Trump Courts Big Tech at GOP Convention While Ignoring AI Risks
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President Donald Trump privately met OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at the Republican midterm convention, as tech leaders urge a slowdown in AI development. Trump continues to prioritize corporate profits over public safety and regulation.
President Donald Trump met privately with OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman backstage at the Republican midterm convention on Thursday, a meeting reportedly initiated by Altman. The conversation centered on artificial intelligence and its rapidly expanding capabilities, which have raised alarms among experts and the public alike.
Altman, who has recently called for a slowdown in AI development, emphasized that 'no amount of American competitive pressure should justify recklessness, or let capabilities get ahead of alignment and monitoring.' He also announced that OpenAI would postpone its planned public listing this year for safety reasons—a rare move in an industry obsessed with profit and growth. Other tech leaders, including Elon Musk and Anthropic chief Dario Amodei, echoed the call for a more cautious approach over the weekend, highlighting the urgent need for regulation to protect society from unchecked corporate power.
Trump, however, responded on his social platform by dismissing these concerns, claiming that AI only needs a 'strong and smart president' for control and warning that regulation could lead to 'oblivion and bankruptcy.' He described AI as 'the greatest economic development engine in history,' once again prioritizing economic interests and the demands of wealthy tech executives over the safety and well-being of ordinary people.
The president has a history of opposing regulatory constraints on AI, having revoked a Biden-era directive in early 2025 and signed an executive order to establish a federal framework that pre-empts state rules—effectively weakening oversight and giving more power to corporations. In June, he signed a second order for a voluntary framework, offering the government only limited early access to new models. Altman expressed support for that order, stating that the United States should continue building the 'very best' AI models while ensuring safety, though critics argue that voluntary measures are insufficient.
Neither the White House nor OpenAI immediately commented on the meeting, leaving the public in the dark about the true priorities of those in power.