It's not alien anywhere. There isn't a country where the rich don't heavily influence politics, there are no exceptions, and there never will be. They're almost always useful, and when they're not they're thrown out windows (Russia) or stripped of their assets (China). In the US when they go too far (or won't step in line), the government tends to eventually flex its power and remind them who is in charge. It's why people ranging from Bezos to Tim Cook are quasi-terrified of someone like Trump and his tantrum potential (despite how supposedly powerful those titans of industry are).