Trump signs – President Donald Trump has signed a scaled-back AI executive order after having shelved an earlier version less than two weeks ago, trimming the government’s review and early-access window to 30 days and setting up a voluntary model-access process aimed at red
By Monday night, the question inside the White House had narrowed to one thing: whether the administration could keep waiting, or whether it had to start building a framework for advanced AI now.
President Donald Trump ultimately signed a revised, scaled-back version of an executive order governing AI after senior aides pushed back against indefinite delay. The change comes less than two weeks after he shelved an earlier version of the order, with final language drafted Tuesday morning.
The revised executive order gives the federal government access to the most advanced artificial intelligence models 30 days before their public release. That is a sharp reduction from an earlier proposal that would have required companies to provide access 90 days in advance.
Beyond shortening the review period, the administration made few substantive changes to the original text. Trump approved the revised order Monday night following a high-level White House meeting. Tuesday morning brought the final language.
This is the first major AI regulation directive of Trump’s second term. It also lands against a growing concern inside the administration that more powerful systems could be exploited for cyberattacks against critical infrastructure. The order points to systems that have become part of the debate over frontier capabilities. including Anthropic’s Claude Mythos and OpenAI’s GPT-5.5.
The executive order does not establish formal regulation. Instead. it sets up a voluntary process to identify which AI models are the most powerful. and then grants the US government exclusive access for 30 days—giving officials time to identify and address potential vulnerabilities before those models are released publicly.
The White House battle over how fast to move is also a clear personnel story. The move represents a victory for White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. who worked with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross to revive the proposal. even after initial resistance from David Sacks. Trump’s former AI czar and a prominent skeptic of government intervention in the sector.
With the order now in place, Bessent can begin discussions with China about creating a similar cross-border framework for advanced AI systems. Those talks had been on hold while the administration settled its domestic policy.
White House spokesperson Liz Huston framed the decision as a balance between speed and safeguards. She said the executive order reflected Trump’s “common-sense approach of collaborating with industry to balance innovation and security. cementing America’s continued global dominance in AI and cybersecurity.”.
On Tuesday, at least some of the larger AI companies signaled support. Anthropic posted on X: “This Executive Order is an important step in strengthening America’s leadership in AI. We look forward to collaborating with the White House to support its implementation.”
The path to Monday night wasn’t smooth. Trump scrapped an earlier version of the order on May 21 after AI companies—and David Sacks—warned that the 90-day review window would be too burdensome for an industry evolving quickly. Executives at several of the largest AI firms later told the administration that their models were becoming more sophisticated and powerful. meaning the White House could not keep putting off an executive order forever.
As the administration worked the proposal through the weekend ahead of the Monday meeting. Wiles and Bessent were in the room. and Sacks was dialed in. White House aides involved in the process had told some AI companies they expected Trump to eventually sign off. but they were uncertain about a timeline. In the end, Trump decided there was enough industry buy-in for a 30-day window.
The order lays out what comes next. It calls for a number of federal agencies to create a classified process to determine which AI models the US government would want access to, and to select other “trusted partners” that can also receive early access to those frontier models.
It also directs operational steps in parallel with the early-access framework. Within 30 days, the order directs the Pentagon to shore up its classified networks. It directs the Justice Department to bring criminal cases against people who use AI models to hack computer systems.
Behind the tightened calendar is the same central tension the White House couldn’t escape: how quickly a new kind of technology moves, and how urgently governments feel the need to understand what it can do before it reaches the public.
Trump AI executive order Susie Wiles Scott Bessent Sean Cairncross David Sacks Anthropic Claude Mythos OpenAI GPT-5.5 cybersecurity critical infrastructure early access models classified networks Justice Department criminal cases
So they’re just doing “voluntary” access now? Cool, totally sounds safe.
I swear every time they “delay” it turns into some backdoor deal. 30 days before release for the government sounds like they already know what they’re doing with it.
Wait, is this the one where they can use GPT-5.5 early? bc I saw a clip earlier and it sounded like companies have to give them access, not “voluntary.” They’re trimming the window to 30 days but calling it scaled-back like that fixes the cyberattack part… idk.
This is the first major AI regulation but it’s not regulation?? That’s weird. Also “exclusive access” for 30 days—so the government gets the best models first while everyone else just waits? Sounds like another government contract disguised as public safety.