Trump Targets State AI Legislation with Proposed Executive Order

U.S. President Donald Trump is contemplating the signing of an executive order aimed at countering state initiatives to regulate artificial intelligence through legal action and the withholding of federal funds, according to WIRED.

A draft of the order reviewed by WIRED instructs U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to establish an “AI Litigation Task Force,” tasked with suing states over AI regulations that purportedly infringe on federal laws related to free speech and interstate commerce.

Trump might sign the order, currently titled “Eliminating State Law Obstruction of National AI Policy,” as soon as this week, based on insights from four sources familiar with the situation. A White House spokesperson informed WIRED that “discussion about potential executive orders is speculation.”

According to the order, the AI Litigation Task Force will collaborate with various White House tech advisors, including David Sacks, the special adviser for AI and crypto, to identify states violating the federal laws outlined in the document. It highlights state regulations that “necessitate AI models to modify their accurate outputs” or mandate AI developers to “disclose information in ways that would contravene the First Amendment or any other constitutional provisions,” as noted in the draft.

The order points to newly implemented AI safety laws in California and Colorado, which obligate AI developers to release transparency reports regarding their model training processes, among other stipulations. Major tech advocacy groups, such as Chamber of Progress—supported by Andreessen Horowitz, Google, and OpenAI—are actively opposing these measures, describing them as a “patchwork” of AI regulation that stifles innovation. These groups are advocating for a more lenient set of federal regulations to oversee AI development.

“If the president aims to lead in the AI sector, the American public must be assured that AI is safe and reliable,” states Cody Venzke, senior policy counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union. “This draft only serves to erode that trust.”

The order emerges as Silicon Valley intensifies its campaign against proponents of state AI regulations. A super PAC backed by Andreessen Horowitz, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale recently launched a campaign targeting New York Assembly member Alex Bores, who sponsored a state AI safety bill.

House Republicans have also renewed their push for a comprehensive moratorium on state laws regulating AI following the failure of a previous version of this initiative.