Trump delays AI security executive order, citing language that could be a 'blocker'

President Donald Trump has delayed signing an executive order that would mandate government security evaluations of advanced AI models before their public release. During a press pool briefing, Trump said he ‘didn’t like certain aspects of it’ and feared the language ‘could have been a blocker’ to American leadership in AI, adding, ‘We’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that leading.’ Unofficial reports indicate the delay also occurred because not enough top tech CEOs could make it to Washington, D.C., on short notice—and the administration wanted a photo-op signing.

The anticipated executive order would have tasked the Office of the National Cyber Director and other agencies with developing a process to evaluate AI models for security vulnerabilities before release. The push for such oversight intensified after releases like Anthropic’s Mythos and OpenAI’s GPT-5.5 Cyber, both of which demonstrated the ability to quickly find and exploit security flaws. A key sticking point in the order’s language, according to CNN, was a proposed requirement that AI companies share advanced models with the government between 14 and 90 days ahead of launch—a requirement Trump’s team worried could stifle innovation. The delay leaves AI regulation in limbo, with industry observers watching for revised language that satisfies both security concerns and the president's goal of maintaining US dominance in the race with China.