The article argues the AI boom may be the single pillar offsetting the drag from broad tariffs. If AI capex stalls or disappoints, a recession could follow, recasting Trump’s second term from 'transformative' to 'failed' in public memory.
— Tying macro outcomes to AI’s durability reframes both industrial and trade policy as political‑survival bets, raising the stakes of AI regulation, energy supply, and capital allocation.
Noah Smith
2025.10.12
100% relevant
Cites Pantheon, Furman, and The Economist to show ex‑AI sluggishness, and notes Trump’s tariff exemptions for AI supply chains alongside warnings that an AI crash would change his presidency’s narrative.
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