Silicon Valley Searches for Its JD Vance Angle

As President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” was being debated in the Senate over the past week, cracks were spreading among Republicans over a provision in the bill to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. Companies such as Meta Platforms, Andruil and Andreessen Horowitz pushed for it. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick was also in favor. But MAGA figures such as conservative commentator Steve Bannon argued it was a giveaway to power-hungry tech bros who want to censor conservatives. Several Republican senators, including Josh Hawley of Missouri, also opposed the plan.

Noticeably absent from the debate was Vice President JD Vance, a former venture capitalist who is one of Trump’s key tech advisors. Silicon Valley views Vance as a natural ally, but his views on tech issues can be hard to pin down. On the AI-state regulation provision, Vance said in a podcast appearance in June, “I usually have a pretty strong view on most things — I could go both ways on this.”