Trump's AI Rebranding Effort Faces Democratic Skepticism on Capitol Hill

President Donald Trump’s attempts to rebrand AI as “super intelligence” landed with a thud among Democrats on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. It’s a sign that the president might not have carte blanche authority on AI should they take back the majority next year.

The president is attempting to rebrand artificial intelligence under a new name as he has called the alarmism about the dangers around AI a “hoax.” Trump has also said “the only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades.”

But Democrats brushed off attempts by the president to write off the concerns Americans have around AI.

“F***ing stupid,” Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) told The Independent. “Next question.”

Gallego and a number of Democrats are talking about putting in place guardrails as many in the AI industry have begun to blow the whistle about the need to rein in the industry. Earlier this month, Jacob Coxon, an AI researcher, announced he had resigned from Anthropic, saying “The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.”

Republicans in the House and Senate writ large, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), have dismissed fears about AI and Washington’s capacity for oversight.

But the deference Trump receives around AI might change should Democrats win back control of both chambers of Congress. Polling shows Trump’s approval rating nosediving and Democrats have to flip only four Senate seats to win back control of the upper chamber.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, told The Independent that there would be investigations around AI should his party win back control of the Senate.

“He is just flailing trying to find wins for the election, so put me down as dubious to what he’s talking about,” Wyden said about Trump.

Democrats have been drawing up legislation on AI or releasing reports on the subject since at least 2024, when a bipartisan group of senators led by Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York put out a report on the subject. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took part in a summit about AI last week with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon in response to concerns about the subject.

“I don't spend a lot of time trying to understand President Trump,” Sanders told The Independent. “I think he is mentally unbalanced. I think he has not a clue about the problems associated with uncontrolled AI.”

There is potential for collaboration going into the next Congress. Reps. Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) and Jim Obernolte (R-Calif.) have legislation that would create a tiered system of regulation for AI and require independent audits of AI firms.

And polling shows the president out of step with many voters. A Politico survey released last week showed even 61 percent of people who voted for Trump think there is a moderate or significant risk with AI.

“President Trump puts the safety and security of our nation and our families at risk,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) told The Independent. On Wednesday, she and Schumer held a press conference urging Trump to keep AI tools out of China’s hands ahead of the president’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

But even some Republicans rolled their eyes at the president’s words.

“You can call it different names, it still is going to present great opportunity and great challenges and potential threats,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told The Independent.