Gavin Newsom Fires Back on President Trump's AI Executive Order Seeking to Blocking Local Regulations.

Scarcely had the ink dried on the President's sweeping AI policy directive when the California governor launched a sharp critique. Shortly following the order went public on Thursday evening, the governor issued a statement contending that the White House order, which seeks to block local governments from regulating AI, advances “corruption and self-dealing” rather than true technological progress.

“President Trump and David Sacks aren’t making policy – they’re running a con,” the governor declared, mentioning the President's technology czar. “Day after day, they test boundaries to see what they can get away with.”

A Major Victory for Tech Industry Sets Up a Federal-State Clash

The presidential directive is viewed as a major victory for technology companies that have actively campaigned to remove regulatory hurdles to developing and deploying their AI products. Furthermore, it sets up a looming clash between local authorities and the federal administration over the direction of artificial intelligence governance. The immediate backlash from organizations such as children's welfare groups, labor unions, and state officials has underscored the deeply contentious nature of the order.

A number of leaders and organizations have already questioned the legality of the executive order, arguing that the President lacks the power to undermine state legislation on AI and labeling the order as the result of powerful corporate influence. The state of California, the base for many prominent AI companies and one of the most prolific legislators on AI policy, has become a central locus for pushback against the order.

“This directive is deeply misguided, grossly unethical, and will ultimately stifle innovation and weaken public trust in the long run,” remarked a lawmaker from California, Sara Jacobs. “We will explore all avenues – from the courts to Congress – to overturn this policy.”

Legislative Loggerheads and Imminent Court Battle

Earlier this year, Governor Newsom enacted a pioneering artificial intelligence act that would require developers of advanced "frontier" AI systems to provide transparency reports and immediately notify authorities of critical failures or face fines up to $1 million. Newsom touted this legislation as a blueprint for governing the tech sector across the country.

“Our state’s status as a worldwide innovator in technology allows us a distinct chance to provide a blueprint for well-balanced AI policies beyond our borders,” Newsom said in an speech. “Especially in the absence of a national regulatory framework.”

This September bill and additional pending regulations could now be targeted by the administration. Thursday’s executive order calls for an AI litigation taskforce that would review state laws deemed not to “bolster the United States’ competitive edge” and then pursue legal action or threaten to cut government grants. Critics argue that the White House has failed to deliver any cohesive national plan to supersede the local rules it seeks to preempt.

“President Trump’s unlawful executive order is nothing more than a brazen effort to dismantle safeguards and grant powerful executives unchecked power over working people’s jobs, freedoms and livelihoods,” stated a major labor leader, one critic.

Nationwide Backlash Erupts From Multiple Quarters

Within hours the directive was enacted, criticism grew among lawmakers, union heads, child welfare organizations and civil liberties organizations that condemned the move. State officials said the action was an assault on state rights.

“No state understands the potential of AI better than California,” noted a U.S. Senator. “However, this new policy, the White House is attacking local initiative and basic safeguards in one fell swoop.”

Similarly, Adam Schiff emphasized: “The President is seeking to preempt state laws that are establishing meaningful safeguards around AI and substituting them with … a void.”

Lawmakers from Colorado to Virginia to New York also expressed concern over the order. A Virginia representative called it a “terrible idea” that would “foster a unregulated landscape for AI companies”. A New York assemblymember described the directive a “huge giveaway” for AI firms, adding that “a handful of AI oligarchs influenced Donald Trump into selling out America’s future”.

Remarkably, even Steve Bannon found fault with the policy, saying in a message that the AI czar had “completely misled the President on this issue”. The head of an investment firm similarly said that “the solution is not preempting state and local laws”.

Child Safety Concerns Take Center Stage

Resistance against the order has also included groups focused on kids' safety that have repeatedly warned over the effects of AI on children. This discussion has grown more urgent following multiple lawsuits against AI companies concerning tragic incidents.

“The AI industry’s relentless race for engagement already has a body count, and, in issuing this order, the White House has signaled it is content to let it grow,” said James Steyer. “Americans deserve better than corporate favors at the cost of their safety.”

A group of bereaved parents and safety groups have also spoken out the order. They have been advocating for new laws to better protect children from harmful social media and AI chatbots and issued a PSA condemning the federal override.

“Parents will not roll over and allow our children to remain lab rats in big tech’s deadly AI experiment that prioritizes revenue over the wellbeing of children,” said one coalition CEO. “We need robust safeguards at the national and local level, not immunity for big tech billionaires.”