You obviously know this, but I'm going to write this comment anyway to highlight the distinction.

In modern parlance, "elite" is vastly different to "the elites". The former is easily applied to the people you mentioned, but the latter usually refers to a shadowy "them"; the corporate elite and big players in the military-industrial complex. It may be an untenable generalization, but there are certainly individuals who abuse power, don't pay their taxes, or direct policy from behind the scenes. I think when people say "the elites" they're referring more to these guys than Federer or Margaret Atwood.