Trump Wants Federal AI Rules To Block “Woke” State Laws

According to Forbes, former President Trump is calling for federal AI regulation specifically to combat what he describes as “woke” state laws. House Republican leaders including Rep. Steve Scalise are pushing to ban states from regulating artificial intelligence for at least 10 years. Republicans unsuccessfully attempted to include this preemption provision in Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” earlier this year. The effort represents a significant political move to centralize AI policy at the federal level while preventing states from creating their own regulatory frameworks. This comes as multiple states are developing AI legislation addressing issues like bias, transparency, and consumer protection.

The Federal Preemption Battle

Here’s the thing – this isn’t just about AI regulation. It’s about who gets to call the shots on emerging technology. The House Republican push for a 10-year moratorium on state AI rules is pretty aggressive. Basically, they want to freeze everything while the federal government figures out its approach. But states aren’t exactly sitting around waiting – we’ve seen California, Colorado, and others already moving forward with their own AI bills.

And let’s be real – the “woke” framing is doing a lot of political heavy lifting here. It’s turning what could be a dry policy debate into a culture war issue. The question is whether this strategy will actually work. I mean, can you really stop states from regulating something that’s already impacting their residents in areas like employment, housing, and criminal justice?

What’s Really at Stake

Look, the tension here is classic federalism playing out with 21st century technology. States argue they need to act because Congress moves too slowly. The federal government worries about a patchwork of conflicting regulations. But with AI developing at lightning speed, someone’s going to have to make rules eventually.

The broader context shows this isn’t happening in a vacuum. We’re seeing similar battles over data privacy, social media regulation, and now AI. It feels like we’re watching the early stages of what could become a massive jurisdictional fight.

What’s interesting is that this could actually backfire. By trying to block state action entirely, Congress might incentivize states to move even faster before any federal preemption takes effect. We could end up with more state laws, not fewer, if this becomes a race against the clock.

The Political Dynamics

The Punchbowl report makes it clear this is a coordinated Republican strategy. They’re not just opposing regulation – they’re trying to structure the playing field in a very specific way. Federal rules they control versus state rules they might not.

But here’s what I’m wondering – does this approach actually help innovation? Or does it just create regulatory uncertainty? Companies might prefer clear federal rules, but a 10-year moratorium feels like kicking the can down the road. Meanwhile, the technology keeps advancing whether we’re ready or not.

This is going to be one to watch as we head toward the next election cycle. AI regulation is suddenly becoming a partisan football, and everyone seems to be choosing sides. The question is whether we’ll end up with coherent policy or just political theater.