President Trump keeps losing tech policy fights

We’re two and a half years into Donald Trump’s presidency, and one thing is clear: his administration keeps getting absolutely railroaded in tech policy fights. Almost every time he has picked a fight, his efforts have resulted in weak enforcement changes, whipsaw policy confusion among free-market conservatives, and / or outright losses. President Trump enters tech policy fights with inconsistent policy positions, doesn’t quite have the legal horsepower or agency resources to muscle through the consequences, and then backs down in a way that rarely improves or even changes the outcome for consumers or citizens.