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US President Donald Trump abruptly postponed the scheduled signing of a major artificial intelligence executive order on Thursday, revealing that he halted the White House ceremony because he disagreed with specific elements of the draft text.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office just hours before top technology CEOs were set to arrive, Trump explained that he felt compelled to stall the initiative after reviewing details he disliked.
He emphasised that his primary directive is maintaining America’s technological dominance over international rivals like China, stating that he refuses to sign any measure that could potentially hinder that competitive edge or jeopardise the high volume of domestic jobs the AI sector is currently generating.
The postponed order was originally crafted to safeguard American computing infrastructure against high-risk AI capabilities that could weaponise the technology in the hands of malicious actors.
Momentum for these federal guardrails accelerated following the development of “Mythos,” a powerful new model created by the startup Anthropic, which the firm itself has withheld from public release due to severe safety risks.
The sudden policy delay also coincides with mounting anti-AI sentiments across the country, marked by public backlash against regional data centres, negative consumer polling, and university commencement crowds booing pro-AI speakers.
Behind the scenes, the push for a cohesive federal framework has sparked fierce internal friction within the administration, with officials eager to avoid heavy-handed regulations reminiscent of the Biden administration’s 2023 safety-testing mandates, which Trump abolished on his first day back in office.
Internal divisions have pitted Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who advocates for stringent protections to insulate financial systems from tech-driven disruption, against Trump’s former AI czar and tech investor David Sacks, who champions a strictly deregulated approach.
Furthermore, the report details indicate that the White House remains deadlocked with tech firms over the precise timeline the government would be granted to audit advanced models, with companies pushing hard for minimal oversight windows.
