Trump Rejects Calls for AI Regulation, Dismisses Safety Warnings as ‘Hoax’

WASHINGTON — President Trump on Monday effectively halted the growing momentum for stricter oversight of artificial intelligence, arguing that the sector is already subject to sufficient regulation and requires nothing more than strong leadership. In a series of posts on Truth Social, the president characterized fears regarding AI’s potential to cause existential harm as fabricated.

The administration’s stance directly counters urgent appeals from prominent technology executives, including Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who have collectively called for a significant pause in AI development due to safety concerns. Their warnings have garnered skepticism from both Democratic lawmakers and a rising faction of Republicans.

“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 wrote. He then targeted Amodei, whose company develops the chatbot Claude, accusing him of hypocrisy. “The Trump Administration has stopped AI ‘people’ from doing bad, or potentially bad, ‘things,’ like Dario (Anthropic!), who is now pretending to be a ‘perfect little angel,'” Trump added.

The president further asserted that the government already possesses substantial criminal and regulatory authority over these tech firms, labeling the current push for oversight as part of a “sick conspiracy” that benefits China. He emphasized the geopolitical stakes, writing, “WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!” Trump also pointed out that Chinese President Xi Jinping has announced no intentions to restrict AI development.

Later in the day, Trump reiterated his dismissal of catastrophic AI scenarios. “AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX,” he posted, comparing the alarms to what he termed previous political fabrications such as the “RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX” and the “Global Warming Scam.” He claimed the title of “Hoax Buster” for debunking predictions of robot uprisings.

Despite Trump’s claims of existing regulatory power, it remains unclear which specific rules he is referencing. This position contrasts with an executive order signed by the president in December, which was designed to reduce state-level barriers to AI regulation and streamline federal policy.

Vice President JD Vance also expressed caution regarding the tech industry’s request for government intervention. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Vance described the situation as somewhat suspicious. “I feel a little bit weird about the fact that you have so many frontier AI tech companies, kind of coming to the government and begging the government to regulate them, it feels a little bit to me like a bit of a Trojan horse,” Vance said. He acknowledged both risks and benefits but urged vigilance.

In contrast, Amodei told CBS News in an interview last week that the industry has historically been dishonest about the dangers posed by AI. “I won’t lie to you — there are real dangers,” Amodei said. “And I think for too long the industry lied to people about the fact that this technology had risks.”

Looking ahead, a diverse group of political figures including Steve Bannon and Senator Bernie Sanders are set to attend the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. The event focuses on ensuring AI remains subservient to human interests. However, significant legislative progress in Congress appears unlikely in 2026, a year marked by limited governmental achievement.