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AI Regulation 2026

President Trump points from a rally podium during remarks calling for government equity stakes in AI companies.

Trump Pushes for Government AI Equity Stake, Plans Tech Meetings This Week

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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.

Architectural line illustration of the White House accompanying coverage of the Trump AI executive order 2026.

Trump Signs AI Executive Order, Tasks NSA With Classifying Frontier Models by Cyber Risk

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The order gives CISA 30 days to issue binding cybersecurity directives across all civilian federal agencies and creates a government review process for the most powerful AI models before they ship.

 

On June 2, President Trump signed an executive order that requires the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to issue binding cybersecurity directives to federal agencies within 30 days and directs prosecutors to treat AI-assisted crimes as enforcement priorities.

Companies that build the most powerful AI models now face a new pre-release review process. There is no legal requirement to participate, but government pressure to do so.

 

What federal agencies must do in 30 days

CISA, the federal cybersecurity agency within the Department of Homeland Security, must issue binding operational directives specifying which cybersecurity measures all civilian federal agencies must implement. CISA must also “establish or expand Federal programs and cybersecurity services that enhance AI-enabled defensive tools” for federal agencies and extend access to the most capable AI models to state, local, and private-sector critical infrastructure operators, such as rural hospitals and utilities. 

The Treasury, NSA, and CISA must jointly establish a “vulnerability clearinghouse” within 30 days. The clearinghouse coordinates scanning for software vulnerabilities across federal agency and private-sector systems, validates its findings, and determines which vulnerabilities get patched first. The Defense Department runs the same process for its own systems under the same deadline.

The order also establishes a new government classification, “covered frontier model,” that determines which AI models are sufficiently powerful to warrant special handling before public release.

 

What a “covered frontier model” is, and why the designation matters

A “covered frontier model” is an AI model that the NSA deems to pose significant cyber risk. NSA determines, in consultation with the National Cyber Director and CISA, using a classified benchmarking process that the Treasury, NSA, and CISA must build within 60 days.

Once a model gets that designation, its developer can enter a voluntary government review process. The developer grants the government access to the model for up to 30 days before the public release, with confidentiality and IP protections in place. The government then helps determine which partners receive early access. Developers who go through the process get earlier visibility into how the government reads their model’s risk profile.

The government cannot use this process to block or require approval before an AI model ships. Participation is voluntary. However, developers who decline, will release their most powerful models without a government read on their cyber risk. 

 

Prioritizing AI-assisted crime

The Attorney General must prioritize prosecuting AI-enabled crimes. Three statutes apply: identity fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1028), unauthorized computer access (18 U.S.C. § 1030), and wire fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1343).

The 30-day agency deadlines run through early July. The frontier model benchmarking deadlines run through early August.

 

The executive order comes eight days after the President rejected a planned executive order to create a federal review process for advanced “frontier” AI models before release.