Joe Manchin urges Trump to pause AI IPOs until safeguards are established

<p>Former Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, called on President Donald Trump during a Monday appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box" to use executive authority to pause new artificial intelligence (AI) initial public offerings (IPOs) until Congress passes legislation to establish safeguards for the rapidly developing technology.</p><p>Manchin described the request as an urgent measure to prevent companies developing advanced AI from feeling pressured to advance before lawmakers set regulations governing the technology.</p><p>"The President of the United States has the power to save humanity," Manchin stated. "They must be concerned about this thing can take off and think on its own and make its own decisions and override anything of humans and we can't stop it. If that's what they're concerned about, then stop it now when you can."</p><p>Amy Kremer, a member of the Republican National Committee and chairwoman of Human First, who had previously called for AI safeguards while opposing a broad moratorium, criticized Manchin's specific proposal, arguing that an IPO freeze would disrupt capital markets without addressing the underlying safety issues.</p><p>"I do not support a President using executive authority to interfere with the markets," Kremer said in a Tuesday statement to Fox News Digital. She added that an IPO freeze is a top-down mandate that conservatives typically oppose and would not adequately address the actual risks.</p><p>Kremer suggested that the President should instead use executive power to demand immediate pre-deployment testing, which she believes is where real safeguards should be focused, rather than blocking companies from raising capital.</p><p>The White House, in a statement to Fox News Digital, referenced three posts from Trump on Truth Social addressing the ongoing debate over AI risks and the need to slow the technology's development.</p><p>Trump separately rejected calls for additional AI restrictions, asserting that the United States should maintain its lead over China and that existing government powers could address companies engaged in wrongdoing.</p><p>He stated that additional regulatory "guardrails" were not the solution to concerns regarding the technology, claiming, "The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!"</p><p>The debate has intensified following comments from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who called for frontier AI developers to slow the pace of increasing capabilities for their most powerful models.</p><p>Technology leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk, have expressed support for slowing frontier development, while Trump and other Republicans have warned that unilateral U.S. restrictions could benefit China.</p><p>House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, rejected an emergency AI moratorium on Sunday, stating that Congress should collaborate with AI companies to determine appropriate safeguards instead of abruptly halting development.</p><p>Kremer indicated that the escalating dispute reflects what she perceives as Congress's failure to establish clear federal AI rules before the technology reached its current stage.</p><p>"This moment is a reminder of what happens when Republicans do not govern," she stated. "When Republicans fail to act, the solutions Democrats offer will be disastrous. Lawmakers have had years to establish clear rules for artificial intelligence, and they have not done it. The responsibility now falls on the executive branch to act where Congress will not."</p><p>The Trump administration previously established a voluntary federal framework for evaluating advanced AI models. Trump's June executive order allows developers of covered frontier models to provide the federal government with secure early access for testing and cybersecurity purposes, while explicitly stating that the framework does not create mandatory federal licensing, pre-clearance, or permitting requirements.</p>