Image Source: Getty Images/ABC News

The loud, proud American trope has been a stereotype that Americans have worn proudly on their sleeves. This image, both a source of laughter and slight fear, has shaped perceptions worldwide for both Americans and their allies. Historically, the US was a nation once ruled by leaders who didn’t openly serve as a figurehead for those with ulterior motives, now ruled by a billionaire class “behind the scenes”. One could say that this cause of American arrogance could be the double-edged sword of our success as a superpower and adversary. Yet as it seems, to be the loudest in the room means to become the laughingstock of our allies. Recent events prove this point more from our neighboring countries, Mexico and Canada, to nations in Europe banding together in the event of the US becoming public enemy number one. It has become more apparent that the love for America’s arrogance could be the downfall of America’s success.

The Loud Child, Soon-to-be Left Behind

In 2002, the United States made global headlines with the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act under loud, proud American George W. Bush. This move to push education was the forefront of bringing American citizens to be able to compete in education on a global scale. US relations were then focused on pushing American pride and propaganda sans outside influence. Although as of today, NCLB is no longer in effect in the US, education and educational funding have always been a key factor in defining America.

Fast forward to modern-day United States, with Russian interference, and a seemingly stark underlying issue of technocratic influence in the election, the US re-elected thrice-impeached President Donald J Trump. For years, Trump has been the loudest in the media, without any regard of true facts from civil issues such as the Central Park Five or accusations against former President Barack Obama, not being American. Trump’s re-rise to power has brought a new fear and collaboration amongst allies in the US, driving the stake in US relations deeper into the divide. But our focus isn’t on the six-time bankrupt businessman from NYC, but on the ones behind him, fueling his campaigns and his ideology into a world that is driving deeper into disinformation, a large lack of media literacy, and willful ignorance, allowing misunderstanding in what the greater good of America should be. This “greater good”, however, does come with a price tag and motives meant to drive a stake into the middle and working class of Americans. Bringing in an estimated $244B US dollars, to back the campaign of Donald Trump, our attention draws back to the rise of fame in American culture and, most recently, the political agenda of then, thought genius, tech billionaire, Elon Musk.

Use Parental Guidance Before Shaping in Public Sentiment

To look at the true definition of a demagogue, we turn to ‘Dangerous Demagogues and Weaponized Communication‘. We know that it is not often thought of a demagogue to be a hero, in any sense. Yet with the purchase of X (formerly known as Twitter) in 2022, we see the rise of a new American demagogue dedicated to doing, exactly Mercieca describes; overwhelming the news cycle, distorting reality, and distorting public sentiment.

Due to his systems of checks and balances, put in place on his platform, like fact-checking (or lack thereof), Elon Musk’s rise is a testament to a constant, ever-growing threat to destroying US systems and education. Through his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and his own personal vendettas against the US college, Musk has opened the door for himself and other techno autocrats, who strive to run America as a corporation rather than a government. The government under Musk’s influence in just a few short months has been running with goals that are business focused in an “ROI (return on investment)” status. This focus on cutting education funding and dismantling the departments of education affect the greater good for people creating rifts in the future of America.

So why does this matter to children being left behind? Where is the line that connects this to the 2002 NCLB bill? And what does this mean for the future of American democracy? Musk is as a product of the most elite private schools in South Africa and higher education universities in the United States. As one of the key actors in this specific issue, his only goal is to supports his financial goals, of continuing to be the richest man on the planet. This technocratic billionaire’s goals come with his understanding of the power of free and fair education and controlling the means in which people get their information, education and more.

We look at social media as a means of communication and understanding outside of traditional media.  The rise of AI and bots brings into a new wave of dangerous disinformation in the media and online. But this rise of technocratic influence amongst the new demagogues of America leads us to a bigger issue that is no longer knocking on the doors of the US democracy but is sitting front and center with the President behind him during his inauguration. These technofascist goals to continue to “unify” or concentrate the power into businesses. These newly concentrated powers are not run by the government and create even more distortion of the democratic process and public interests in the US. TikToker and media theorist Cybele Canterel, draws the parallels of early 20th century ideologies to the current beginnings of the new rise of power amongst these “technofascists”, our very own American demagogues.Canterel elaborates on how this rise of technofascists create a self contained space that isolates from external threats and pressure that might challenge their own motives.

In their analyses, both Canterel and Merecia highlight the dangers of weaponizing communication. They argue the use of rhetoric and tools by demagogues, portrayed as “heroes”, serves to divide and manipulate American perceptions. This new era of technofascism undermines democratic policies, factual informatio, and substantive claims, pushing Americans towards compliance based on distorted realities.

Technofascist Demigods or Demagogues?

The loud, proud American trope, once a symbol of national pride, now risks becoming the downfall of America’s success. The rise of the new demagogues in American politics, we are able to see how the US is turning the page into a new era, defined with leaders that have no regard for the American people spreading baseless claims in their very own echo chambers. We see examples of this in the sharp rise of the popularity of Tesla, among the right-wing in America, as a middle-finger to the agenda of the US common man, after the stock drop earlier in 2025. It is once again another embellished story of the American (or in this case South African) everyman who has pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps, ignoring the ridiculous amounts of resources that are at the hands of these technofascist oligarchs.

The rise of the technofascist demagogues in the 2024 election draws through lines from our American trope of whoever is the loudest in the room or has the most money, can dictate, facilitate, and create a new government backed not on facts or merit but only, on propaganda, misunderstanding, and media illiteracy. The future of American democracy and the citizens depend on our ability to evaluate the information we consume and those who we elect. Only then can we ensure that the hypothetical child left behind is given the opportunity to thrive in a world guided by democratic principles and informed decision-making.