A reported draft AI executive order from allies of former President Donald Trump points to a major change in how the US could approach artificial intelligence if Trump returns to the White House in 2025. The plan, obtained by The Washington Post, is built around faster AI development, military technology, and a rollback of rules the draft describes as unnecessary and burdensome.
The proposal includes a section titled “Make America First in AI.” Its core message is direct: replace the Biden administration’s safety-focused AI framework with a policy that prioritizes development, defense applications, and industry participation.
What the draft order would change
The draft order reportedly calls for repealing Biden’s AI executive order from last October. That order imposed new safety testing requirements on advanced AI systems. The Trump-aligned draft would move in the opposite direction by calling for an immediate review of what it terms “unnecessary and burdensome regulations” on AI development.
That review matters because it frames AI policy less as a compliance problem and more as a competitiveness and military technology issue. The draft’s most striking proposal is a series of “Manhattan Projects” intended to advance military AI capabilities.
The phrase signals a large-scale government push, but the source describes the concept only in broad terms. What is clear is that military AI sits near the center of the proposal, rather than being treated as one policy area among many.
Industry would get a larger role
The draft also suggests creating “industry-led” agencies to evaluate AI models and protect systems from foreign threats. That would place companies closer to the oversight process, particularly firms already working with the Pentagon on AI projects.
The source names Palantir, Anduril, and Scale AI as companies that could likely benefit from this approach. Executives from these firms have reportedly expressed support for Trump.
In practical terms, the proposal would point AI governance toward a model where private-sector expertise is central to evaluation and protection. It would also mark a sharp contrast with the Biden administration’s emphasis on safety testing requirements for advanced AI systems.
How Project 2025 fits into the picture
The Washington Post also notes that the conservative Heritage Foundation is developing its own AI policies as part of Project 2025, a blueprint for a potential second Trump term. Trump’s campaign has not officially endorsed that plan.
According to the source, the Project 2025 work includes proposals to enhance AI research and development in the US while restricting China’s access to the technology. That aligns with the broader direction of the reported draft order: support domestic AI development while treating foreign access and foreign threats as central concerns.
Former Trump officials at the America First Policy Institute played a key role in crafting the draft order obtained by The Washington Post, according to a source familiar with the matter. The America First Policy Institute told the Post that the draft does not represent its official position and that it does not coordinate with any candidate or campaign.
The Republican platform makes AI political
The reported draft is not the only signal that Republican AI policy could change sharply under a second Trump administration. The Republican party’s official 2024 platform directly addresses Biden’s AI order.
“We will repeal Joe Biden’s dangerous Executive Order that hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology,”
The same platform statement continues: “In its place, Republicans support AI Development rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.”
That language places AI inside a broader political argument about regulation, speech, innovation, and government oversight. The source also notes that the politics around AI in Silicon Valley are shifting. Some tech executives and venture capitalists who previously backed Democrats now support Trump.
Axios reports that billionaire VCs Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz each will make donations to former President Trump’s election effort. Elon Musk has publicly endorsed Trump’s presidential bid and pledged financial support to a pro-Trump PAC in the wake of a recent assassination attempt on Trump.
Vance adds another Silicon Valley link
On Monday, Trump announced Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate for the 2024 election. The move has reportedly energized supporters of rapid AI development.
Vance is known for his venture capital background and ties to Silicon Valley figures like Andreessen and Peter Thiel. He has voiced opposition to AI regulation and criticized Big Tech companies for promoting government oversight.
At the same time, Vance has also voiced support for open source AI in the past. That detail makes the picture more complicated, because support for fast AI development can overlap with different ideas about who should build models, how open they should be, and what role large technology companies should play.
The larger point is that AI has moved far beyond a technical debate. The source describes a field where arguments range from creating godlike entities to the destruction of humanity in sci-fi scenarios or wasteful environmental harm. In that environment, the reported draft order shows how AI policy is becoming a defining political issue, not just a technology agenda.