His administration already holds equity in Intel and other chipmakers after similar deals. AI giants could be next.

Trump is pushing for the US government to hold equity stakes in major AI companies and says meetings with tech executives are coming as soon as this week.

He told reporters Friday he wants Americans to be “partners in this revolution.”

The US government already holds equity stakes in chipmakers, miners, and quantum computing companies through arrangements in which it took ownership stakes in exchange for federal support. Trump is signaling that AI companies are next.

Companies like OpenAI and Anthropic may soon be worth trillions of dollars, meaning even a small government AI equity stake would represent a significant sum. A direct ownership stake would also give the federal government a financial incentive to see these companies grow, consistent with the administration’s existing approach of limiting federal AI regulation.

Surprisingly, the President isn’t the only one who thinks the federal government should reap rewards from the AI boom.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also wants the government to own a stake in AI companies, but through legislation rather than negotiation. Sanders has proposed a bill requiring top AI companies to pay a one-time 50% stock tax. That stock would flow into a sovereign wealth fund and pay gains back to the public.

When asked about Sanders, Trump said Friday: “As far as economics is concerned, we have certain things that aren’t that far apart.”

The President said meetings with tech companies are coming in the “very near future,” possibly as soon as this week, to discuss what a government AI partnership could look like.

Both OpenAI and Anthropic previously published policy documents supporting versions of public wealth funds, suggesting the companies most directly affected have already opened the door.