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Trump’s A.I. Contradictions

On his first full day in office, Trump convened tech leaders to launch an A.I. initiative to boost adoption and compete with China. But his one legislative agenda—the massive spending bill now with the Senate—leaves the U.S. profoundly vulnerable to A.I.’s social and economic disruptions.

Donald Trump, Sam Altman, Larry Ellison, Masayoshi Son
Trump does have a plan, of course, which starts, and ends, with dominating A.I. before China gets there first. He made clear how much of a priority it is when he gathered three top A.I. leaders—Larry Ellison, Sam Altman, and Masayoshi Son—at the White House on his first full day in office and announced that a handful of favored tech companies would invest $500 billion in the new Stargate Project. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
June 15, 2025

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The other day, during a conversation with one of the smartest Republican political operatives that I know, we both wondered aloud when artificial intelligence would become a truly dominant campaign issue. It could be as early as the 2026 midterms, we surmised, and certainly by 2028. Sure, we could both be completely wrong, and A.I. adoption will simply lead to endless economic, social, and cultural prosperity. But that’s probably not happening.