Trump Reveals Plan to Use AI Companies to Make Public ‘Very Rich’

President Donald Trump said the public will become “very rich” due to his plan for the government to have stakes in top artificial intelligence companies.

“We’re talking about giving back something to the public, and if we do that, the public will become very rich, the people in our country, because that’s the kind of money we’re talking about, and I think they’ll do that, and I think it’ll make it very popular,” he told the Daily Signal at the signing of the Secure America Act.

Trump said Friday he planned to met with top tech executives to discuss equity stakes in AI companies. However, subsequent reports indicated that the executives had not yet received invitations from the White House. Trump confirmed that the meeting is still going to occur.

He said he will meet with “the top 12 or 15 executives very shortly.”

“We’re having a meeting with them,” Trump said in response to a question from The Daily Signal. “It’s an amazing industry. It’s bigger than any industry anyone’s ever seen. We are leading China by a lot, and you know whoever leads that is going to really lead the world to a large extent. That’s how big it is.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a self-described “democratic socialist,” has made a similar proposal with legislation requiring top AI companies to pay a one-time 50% tax in stock.

Senate Republicans have expressed skepticism at the proposal.

“I don’t think the federal government should be in the business of being an equity holder in private companies,” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told NOTUS.

“I’m not a huge fan of the government owning industry, and I think with this you’d combine the worst of the big bureaucrats with the Big Tech monopolist,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said.