Reporters ask U.S. President Donald Trump questions as he departs after signing a proclamation declaring today officially Purple Heart Day, during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 7, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

During the United States' 2024 presidential race, Donald Trump aggressively reached out to Silicon Valley and the tech sector. SpaceX/Tesla/X.com leader Elon Musk was a major donor to his campaign, and venture capitalist David Sacks is playing a prominent role in President Trump's artificial intelligence (AI) push.

But according to New York Times reporters Cecilia Kang, Tripp Mickle, Ryan Mac, David Yaffe-Bellany and Theodore Schleifer, Trump's bond alliance with Sacks and others in Silicon Valley is fueling some heated debates within the MAGA movement.

In an article published by the Times on November 30, they explain, "Since January, Mr. Sacks, 53, has occupied one of the most advantageous moonlighting roles in the federal government, influencing policy for Silicon Valley in Washington while simultaneously working in Silicon Valley as an investor. Among his actions as the White House's artificial intelligence and crypto czar: Mr. Sacks has offered astonishing White House access to his tech industry compatriots and pushed to eliminate government obstacles facing AI companies…. Mr. Sacks has recommended AI policies that have sometimes run counter to national security recommendations, alarming some of his White House colleagues and raising questions about his priorities."

The Times journalists add, "Mr. Sacks has positioned himself to personally benefit. He has 708 tech investments, including at least 449 stakes in companies with ties to artificial intelligence that could be aided directly or indirectly by his policies, according to a New York Times analysis of his financial disclosures."

But Sacks is not universally loved within the MAGA movement, and one of his outspoken MAGA critics is Steve Bannon — host of the "War Room" vodcast and former White House chief strategist in the first Trump Administration.

Bannon, the Times reporters note, is a "critic of Silicon Valley billionaires" and the Trump Administration's alliance with Sacks.

Bannon, an outspoken Musk detractor, told the Times, "The tech bros are out of control. They are leading the White House down the road to perdition with this ascendant technocratic oligarchy."

Read the full New York Times article at this link (subscription required).