Trump Postpones AI Executive Order Over China Competition Concerns

President Donald Trump abruptly postponed a planned executive order on artificial intelligence on Thursday, saying he “didn’t like certain aspects” of the measure and feared it could slow the United States in its race against China.

The signing ceremony had been scheduled for Thursday afternoon with technology executives expected at the White House, but Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he made the decision after reviewing the order’s language. “I think it gets in the way of, you know, we’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead,” Trump said.

The order would have created a voluntary framework for AI developers to work with the U.S. government before releasing advanced models to the public, Reuters noted, citing people familiar with the proposal. It would also have directed the government to use advanced AI systems to strengthen cybersecurity defenses for federal, state, and local networks, as well as key private sectors such as banks and hospitals.

Trump did not identify the specific provisions he opposed. CBS News reported that he also told reporters, “Because I didn’t like certain aspects of it, I postponed it,” and added, “I really thought that could have been a blocker, and I want to make sure that it’s not.”

The Associated Press reported that the proposal would have allowed the government to vet national security risks in advanced AI models before public release through voluntary collaboration with companies including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google.

Cybersecurity concerns have intensified as newer AI models show greater ability to identify software vulnerabilities. AP reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell convened Wall Street CEOs in April to discuss risks linked to Anthropic’s Claude Mythos model.

CyberScoop reported that a draft circulating before the canceled signing would have created a 90-day testing and vetting system for frontier AI models and allowed cybersecurity testers in critical infrastructure sectors to study them before public release. The draft also would have involved agencies, including the NSA, Treasury, CISA, and NIST.

The postponement could pose a challenge to Trump’s broader AI strategy. The White House has argued that U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence is central to national security and economic dominance, and Trump previously moved to remove barriers to AI development after taking office again in 2025.

Vice President JD Vance said earlier this week that the administration wanted to balance safety with innovation. “The president wants us to be pro-innovation. He wants us to win the AI race against all other countries in the world,” Vance said, according to AP. “We also want to make sure that we’re protecting people.”