U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that his administration is exploring a proposal under which major AI firms would provide the American public with an ownership stake, and that he intends to meet with AI company leaders as soon as next week to pursue the idea.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, the president characterized the potential arrangement as one that could make the federal government "essentially a partner with the companies" and framed it as a mechanism that could extend benefits to the American public. "There’s something very interesting about it, where it almost becomes a partnership with the American public," he said. "We’ll look into that."
Financial markets reacted in premarket trading the following Monday. By 04:14 ET, Nvidia had gained more than 1%. Other semiconductor names tied to AI activity posted stronger advances: Marvell and Micron climbed within a 4% to 7% range, while AMD and Intel each added more than 1%. By contrast, Google shares were down about 1.2% in early action.
Trump said select firms including Anthropic, OpenAI, and xAI would discuss the proposal at the White House next week. The president also linked the companies to looming public listings, noting expectations that Anthropic, SpaceX, and OpenAI are each likely to pursue highly anticipated initial public offerings in the coming months that could command multibillion- to trillion-dollar valuations.
The White House comments followed a report that senior U.S. officials had held preliminary discussions with AI companies about the possibility of the government acquiring equity in those firms. The president noted the proposal was among items under consideration and signaled a willingness to convene the industry to explore its contours.
The administration has in recent months taken an unusually active role in corporate investment, acquiring stakes in chipmaker Intel as well as in several companies focused on rare earths and quantum computing. Those prior investments provide context for the notion of the government taking an ownership position in private technology firms.
Parallel to the administration's outreach, progressive Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed legislation that would impose a one-time 50% tax on AI labs’ stock, with the proceeds directed into a U.S. sovereign wealth fund. Sanders asserted the tax would ensure that the economic gains from AI are broadly shared. His proposal drew sharp criticism from some industry figures, including venture capitalist and adviser David Sacks.
President Trump acknowledged that elements of Sanders’ proposal have resonated with portions of his political base, and suggested that pursuing an ownership stake could help address growing public anxiety around artificial intelligence.
The administration has also grappled with how to regulate AI. The White House previously pulled back from a planned signing ceremony for an AI executive order that had been scheduled for May 21, with reports at the time indicating the tech industry pushed back on certain elements of the directive. The president said he objected to provisions he believed could hinder U.S. competitiveness in AI versus China.
In place of that original order, the president signed a revised directive earlier this week that requests leading AI developers to voluntarily submit their most capable models to the government for cybersecurity testing prior to public release. The revised approach emphasizes voluntary participation rather than mandatory prepublication controls.
Concerns about AI safety and potential misuse have been intensifying, in part due to the release of advanced tools such as Anthropic’s Mythos model. Experts cited in public discussions warn that, if misused, powerful capabilities could accelerate complex cyberattacks, posing particular risks to sectors like banking that depend on intricate, interconnected legacy technology systems.
Market snapshot
- Nvidia: up more than 1% by 04:14 ET.
- Marvell and Micron: up roughly 4% to 7%.
- AMD and Intel: up more than 1%.
- Google: down about 1.2%.
The coming White House meeting and ongoing policy proposals could influence investor sentiment in semiconductors, cloud infrastructure, and software companies closely tied to advanced AI development. How companies, regulators, and policymakers reconcile commercial incentives, public concern, and national competitiveness will be central to market responses in the near term.