President Trump recently claimed the United States is winning the AI race against China. He cited the government's shutdown of Anthropic as evidence of strong American safety guardrails.

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The Anthropic Shutdown as a Model for American Guardrails

The shutdown of Anthropic serves as the primary evidence for President Trump's claim that the U.S. possesses robust AI guardrails. According to the report, the Trump administration previously designated Anthropic as a security risk, which led to the company being barred from collaborating with the U.S. government. Trump specifically highlighted an event from three months ago , stating that the government "shut them down fast" after the company did something "very bad ."

This aggressive stance on domestic AI firms reflects a broader trend of treating artificial intelligence as a critical national security asset rather than a purely commercial industry. by framing the removal of a problematic actor as a "guardrail," the administration is signaling that the U .S. will prioritize security and government oversight over the unchecked growth of private AI labs.

President Xi Jinping as Beijing's Sole AI Check

In contrast, President Trump argued that China lacks a systemic regulatory framework , claiming that President Xi Jinping is the only real check on Beijing's AI development. The report notes that Trump believes the U.S. advantage stems from having "people that are just as smart," suggesting that high-IQ human oversight is the ultimate safeguard. In Trump's view, the lack of institutional guardrails in China allows for unrestricted activity, provided it aligns with the leader's will.

AI's Potential to Outstrip the Industrial Revolution

The scale of this technological shift is, according to President Trump, "bigger than the internet" and potentially more significant than the Industrial Revolution. He suggested that the true magnitude of AI's impact will become clear within a year, though he maintains that the outcome will be "mostly for the good." This framing positions AI not just as a tool, but as a civilizational pivot point that defines global hegemony.

The AI Kill Switch Act and the Race to November 3

While the executive branch claims victory, members of the U.S. Congress are pushing for formal legislation before the November 3 midterm elections. Democratic Rep. Sam Liccardo of California, along with Reps. George Whitesides, Lori Trahan, and Ted Lieu, has urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to cancel an upcoming recess to advance bipartisan protections. As the report says, these proposals include the FRONTIER Act for a national regulatory framework and the AI Kill Switch Act, which would mandate human ability to halt AI systems.

Despite these pleas, House Speaker Mike Johnson has focused on legislation regarding data-center energy costs rather than broader AI safety. This leaves several critical questions unanswered: specifically, what "very bad" action did Anthropic commit to trigger its shutdown,and why is the House leadership prioritizing energy costs over the "Kill Switch" safeguards requested by lawmakers? Furthermore, the source provides the administration's perspective on China's lack of guardrails but does not include a response or counter-claim from the Chinese government.