Trump Signs AI Executive Order With 30-Day Government Review Period

President Donald Trump has signed a revised executive order establishing the first major AI regulatory framework of his second term, requiring companies to provide federal agencies with access to advanced artificial intelligence models 30 days before public release.

The directive represents a significant scaling back from an earlier proposal that Trump shelved on May 21, which would have required a 90-day advance review period. According to WIRED, which first reported the details, senior White House aides convinced the president that the administration could not indefinitely postpone establishing an AI governance framework.

A Voluntary Framework for Frontier Models

The executive order does not impose formal regulation but creates a voluntary process for identifying the most powerful AI systems. Once designated, these frontier models must be made available to the US government and select "trusted partners" for a 30-day security review before public deployment.

The administration's primary concern centers on increasingly sophisticated systems like Anthropic's Claude Mythos and OpenAI's GPT-5.5, which officials worry could be exploited for cyberattacks against critical infrastructure. The order directs federal agencies to develop a classified process for determining which models warrant early government access.

Trump approved the revised order Monday night following a high-level White House meeting, with final language drafted Tuesday morning, according to two officials familiar with the matter.

Why It Matters

This executive order establishes the first concrete mechanism for government oversight of advanced AI systems in the United States, setting a precedent for how federal agencies will engage with frontier models before they reach the public. The 30-day window represents a compromise between national security concerns and industry demands for regulatory flexibility, potentially serving as a template for international AI governance frameworks. The directive also clears the way for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to begin discussions with China about creating similar cross-border AI review processes.

Internal White House Dynamics

The order's revival represents a victory for White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who worked alongside Bessent and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross to resurrect the proposal despite initial resistance from former AI czar David Sacks. Sacks had been a leading skeptic of government intervention in the AI sector.

AI companies themselves ultimately pushed for some form of framework, telling administration officials that their models were becoming increasingly powerful and that indefinite delay was not feasible. Anthropic publicly expressed support for the order, stating it was "an important step in strengthening America's leadership in AI."

Additional Provisions

Beyond the early-access framework, the executive order includes several other directives. It requires the Pentagon to strengthen its classified networks within 30 days and instructs the Justice Department to pursue criminal cases against individuals who use AI models to hack computer systems.

White House spokesperson Liz Huston characterized the order as reflecting Trump's "common-sense approach of collaborating with industry to balance innovation and security, cementing America's continued global dominance in AI and cybersecurity."

The details of the executive order and the internal deliberations leading to its signing were first reported by WIRED.