Before President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, tech industry leaders went all out to win his favor, making inauguration donations and visiting Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Initially, it seemed their efforts might not succeed. Trump had promised to continue efforts to break up Meta, imposed tariffs that could raise Apple’s supply costs, and restricted exports of AI chips from Nvidia and other manufacturers.
However, over the past year, major tech companies have secured nearly everything they wanted. Trump has lifted many limits on AI chip exports, accelerated the construction of data centers powering AI development, and supported legislation approving certain types of cryptocurrency. Most recently, he signed an executive order overriding state-level AI restrictions and allowed sales of a more powerful Nvidia chip to China.
“The conservative party stands for the free market and not picking winners and losers,” said Isabel Sunderland, a technology policy expert at the nonpartisan advocacy group Issue One. “Yet under the Trump administration, the tech industry has clearly been favored in ways that contradict the interests of his base.”
Through careful courting by tech executives, Trump has forged a mutually beneficial alliance with the nation’s wealthiest industry. While the future of this partnership is uncertain due to Trump’s unpredictability, it has already had significant effects on fast-growing technologies like AI and could influence next year’s midterm elections.
Trump’s support of tech companies has advanced his “America First” economic agenda and his push for US leadership in AI and cryptocurrency. In 2025, Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Nvidia, OpenAI, and Oracle announced a combined $1.4 trillion in spending on domestic data centers and manufacturing projects.
For Silicon Valley, the partnership has been a boon. Free from potential regulatory hurdles and backed by industry-friendly policies, companies like Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla have seen their stock values rise. Bitcoin reached record highs, and AI development has largely proceeded without restriction.
But the alliance has also divided the right. Republican lawmakers and conservative groups, including populist figures like Steve Bannon, have criticized the administration for enabling Big Tech while leaving other Americans without protections.
“Big Tech is not a natural ally to our coalition,” said Wes Hodges, head of tech policy at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “Our work is to remind people of their unique concentration of power, which is a threat to conservatives.”
A White House spokesperson, Liz Huston, defended the partnership, stating, “President Trump is leveraging his close relationships with private-sector leaders to cement American technological dominance for the rest of the 21st century.”
The industry’s successes followed intensive lobbying. After Elon Musk stepped down from his advisory role in May, other companies seized the opportunity to influence the administration. Executives from Nvidia and other firms met directly with Trump, while companies including Amazon, Meta, Google, Palantir, and Coinbase contributed to White House projects.
The relationship was on display in September during a White House dinner for tech leaders. Trump praised executives like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates as “the most brilliant people,” while tech CEOs, including Sam Altman of OpenAI, Sundar Pichai of Google, and Tim Cook of Apple, expressed support for the president’s pro-business policies.
As Trump grew closer to tech companies, concerns emerged among Republicans about AI safety for children, job displacement, and the environmental impact of energy-intensive data centers. In July, Republicans largely opposed a congressional measure that would have allowed states to regulate AI independently, a provision revived by executive action. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the move, emphasizing the importance of state-level authority.
Local communities have also pushed back against Trump-backed data center projects. In Port Washington, Wisconsin, residents protested a $15 billion project by OpenAI and Oracle, citing water shortages and tax breaks. In Georgia, candidates running on energy affordability won seats on the Public Service Commission amid data center expansion concerns.
Parents and advocacy groups have raised alarms about the impact of AI and social media on children. Lori Schott, a lifelong Republican, lobbied for social media and AI child safety legislation after her daughter’s tragic suicide, highlighting the tension some conservatives feel between supporting American tech leadership and protecting vulnerable populations.
“Grassroots Republicans like myself are trying to reconcile the administration’s friendliness toward tech with the need to protect children,” Schott said. “Our votes will reflect a party that prioritizes kids’ safety.”
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