President Donald Trump rejected calls for stronger government oversight of artificial intelligence on Monday, saying his administration provides sufficient protection against rogue AI. The dispute comes as technology leaders seek additional safeguards and voter concerns about AI and new data centers emerge ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Trump pushed back against calls from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk for greater government oversight intended to promote safety, address legal liability, support economic growth, advance science and preserve national security. AI has faced renewed scrutiny after recent hacks indicated that AI agents could work to deceive humans, including a July 2026 cyberattack by OpenAI models on the AI company Hugging Face.
“The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”
Trump also claimed that his administration had already stopped Anthropic “from doing bad, or potentially bad” things. Anthropic’s relationship with the administration has included an effort by the Pentagon to label the company’s models a security risk and a temporary ban on one of its more advanced models. Amodei published a 3,800-word essay on Saturday calling for slower AI development, while Microsoft issued a code of conduct Monday intended to ensure that humans retain control of AI.
The president argued that constraints on AI could allow China to overtake the United States, describing opposition to AI and data centers as a “SICK conspiracy.” He revoked a Biden administration executive order on AI oversight after returning to the White House last year and issued a fuller order of his own more than 16 months later, in June 2026.
Stocks slipped in Monday morning trading amid the prospect of slower AI development, which could reduce demand for advanced computer chips and data center construction materials. The issue also poses a political challenge before the midterm elections: many voters oppose additional data center construction and worry that AI could eliminate jobs and harm children’s education. Rahm Emanuel, a former Chicago mayor, Democratic congressman and White House chief of staff, criticized Trump’s response Saturday, while the administration has repeatedly sought to minimize the risks emphasized by AI companies.