When President Donald J. Trump calls something "a very big subject," pay attention. He has an unmatched instinct for spotting the quiet power grabs that Washington and Big Business hope nobody notices.
That's exactly what happened in his January 8 interview with Hugh Hewitt, where he gave the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act — the bill to stop automakers from replacing AM radios with data-collecting devices from Big Tech — a ringing endorsement.
"I like the AM radio in every car," Trump said. "I'm in favor of it."
"We're going to be doing something on that," he continued.
President Trump is right — and the time for action on the bill is now.
The legislation is so popular in Congress that large majorities in both the House and Senate have co-sponsored it. It sailed through its House and Senate committees of jurisdiction with overwhelming support last year, too.
And yet, Congress has not brought the bill up for a vote. Timing has been tight with the government shutdown and all. But now our congressional leaders must step up and move the bill.
For years, talk radio has delivered unfiltered truth to tens of millions of Americans — commuters, working-class families, veterans, and rural listeners who don't live on Twitter or TikTok. If AM goes away, conservatives would lose one of their favorite ways to get their news.
We don't want that.
However, as evidenced by the wide co-sponsorship this bill has also received overwhelming support from Democrats. This is not a partisan issue. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act is an important bill for everyday Americans across the board.
Both Democrats and Republicans are sick of corporations putting profits above American interests, and this bill exists to stop yet another BigAuto-Big Tech giveaway.
Automakers want to replace AM radio with the infotainment systems made by Big Tech giants like Apple, Amazon, and Google, which track your location, what you listen to, and how long you stay tuned. That data is then packaged and sold to advertisers, tech companies, and third parties.
AM radio does none of that. It tracks nothing. It collects no personal data. It sells no behavioral profiles. It simply broadcasts, freely and openly, without watching you.
That's great for the American people, but it's far less profitable for the car companies. That's why the automakers want AM radio gone — and why Congress must stop them.
And stopping Big Tech spying is just the tip of the iceberg.
The entire public safety community, including law enforcement and firefighters, supports the bill because AM radio is the backbone of our public warning systems. During disasters, when power goes out, and cell phones and the internet crash, AM radio remains on the air, providing important updates that keep people safe and out of harm's way.
Farmers and ranchers are also leading the charge for passing the bill. The American Farm Bureau Federation backs the bill because AM radio is literal infrastructure in rural America. It delivers real-time weather alerts, emergency warnings, and agricultural market updates, especially when storms hit, and power or cell service fails.
Civil rights groups like the National Urban League have also endorsed the bill because minority and ethnic communities also rely on AM radio. Across the country, AM stations broadcast Spanish-language programming, Black community talk shows, ethnic news, and cultural content that national media often ignore. These local outlets operate on tight budgets and can't simply shift to expensive digital platforms without losing listeners. Eliminating AM radio would disproportionately mute those underrepresented voices.
Thank you, President Trump! You're right: the AM Radio For Every Vehicle Act is a very big subject. In a world dominated by algorithms, data brokers, and the whims and preferences of elitists, keeping AM radio has become more important than ever.
You are speaking for me, President Trump. I plan to buy a new car soon, and I will not buy a car without an AM radio.
Congress, let's put ordinary Americans first.
Let's get this bill over the finish line.
And let's do it now.
Fred Fleitz is a vice chairman at the America First Policy Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-partisan research institute. He is a former Chief of Staff to the Trump National Security Council and a former CIA analyst.
