Trump postpones executive order on AI, citing need to keep 'lead' over China
US President Donald Trump postponed signing an executive order on artificial intelligence (AI), expressing dissatisfaction with certain elements of the order and a desire to avoid actions that could weaken the United States' competitive position against China in AI development.
The proposed executive order would have established a voluntary framework for AI developers to coordinate with the U.S. government prior to the public release of advanced AI models, according to two sources familiar with the order who spoke to .
“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 stated to reporters in the Oval Office, without specifying which provisions of the order he found objectionable.
This development follows Trump’s recent visit to China, making him the first US president in nearly ten years to visit the country. He described his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping as “very successful.”
The administration’s plans to sign the order were reportedly delayed after intervention from xAI founder Elon Musk and other prominent technology leaders.
Responding to a post on X (formerly Twitter) regarding the reports, Musk denied the claims, stating,
“this is false,”and added,
“I still don’t know what was in that EO and the president only spoke to me after declining to sign.”
Opening summary
On Thursday, House Republicans voted on a war powers resolution intended to end the US military engagement with Iran, a measure that was expected to advance if the vote had proceeded.
Donald Trump announced the deployment of 5,000 US troops to Poland, shortly after the Pentagon controversially halted a previously planned deployment of forces to the country. This deployment represents the largest US troop presence on NATO’s eastern flank.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed a more cautious stance, noting that the alliance is moving toward prioritizing a stronger Europe that is “less reliant on the US.”
On the same day, President Trump acknowledged that he might miss Donald Trump Jr’s wedding over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, citing his involvement with “this thing called Iran.”
US arms sales to Taiwan have been confirmed, with the US military assuring it possesses sufficient munitions to support operations related to Iran, according to Washington’s acting Navy Secretary.
President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated calls for military intervention in Cuba on Thursday, following the administration’s announcement of criminal charges against Raúl Castro, the island’s former leader.
