• Early pitches and quiet talks (2025–early 2026)
• Trump goes public
• Competing visions from left and right
• Tech politics and regulatory fears

Trump Administration Discusses Taking Equity Stakes in AI Companies The Trump administration is weighing an unusually direct form of public ownership in artificial intelligence, testing how far Washington is willing to go to share in—and shape—the industry’s profits and power.

§Early pitches and quiet talks (2025–early 2026)

The idea traces back to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who “reportedly talked to the Trump administration about taking a stake in OpenAI,” pitching it as a way “to bring economic benefits from AI to the public.” According to reporting based on NOTUS, Altman first presented the concept to Donald Trump in early 2025 and continued raising it with senior officials as AI regulation debates intensified.

By mid‑2026, senior U.S. officials had held “preliminary discussions with major AI companies about the federal government acquiring shares in these firms,” with talks focused on companies voluntarily ceding equity rather than Washington buying in. One version would route returns into a “Public Wealth Fund” seeded with OpenAI equity, whose proceeds “could be distributed directly to citizens, allowing more people to participate directly in the upside of AI‑driven growth.”

§Trump goes public

As the November midterms neared, Trump began talking openly about such deals, saying he’d spoken with AI firms about arrangements “where the American people can benefit from the success of AI.” He described “concepts where pieces could be given to the American public, where the American public essentially becomes a partner with the companies,” potentially including dividend payments to households.

Financial press reports framed this as the U.S. considering equity stakes in AI groups as part of a “partnership” meant to calm voter anxiety about the technology. One outlet reported bluntly that “Donald Trump says US may take equity stakes in AI companies.”

§Competing visions from left and right

Altman’s proposal is voluntary and framed as a gift: OpenAI would donate shares to seed a public fund, giving every citizen a stake in AI growth while avoiding an overt government grab. On the left, Senator Bernie Sanders has advanced a far more aggressive AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, calling for a one‑time 50% tax on giants like OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI, paid in stock, to “give the public a direct role in determining the future of this technology” and ensure “the trillions of dollars potentially generated by A.I. are used to improve the lives of all of us.”

Critics warn that any government equity would blur roles. One analysis notes that a state which both owns shares and regulates AI becomes “both shareholder and referee,” raising immediate conflict‑of‑interest concerns.

§Tech politics and regulatory fears

The AI debate is unfolding against a backdrop of broader tech‑policy grievances. In a widely shared post, Elon Musk amplified an interview claim that during the Biden administration, “we had meetings … where they told us to not even start AI companies because there’s no way they’ll let them succeed,” with the punch line: “You go endorse Donald Trump.”

With public polling showing more Americans fear AI’s harms than trust its benefits, the emerging question is whether turning Washington into an AI shareholder—by gift, tax, or negotiated stake—will reassure voters or deepen worries about concentrated power.

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