_WHAT’S HAPPENING_
Just three days after President Trump’s January 20, 2025, inauguration, his administration began a series of initiatives aimed at super-charging US artificial intelligence innovation.
Trump's AI agenda seeks to remove regulatory barriers to AI development, expedite the construction of new AI data centers, grow the economy, increase government efficiency, and, above all, secure American global leadership in AI.
Amid breakneck developments from the White House and tech companies in 2025, deep disagreements have surfaced on the Right that could reach a boiling point in the 2026 elections.
_THE FACTS_
In January, President Trump, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son announced the $500 billion Stargate AI data center project.
In July, the President signed America’s AI action plan, along with three AI-related executive orders to fast-track AI data center construction, stop“woke” AI models, and boost American AI exports globally.
In November, the White House rolled out the Genesis Mission to supercharge AI breakthroughs in medical, scientific, manufacturing, and energy sectors.
In December, Trump signed an executive order threatening to cut federal funds from states that restrict AI — despite pushback from some MAGA populists.
Backing Trump’s AI push are Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), and AI/crypto czar David Sacks.
Sacks — the chief architect of Trump’s AI agenda — says AI will boost the economy and argues beating China is “even more important” than the space race.
Opposing the plan are conservative commentator Steve Bannon, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), and Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO).
Bannon calls AI “the most dangerous technology in history” and blasts “tech bros” for cashing in while alienating the MAGA base.
67 percent of Americans say AI safety rules should come before beating China — only 15 percent disagree.
_INSIGHTS_
President Trump’s commitment to economic growth and American tech dominance over China, along with critical support from key Silicon Valley leaders in the 2024 Presidential election, has fueled his embrace of rapid AI development.
However, this creates an opening for Democrats in 2026 and 2028, and for Republican contenders looking to break from him in 2028.
By presenting themselves as “anti-billionaire” and promising widely popular regulation, some Democrats could sway voters concerned about lost jobs, rogue AI chatbots, and new sprawling data centers that threaten to disrupt communities and create downstream problems.
