If I’m right–and I’m pretty sure I am–Trump has recognized that he can’t win a trade war with China through the use of tariffs, because the Chinese have too much leverage against him. His new hope to restore American economic predominance is AI. That is why he continues to extend the trade truce with Xi, while he continues to fight at home for AI deregulation.
But Trump is losing the public relations battle on AI. Why is that? Beating the Chinese should be popular on both sides of the aisle.
Because he can’t bring himself to admit to the public that his tariffs were a failure. And, of course, he has no idea how to protect American workers from the potentially catastrophic impacts of advanced AI; in fact, he doesn’t even seem to care.