The base has followed Trump on issues such as abortion, tariffs on friendly nations, and the Iran war. He hasn’t converted it on AI, however; he hardly even appears to be trying. What accounts for this unusual failure?
Trump is most effective with the base when he can argue that he is standing up to someone they hate. With AI, that is difficult, because the base loathes tech barons, partly because Trump attacked them when he was out of power.
AI and data centers are similar to the Epstein files; the base just doesn’t understand that Trump changes positions in his own interests on a dime, and they are obligated to jettison their old opinions and fall in line. Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, after all.