Trump Signs Executive Order to Crush State AI Safeguards and Empower Corporate Interests

On December 11, 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that aggressively seeks to block individual states from enacting their own regulations on artificial intelligence (AI), a move widely seen as a gift to tech giants and corporate interests at the expense of local democracy and public protections. The order instructs the Attorney General to create an 'AI Litigation Task Force' tasked with attacking state laws that diverge from the administration’s pro-corporate national AI policy. Simultaneously, the Commerce Department is ordered to comb through existing state AI laws, identifying and targeting those that might stand in the way of unbridled technological expansion. In a further show of federal overreach, the order threatens to withhold essential federal broadband funding from states that dare to enact AI regulations deemed 'obstructive' to the relentless march of Big Tech.

At the signing ceremony, President Trump made clear his admiration for authoritarian models, stating, 'We have to be unified. China is unified because they have one vote, that's President Xi. He says do it, and that's the end of that.' This chilling comparison underscores the administration’s disregard for democratic processes and state autonomy.

Venture capitalist David Sacks, now acting as Trump’s AI advisor, attempted to placate critics by claiming the administration would not oppose all state laws, especially those related to child safety. 'Kid safety, we're going to protect. We're not pushing back on that, but we're going to push back on the most onerous examples of state regulations,' Sacks said, offering little reassurance to those concerned about the broader implications for consumer and civil rights.

The executive order has drawn sharp criticism from advocates for families and public interest. Michael Toscano, director of the Family First Technology Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, lamented, 'This is a huge lost opportunity by the Trump administration to lead the Republican Party into a broadly consultative process.'

Adam Billen, vice president of Encode, a nonprofit focused on child safety and AI threats, warned of the chilling effect the order would have on states’ willingness to protect their residents. 'Even if everything is overturned in the executive order, the chilling effect on states' willingness to protect their residents is going to be huge because they're all now going to fear getting attacked directly by the Trump administration,' Billen stated.

Legal experts have also raised alarms about the order’s legality and its assault on states’ rights. John Bergmayer, legal director of the nonprofit advocacy group Public Knowledge, argued that the federal government cannot override state AI laws without congressional legislation. 'They're trying to find a way to bypass Congress with these various theories in the executive order. Legally, I don't think they work very well,' Bergmayer said.

The executive order is expected to face significant legal challenges, with critics contending that it tramples on states’ rights and undermines essential efforts to regulate AI in the public interest, protect consumers, and defend civil liberties from unchecked corporate power.