Daniella Cheslow

President Donald Trump's AI Action Plan is very much in line with Trump’s swaggering, chest-puffing attitude toward foreign policy.

Elon Musk’s satellite broadband company Starlink has reaped massive gains since he became “first buddy” to Trump. Numerous countries have cut red tape to approve Starlink this year, some reportedly under pressure from Trump’s State Department.

One of the more puzzling pieces of American tech and diplomatic policy in the new Trump era was the one recently announced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio—a new visa restriction for foreign officials “complicit in censoring Americans”. The restriction would ban entry to the U.S. for foreign officials who impose content moderation over social media posts.

For years, the U.S.-Saudi Arabia relationship revolved around oil and defense. But the state visit by President Donald Trump to Riyadh strongly signals a pivot to technology, as the regions find common ground not in petroleum, but in rich wells of investment capital. The visit included an aerial escort by Saudi F-16 planes and a ceremony in the opulent Saudi Royal Court.

Elon Musk’s chaotic foray into politics has put a huge dent into his company Tesla, which faces protests and plummeting sales on two continents, and has lost nearly half its market value since his DOGE operation began storming Washington in January.