President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that progressive-led states are imposing diversity, equity, and inclusion mandates on artificial intelligence development and creating what he called “Woke AI” according to NEWSMAX. He said the push could distort advanced AI systems and weaken U.S. economic momentum. He shared the warning in a post on Truth Social.
Trump wrote, “Investment in AI is helping to make the U.S. Economy the ‘HOTTEST’ in the World — But overregulation by the States is threatening to undermine this Growth Engine.” He said some states are “trying to embed DEI ideology into AI models,” referencing “Black George Washington.”
He argued that “conflicting regulations across the country” were slowing innovation and insisted, “We MUST have one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes.” He added that a national approach could protect children “AND prevent censorship.”
The post marked one of Trump’s strongest warnings that progressive-led DEI initiatives are affecting AI development. It also aligned with concerns inside the White House, which has cautioned that ideological pressure is “creeping into model training pipelines.”
Trump’s comments follow his remarks at last summer’s AI Summit in Washington, where he told industry leaders the U.S. was in a global race to shape future technologies. In a paraphrased version of those remarks, he described AI as a rapidly advancing field that would strongly influence the direction of civilization.
The White House released its national AI action plan last July, outlining more than 90 initiatives to strengthen research capacity, expand infrastructure, reduce model risk, and standardize governance metrics. The plan presented AI as a major economic engine and warned that regulatory fragmentation could slow development.
One day after the plan’s release, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, emphasized the need for unified, evidence-based standards. Speaking at a Consumer Technology Association event, he urged a return to foundational standards work at NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) to support accurate measurement and testing of AI models.
