brought together<\/a> POLITICO\u2019s emerging tech reporter Derek Robertson with Business Insider reporters Madeline Berg and Peter Kafka to dissect what this means for Washington.<\/p>\nOur reporters tell us that Trump\u2019s billionaire allies are interested in moving federal policy at the faster pace they\u2019re accustomed to in Silicon Valley \u2014 and in a direction that could help their businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we are in a post-conflicts-of-interest world,\u201d Kafka says, noting that Trump could feel more empowered and unrestrained during his second term in office.<\/p>\n
Robertson echoed the sentiment, saying these billionaires could be \u201cessentially setting policy for fields that they stand to massively profit from.\u201d<\/p>\n
But they also could be in for a rude awakening, in which their interests might clash with the prerogatives of Congress to set spending priorities.<\/p>\n
The next four years will test how much leverage the world\u2019s richest men really have in the White House. As they exercise it, particularly in an age of unprecedented income inequality, it could force a big political question: How will this newfound influence among the billionaire class land with the country\u2019s working class?<\/p>\n
Kafka sums it up simply: \u201cDo people feel richer or poorer?\u201d<\/p>\n
To see the full conversation, which is a collaboration with Business Insider, watch the video.<\/p>\n