Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) blasted a reported White House effort to block states from enacting their own artificial intelligence regulations on Thursday, arguing that federal preemption without a broader regulatory framework would amount to an “amnesty for Big Tech.”DeSantis was responding to reports that the White House and congressional allies met to explore ways to revive legislation that would override certain state-level AI laws, possibly by attaching the proposal to other technology or online safety legislation.The Trump administration has argued that a patchwork of state regulations could hamper innovation and undermine U.S. competitiveness in the global race to develop advanced AI systems.
“Preempting states re: AI without enacting a sensible federal framework is just an amnesty for Big Tech,” DeSantis posted on X in response to Politico’s report of the meeting. “Combined with a potential de facto bailout of OpenAI, it represents bad policy and even worse politics.”
The dispute highlights a growing divide between President Donald Trump and state lawmakers over AI policy. While Trump has pushed for a lighter-touch federal approach and has repeatedly sought to limit what he views as burdensome state regulations, DeSantis has emerged as the GOP’s most vocal advocate for stronger state-level oversight.
