Ron DeSantis built his reputation standing shoulder to shoulder with Donald Trump against leftist overreach.
Now the Florida Governor just broke ranks in spectacular fashion.
And Ron DeSantis delivered Trump a nasty surprise on artificial intelligence that will have Silicon Valley seething.
DeSantis sounds alarm on AI's threat to American workers
Ron DeSantis spent this week traveling rural Florida warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence while Trump hosts tech billionaires at the White House for dinner.
The contrast couldn't be more stark.
DeSantis told a crowd at the Florida Rural Economic Development Summit in Ocala that AI will "really undercut a lot of jobs, a lot of white collar jobs."¹
People who followed the conventional wisdom to get college degrees in accounting or computer programming?
Those careers are about to vanish.
"I don't think that's a good thing," DeSantis said.¹
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1991500389741654482?s=20
His biggest concern?
Government subsidizing the very technology destroying American livelihoods.
"Why would we subsidize something that could potentially cause problems for folks?" DeSantis asked.¹
DeSantis called artificial intelligence "the biggest issue that's facing our society" back in July.²
He warned AI advances will bring "major, major upheavals in jobs" including white-collar positions "like processing claims or doing things in like a law firm."²
Students using AI to write term papers instead of learning to think?
That's surrendering humanity to machines, DeSantis argued.
"I'm not one to say that we should just turn over our humanity to artificial intelligence," DeSantis stated. "I think it's very dangerous, potentially."²
Trump prepares to crush state AI laws to please Big Tech donors
Here's where things get really interesting.
Trump's drafting an executive order directing the Justice Department to sue states that pass AI regulations.³
The draft order would establish an "AI Litigation Task Force" to challenge state laws on grounds they violate interstate commerce or contradict the First Amendment.³
States with AI laws Trump doesn't like?
They lose federal broadband funding.
The White House already released its AI Action Plan in July pushing a hands-off approach that Silicon Valley loves.
Trump's plan calls for AI models focused on "truth, rather than social engineering agendas" while demanding a "single federal standard" to regulate AI instead of letting states protect their citizens.⁴
Translation: Tech billionaires want zero accountability and Trump's giving it to them.
DeSantis sees right through it.
"Stripping states of jurisdiction to regulate AI is a subsidy to Big Tech," DeSantis wrote on X this week.⁵
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1990850245832683816?s=20
The move prevents states from protecting against "online censorship of political speech, predatory applications that target children, violations of intellectual property rights and data center intrusions on power/water resources," DeSantis explained.⁵
"Not acceptable," he added.
DeSantis called Trump's effort "federal government overreach" that denies Americans "the ability to channel these technologies in a productive way via self-government."⁵
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders joined DeSantis opposing Trump's AI power grab.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican whose state already passed AI protections, also pushed back.
Even Steve Bannon ally Mike Davis called it a "Big Tech bailout."⁶
DeSantis exposes Trump's Big Tech sellout
Trump thinks he's helping America compete with China by letting tech companies run wild.
"Investment in AI is helping to make the U.S. Economy the 'HOTTEST' in the World, but overregulation by the States is threatening to undermine this Major Growth 'Engine,'" Trump wrote on Truth Social.⁷
He claimed some states embed "DEI ideology into AI models, producing 'Woke AI.'"
"We MUST have one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes," Trump demanded. "If we don't, then China will easily catch us in the AI race."⁷
https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1948145260087087599?s=20
DeSantis isn't buying the China excuse.
"I don't want our experience, our ability to live and pursue happiness, which is what the Founding Fathers intended, to be subordinated to the whims of these big tech guys who have maybe their different agenda," DeSantis said.⁴
Four states already passed AI laws including Colorado, California, Utah and Texas.
Those laws limit collection of personal information and require transparency from companies about how AI makes decisions affecting jobs, housing, loans, and medical care.
Research shows AI makes discriminatory mistakes in those decisions, prioritizing certain genders or races.
States moved to regulate AI because Congress won't act and Americans need protection now.
Trump hosting tech billionaires at White House dinners changes that calculation fast.
Elon Musk, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and AI czar David Sacks all attended Trump's tech dinner this week.
These are the same people who spent months lobbying Congress to ban state AI regulation.
They failed when the Senate unanimously removed a 10-year moratorium on state AI laws from Trump's domestic policy bill.
Now Trump's trying an end run with executive orders because Congress told him no.
House Republicans may try sneaking AI preemption language into the must-pass National Defense Authorization Act.
DeSantis already called that move "an insult to voters."⁵
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1981034424750768545?s=20
The Florida Legislature announced AI discussions for December to address the technology's impact on the state.
Florida House Speaker Danny Perez wrote that "AI may open new economic vistas" but "we see stories about how AI can be abused, have adverse effects on education, or harm emotionally vulnerable users."⁸
DeSantis vetoed a bill studying AI's workforce impact in June, but only because the technology moves so fast the study would be obsolete before completion.
He's promised a comprehensive AI approach for Florida "within the next few months."
Republicans traditionally believe in states' rights and limited federal government.
Trump just threw that principle out the window to please Silicon Valley donors threatening to destroy millions of American jobs.
DeSantis stood up and said what needed saying: this isn't about China or competition, it's about Big Tech buying favorable treatment from Washington, D.C.
¹ Michael Costeines, "DeSantis Cautions Against Artificial Intelligence and Its Effect on Jobss," The Floridian, November 20, 2025.
² Christine Sexton, "DeSantis formulating AI approach, calls it society's 'biggest issue,'" Florida Phoenix, July 28, 2025.
³ Clare Duffy, "Trump renews effort to block states from regulating AI, raising alarms about safety," CNN Business, November 20, 2025.
⁴ Skyler Swisher, "DeSantis readies AI policies, worries technology could disrupt Florida jobs," Orlando Sentinel, July 28, 2025.
⁵ Caitlin Owens and Ashley Gold, "Trump floats AI executive order to override state laws," Axios, November 19, 2025.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ David Shepardson, "Trump calls for federal AI standards, end to state 'patchwork' regulations 'threatening' economic growth," Fox News, November 18, 2025.
⁸ Lynn Hatter, "The Florida House will take a deep dive into artificial intelligence," WFSU News, November 19, 2025.
