Trump doesn’t realize he’s discarding the sensibility that made him powerful

President Donald Trump's enthusiastic embrace of artificial intelligence marks a sharp departure from the economic message that carried him to power, according to MS NOW writer Zeeshan Aleem. Speaking in Washington on Tuesday as he introduced new AI features for the federal government, Trump promised he would "never stifle the growth" of a technology he predicted would surpass the Industrial Revolution, and he urged Americans not to give in to fear about its effects.

Aleem argues that Trump has effectively concluded the sector carries few real dangers, pointing to the president's views that AI companies can "self-police" and that he need not "worry" about runaway systems. That stance clashes with public opinion. Recent polls, Aleem notes, show large majorities of Americans uneasy about how fast AI is advancing, how it is used in daily life, the threat to jobs in their households, and even the possibility that it could destroy humanity.

Aleem contrasts this futurism with the backward-looking posture of Trump's earlier politics. In 2016 he won over primary voters by attacking free trade deals such as NAFTA and promising tariffs, and he later blamed immigrants for taking jobs, a claim Aleem says rests on falsehoods and racial resentment rather than evidence. He also resisted the green economy and favored fossil fuels, nurturing hope of reviving old industries. Aleem's view is that abandoning that nostalgic sensibility, which spoke to voters who feel the economy has failed them, could help undermine Trump's movement.

Summarized by PolitiKool from MS NOW’s reporting. Read the full story at MS NOW →