Trump and DeSantis lock horns in GOP split over AI
What's the administration thinking here?
An emerging GOP rift over artificial intelligence is pitting two of the most powerful figures in Florida politics against one another as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), a one-time rival of President Donald Trump, bucks the White House’s light-touch regulatory approach.
DeSantis has buried the hatchet with Trump since challenging him for the Republican nomination in 2024, fundraising on his behalf and running Florida with a Trumpian flair that has earned him praise from the president. The two represent opposite poles of the party, however, when it comes to AI, a fast-developing technology that has DeSantis pumping the brakes in his home state.
He wants to curb the construction of energy-hungry data centers in Florida and is championing an AI “bill of rights” that would, among other things, give parents more control over how children access chatbots and other AI tools. Trump, by contrast, sees AI as a future bedrock of the American economy and has used a heavy hand to dissuade states from enacting new laws, going so far as to threaten lawsuits for any state that gets ahead of the administration.
The policy dispute does not appear to have upended the detente between Trump and DeSantis, who insist in public that the political sniping that defined the 2024 campaign is ancient history. As recently as this month, the two were golfing together at his West Palm Beach golf course.
It has raised questions, however, over whether DeSantis is simply taking a principled stand, or if he is positioning himself for a coming debate over how closely to embrace a technology that could displace millions of jobs and fuel a backlash that might resonate with Trump’s base.
Trump has taken the party in a decidedly pro-AI direction, signing executive orders that cut red tape and aim to spur the construction of data centers in the United States. He is nonetheless preparing to leave his populist following to a successor, and DeSantis, who is term-limited and will leave the governor’s mansion next year, is one of many Republicans who could seek the presidential nomination again in 2028.
“I think if anyone knows Florida, they know that Ron is doing this for one reason and one reason alone,” said one GOP operative involved in Florida politics. “It’s 2028 – the same way we’re seeing Kamala talk about 2028, it’s the same way Ron’s doing it.”
“They seem to think that the math has changed,” said the operative, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. “They seem to think that voters …
What's the administration thinking here?
An emerging GOP rift over artificial intelligence is pitting two of the most powerful figures in Florida politics against one another as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), a one-time rival of President Donald Trump, bucks the White House’s light-touch regulatory approach.
DeSantis has buried the hatchet with Trump since challenging him for the Republican nomination in 2024, fundraising on his behalf and running Florida with a Trumpian flair that has earned him praise from the president. The two represent opposite poles of the party, however, when it comes to AI, a fast-developing technology that has DeSantis pumping the brakes in his home state.
He wants to curb the construction of energy-hungry data centers in Florida and is championing an AI “bill of rights” that would, among other things, give parents more control over how children access chatbots and other AI tools. Trump, by contrast, sees AI as a future bedrock of the American economy and has used a heavy hand to dissuade states from enacting new laws, going so far as to threaten lawsuits for any state that gets ahead of the administration.
The policy dispute does not appear to have upended the detente between Trump and DeSantis, who insist in public that the political sniping that defined the 2024 campaign is ancient history. As recently as this month, the two were golfing together at his West Palm Beach golf course.
It has raised questions, however, over whether DeSantis is simply taking a principled stand, or if he is positioning himself for a coming debate over how closely to embrace a technology that could displace millions of jobs and fuel a backlash that might resonate with Trump’s base.
Trump has taken the party in a decidedly pro-AI direction, signing executive orders that cut red tape and aim to spur the construction of data centers in the United States. He is nonetheless preparing to leave his populist following to a successor, and DeSantis, who is term-limited and will leave the governor’s mansion next year, is one of many Republicans who could seek the presidential nomination again in 2028.
“I think if anyone knows Florida, they know that Ron is doing this for one reason and one reason alone,” said one GOP operative involved in Florida politics. “It’s 2028 – the same way we’re seeing Kamala talk about 2028, it’s the same way Ron’s doing it.”
“They seem to think that the math has changed,” said the operative, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. “They seem to think that voters …
Trump and DeSantis lock horns in GOP split over AI
What's the administration thinking here?
An emerging GOP rift over artificial intelligence is pitting two of the most powerful figures in Florida politics against one another as Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), a one-time rival of President Donald Trump, bucks the White House’s light-touch regulatory approach.
DeSantis has buried the hatchet with Trump since challenging him for the Republican nomination in 2024, fundraising on his behalf and running Florida with a Trumpian flair that has earned him praise from the president. The two represent opposite poles of the party, however, when it comes to AI, a fast-developing technology that has DeSantis pumping the brakes in his home state.
He wants to curb the construction of energy-hungry data centers in Florida and is championing an AI “bill of rights” that would, among other things, give parents more control over how children access chatbots and other AI tools. Trump, by contrast, sees AI as a future bedrock of the American economy and has used a heavy hand to dissuade states from enacting new laws, going so far as to threaten lawsuits for any state that gets ahead of the administration.
The policy dispute does not appear to have upended the detente between Trump and DeSantis, who insist in public that the political sniping that defined the 2024 campaign is ancient history. As recently as this month, the two were golfing together at his West Palm Beach golf course.
It has raised questions, however, over whether DeSantis is simply taking a principled stand, or if he is positioning himself for a coming debate over how closely to embrace a technology that could displace millions of jobs and fuel a backlash that might resonate with Trump’s base.
Trump has taken the party in a decidedly pro-AI direction, signing executive orders that cut red tape and aim to spur the construction of data centers in the United States. He is nonetheless preparing to leave his populist following to a successor, and DeSantis, who is term-limited and will leave the governor’s mansion next year, is one of many Republicans who could seek the presidential nomination again in 2028.
“I think if anyone knows Florida, they know that Ron is doing this for one reason and one reason alone,” said one GOP operative involved in Florida politics. “It’s 2028 – the same way we’re seeing Kamala talk about 2028, it’s the same way Ron’s doing it.”
“They seem to think that the math has changed,” said the operative, who requested anonymity to speak candidly. “They seem to think that voters …
0 Comments
0 Shares
49 Views
0 Reviews
