and the Daily Mail all recommended Brexit and yet they are all owned by those who do not pay tax in the UK and whose proprietors live in other countries.

Prominent businessmen such as Jim Ratcliffe of Ineos, Anthony Bamford of JCB fame, James Dyson, the manufacturer of vacuum cleaners and Bernie Ecclestone all recommended Brexit. Such men are extremely rich and were unlikely to be affected by Brexit. In order to reduce his tax bill Ratcliffe moved to Monaco, Bamford is being investigated by HMRC, Dyson moved his business to Singapore and Ecclestone has just received a suspended 17-month prison sentence for attempting to deceive HMRC. He was also ordered to pay them around £530 million pounds.


Excellent analysis. Thank you.

The rich haven't got enough yet; so, Sunak is mulling tax cuts for them. That's to save his own skin, of course, after those disastrous by-election results this week. It's almost certainly curtains for Sunak anyway, whichever way one slices it. But I suppose he will want to go out in a blaze of glory.

I have always been a committed democrat, but I must say that after many years of ordinary folk being dished out crap, I'm really beginning to have second thoughts about it.

I know what Churchill said about democracy as a form of government back in 1947 and, until recently, I bought into the idea. But is democracy really the best form of government? In recent years, it has failed the people miserably. Not so, the super-privileged few; it has served them well. Very well! They've gone from strength to strength, regardless. – © Mark Alexander

‘Saint-Tropez Has Become LVMH Ville’: Locals Slam Super-rich ‘Takeover’

THE GUARDIAN: The annual influx of billionaires is leading to ‘odious’ practices in the French Riviera town

Local people say the annual summer influx of the global super-rich is becoming too much. Photograph: Dragos Cosmin photos/Getty
It’s probably the world’s only fishing village where it’s easier to buy a €25,000 “mini” Celine handbag, a €4,000 Christian Dior trench or a €2,000 Rimowa suitcase than it is to pick up a rod and tackle.

Ever since Brigitte Bardot started cavorting on its beaches in the 1950s, Saint-Tropez has been better known as a place to catch a glimpse of a celebrity than a fresh sea bass. But now longsuffering locals are warning that the annual influx of the global super-rich is becoming too much – even for them.

“Independent restaurants, hotels and cafes are all being bought by luxury groups,” says Vérane Guérin, a municipal councillor. “It’s becoming not Saint-Tropez, but LVMH Ville.”

LVMH, the luxury goods company founded and run by Europe’s richest person, Bernard Arnault, owns the town’s Celine, Dior and Rimowa stores as well outlets for several of its other brands, including Fendi and Loewe. The conglomerate, whose official name is LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, also owns two of the town’s fanciest hotels: the Cheval Blanc and the White 1921.

There are LVMH restaurants serving its Moët & Chandon champagne, a Dior cafe, and even “LV by the Pool” – a beach club with branded sun loungers and parasols. » | Rupert Neate in Saint-Tropez | Friday, September 29, 2023

The Billionaires Who Made Our World: Jeff Bezos | BBC Select

Sep 26, 2023 | The transformation of Jeff Bezos has been extraordinary. He leads a life of luxury and glamor while vying with Elon Musk as one of the planet’s richest men. But Bezos wasn't always so glamorous. This revealing documentary charts his rise from computer geek to ruthless businessman, building Amazon into one of the world's biggest corporations. But who is the real Bezos and what drives his ambition?

Stream the full story with The Billionaires Who Made Our World on BBC Select here.

U.S. Accuses Amazon of Illegally Protecting Monopoly in Online Retail: The Federal Trade Commission and 17 states sued Amazon, saying its conduct in its online store and services to merchants illegally stifled competition. »

Prime Power: How Amazon Squeezes the Businesses Behind Its Store: Twenty years ago, Amazon opened its storefront to anyone who wanted to sell something. Then it began demanding more out of them. »