It's not a conspiracy, it's a competition.

Over the years corporations have hired the very best lawyers and ruthless executives to find whatever ways they could to increase profits. One of the ways they have done this is to influence government policy.

Since government regulations and taxes eat into profits, they have worked to influence the government to ease those regulations and lower those taxes. In some cases they have bought politicians lock, stock and barrel. This started under Nixon, had it's fastest growth under Reagan, and solidified itself as a regular part of US government during the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations.

 

In order to pre-empt a public outcry they have set up and maintained propaganda media outlets, to spin the story as reducing 'big government' and to introduce distractions. The politicians they purchased removed governmental restrictions on such propaganda media so that they could spread endless misinformation and distraction campaigns, feeding into people's natural fears. 

 

These media outlets and pundits amplified and sometimes even manufactured news articles and opinion pieces blaming minority groups and foreigners for the country's economic woes. Anything to deflect the blame from the true plunderers of the American Dream; the ultra-wealthy and the corporations they own.

 

This was not intended to bring about the violent overthrow of our democracy. It was simply intended to increase profits, as steered by people who, being tasked with finding ways to increase profit, have proven to be very good at their jobs. They never stopped to consider the devastating consequences to the 99% of US Citizens, because that wasn't part of the job description.

 

Or if they have stopped to consider this, they have simply shrugged aside their ethics because making money is more important to them.

 

They really don't care about politics. They only care about profit.