As Anxiety Grows Over Ai-Driven Job Losses and Disruption, Trump Is Rejecting Calls for Stronger Safeguards and Urging America To Keep Moving Full Speed Ahead.
Yay! Trump might finally self-destruct. His insistence that AI needs no guardrails, while working people of all stripes are deeply and seriously worried both about their jobs and what else AI will do, could be the thing that makes even his supporters desperate for leaders other than his crew.
The quote is from a social media post he made on 9-14, “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”
Of course I’ve been wrong before on his losing his supporters. I knew in the run up to the 2016 election he would fail at most of what he promised. Some because they were empty promises, and the rest because he was bad at accomplishing things. His failed casinos. His many bankrupt businesses. His numerous businesses that delivered almost nothing, like the Trump University (not a university) that was sued for being almost worthless. His failing so bad even the rich who could have loaned him a bailout at loan-shark rates wouldn’t touch him until a Russian linked outfit saved his butt. I thought his supporters would seem him as a failure at his promises and be repulsed and drop him. They’d see him as a long-shot bet that completely didn’t pan out.
But his supporters seem almost impervious. Despite his policies that make life more expensive and his chaotic trade wars that hurt their businesses. Despite his virtually conning them with his crypto business that, like any of these sort of vanity crypto projects, has people buy in, then the value collapses while he made a killing.
Why Are Workers Worried About AI?
But AI is different. AI has people truly scared. They were scared enough even before the warnings that it might get out of control. They were worried about it ripping up whole segments of working life. They were worried because it didn’t seem like other “maybe” worries. Some worries only might happen. Like worries about another big terrorist attack or a big recession. Plus their size might be big or small. With AI, though, the effect on working life seems fundamental and therefore very big. And it’s already happening. It seems as inevitable as the proverbial unstoppable steam engine. Not at all a “maybe” worry.
So here’s this freight train headed straight toward the bulk of the people who are all tied to the track and can’t avoid it, and here’s Trump saying, “Let it roll!”. You think they’ll continue to choose him and his crew to lead the next few years?
What Has Trump Said About AI Guardrails?
He did give a slight nod to progressing “prudently” but his railing against any interference with AI steaming ahead was not a passing notion. He followed up with several more rants on social media that worries about AI being dangerous and, “all other things bad, is a HOAX“.
I get why he thinks it’s fine. He sees it as a way for his rich friends to make vastly more. Then he sits atop it all as president. He could threaten at any time to cut off all government contracts for their company, as he’s done before to Anthropic. He can make life good or bad for them in many ways. They in turn will likely find all kinds of ways to butter him up, to support him, to have big contracts with his businesses. And while it disrupts many working lives, it might make the total wealth of the nation higher, though of course concentrated in a few hands. But he’ll claim “the greatest economy ever”. For him it’s a gold mine. That’s his pattern. His “Big Beautiful Bill” that gave huge tax breaks to the top. His business deregulation even when it hurts people by, for instance, making work more dangerous. It’s the same pattern, but this is a much different, much bigger step. One that might be way too far even for his supporters
I have not been able to fathom his support that continues even as he frequently hurts his supporters, but I’ve gotten used to knowing that unshakableness exists. This feels different. We’ll see.
By the way, Democratic leaders, if you don’t shout this from the rooftops and make it a meme and make sure this idiocy of his stays relentlessly in front of voters, then if you loose don’t bother having another “autopsy” of what went wrong. Like you did after the 2024 failure. There would be no need for an autopsy when the reasons would be so obvious.
Frequently Asked Questions About Trump and AI
Why does Trump oppose more AI guardrails?
Trump has argued that additional restrictions could slow U.S. artificial intelligence development and allow China to gain an advantage. He has also said existing regulatory and criminal enforcement powers are sufficient.
Are workers worried that AI will eliminate jobs?
Yes, surveys show measurable concern about AI’s effect on employment. A Federal Reserve Bank of Boston analysis found that worker concern about AI-related job losses increased between 2024 and 2025.
What are AI guardrails?
AI guardrails generally refer to rules, technical safeguards, oversight mechanisms and other measures intended to limit harmful or unintended uses and behavior of artificial intelligence systems.
What has Trump said about AI safety concerns?
Trump has pushed back against calls for additional AI restrictions and described fears that AI could cause severe harm as a “hoax.” His administration has emphasized maintaining U.S. leadership in AI, particularly relative to China.
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