DOMINANT ANGLE
London is dissecting the political calculation behind Trump's stance, more concerned with outpacing China and holding onto his base than with heeding the warnings of his own AI experts.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
Trump has called AI security concerns a "hoax", comparing them to the "RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX" and the "Global Warming Scam" (BBC).
- 02
A University of Massachusetts Amherst poll shows 23% favorable opinions on Trump's handling of AI, versus 57% unfavorable, a -34 point margin.
- 03
The House of Representatives is only in session for one week before the midterms, with Speaker Mike Johnson having cancelled the last two weeks of session, ruling out any rapid legislation on AI.
ANALYSIS
London, 15 September 2026. The British press is focusing less on the existential threat of artificial intelligence than on what it reveals about the US political system. For the BBC, Donald Trump brushed aside warnings from his own sector on Monday, labelling security concerns as a "hoax", comparing alerts to the "Global Warming Scam" and the "RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX". The president repeated that "the only control or safeguard AI needs is a STRONG AND INTELLIGENT PRESIDENT (HIGH IQ!)", rejecting any new regulation two days after the joint call by Dario Amodei (Anthropic), Sam Altman (OpenAI), and Elon Musk to slow down the development of systems.
Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark warned the BBC that a verifiable "kill switch" by a third party may need to become mandatory for the industry, while Jacob Coxon, a former researcher at Anthropic, confided that the staff building these systems is "genuinely frightened" for the future of humanity.
But it's Congress that the British press is scrutinising with the most scepticism. The Independent reports how Republican Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing the pro-AI agenda in the House in Trump's absence - even though the session only lasts a week, with Johnson having cancelled the last two weeks leading up to the midterms. "Nobody should expect urgent action from Washington", the publication summarises, noting that even Republican lawmakers fear that "the monster is loose".
A survey by the University of Massachusetts Amherst, widely reported, further nuances the presidential narrative: only 23% of Americans think Trump is handling AI well, compared to 57% who think he's handling it poorly, a deficit of 34 points - 61 points among independents. For CNN analyst Harry Enten, cited by The Independent, "the American people... despise President Trump" on this issue.
The presidential line remains unchanged: "whoever wins AI, wins", and the US would be ahead of China, the only beneficiary of any regulatory caution, according to him. But between the lack of a legislative calendar, the implicit admission by his own allies, and public distrust, London is mainly taking note of an executive power that self-designates as the sole bulwark, without Congress organising to contradict it.
SOURCES (3)
- The IndependentMEDIUM
- Daily MailMEDIUM
