Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
In today’s edition, Allan Smith digs into how Donald Trump is looking to reshape the GOP’s relationship with the tech industry amid his battle for Americans’ attention. Jonathan Allen explores the precarious position lawmakers could be put in as they vote to confirm Trump’s budget chief. And we break down the new snags Trump’s policies are hitting in court.
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— Adam Wollner
Trump wants your attention — and the world’s richest men can help himBy Allan Smith
When President Donald Trump was flanked at his inauguration by tech titans Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Sundar Pichai, with the CEOs of Apple and TikTok nearby, he was surrounded not just by a handful of the wealthiest men on the planet — but by executives who oversee platforms that, in some combination, virtually all Americans engage with.
For a president whose rise, fall and comeback are all intertwined with his innate ability to capture attention online and on TV, those executives hold the keys to algorithmic and policy tweaks that could depress or further enhance his political — and financial — standing.
In turn, Trump could influence policy in emerging technologies in ways favorable or unfavorable to the executives and their companies.
In the weeks since Trump has been sworn in, he’s given Musk wide-ranging authority to implement rapid change at federal agencies. And Zuckerberg, who has taken several steps to pivot Meta to the right, was at the White House on Thursday.
The dynamic has the chance to reshape what was long an adversarial relationship between conservatives and Big Tech companies, which has been marked by years of disdain over content moderation practices and threats to strip legal protections.
What Republicans are saying: Conservatives see a chance to advance their tech priorities on a host of fronts where they may not have seen possibilities before. But they say they still harbor skepticism of the platforms that recent policy shifts and photo-ops have not softened. For example, Steve Bannon, the influential former top White House aide under Trump, has continued to rail against the tech leaders and their agenda even as they become cozier with Trump.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said one reason Big Tech leaders are changing their tune is “that they know how to read an election return.” Hawley, who has challenged tech companies on antitrust grounds and data policy, among other areas, said their shift does not mean they should now be fully trusted.
“I’m deeply concerned about their monopolistic power. That hasn’t changed at all,