A recent national poll reveals that many supporters of Donald Trump aren’t buying into Big Tech’s outreach efforts toward the president. According to the results shared by the Post, it seems there’s a noticeable skepticism lingering among his voter base.
Following Trump’s win, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other tech leaders initiated a pointed attack on him. This trend continued into his January inauguration, where a lot of attention focused on allegations of anti-conservative bias within these companies.
A survey from the WatchDog Group’s Technology Surveillance Project and Public Policy Voting found that 54% of Trump voters, along with 70% of the broader electorate, perceive these tech efforts as, perhaps, somewhat deceptive attempts to maintain relevance.
Zuckerberg particularly stood out as an unlikely figure among high-tech CEOs, facing disapproval from 63% of Trump supporters, and even higher disapproval at 74% overall. In comparison, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos had a disapproval rating of 53% among Trump voters and 67% across all respondents.
When it comes to other tech executives, Google’s Sundar Pichai received a 52% disapproval rate among Trump’s backers, while OpenAI’s Sam Altman garnered 34% and Apple’s Tim Cook 44%.
According to Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Surveillance Project, “Americans have been consistently distrustful of Big Tech leaders. Even Trump supporters are making it clear they’re not in favor of these new MAGA initiatives. In fact, there appears to be support for policies like a Big Tech tax to keep things in check.”
With regard to artificial intelligence, only 7% of those surveyed felt that large tech CEOs could responsibly shape policies impacting everyday American life. On the other hand, 52% expressed trust in federal and state governments to handle these issues.
The survey indicates that 72% of respondents favor the idea of a “Big Tech tax,” aimed at ensuring tech companies contribute their fair share toward public initiatives—like addressing the increased burden on the power grid caused by data centers powered by AI.
Support for such a tax is strong among Republicans—60% are in favor, while only 21% oppose it. The figures for Democrats and independents are even more striking, with 86% of Democrats and 70% of independents showing support.
Big Tech’s attempts to influence Trump are currently entangled in antitrust and congressional investigations, all while companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon rush to navigate federal AI regulations.
Haworth emphasized, “Holding large tech firms accountable remains a winning strategy politically. Congress should take note that the public overwhelmingly supports an agenda that seeks to protect families, support small businesses, and tackle rising energy costs.”
In an effort to guide regulations, Trump has appointed strong advocates for antitrust policies to lead key agencies, including Gale Slater as the anti-trust chief for the DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission.
The survey was carried out on June 3rd and 4th, gathering responses from 541 voters.
