Image by Solen Feyissa.

By mid-2025, the United States once again finds itself confronting a political paradox. President Donald Trump—once the central pillar of support for the working class, economic nationalists, and opponents of unchecked globalization—has now become the standard-bearer of policies that appear to align less with the classic MAGA narrative and more with the interests of Silicon Valley and its technology investors. Unconditional backing for the expansion of artificial intelligence, the appointment of powerful tech figures to key positions, rolling back earlier regulations, and opening the floodgates to massive domestic and foreign capital have together triggered a wave of concern and resistance among segments of Republicans and American citizens.

These concerns have now reached a point where observers speak of a deep, structural rift forming within the MAGA movement—a rift with economic, ideological, and security dimensions that could reshape the political landscape of the United States. According to intra-party critics, by endorsing an industry that is transforming the country’s employment, informational, and security patterns more radically than ever before, Trump has drifted away from his original promises and enabled new threats for the middle and vulnerable classes.

The shift in the Trump administration’s AI policies became visible from the very start, marked by the appointment of prominent tech figures to high-level positions. Internal critics argue that these appointments reflect the interests of major corporations rather than the economic needs of the MAGA base. Once policy-makers aligned with Silicon Valley gained influence in the White House’s decision-making structure, priorities changed: protection of traditional jobs gave........

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