• Early pitches and quiet talks (2025–early 2026)
• Trump goes public with ‘partnership’ idea
• Competing visions from left and right
• Critics warn of conflicts of interest

Trump Administration Discusses Taking Equity Stakes in AI Companies The Trump administration is weighing an unprecedented idea: letting the federal government own slices of the very AI companies it is trying to regulate, in the name of sharing artificial intelligence’s profits with the public.

§Early pitches and quiet talks (2025–early 2026)

The concept traces back to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who “reportedly talked to the Trump administration about taking a stake in OpenAI,” pitching it as a way “to bring economic benefits from AI to the public.” According to NOTUS reporting summarized by The Next Web, Altman first raised the plan directly with Donald Trump in early 2025 and revisited it with senior officials after Trump’s second term began.

Altman’s model envisions companies voluntarily ceding shares to the government. A April OpenAI policy paper floated a “Public Wealth Fund” seeded with such equity, with proceeds that “could be distributed directly to citizens, allowing more people to participate directly in the upside of AI-driven growth.”

§Trump goes public with ‘partnership’ idea

By June 2026, the private discussions had moved into public view. Trump told reporters he was speaking with AI firms about deals “where the American people can benefit from the success of AI,” and about “concepts where pieces could be given to the American public, where the American public essentially becomes a partner with the companies.” In a separate interview, he said the US may take equity stakes in AI companies as part of a strategic “partnership” to calm voter anxieties ahead of the midterm elections.

Trump later said he would likely meet AI companies at the White House to discuss a federal “partnership” that could even send company dividends to Americans.

§Competing visions from left and right

Progressives have advanced a more forceful alternative. Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed the AI Sovereign Wealth Fund Act, a one-time 50% tax paid in stock by giants like OpenAI, Anthropic and xAI, arguing it would “give the public a direct role in determining the future of this technology” and ensure “the trillions of dollars potentially generated by A.I. are used to improve the lives of all of us.”

Some conservatives are surprisingly sympathetic to the idea of public stakes, even as they warn of risks. Investor David Sacks said Sanders’ proposal resonates “including with many on the right,” but cautioned it could “accelerate the corporate-government fusion we’re already sliding toward.” Meanwhile, Elon Musk amplified a viral anecdote from Marc Andreessen alleging the Biden administration discouraged starting AI companies at all, a clip Andreessen said led him to “endorse Donald Trump.”

§Critics warn of conflicts of interest

Policy experts are uneasy about any move that makes Washington both shareholder and referee. Analysts quoted by The Next Web note that “US officials have discussed taking government stakes in AI companies” building frontier models even as those firms face mounting scrutiny over safety and competition. Critics argue government equity could undermine independent regulation and entrench powerful incumbents, even if framed as a way to give the public a stake in an $850 billion industry such as OpenAI.

For now, Altman’s voluntary “gift,” Sanders’ partial “seizure,” and Trump’s vague partnership all remain proposals. But together they mark a new phase of AI politics, where the central question is not just how to control the technology — but who owns its upside.

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