President Donald Trump is heading into the 2026 election year vowing to pull out all the stops to promote artificial intelligence — just as American voters are starting to voice some doubts.

Congressional Republicans recently decided not to include a Trump-backed plan to block state AI laws in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), although it could be included in other legislation. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has also failed to get congressional backing for legislation that would punish states with AI laws.

Sacks is the Trump administration's top advisor on tech and crypto policy. In recent weeks, he's faced questions about conflicts of interest and criticism over his drive to undo state AI laws.

As the Trump administration tells it, artificial intelligence is on the verge of ushering in a new economic boom like that the US enjoyed in the 1990s, when real incomes climbed, the unemployment rate tumbled to the lowest in decades, stocks surged and fiscal deficits turned into surpluses.

On Dec. 11, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to block states from enacting and enforcing their own laws regulating artificial intelligence. Here's what to know.

President Donald Trump is considering pressuring states to stop regulating artificial intelligence in a draft executive order obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, as some in Congress also consider whether to temporarily block states from regulating AI.

The order creates an "AI Litigation Task Force" to challenge state laws and uses federal funds for broadband access as a bargaining chip.