In some ways, the second Trump presidency has been as expected–from border security to reducing the size and scope of the federal government.
In other ways, the president has not delivered on a key promise to the MAGA base. Rather than waging a war against Silicon Valley’s influence in American politics, the administration has, by and large, done what Big Tech wants–despite its long history of anti-Trumpism in the most liberal corners of San Francisco. Not only are federal agencies working in sync with Amazon, OpenAI, and Palantir, but the president has carved out key alliances with Mark Zuckerberg, Jensen Huang, and other AI evangelists to promote AI dominance at all costs.
Amid deep public skepticism about Trump’s Silicon Valley allies, no one could have predicted how aggressively Big Tech would plant itself inside the administration. A wide range of CEOs with clear self-interest in the AI revolution curry favor at the White House, and top officials all too gladly return the favor. Former Trump staffers are even using the administration as a stepping stone to cushy tech jobs.
If President Trump himself wants to put America First, then he should not allow Xi Jinping access to America’s greatest technology. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang can now profit off the sales of powerful chips to the CCP – America’s greatest adversary. President Trump has long noted that China isn’t an “ally or friend.”
The MAGA base's response has been clear. Steve Bannon railed against the decision. Nikki Haley – former United Nations Ambassador – stated that the decision would “[cost] America more than [it gains] financially.” One by one, Republican senators and House members have begrudgingly implied that they are not happy with this policy.
The president’s decision to sign an executive order threatening states for enacting AI safety laws – a decision that Republican governors and policy experts alike have opposed for months – continues to have ripple effects. While dozens of states have enacted regulations to address AI risk, the future of these safeguards is now unclear.
The executive order undermines the core tenets of federalism, penalizes responsible innovation, and endangers states’ ability to govern according to their own priorities. States are supposed to be the laboratories of democracy, but the federal government wants to prevent that from being the case.
There’s no doubt that Big Tech’s man in the administration, AI czar David Sacks, has been lobbying the president hard. Sacks stands to gain personally from these policies. By pressuring local leaders through political intimidation, Sacks is determined to prevent states from governing as they see fit. He is also weakening the United States’ capacity to dominate global AI development, not to mention disregarding the Founding Fathers’ vision of a limited federal government.
AI is already the most pressing issue of our time, and while it will benefit some, it will also reshape our nation’s economy and society until they are unrecognizable. There will be some good, but a lot of bad, as the American people know all too well.
When Washington, D.C. appears to be more motivated by the whims of David Sacks and Jensen Huang than by protecting our country’s future, the president’s base will only continue to turn away. Recent Fox News polling shows that Americans want the president to proceed much more cautiously on AI. Meanwhile, blue- and white-collar workers fear that AI will eliminate their jobs, let alone recent graduates struggling to enter the workforce.
At the same time, parents worry about how their children are being influenced by AI chatbots, which have contributed to horrible cases of youth suicide. These issues aren’t partisan. New technology is part of a shared national anxiety about whether AI is serving the public interest – or whether the public is now serving the interests of a small, extraordinarily wealthy elite.
President Trump can prove to his conservative base that he still has the instincts to protect Americans and stand up to foreign adversaries. But he can only prevail if he gets rid of the Silicon Valley voices that are influencing his administration.
Trump is a shrewd political operator who understands his base. Now is the time to listen to the MAGA movement, not AI accelerationists with conflicts of interest and ulterior motives.
The most critical approach that President Trump can take right now is to back off of targeting state laws. Republican legislatures in red states, including Florida and Texas, have been taking the lead on enacting sensible AI policies, and the Trump administration should not impede their ability to keep their constituents safe.
President Trump must also go against Sacks’ urging by putting a stop to the sale of advanced AI chips to China and committing to the AI OVERWATCH Act if it passes through both chambers of Congress – a piece of legislation that cements Congress’s power to provide oversight over AI chip sales. Finally, Trump must work transparently with Congress to develop a federal framework that actually works for America, rather than one that gives Big Tech unlimited power.
It’s clear that President Trump wants to address AI with the urgency it demands. However, he needs people around him who can ensure that American AI policy stays on the right track.
His base is watching closely: Will his administration truly put America First and deal a blow to the CCP in the process? We all hope so.
Brendan Steinhauser is the CEO of The Alliance for Secure AI, a nonprofit organization that seeks to educate policymakers and the public about the implications of advanced AI.
