"The gist of it is that those other corporations cowtowed to the administration and could then got away with scummy antitrust behaviour" I think the reality is

"The gist of it is that those other corporations cowtowed to the administration and could then got away with scummy antitrust behaviour" I think the reality is simpler; antitrust enforcement in the states is laughable and historically has been more the exception than the rule. Even the golden age of robber baron breakups was a historical anomaly due to a freak accident. Having worked on a ton of competition filings, I can tell you that this isn't an administration specific issue; competition law itself has been defanged by a history of refusal to enforce.