Framing AI as the defining competition of the 21st century, the Trump administration has launched a bold and aggressive national strategy to secure America’s place at the top of the global AI hierarchy. Titled “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan”, the newly released 28-page document outlines over 90 federal actions meant to fast-track innovation, build AI infrastructure, and position the U.S. as the undisputed leader in global AI diplomacy and security.
The action plan signals a sharp departure from the previous administration’s more cautious and regulatory-heavy approach to artificial intelligence. On his first day back in office, President Trump rescinded a Biden-era executive order that had enforced stricter safety and oversight standards on government AI usage. Just days later, he signed another executive order setting in motion the current strategy, emphasizing accelerated development, ideological neutrality, and reduced bureaucratic drag.
“Red tape, meet blade,” seems to sum up the administration’s tone. According to officials, the plan was shaped by more than 10,000 public comments and reflects a sense of urgency to not only keep up with but outpace strategic rivals like China. Trump is expected to sign three more executive orders in alignment with the plan, one to promote international exports of U.S.-made AI technologies, and another to ban “woke” or ideologically biased systems from federal procurement.
Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, described the strategy as foundational to U.S. progress. “President Trump has prioritized AI as a cornerstone of American innovation… We are moving with urgency to make this vision a reality,” he said.
At the core of the AI Action Plan is a sweeping effort to accelerate development by easing infrastructure bottlenecks. The federal government will fast-track permits for the construction of AI data centers and semiconductor fabs, expand workforce development programs for trades such as HVAC and electrical technicians, and bolster partnerships to export full-stack AI systems including hardware, models, and software to trusted allies.
In line with the administration’s deregulatory philosophy, new procurement guidelines will require federal agencies to contract only with AI developers who commit to ideological neutrality. This is a major thematic pillar of Trump’s broader tech agenda, reflecting concerns over political bias embedded in large language models and other AI systems.
Regulation remains a contentious issue. A proposed ten-year moratorium on state-level AI laws, pushed by Trump allies during negotiations over the “big, beautiful bill,” was ultimately left out of the final legislation. However, its emergence underscores ongoing federal efforts to prevent fragmented, state-by-state regulation and maintain a unified national stance.
The AI Action Plan also builds on the momentum of the $500 billion Stargate Project, a massive private-sector infrastructure initiative backed by Oracle, OpenAI, and SoftBank. With federal support, the project is focused on constructing large-scale AI data centers across the U.S., streamlined by loosened environmental restrictions and rapid permitting. The goal: reinforce America’s physical AI backbone over the next four years.
“Winning the AI Race is non-negotiable,” declared Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor Marco Rubio. “These clear-cut policy goals set expectations for the Federal Government to ensure America sets the technological gold standard worldwide, and that the world continues to run on American technology.”
