Ron DeSantis has positioned himself as the loudest Republican critic of a Trump administration executive order that seeks to preempt state-level AI regulation. His argument is straightforward. Federal preemption doesn’t protect citizens. It protects Big Tech.
The executive order vs. the Bill of Rights
On December 4, 2025, DeSantis proposed what he called an “Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights” for Florida. The package focused on consumer protections, data privacy, parental controls over AI systems, and restrictions on certain foreign AI technologies, particularly those originating from China.
About a week later, the Trump administration issued its own executive order aimed at reviewing and potentially preempting state AI laws.
DeSantis posted on X that “An executive order doesn’t/can’t preempt state legislative action.”
