Trump Administration Discusses Taking Equity Stakes in AI Companies The Trump administration is weighing an unprecedented move: having the U.S. government take equity stakes in major AI companies as a way to share in — and politically tame — the technology’s explosive growth.

Early pitches and quiet talks (2025–early 2026)

The idea first surfaced in Washington in early 2025, when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman privately pitched President Donald Trump on the government taking a stake in OpenAI as a way to “bring economic benefits from AI to the public.” According to reporting later echoed by multiple outlets, Altman has “discussed the stake concept with senior Trump administration officials periodically since the president’s second term began,” with conversations centering on firms “voluntarily ceding shares to the government rather than the government buying in.”

By mid-2026, senior U.S. officials had held preliminary talks with a range of “frontier AI” companies about Washington “owning a slice of the companies” it is also trying to regulate, a concept unusual enough that it “took a moment to register” even for seasoned observers.

Trump goes public, Altman’s ‘Public Wealth Fund,’ and Sanders’ counter

Trump has now publicly signaled support, saying the U.S. “may take equity stakes in AI companies” as part of a “partnership” to ease voter concerns ahead the November midterms. He described “concepts where pieces could be given to the American public, where the American public essentially becomes a partner with the companies,” potentially via dividends.

OpenAI has sketched one mechanism: a “Public Wealth Fund” seeded by donated equity, with proceeds “distributed directly to citizens, allowing more people to participate directly in the upside of AI-driven growth.”

From the left, Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed the AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, a one‑time 50% tax on big AI firms, paid in stock, to “give the public a direct role in determining the future of this technology” and ensure “trillions of dollars potentially generated by A.I. are used to improve the lives of all of us.” Unlike Altman’s voluntary scheme, critics note, “Sanders’ version is not voluntary … Altman is offering a gift. Sanders is proposing a seizure.”

Support, skepticism, and the regulatory clash

The idea appeals to politicians facing polls in which 55% of Americans think AI will do more harm than good in their daily lives, making a public stake a “politically potent” way to show benefits are broadly shared. Some conservatives and tech investors also see why a Sanders-style fund “resonates, ‘including with many on the right,’” even as they warn it would “accelerate the corporate-government fusion we’re already sliding toward.”

Civil-society advocates and policy experts raise a core objection: a state that is both shareholder and regulator risks a built‑in conflict of interest, blurring whether Washington is protecting citizens or its own portfolio. One critic cautioned against any setup that makes the government less inclined to impose tough rules on companies in which it holds a financial stake.

The AI debate is also colored by partisan memories of the prior administration. In a widely shared clip amplified by Elon Musk, venture capitalist Marc Andreessen claimed the Biden administration had told some founders “to not even start AI companies because there’s no way they’ll let them succeed,” prompting him to say, “You go endorse Donald Trump.”

As Trump prepares meetings with AI leaders at the White House to refine the “partnership” plan, Washington is grappling with a basic question: can the government own a piece of AI’s upside without compromising its role as watchdog?

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