Big Tech's MAGA alliance hits a big speedbump
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MAGA media erupted over a reported plan by Amazon, which the retailer denied, to display tariff costs on its website — just as Big Tech is working to align itself more closely with President Trump.
Why it matters: Tuesday's hullabaloo shows that deep skepticism of Big Tech remains a potent force within Trump's movement.
What they're saying: Both the administration itself and its outside allies immediately tore into Amazon following a Punchbowl News report — even though Amazon said soon after that it would not actually implement the reported plan.
- "Amazon is going to war with Trump," Steve Bannon said on his "War Room" podcast. "This is all about the oligarchs and taking down the oligarchs."
- "You can't trust the tech oligarchs," Laura Loomer, the far-right activist and vocal Trump supporter, wrote on X. "They are snakes. They only told Trump what he wanted to hear when he won."
- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a morning press conference, before Amazon's denial, that the plan marked a "hostile and political act by Amazon."
The latest: A senior administration official confirmed that Trump and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos spoke on the phone Tuesday and had a good conversation. Trump later said Bezos "did the right thing" and is a "good guy."
- Amazon's Tim Doyle said: "The team that runs our ultra low cost Amazon Haul store considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products. This was never approved and is not going to happen."
Zoom in: Big Tech CEOs made a concerted effort to cozy up to Trump after he clinched his second term.
- Amazon, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google, Meta and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman each donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural committee.
- Several tech chiefs were prominently seated at Trump's inauguration, and have since sought to keep lines of communication open.
- Many social media platforms have reformed their fact-checking operations after many conservative accounts were temporarily or permanently banned over claims about COVID and the 2020 election.
Zoom out: But MAGA boasts longstanding skepticism of and grievances against Big Tech, and the donations have appeared to do little to move the needle with Trump's most diehard supporters.
- MAGA podcaster Jack Posobiec told Axios: "Instagram, Facebook, and Amazon haven't brought back big names and groups that were censored or had actions reversed against them. Right now, it just seems like a lot of talk."
The bottom line: Big Tech is clearly interested in currying favor with Trump. But if Tuesday's blowup is any indication, tech CEOs have a long way to go to win over the broader MAGA movement.
- "Now that President Trump is back in the White House, a lot of the executives have been singing different tunes," said Tim Murtaugh, a senior adviser to Trump's 2024 campaign and a communications representative for Rumble. "But I don't think MAGA is ready to buy that album just yet. Big Tech earned that mistrust, and it runs deep."
