“Scott Bessent will not be going to be Super Intelligence (SI) Czar. Number One, he doesn't want to. Number Two, he's doing such a great job at Treasury, and that's where I want to keep him!
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Five Days After Calling AI Risk a "HOAX," Trump Answers the Industry's Safety Warnings by Announcing an "AI Force" Modeled on Space Force and an "AI 'Czar'" — "Only High I.Q. Individuals Need Apply!" — While Ro Khanna Says an Offensive AI Capability "Would Give Me a Lot of Pause" and Calls for an FDA for AI
September 19, 2026
On September 19, 2026, President Trump posted on Truth Social that he is forming an "AI Force," modeled on the Space Force he created in his first term, and will soon name an "AI 'Czar'" to lead it — adding "Only High I.Q. individuals need apply!" The announcement came days after he dismissed warnings from AI company leaders and researchers about the pace of AI development as a "HOAX" by "Radical Left Dumocrats," and he used the post to promise the industry that "We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry." The next morning on Face the Nation, Rep. Ro Khanna said he did not know what Trump's vision was and that an offensive military AI capability "would give me a lot of pause," renewing his call for an independent federal AI regulator on the model of the FDA and urging Trump to negotiate an international AI agreement with Xi Jinping at their White House summit later in the week.
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“Well, we need to set up an AI agency like the FDA. I mean, I don't know what Trump- President Trump's vision is. I don't know if he's using AI in an offensive capability, which would give me a lot of pause, especially because when you have things like the shooting of the Iranian school, where you had AI information basically feed something into a- into a general, and then you had pro-forma sign off.
“What I'm talking about is what Geoffrey Hinton, the godfather of AI, has said, which is that this can be regulated like we regulate nuclear energy, electricity, aviation, have independent technical experts make sure AI is safe. … We need to have an independent federal agency.
“The first ask is of Trump and Xi Jinping to come up with an international agreement, and two of the core principles should be one: banning any self-improving AI, recursive self-improving AI. … Winning an AI war is like winning a nuclear war. It is catastrophic for civilization.
“AI is the next Industrial Revolution, or Internet, but will be even larger and more impactful, possibly as much as 25% of our Country's GDP. We are leading China, and the rest of the World, and I intend to keep it that way!
“It all began with an attack on our Data Centers, until people realized how wealthy and prestigious they were for the Communities in which they were built.
“We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry. Rather, we will cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows! For this purpose, I am forming the AI Force, much like I did Space Force, which has been a tremendous SUCCESS, in my First Term. To that end, I will be announcing, in the near future, the AI "Czar" — Only High I.Q. individuals need apply!