Trump Says He's the Only AI Rule We Need, as Borrowing Costs Hit 5%
President Trump said on September 14, 2026 that "the only AI guardrails the U.S. needs is him as president." He was defending light federal rules for AI and saying beating China matters most. PBS
Trump called AI critics "very negative forces" who exaggerate the risks, in comments reported September 13. Reuters He said his team had already stopped AI company Anthropic "from doing bad, or potentially bad" things. PBS He defended this light-touch stance even as tech leaders warned AI is moving fast, saying the U.S. must stay ahead of China. Wall Street Journal
On buildings that power AI, Trump said blocking data centers would help China win the AI race. Data centers are like giant warehouses full of computers that run AI. He said towns that oppose them risk becoming "backwards and poor." Wall Street Journal He also suggested limits on AI work could make it harder for the U.S. to beat China. Wall Street Journal
Federal AI policy track
These comments follow earlier steps. In December 2025, Trump signed an order to protect U.S. AI work from what the White House called an inconsistent and costly set of rules. White House On December 11, 2025, the White House posted a plan titled 'Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence.' White House
That plan put AI rules mainly in Washington's hands. In June 2026, the White House issued another action titled 'Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security.' White House The White House says Trump kept the U.S. as the world leader in AI and brought in more than $2.7 trillion in tech and AI investment. White House
Plans changed course twice. Trump delayed signing an AI order over worries it would hurt the U.S. against China, after a last-minute plea from David Sacks. Wall Street Journal In June 2026, the government eased part of its ban on Anthropic's Mythos 5 AI model, letting Anthropic offer it again to trusted companies and government partners. Wall Street Journal
Rates retest 5%
On the same day, September 14, 2026, the interest rate on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note hit 5.011% shortly after 10 a.m. ET. Wall Street Journal This rate is like a base price for long-term borrowing in the U.S. It later traded at about 4.94%. It had briefly hit 5% in 2023. CNN
It touched 5%, its highest in years. New York Times By September 14, it had risen about 0.8 percentage points in 2026. New York Times That equals 80 basis points. A basis point is a tiny unit. One hundred of them make one percentage point. Oil prices jumped that same day as the rate rose. Yahoo Finance
The broader context here is cost. Building AI takes a lot of money for computers, chips, power and buildings. That costs more to pay for when base rates are near 5% and oil is rising.
In my view, ordinary savers and borrowers should read this in two parts. Washington wants fewer fixed AI rules but wants the White House to decide case by case. At the same time, a 5% base rate tends to keep mortgages, business loans and government borrowing expensive. What is still open is whether the rate stays above 4.94% or falls back from 5.011%, whether oil keeps rising, and whether the $2.7 trillion promise turns into real centers and power plants that towns approve.
