GOP Divides Over AI Regulation: Populist Conservatives Challenge Trump’s Laissez-Faire Approach

Senators and governors across the GOP are confronting President Donald Trump’s preference for minimal federal oversight of AI. Sen. Josh Hawley’s recent essay and speech, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s public attacks, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s campaign promises illustrate a growing coalition that favors state-level safeguards for workers, families, and communities.

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The Trump administration originally championed a “let them cook” policy, emphasizing competition with China. The launch of Anthropic’s Mythos model, described as a cyber-security threat, prompted a December executive order that retained an anti-regulation tone while signaling possible mandatory vetting of advanced AI systems.

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• Josh Hawley (R-MO) – Essay frames the party’s choice between donor interests and a “covenant” for workers; quoted the Apostle Paul and Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical.

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• Ron DeSantis (R-FL) – Calls federal preemption “bad policy,” sued OpenAI, and warned AI-generated deepfakes could endanger self-government.

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• James Uthmeier (FL AG) – Filed suit alleging OpenAI rushed ChatGPT, compromising safety after two Florida students used the tool in violent crimes.

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• Ken Paxton (R-TX) – Campaign pledge to protect Texas children from “Big Tech” harms.

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• Greg Abbott (R-TX Gov.) – Proposed a statewide data-center crackdown.

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• Burt Jones (GA Lt. Gov.) – Seeks to end tax breaks for data centers.

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• Stacy Garrity (PA GOP nominee) – Calls for a statewide data-center moratorium.

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A POLITICO poll (April) found 43 % of Americans view AI risks as outweighing benefits, while 80 % (Fox News) deem government regulation “extremely” or “very” urgent. A March poll showed 37 % would support a local data-center project. The Institute for Family Studies reported Hawley’s message that AI is “against the working man, his liberty and his worth” resonated most with GOP voters.

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The White House, via spokesperson Liz Huston, reiterated a policy to “sustain American AI dominance over China” for national-security and economic reasons. DeSantis’s social-media post framed federal preemption as “amnesty for Big Tech.” Hawley’s essay urged the party to adopt “pro-human regulation” and warned the AI battle would test the nation’s moral covenant. Paxton pledged to continue fighting “to protect Texas children from Big Tech hurting our kids.”

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An anonymous AI industry lobbyist dismissed the GOP push as “not making any new ground,” likening it to “sugar”—known to be unhealthy yet still consumed. Pro-AI statements from OpenAI’s Sam Altman, former AI czar David Sack, and technologist Marc Andreessen received the lowest support in voter surveys.

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Federal officials claim the executive order preserves innovation, yet multiple states have filed lawsuits and introduced legislation to regulate AI, creating a patchwork of rules. Allegations that ChatGPT facilitated violent crimes remain unverified, and a comprehensive federal framework for AI safety has yet to emerge.

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• “Preempting states re: AI without enacting a sensible federal framework is just an amnesty for Big Tech,” — Ron DeSantis, Governor of Florida

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• “It is the policy of the Trump Administration to sustain American AI dominance over China to protect our national security and ensure we remain the world’s leading economy,” — Liz Huston, White House spokesperson

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• “against the working man, his liberty and his worth” — Josh Hawley, Senator

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• “If we take AI seriously, I think it’s quite important for religious and moral leaders to be engaged with how we’re adopting it, and for those leaders to be engaged in the conversation about what it means for us as humans, as families, as communities, and more broadly, as a republic,” — Abigail Ball, Executive Director, American Compass

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State primaries in Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Utah will feature data-center and AI-regulation platforms. The emerging GOP divide is expected to shape the 2028 Republican presidential primary, where candidates will likely be forced to articulate clear positions on AI governance and the balance of federal-state authority.

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