Is there any reason to think the cost of money is going to improve at all in the foreseeable future?

well, yes, if Trump gets his way and gets a crony as the FED chair, interest rates will probably go very low

The federal funds rate is not directly tied to commercial interest rates. If Trump actually does get his way and begins cutting the over night rate, I would actually expect investors to demand higher yields on US treasuries and commercial bonds, given it indicates the federal reserve is likely to allow inflation to increase, possibly by quite a lot

Do you think the founders were strong-armed and are pissed at this outcome?

while not the most ideal outcome, the founders likely have large numbers of priority shares and will see a significant payout