Need of the hour is unified Federal AI regulation, Trump says

• President urges lawmakers to ensure the establishment of a federal standard either by passing standalone legislation or incorporating the measure into the National Defense Authorisation Act.
• Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has made outpacing China in AI a cornerstone of his technology policy.

President Donald Trump called for a nationwide federal standard to regulate artificial intelligence, cautioning that disparate state-level rules could stifle growth and jeopardise the US lead in the global AI competition.

“Overregulation by the States is threatening to undermine this Growth Engine,” Trump posted on social media, emphasising that a patchwork of 50 different state regulatory regimes would disadvantage American innovators.

“We MUST have one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes,” Trump declared, asserting that the absence of unified rules could offer China an opening to surpass the US in AI capabilities.

Transforming US

Since beginning his second term in January, Trump has made outpacing China in AI a cornerstone of his technology policy. Early in his administration, he mandated the development of an AI Action Plan aimed at transforming the US into the “world capital in artificial intelligence,” while also seeking to streamline regulatory barriers to the sector’s expansion.

The rapid rise of AI has raised broad societal concerns—including the risk of election interference, fraud, and employment disruption—with policymakers debating the balance between innovation and security. Trump’s latest comments reflect worries across the business and technology sectors that fragmented regulation could hinder both investment and deployment.

The president urged lawmakers to ensure the establishment of a federal standard either by passing standalone legislation or incorporating the measure into the National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA), the annual defense policy bill. “Put it in the NDAA, or pass a separate Bill, and nobody will ever be able to compete with America,” Trump said.

Trump did not elaborate on what specific elements his proposed federal standard would contain.