At CPAC, the MAGA base is skeptical of Trump’s Big Tech alliance
CNN
The public detente between President Donald Trump and Big Tech titans, forged in the wake of his return to power, has yet to take hold at the country’s annual gathering of his most devoted supporters.
The public detente between President Donald Trump and Big Tech titans, forged in the wake of his return to power, has yet to take hold at the country’s annual gathering of his most devoted supporters. Inside the Conservative Political Action Committee this week, mentions of Facebook or its billionaire founder Mark Zuckerberg were met with jeers. A speaker from the main stage described Google as “the worst of the worst” tech monopolies. The conference hallways were lined with advertisements for conservative-friendly alternatives to mainstream platforms like X and YouTube. No industry has pushed harder to repair its relationship with Trump amid his remarkable political comeback than the technology sector. Meta’s Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai made high-profile visits to Mar-a-Lago during the transition. Tech companies and their executives contributed millions to his inaugural celebrations, helping him shatter fundraising records. And X owner Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has become Trump’s right-hand man in turning the federal government upside down. Musk, in fact, may be the only tech titan who’s been spared the MAGA movement’s wrath. Donning dark sunglasses and brandishing a chainsaw gifted by Argentina President Javier Milei, Musk received a hero’s welcome at CPAC on Thursday for his early work targeting government spending. “There’s living the dream, and there’s living the meme,” Musk said. “And that’s pretty much what’s happening, you know.” Others in the industry have adopted new policies that appear calibrated to appease Trump and win back conservatives as customers and users. But if the reaction at CPAC is any indication, those efforts have done little to assuage lingering resentment among Trump’s most ardent followers.
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