U.S. President Donald Trump looks at Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, on the day of Gabbard's swearing in ceremony, in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 12, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
In an article published Sunday, Guardian reporter Lauren Aratani argued that a cascade of high-stakes showmanship and national-security rhetoric during the Trump administration has mutated into what looks increasingly like a transactional, “pay‑to‑play” style of governance.
Aratani highlighted how Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, entered the Oval Office bearing a gift designed as much for optics as diplomacy. “This box was made in California,” he said, unveiling a glass plaque resting on a 24‑karat gold base crafted in Utah.
Moments later, Apple pledged $100 billion in U.S. manufacturing investment, and the White House promptly announced Apple would be exempt from a looming tariff on imported computer chips. Aratani frames this as emblematic of a political theater where lavish gesture meets immediate policy payoff.
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She noted that two days later, the situation took another turn. President Donald Trump approved a deal allowing Nvidia and AMD to resume exports of certain AI chips, specifically the H20 and MI308, to China. But each company must funnel 15 percent of their revenue from those sales back to the U.S. government.
Aratani underscored that trade experts see this as a precedent that could corrode the integrity of export controls. She quoted Martin Chorzempa of the Peterson Institute, who warned it gives rise to “the perception that export controls are up for sale.”
Aratani further pointed out that the chips in question aren’t the latest and most powerful, but experts caution that their capacity for AI inference still makes them strategically significant.
She also quoted tech-policy scholar Julia Powles who painted a chilling view of what might come next. “What other quid pro quo might be asked in the future? … The quid pro quo that would be of great concern … is anything that reduces their reputation for privacy and security.”
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