Trump urged to tax companies replacing workers with AI systems

Columnist John Mac Ghlionn argues that President Trump must take immediate action to prevent AI from causing mass unemployment across white-collar sectors, warning that millions of entry-level and mid-level jobs are already being eliminated.

The core argument: AI is already displacing American workers across multiple sectors, from entry-level positions to mid-level roles in coding, legal services, and customer support.

• The author argues this isn’t a future threat but a current reality, with companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google openly acknowledging AI’s capacity to eliminate entire job categories.
• Young Americans, middle-class parents, and veterans are identified as the most vulnerable populations facing displacement.

What Trump should do: The columnist proposes several specific policy interventions to protect American workers from AI displacement.

• Companies receiving federal funding should be prohibited from replacing workers with AI systems without disclosure.
• All job automation should be publicly reported in real time, forcing companies to “say it with their chest” rather than using euphemisms.
• An automation tax should be imposed on AI transactions that replace human workers, with proceeds funding job retraining and trade schools.

The broader vision: Mac Ghlionn calls for a Federal Job Corps focused on sectors where AI cannot compete, including skilled trades, manufacturing, energy, healthcare, and infrastructure.

• The author argues that freelance work and gig economy solutions cannot replace the structural foundation of middle-class employment.
• He frames this as essential to Trump’s MAGA movement, arguing that defending American workers from algorithmic displacement is central to the promise of restoring dignity through work.

Why this matters: The piece positions AI displacement as a threat to American economic sovereignty, arguing that Silicon Valley companies are reshaping the economy without democratic input or consideration for worker welfare.

• Unlike previous economic disruptions from foreign competition or offshoring, AI represents what the author calls “extinction-by-algorithm” that could hollow out entire career pathways.
• The columnist warns that without intervention, the middle class faces being “shoved silently off the map” by unelected tech leaders prioritizing efficiency over employment.