Key figures driving Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again (MAGA)" agenda are attributing the Republican Party's major losses in last week's midterm elections to public anxiety over AI. This narrative has created a rift between the Republican Party and the Silicon Valley billionaires who fund its campaigns.
Kevin Roberts, president of the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, said: "Conservatives are extremely averse to the data center issue. The Democrats were politically very savvy and snatched this issue away from the right." Roberts is a co-author of the "Project 2025" manifesto, a document that serves as a blueprint for many Trump administration policies. He also stated that he still supports Trump.
Trump said in August this year that those who oppose data center construction will ultimately end up "left behind and poor." Trump has consistently resisted imposing regulations on AI, and the Republican Party has received hundreds of millions of dollars in donations from AI industry executives, including Elon Musk.
Roberts also blamed part of the midterm election defeat on the economic shock caused by the war with Iran. He said the Republican Party failed to listen to voters' concerns about the continued expansion of power by the AI industry, which was a "major and underestimated mistake."
"These tech giants stand above us, as if they can impose anything they want on us. But think about it—can you do that to Americans?" Roberts said. "At The Heritage Foundation, we are cautious about almost all of these tech giants; we don't trust them."
In several key Senate and House races, public concerns about AI became a significant factor, especially in Texas. Democratic candidates, including newly elected Governor Gina Hinojosa, made opposition to new data center construction and resistance to the influence of figures like Musk central to their campaign platforms. Musk spent approximately $225 million in Texas to support Republican candidates.
The Heritage Foundation held a midterm election review seminar on Wednesday, where Republican Representative Chip Roy of a Texas district also said that the Republican Party's defeat was rooted in the party's embrace of the AI industry. He stated that voters' anger was not about data centers consuming water and electricity: "It's these AI bigwigs, including Elon, saying: 'Don't worry, in ten years you'll lose your job and everyone will get a universal basic income; your kids will be addicted to pornography and sports betting; and this giant server farm will be built in your backyard.'"
He said the American public refuses to accept this narrative. "I somewhat agree with the voters." Roy is a hardline conservative who occasionally disagrees with Trump. "I'm also very dissatisfied with the Republican leadership, who often hand over important party seats to these problematic capital titans."
Another guest at the seminar, Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson, said that concerns about AI were the "hidden background noise" of this midterm election. She warned the Republican Party that this issue will become a heavyweight topic in the 2028 general election.
"AI will reshape many areas of our economy and society," she told the activists present. "By 2028, you will no longer be able to avoid a fundamental question: How do we view the role of technology in the economy, in society, and in what it means to be 'human'? I think this is a key component."
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