With only weeks to go before the midterm elections, the US president's embrace of big tech is alienating a group of once-loyal supporters.
On January 6, 2021, Amy Kremer stood near the White House and urged MAGA supporters to stop what Donald Trump called a "stolen" election. Now she is once again mobilizing the president's backers 鈥?this time to join a protest against his pro-AI agenda.
"I am not a sheep, I will not blindly follow," the former Tea Party activist and founder of Women for Trump told a crowd last week in Berkeley County, West Virginia, a staunchly Republican area, at a protest against AI data centers. "I want conservatives and Republicans to know it is perfectly fine to stand up against this and speak out about it."
Kremer was not involved in the violence of January 6, 2021. She is one of many MAGA figures irritated by Trump's decision to embrace the AI industry 鈥?a sector controlled by Silicon Valley elites who have themselves said their products could destroy humanity.
To the frustration of Republican strategists already facing a difficult midterm landscape, Trump in recent weeks has dismissed those who want to block data center construction as "backward and poor" and called AI safety concerns a "hoax" 鈥?even though polling shows nearly two-thirds of Americans share such worries. His remarks drew public opposition from former chief strategist Steve Bannon. Bannon called AI "radioactive" and joined forces with Bernie Sanders to demand a pause in the technology's development. "American citizens will no longer bow to oligarchs," Bannon said last week.
Inside the White House and across the broader Republican camp, unease is also growing behind the scenes. A leaked memo this month showed Trump's pollster Tony Fabrizio warning candidates that "unconditional support for building more AI data centers is a losing electoral position," and reminding campaigns not to treat "local concerns as ignorance." Other strategists have warned Texas Republicans that the issue could cost the party a US Senate seat in November, as Democrats increasingly tap into voters' anxiety about big tech. Fueled by a flood of campaign ads from well-funded Super Pacs, the issue is galvanizing voters across different political camps. Polling by PF Global shows 43% of Americans say they have seen a television or online ad about data centers. More than a third have talked with others about the topic.
Yet inside the Oval Office, Trump remains steadfast. Efforts to push a global agreement limiting AI development briefly gained momentum, but Trump quickly killed the initiative, saying his administration "completely rejects any attempt to build a globalist control system."
Conservatives worried about the political cost of Trump's AI stance offer differing explanations for his anti-populist turn. Some believe advisers such as Silicon Valley venture capitalist and former AI czar David Sacks have too much influence over the president and are suppressing criticism. Trump is also close to Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang. Huang has downplayed AI safety concerns, accused tech industry executives of alarmism, and opposed new AI laws. "I think he has some people around him he should not be listening to," Kremer, now chair of the nonprofit Humans First, said of Trump. The group is organizing a national bus tour called the "AI Data Center Revolt." "He is not a tech person. He does not even send email. He only judges based on what his advisers tell him 鈥?and those people do not have the interests of the American people at heart."
Others believe the current fragile US economy is the catalyst for the shift. The economy is now heavily dependent on AI-driven growth as a buffer against inflation triggered by Trump's war with Iran. Brendan Steinhauser, a former Tea Party activist and Republican strategist, said the president "usually stays connected to his base 鈥?but he is genuinely worried about the financial impact if we do not keep going down this road." Steinhauser now heads the nonprofit The Alliance for Secure AI. "I understand those concerns, but he should also be worried about the national security risks and cybersecurity risks that many of us care about."
Still, in close races, some Republicans are distancing themselves from Trump on tech issues. Mike Rogers, Trump's endorsed candidate in a key Michigan US Senate race, is competing against progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed. He said last week he believes "we have to slow down AI development" and called for "stricter protocols and safeguards" to protect Americans. In Texas, a state that once aggressively courted data center developers and was considered politically safe for big tech, Trump's preferred US Senate candidate Ken Paxton has pledged to push legislation that would hold AI companies accountable if they violate child safety rules, ban data center construction on rural land, and eliminate tax incentives for such projects.
Some ambitious Republican governors seen as potential 2028 presidential contenders are also positioning themselves as AI critics. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has tried to advance AI regulation despite White House opposition, while Texas Governor Greg Abbott said data center developers are getting "the backlash they deserve." Even in deep-red West Virginia, some local candidates are defying the president to protect their political careers. In Berkeley County, a $4 billion data center is still planned despite opposition. Republican Chris Anders worries the issue could cost him his state legislature seat. "I am fighting for my political life right now," he said. "I supported the president in 2024, but that does not mean I have to agree with him on everything."
Back in Washington, Steinhauser and others are trying to persuade Trump. Steinhauser said some senior Trump administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, "understand the problem" and "are encouraging him to push policies that put safeguards around AI." Some conservative activists hope Bessent could replace Sacks and his allies as Trump's new "AI czar." Bessent has previously highlighted the national security and financial risks posed by advanced AI. Some are also trying to make the issue more personal for Trump, stressing to him that if advanced AI breaches the financial system, his bank accounts and family wealth could vanish overnight.
The conservative group Alliance for a Better Future is providing political cover for Rogers in Michigan, running ads highlighting his AI policy positions and praising him for "bravely supporting common-sense safeguards." A person familiar with the group's efforts said ABF plans to "commit significant resources in key states in the coming weeks."
The White House said the president "always seeks a range of views from multiple experts in different fields 鈥?to help him make decisions." It also said maintaining "open channels of communication with tech industry leaders 鈥?is an important reason why the United States has expanded its lead in technology and innovation since President Trump took office."
Groups supporting the president's position are also speaking out. Build American AI, an organization aligned with the AI industry and indirectly funded by OpenAI's founder and the founder of Silicon Valley venture firm Andreessen Horowitz, has launched a multimillion-dollar campaign to promote data centers in places such as Ohio and Wisconsin. Innovation Council, a political action committee established with Sacks's support, is also spending money to promote the president's pro-AI agenda. Innovation Council said Trump is "exactly right: when built the right way, data centers are transforming towns that career politicians abandoned and left to decay." Innovation Council adviser Jordan Schachtel said: "I do agree the polling is concerning, and certain polls perhaps suggest Republicans have a lot of work to do." He said Trump's stance on the issue is "very courageous." "He is stating the truth: this will bring about a great era of innovation."
Despite frequent and worrying reports about runaway AI agents 鈥?Australia disclosed on Wednesday that an OpenAI agent breached the country's healthcare system 鈥?he said: "Americans might say: 'Hey, we want that too, or we want something better.'"
Still, Kremer said she hopes Trump will heed the base's calls for stronger regulation before that happens. "I hope he changes his position," she said. "I know that during the campaign he will hear the voice of the American people. I hope he will turn toward our side."
Comments