President Donald Trump said Friday that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will not be his artificial intelligence czar, CNBC reported, after Semafor and Reuters reported earlier this week that Bessent was being considered for the post.
“Scott Bessent will not be going to be Super Intelligence (SI) Czar. Number One, he doesn’t want to. Number Two, he’s doing such a great job at Treasury, and that’s where I want to keep him! Why would I ever make such a change? Just more Fake News!” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at 12:49 p.m. ET. Reuters and Bloomberg Law also reported the post.
Semafor reported on Tuesday, citing three sources familiar with the matter, that Bessent was emerging as a frontrunner for the role. A source told Reuters the same day that he could become the AI czar, while a second source said no decision had been made. AI Tech Daily covered that report on Wednesday. Trump has now denied that Bessent will take the job.
Trump’s post did not name anyone else for the role. The White House did not immediately provide details on who might be tapped, Reuters said.
On Sept. 19, Trump said on Truth Social that he would form an “AI Force, much like I did Space Force,” CNBC reported. “To that end, I will be announcing, in the near future, the AI ‘Czar,'” he wrote then. Reuters said he gave no details about either initiative or how they would be implemented.
Bessent had previously played down the idea. Asked whether he would be Trump’s AI czar, he said he will continue to be part of the administration’s AI effort, but “I think there’s one AI czar, and that’s President Trump,” Bloomberg Law noted.
Some had seen Bessent as a front runner for the role, Reuters said. Last Sunday he led talks heavily focused on AI with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York, ahead of this week’s summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington.
Trump has repeatedly downplayed concerns about AI and argued that more regulation is unnecessary, even as fears grow among lawmakers about the technology’s risks, according to Reuters.
Sources
- https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/25/trump-bessent-ai-czar.html
- https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/117332704655075384
- https://www.reuters.com/technology/trump-says-treasurys-bessent-will-not-be-his-ai-czar-2026-09-25/
- https://news.bloomberglaw.com/artificial-intelligence/trump-says-bessent-wont-be-his-ai-czar
- https://www.semafor.com/article/09/22/2026/bessent-eyed-for-trumps-ai-czar
- https://www.reuters.com/business/us-treasury-secretary-could-take-ai-czar-role-source-says-2026-09-22/
- https://www.aitechdaily.com/bessent-ai-czar/