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In terms of political demonstrations, this was remarkably subdued. The organizers generated minimal noise, apart from the hum of a truck displaying changing digital billboards. There were no sidewalk chants, and no signs were left behind as litter. Workers at billionaire Jeff Bezos’s estate observed with curiosity, which soon turned to indifference, as the visitors’ vehicle cycled through a three-minute presentation criticizing the Amazon founder: “Congratulations! You won capitalism! Now pay your damn taxes.”

The most striking aspect of this protest was the identity of its participants: individuals who likely share yacht club anecdotes, private jet flight paths, and memberships in prestigious alumni groups. The self-proclaimed Patriotic Millionaires were in Washington, D.C., on April 15, also known as Tax Day, aiming to pressure Congress into imposing significantly higher taxes on people like themselves, and to gently mock those among them who hold differing views.

“Taxation is a reasonable compromise,” stated Chuck Collins, an opponent of inequality whose great-grandfather was the well-known meat magnate Oscar Mayer. “It is far preferable to economic and social collapse. It is better than pitchfork rebellions and the guillotine.”

While perhaps extreme, this pragmatic perspective characterized the approach of the approximately two dozen Patriotic Millionaires and their advisors who spent Tuesday discussing policy in Dupont Circle and Wednesday engaging in a lighthearted protest targeting Bezos before heading to Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers. Their family names are as recognizable as their deep ties to American history, including Abigail Disney, granddaughter of Roy Disney and grandniece of Walt.

They are also gaining access to sympathetic lawmakers, such as Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who attended the Tuesday session, and Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who participated in a Wednesday event on Capitol Hill. For Democrats, framing a tax increase on themselves as not only manageable but as a trivial concern for the wealthy aligns perfectly with their midterm campaign messaging.

However, within a federal government controlled by Republicans and led by Donald Trump, it is unlikely that this message will resonate with those who are actually shaping tax policy.

During our conversation in a conference room on the sidelines of the group’s two-day policy meeting in Washington, Collins argued that public opinion is shifting in favor of the Patriotic Millionaires’ viewpoint. “Attitudes toward inequality are beginning to change, and they are shifting in our favor, leading to a broader understanding of the harms caused by wealth concentration and the benefits of taxing high wealth to invest in important societal needs,” he said.

Scott Ellis, an executive in the education technology sector and a former management consultant at McKinsey, identified the concentration of wealth as “the single most important root cause” of global problems. His proposed solution: a cap of $100 million on household wealth and a 50% wealth tax on income exceeding $30 million. “It’s difficult to argue that $100 million is insufficient. … How does one receive a trophy for winning capitalism?” he questioned.

This is a challenging proposition to sell outside of these financially committed activists. However, as Morris Pearl, a founding member of the group and former managing director at BlackRock, stated plainly: “People claim that millionaires like me will relocate if taxes are increased. That is preposterous. The entire point of being a millionaire is to have the freedom to live wherever you choose. … I will not move elsewhere due to my taxes. Individuals who wish to avoid taxes do not reside in New York.”

This again reflects a form of privileged detachment. Yet, there is another manifestation of this detachment—that of the general populace, resigned to the existing state of affairs, which was evident at Bezos’s estate. The vehicle arrived precisely at 11 a.m. in the affluent neighborhood where the Obamas are neighbors. It idled outside the estate, which was formed by combining two mansions but is rarely visited by its owner, who has become the symbol of billionaires adept at manipulating the tax code to pay lower rates than most Americans. The few vehicles traveling down the tree-lined street simply navigated around it without so much as a honk. “Tax me if you can,” the signage provocatively declared, featuring a picture of a laughing Bezos outside his mansion. Groundskeepers at the adjacent estate continued their work, hosing down the sidewalk. If the police were summoned, they never appeared.

After a few minutes, one of the Patriotic Millionaires’ staff members turned to the small group of journalists present. “Can I inform them we are finished?” he inquired. At 11:11 a.m., the demonstration concluded, and the group proceeded to Capitol Hill, hoping to overcome the prevailing indifference. It may prove challenging to make an impact on this Tax Day.

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