Donald Trump Says US Government Might Take Stakes in OpenAI and Anthropic

US President Donald Trump has indicated that the government could acquire a stake in OpenAI and Anthropic, mirroring its strategy with Intel.

In a TIME interview, Trump said “I might” about possible investments in the AI firms. His comments bring to light a proposal that was first raised this year as Washington deepens its engagement with cutting-edge AI.

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Donald Trump Points to Intel as a Possible Model

President Trump’s remarks came in response to questions regarding the federal government’s investment in Intel, which is a stakeholder under an agreement signed in 2025. The government invested $8.9 billion for about 9.9% of Intel’s common stock, while receiving no board representation.

In the TIME interview, Trump was adamant about that arrangement and offered that such deals may be considered in other places. He said the transactions were made “for the country,” while discussing OpenAI and Anthropic.

That was a general concept the administration brought up last June, when Trump indicated that officials would “look into” public holdings of AI businesses. He said the plan might develop a “partnership with the American public.”

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OpenAI Previously Discussed a Government Stake

In July, reports indicated OpenAI had already discussed offering the U.S. government a 5% share. The initiative was tied to an overall plan for Americans to financially benefit from future growth of AI.

The ownership talk follows significant funding and public-market plans for OpenAI. According to the latest reports, OpenAI aims to secure a valuation of $1.4 trillion in a new funding round before considering an IPO.

Anthropic has gone in a different direction. In July, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters that the company had not discussed government ownership with the Trump administration.

The distinction still applies to the prospect of Anthropic going public after the company recently submitted IPO paperwork, but its listing timeline is subject to market conditions.

Washington Deepens Its Role in Frontier AI

The ownership discussion comes as Washington expands its relationship with leading AI companies on security, infrastructure, and oversight.

Trump met executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Nvidia, and other technology companies at the end of September. The companies signed a voluntary agreement covering internal controls, outside audits, and AI security measures.

At the same event, Trump also formalized his preferred term for artificial intelligence. An executive order directed federal agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” instead of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI.”

His position also differs from recent calls by several AI executives to slow frontier model development. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO have backed proposals for deliberately pacing development so safety systems can keep up with advancing models.

However, Donald Trump rejected that approach in September and pointed to competition with China as a reason to keep development moving. “Whoever wins AI wins,” he said while defending the U.S. lead in the technology, and he would “never stifle the growth” of technology he believes could exceed the Industrial Revolution.