At an artificial intelligence forum in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Donald Trump gave his first speech detailing the White House’s new AI strategy.
The half-day event — co-hosted by AI Czar David Sacks’ “All In” Podcast and the Hill & Valley Forum — found Trump and key officials outlining how they want to deliver more “winning” when it comes to America’s AI dominance. It also showed how deeply Republicans have cemented an alliance with the tech community.
Alongside Trump and members of his administration were notable private-sector figures like AMD CEO Lisa Su, Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang — all speaking about how aligned they are with the White House’s policies.
In a fireside chat with Sacks and his podcast co-hosts, Huang, who was recently granted approval to resume AI chip sales in China following a prolonged ban, solely credited Trump for enabling US leadership in artificial intelligence.
When asked if the US had an advantage in the AI race, Huang — either genuine or genuflecting — said, “America’s unique advantage that no country possibly has is President Trump.”
Huang also revealed another important fact during his address: He owns approximately 50 to 60 identical copies of his signature leather jacket.
Meanwhile, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum joined Secretary of Energy Chris Wright to highlight the administration’s support for AI infrastructure, urging business leaders to ask for help securing energy resources for data centers and other projects.
“Please contact us,” Burgum said. “We help people build projects.”
The sentiment that Silicon Valley is aligned with America’s interests was echoed by Trump, who said he sees “a new spirit of patriotism and loyalty in Silicon Valley … we need companies to be all in for America.”
He also promised a nation “where innovators are rewarded” with streamlined regulations and significant investments in AI infrastructure.
The White House’s 28-page “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan,” unveiled at the conference, outlines three pillars to secure US dominance in the industry: accelerating innovation by removing regulatory barriers, building infrastructure through expedited permits for data centers and semiconductor facilities, and promoting American AI standards globally while ensuring models are free from bias.
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Trump administration officials told me that, while they’re focused on helping big players like Nvidia win, they want all Americans to benefit.
Kelly Loeffler, head of the Small Business Administration, told me the AI plan will be broadly applied to all areas of government — and the economy.
She said she has used AI to refine her department’s loan underwriting program and is allowing small businesses to use their SBA loan to invest in AI software.
Loeffler has been meeting with “small business owners using artificial intelligence to level the playing field — building new business on the backs of AI,” she said.
As to whether tech’s alliance with MAGA will continue, private sector attendees told me they believe the answer is yes.
The ongoing threats of a potential “communist” — as the president referred to Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani in the speech — in charge of New York City has been enough to keep some innovators aligned with Trump.
And Loeffler, who previously ran software company Bakkt, said she believes alliance is permanent since the two groups are ideologically aligned.
“Supporting free enterprise is something conservatives have always done and that lifts everyone up,” Loeffler told me. “It shouldn’t be a political issue, but it was because the Biden administration locked down innovation … the left has gone further towards socialism, which locks down innovation.”
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