President Trump has vowed to unleash the competitive power of AI, but eliminating state surveillance has infuriated Republican lawmakers.
Published December 8, 2025
US President Donald Trump said he would sign an executive order creating “one rulebook” for the development of artificial intelligence (AI).
Monday’s announcement through President Trump’s Truth Social account represents the US president’s latest effort to remove barriers to AI, raising concerns related to oversight of the transformative technology, which has become a priority for his administration.
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President Trump said his so-called “one-rule executive order” would override state approvals for AI, but the legality of such presidential actions remained unclear.
“For us to continue to lead in the AI space, there has to be only one rulebook,” he said. “We’re beating every country at this point in the race, but that won’t last long if 50 states (many of them bad actors) are involved in the rules and approval process.”
“There’s no question about it! AI will be destroyed in its infancy!” Trump added, using his typical all-caps usage.
The announcement comes as the White House pushes to add a provision to this year’s defense budget to create a federal AI framework.
The initiative has divided members of President Trump’s Republican Party, who have traditionally been strong supporters of the rights of states and a small federal government.
Opponents included Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had previously been an ardent supporter of Mr. Trump but had broken with him on several issues.
“States must retain the right to regulate and legislate AI and anything else in their national interest,” she wrote in November.
State lawmakers from across the political spectrum have also warned against federal action that would override state policies.
“In recent years, Congresses across the country have passed AI-related measures to strengthen consumer transparency, guide responsible government procurement, protect patients, and support artists and creators,” they wrote in a letter to Congress in November.
“These laws represent careful and good-faith efforts to protect voters from clear and imminent AI-related harm. Federal preemption of state AI laws risks wiping out these protections and leaving communities at risk,” they said.
Trump has maintained close ties with AI and technology leaders since taking office in January.
He has already signed an executive order calling for the removal of “barriers” to AI innovation. He also announced the so-called AI Action Plan and the AI “Genesis Mission.”
He compared the latter to the Manhattan Project, which led to the creation of the world’s first nuclear weapon.
