The Techlash Will Not Disappear Under Trump 2.0
A begging Zuckerberg doesn't really change the game
The relationship between President-elect Donald Trump and Big Tech has always been complex. Trump used social media to get elected but despised content moderation, making accusations of censorship and ultimately creating his own platform from scratch. On the other hand, he acknowledged that tech firms are significant assets that project American power and are to be protected. His relationship with Elon Musk (and before him, Peter Thiel) demonstrated that a coalition between the MAGA movement and Silicon Valley is indeed possible.
How will the second Trump presidency change digital regulation in the United States? As during the first Trump administration, this matter cannot be reduced to simplistic cleavages such as regulation vs. deregulation or moderation vs. free speech. I identify at least three aspects to investigate: the transition from “Big Tech vs. the State” to tech cronyism, the implications of “America First” as a governing philosophy, and the potential for selective (de)regulation.