"War Room" host Steve Bannon at the 2025 Student Action Summit at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
"States' rights" has long been a cornerstone of the conservative movement in the United States, and countless Republicans have, over the years, argued that what is right for Connecticut and Massachusetts may not be right for Louisiana or Mississippi. But President Donald Trump is getting a strong pushback from some MAGA Republicans —including "War Room" host Steve Bannon — for an executive order limiting states' ability to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
The Hill's Alexander Bolton, in an article published on December 16, reports, "Trump is trying to avoid an open fight with Republicans who want to rein in the titans of AI by reaching out to GOP lawmakers to make the argument that state regulation of the industry could cripple its growth. But Republicans who warn that unregulated AI poses a serious threat to intellectual property, American jobs and children's safety aren't happy the president did an end-run around Congress — even if they're holding back from criticizing the president directly."
Bannon is being especially outspoken.
Although the "War Room" podcaster — who served as White House chief strategist in the first Trump Administration in 2017 — is a major Trump ally, he is often critical of the president's alliances with Silicon Valley tech bros. And he isn't shy about attacking SpaceX/Tesla head Elon Musk.
In a statement, Bannon said of Trump's AI executive order, "After two humiliating face plants on must-pass legislation, now we attempt an entirely unenforceable EO — tech bros doing upmost to turn POTUS MAGA base away from him while they line their pockets."
Outgoing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) is another MAGA Republican who is critical of Trump's tech alliances.
The Georgia congresswoman recently resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives, effective early January 2026, and believes that Trump has betrayed his America First agenda during his second presidency.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Greene declared, "I will NOT vote for any bill that destroys states' rights and lets AI run wild for the next 10 years. AI will replace jobs, especially in the press. This is not a left or right issue. It's about humanity. I'll go to the mat on this. If you kill federalism, I'm out."
Read Alexander Bolton's full article for The Hill at this link.
