Trump Downplays AI Risks, SCOTUS Mail-In Voting Ruling, Kennedy Center Bankruptcy

President Trump recently phoned into an AI conference to deliver a blunt message: “The robots will not be taking over. The whole thing is a hoax.” That moment, captured on a podcast hosted by his former AI advisor David Sacks, encapsulates a deepening contradiction in the administration’s approach to artificial intelligence—one that pits doomsday warnings from the industry against a race-to-win posture focused on China. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has rejected the Trump administration’s push for new mail-in voting restrictions ahead of the midterms, preserving the status quo for ballots already in the mail. And the Kennedy Center is warning it could close as soon as today, citing an unsafe building and a financial crisis that has been worsened by the political fight over putting Trump’s name back on the venue.

Trump’s AI Stance: A Race Against China, Not a Risk

President Trump has been dismissive of warnings from AI companies about existential risks, calling them a “sick conspiracy” that would only benefit China. On his social media platform Truth Social, he has argued that fears of AI taking over are a “hoax and scam,” and he has framed the issue primarily as an economic and national security competition. “If the US doesn’t build it, then China’s gonna do it first,” NPR White House correspondent Emily Fang summarized, reflecting the president’s core argument.