This was a bad time for President Trump to learn this news.

It could change the trajectory of the midterm elections.

And Trump just got hit with one gut-wrenching poll result on AI.

Trump Defends AI Amid Calls for Guardrails

President Trump finally spoke out as the concerns among Americans about the acceleration in the development of artificial intelligence reached a critical mass.

Worries about massive job losses and even human extinction due to the growth of AI and the rapid pace of data center construction spread across the population.

In a series of posts on Truth Social, Trump called such fears a hoax and said they were spread by a collection of traitors who wanted to see China beat America in the AI race.

“The people that say AI is going to destroy the World, and that Data Centers are bad for your neighborhood, are the same people that said, just a short time ago, that the World would be extinguished by “Climate Change.” That HOAX never worked out for them, and now they’re on to the next one. These people are Revolutionaries, but Revolutionaries for a Bad and Evil Cause. Soon you’ll find out they’re working for people that do not have the best interests of the United States in mind!” Trump wrote.

Trump went on to write that “I am the Hoax Buster, and I’m right now breaking another Hoax — That AI is going to take over, consume, and destroy the World, and that Robots will be marching into our Cities, and getting rid of us all! This is even wilder than the RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX, or the Global Warming Scam. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

AI CEOs Call For a Slowdown

Concerns about AI began to multiply after Anthropic researcher Jason Coxom wrote on social media that everyone involved in developing AI models understood this technology could become uncontrollable and bring about the apocalypse by 2030.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei then published a lengthy essay agreeing that AI superintelligence poses serious dangers.

“They include the risk of losing control of AI systems, misuse of AI for cyberattacks and bioterrorism, and serious economic disruption. A race to the bottom, spurred by commercial incentives, can make these risks more acute,” Amodei wrote.

Amodei then called for regulations on AI and a “slowdown” on superintelligence research.

 “We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models. Progress will still seem fast, and we must make wise use of the time we gain,” Amodei went on to say.

Trump supporters in tech also signed on to the call for a slowdown in AI superintelligence research.

“Dario is right,” Elon Musk wrote in response to Amodei’s essay.

Musk also shared a 2023 post where he warned that AI presented a greater danger to humanity than nuclear weapons.

 “AGI is significantly higher risk than nuclear weapons, in my opinion. Super smart humans have trouble imagining something vastly smarter than themselves,” Musk wrote on X at the time.

Musk also warned there was a 20 percent chance of a “Terminator” scenario where AI becomes self-aware and wipes out humanity.

Polls Show Supporting AI is a Risk

By backing AI so strongly, Trump is rolling the dice on a risky political bet.

Polls show 70 percent of Americans oppose AI data center construction in their neighborhood and 81 percent back regulating  AI.

CNN data analyst Harry Enten, who Trump previously called “the best person” at CNN, shared results from a UMass-Amherst poll which found Americans souring on Trump’s handling of AI.

The poll found that Trump was underwater by 61 points with independents and 34 points overall on how he was handling AI.

“The American people despise President Trump when it comes to his handling of artificial intelligence,” Enten stated. “You could see it right here. Trump’s net approval rating of AI. That’s approval minus disapproval. Look at this overall: he’s 34 points underwater! My goodness gracious! And somehow, that’s become worse over the course of the year because back in March, he was closer to around 25 points underwater.”

Those poll numbers indicate a significant chunk of Republicans also disagree with Trump’s policy towards AI.

AI is rising in importance as an issue to voters, and it will play a key role in the 2026 and 2028 elections.

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