Trump administration fires back at Democrats' AI push, calling it midterm politics

The debate over AI regulation in the United States is rapidly spilling into the political arena ahead of November's midterm elections. After prominent Democratic figures including former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Kamala Harris called for AI oversight, the Trump administration fired back, calling the push "an attempt to influence the midterm elections."

Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a White House briefing Tuesday (local time) that the recent controversy surrounding AI was, "needless to say, nothing more than an attempt to influence the midterm elections."

"Democratic senators who have been oddly silent for months are suddenly rushing to microphones to talk about AI," Blanche said. "This should not be driving the decisions we make around AI."

He added, "We cannot lose the AI race against China."

Calls to slow the pace of AI development and require the government to put safety guardrails in place have been growing in the United States. Obama urged lawmakers and the government to get ahead of AI's potential impact on jobs and children, calling for legislation and regulation.

Harris, whose name has been floated as a possible 2028 presidential candidate, went further, arguing that the development of cutting-edge AI should be slowed and calling for the creation of a federal AI oversight body. Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg also added his voice to the regulatory camp, saying the government must actively address the risks posed by AI.

The Trump administration has opposed such moves, arguing they could hobble the United States in its race for AI dominance against China.

Blanche drew a line, saying, "We are prosecutors, not regulators — so we will not regulate AI." He added that "AI is enormously beneficial to our society" and that there is "a lot of great work that AI does," expressing full agreement with President Donald Trump's push to accelerate AI development.

However, Blanche said the Justice Department would aggressively pursue AI-enabled crimes. "Anyone who violates criminal law in connection with AI, we will investigate," he said, adding that prosecutors have already brought charges against individuals in a significant number of AI-related cases.

He also raised the issue of China stealing American AI technology. Asked whether the topic should be on the agenda at the US-China summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled for Sept. 24, Blanche said he did not think it was fair to blame China as a country, but added: "There are clearly malicious actors in China, and we will absolutely pursue them."

With Democrats pressing for active government intervention in the name of AI safety and the Trump administration insisting that development must not be slowed in the technology competition with China, AI regulation is emerging as a new flashpoint in American politics ahead of the November midterms.