Why the Trump White House Should Resist AI Pessimism

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat has some good advice for this White House:

Well, much of it is good advice. For the most part, his eight-point treatise represents commonsense compromises with political realities that Donald Trump and his advisers seem to resent. Moreover, each of Douthat’s points meets a majority of the voting public where they already are. And yet, point five departs from this formula. The public may share Douthat’s techno-pessimism when it comes to artificial intelligence, but is cultivating that pessimism in the president’s political interest?

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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JD Vance

New York Times columnist Ross Douthat has some good advice for this White House:

Well, much of it is good advice. For the most part, his eight-point treatise represents commonsense compromises with political realities that Donald Trump and his advisers seem to resent. Moreover, each of Douthat’s points meets a majority of the voting public where they already are. And yet, point five departs from this formula. The public may share Douthat’s techno-pessimism when it comes to artificial intelligence, but is cultivating that pessimism in the president’s political interest?

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.