Big tech has found an opening, and it leads straight through Donald Trump's documented contempt for the press. As Australia's government pushes forward with plans to force platforms like Meta and Google to pay publishers for news content, the Silicon Valley giants are eyeing a familiar playbook: weaponize the incoming president's well-known hostility toward mainstream media to kill the initiative before it takes root.
Trump has made no secret of his animus toward news organizations. He branded major US media outlets "the enemy of the people" during his 2016 campaign, borrowed rhetoric straight from Joseph Stalin. He routinely dismisses unfavorable coverage as "fake news." Even after the attempted assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally, Trump erupted at CBS journalist Norah O'Donnell during a 60 Minutes interview, calling her and her network "horrible people" and "a disgrace" for reporting details from the shooter's manifesto.
His antagonism extends overseas. Trump has sued the BBC for $10 billion in defamation damages over its January 6 documentary. When ABC journalist John Lyons asked him about Trump family business dealings on the White House South Lawn earlier this year, Trump's response was swift: "You're hurting Australia. In my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now, and they want to get along with me."
That casual threat carries weight. Trump has already expressed "disappointment" with Australia over its stance on Iran sanctions and the Strait of Hormuz. In March, he said Australia "was not great" on the issue. In April, he doubled down: "I'm not happy with Australia because they were not there when we asked them to be there."
The disconnect is stark. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese framed the media tax as essential to journalism itself. "Journalists are the lifeblood of Australia's media sector," he said, adding that "local news matters to local communities and these stories can't be told without Australian journalists." It's a mission statement Trump demonstrably does not share about American media.
For Meta, Google, and Oracle, the timing appears advantageous. These companies have made massive commitments to Trump's America: Meta pledged $600 billion in US technology and AI investment, Google committed $68 billion to data centers and AI infrastructure. Oracle's Larry Ellison and his son control both Paramount and CBS after a recent acquisition. TikTok's future was restructured with Oracle controlling its algorithm, and the company's CEO met with Trump to finalize the arrangement.
The tech lobby's reach into Trump's orbit is already visible. Meta's president and vice chair Dina Powell McCormick and Alphabet's Ruth Porat were among guests at the White House state dinner for King Charles. The companies will have every opportunity to press their case, particularly during Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings to confirm Trump's pick for US ambassador to Australia, David Bart. Those hearings will present a natural forum for questions about Australia's media tax proposal.
The strategy mirrors tactics used by major US pharmaceutical companies fighting Australia's Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which sets drug prices independently. That effort has largely succeeded in keeping harsh tariffs off Australian medicines. Now tech platforms are positioning themselves to deploy the same playbook against a media regulation.
Albanese's government has backed itself into a position where it must defend a media protection policy to an American president who views press freedom with suspicion. The oligarchs need only sit back and let Trump's media animosity do the work.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump's reflexive hostility to journalism just became Australia's biggest regulatory problem."
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