Trump orders government to fight state AI laws 'to have one central source of approval'

The order would provide a boost to the AI industry, as many of the leaders of the industry have been wanting a national law to roll back state regulations governing the technology.

Published: December 11, 2025 9:18pm

President Donald Trump issued an executive order Thursday intended to override and block state regulations on artificial intelligence.

The order would provide a boost to the AI industry, as many of the leaders of the industry have been wanting a national law to roll back state regulations governing the technology, according to Politico.

“We want to have one central source of approval,” Trump said before signing the order. “And we have, I think, great Republican support. I think we probably have Democrat support, too, because it’s common sense.”

Trump signed the order alongside Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, White House AI czar David Sacks, senior AI policy advisor Sriram Krishnan, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and others.

The full text mirrors a draft version of the executive order that leaked in November. The order creates a litigation task force run by the Justice Department that will decide which state AI laws are worth challenging. 

Congress has proven to be an obstacle to achieving President Trump’s goal.

Many in the tech industry support a single federal AI standard as opposed to a patchwork of state AI laws they find overly burdensome. One perplexing issue is protecting children from a variety of potential threats posed by AI. Advocates for kids’ safety are divided on whether trading away state AI rules for online protections for children is something they can live with. 

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