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Trump to Block State AI Regulations

December 11, 2025
James Savin

Donald Trump said Monday that he would sign an executive order ending AI regulations on the state level, replacing them with a unified federal standard. Critics argue that the loss of strong regulations could endanger vulnerable users and strip rights from the states. Furthermore, the policy is expected to receive bipartisan pushback, making it unclear where regulation is headed.

Trump announced the policy in a TruthSocial post, writing, “There must be only One Rulebook if we are going to continue to lead in AI. We are beating ALL COUNTRIES at this point in the race, but that won’t last long if we are going to have 50 States, many of them bad actors, involved in RULES and the APPROVAL PROCESS. THERE CAN BE NO DOUBT ABOUT THIS. AI WILL BE DESTROYED IN ITS INFANCY! I will be doing a ONE RULE Executive Order this week. You can’t expect a company to get 50 Approvals every time they want to do something. THAT WILL NEVER WORK!”

In a vote of 99-1, the Senate voted almost unanimously in July 2025 to block a ten year moratorium on state and local AI rules that would otherwise have been included as a provision in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill.” The only vote against it was Republican Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina.

AI regulation has increasingly become a unifying policy issue as both Republican and Democrat politicians have expressed concern for reports of AI encouraging self–harm, delusions and suicidality among vulnerable users, as well as propagating AI generated pornographic material depicting users who did not consent to, and many times were unaware of, its creation.

Weeks ago, reporters found a draft document of Trump’s “One Rule” Executive Order circulating within the Trump Administration. The document detailed how the administration would dismantle state–led attempts at regulation by threatening federal funding cuts alongside creating federal laws to nullify existing regulations.

The leaked document drew consternation from both sides of the political aisle. Notably, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis publicly criticized the policy, tweeting, “The rise of AI is the most significant economic and cultural shift occurring at the moment; denying the people the ability to channel these technologies in a productive way via self-government constitutes federal government overreach and lets technology companies run wild.”

Democratic Senator from Minnesota Amy Klobuchar called the draft order, “unlawful,” and said that, if enacted, it would, “attack states for enacting AI guardrails that protect consumers, children, and creators—including by threatening high-speed internet for rural communities.”

Hundreds of organizations, including tech employee unions and consumer protection groups, signed a letter opposing the draft order. “You must reject this sweeping proposal. Americans deserve both meaningful federal protections and the ability of their states to lead in advancing safety, fairness, and accountability when AI systems cause harm.”

On November 21, a White House spokesperson said that the document was pure speculation until it was released. A period of relative calm followed as it appeared Trump had backed down from that policy. Now, the issue has exploded back into public view.

The legal backing behind the executive order, if the draft document is any indication, is dubious at best. There is a strong likelihood of intense court battles in the following months as states fight what Democrats and Republicans alike are calling extreme federal overreach.

Senior Policy Counsel at ACLU Cody Venzke released a statement saying, “President Trump’s attempt to restrict state AI regulations is not only harmful, it raises serious legal questions as the president is acting beyond any statute passed by Congress,” continuing, “The plan undermines state authority by directing the Federal Communications Commission to review and potentially override state AI laws, while cutting off ‘AI-related’ federal funding to states that adopt robust protections. This preemption effort stifles local initiatives to uphold civil rights and shield communities from biased AI systems in areas like employment, education, health care, and policing.”

The factions supporting and opposing this policy are a strange mix in modern politics. The opposition is the grand majority of Republicans, Democrats, pro–state’s rights advocates, the anti–AI movement and tech workers. Those supporting the policy include mega–corporations and AI industry leaders. It remains to be seen whether these battles will have a unifying effect across the American political aisle, but it is without a doubt true that the policy, if it goes into effect, would have an alienating effect on the White House as it further strays from the GOP party line.