DUBLIN, Ireland: President Donald Trump put the AI race with China at the centre of his technology policy Sunday, saying the United States should protect its current lead.
“We’re leading China in AI,” Trump told reporters in Ireland. He added that he wanted to preserve that advantage because “whoever wins AI wins.”
Trump said the government could establish some safeguards. However, he pushed back against warnings that he suggested could lead to unnecessary restrictions on artificial intelligence development.
His remarks came one day after Anthropic Chief Executive Dario Amodei called for a slower pace of AI capability development.
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"We're leading China in AI, we're the most sophisticated country in the world. And frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI, wins." pic.twitter.com/rcNKR8SYFI
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 13, 2026Read: Dario Amodei AI Slowdown Plan Calls for External Oversight
OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman and xAI founder Elon Musk also supported parts of Amodei’s position. The debate has also reached Congress.
Democratic Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona called for Washington to take AI risks more seriously. Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas said he was working on legislation addressing what he described as “catastrophic risks.”
Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida also called for Congress to convene a special session on artificial intelligence.
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Gavin Baker, chief investment officer at Atreides Management, said Sunday that an executive order appeared likely.
He argued that policymakers should balance safety with broad access to artificial intelligence rather than concentrating control among a small number of companies.
