Ron DeSantis thought he was protecting Florida kids from dangerous AI.
Then President Trump stepped in with a nasty surprise.
And Ron DeSantis was fuming when Donald Trump sided with Big Tech over his child safety plan.
Trump Announces Federal AI Takeover Days After DeSantis Rolls Out Protections
President Donald Trump announced Monday on Truth Social that he will issue an executive order establishing a single federal standard for Artificial Intelligence regulation across all 50 states.
"There must be only One Rulebook if we are going to continue to lead in AI," Trump wrote.¹ "We are beating ALL COUNTRIES at this point in the race, but that won't last long if we are going to have 50 States, many of them bad actors, involved in RULES and the APPROVAL PROCESS."
https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1998025560338137438?s=20
The timing couldn't be more deliberate.
Trump's announcement came just days after Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled Florida's comprehensive "AI Bill of Rights" aimed at protecting state residents from the dangers of unregulated artificial intelligence.
"You can't expect a company to get 50 Approvals every time they want to do something," Trump added.² "THAT WILL NEVER WORK!"
DeSantis fired back within hours, posting on X that "an executive order doesn't/can't preempt state legislative action."³
The Florida governor noted that "Congress could, theoretically, preempt states through legislation" but argued that "Congress hasn't proposed any coherent regulatory scheme but instead just wanted to block states from doing anything for 10 years, which would be an AI amnesty."⁴
https://twitter.com/RonDeSantis/status/1998101450442895531?s=20
DeSantis' Plan Was Driven By Mother Whose Son Died After AI Chatbot Allegedly Groomed Him
DeSantis' proposal wasn't some abstract policy debate.
The Florida governor stood beside an Orlando mother whose 14-year-old son died by suicide after allegedly being sexually groomed and coached by an AI chatbot.
Her testimony drove Florida's push for strict guardrails on Big Tech.
The AI Bill of Rights would give parents access to their child's chatbot conversations and allow them to set platform parameters.⁵
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1996630097512804640?s=20
It would prohibit any state or local government agency from using Chinese-created AI tools when handling sensitive data.
The legislation would also crack down on deepfakes and prohibit companies from selling personal identifying information entered into AI systems.
Data center restrictions protected ratepayers and taxpayers by prohibiting utility surcharges or state subsidies for the large-scale construction of hyperscale data centers.
DeSantis previously rejected federal preemption in this area, saying states have a "responsibility to create guardrails" and should not be stripped of the right to protect citizens from emerging technology.⁶
Trump's executive order would wipe all of that away.
Big Tech Alliance Puts Trump At Odds With Conservative Governor
Trump's move puts him squarely in the camp of Silicon Valley giants like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg who oppose state-level AI regulation.
The tech titans have been pushing for a federal preemption that would handcuff states for years.
DeSantis warned last week that unrestricted AI could usher in an "age of darkness and deceit" without adequate safeguards.⁷
"We cannot turn it all over to machines and think it's going to work out great in the end," DeSantis said during a press conference at The Villages.⁸
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1996722177115312509?s=20
The clash exposes a growing rift in the conservative movement between those who prioritize innovation and economic growth versus those who want to protect citizens from corporate overreach.
Florida Senate President Ben Albritton tried playing peacemaker, saying "we can figure out a way to land the plane" and ensure "Floridians have the protections that they deserve."⁹
But DeSantis made clear he won't back down from defending Florida families.
"This will be so much worse for kids than social media if we don't establish meaningful guardrails," DeSantis posted Monday.¹⁰
Trump's executive order represents a massive gift to Big Tech companies who want free rein to develop AI without worrying about pesky state regulations protecting children.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1996679744629461194?s=20
The president claims he's trying to make America competitive in AI development.
But what he's really doing is choosing corporate profits over the safety of American kids.
DeSantis built his entire political career on fighting for families and standing up to powerful interests trying to harm Florida children.
Now Trump's trying to strip away Florida's ability to protect its own citizens because tech billionaires like Musk and Zuckerberg don't want to deal with 50 different sets of rules.
This clash shows Trump's willing to throw even his strongest allies under the bus when Silicon Valley comes calling.
And Florida families are the ones who will pay the price.
¹ Donald Trump, Truth Social post, December 8, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ron DeSantis, X post, December 8, 2025.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ "Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Proposal for Citizen Bill of Rights for Artificial Intelligence," Executive Office of the Governor, December 4, 2025.
⁶ Michelle Vecerina, "Trump calls for federal AI rulebook days after DeSantis pushes Florida legislation," Florida Voice News, December 8, 2025.
⁷ Liv Caputo, "'Age of darkness and deceit': DeSantis proposes 'AI bill of rights' in crack down," Florida Phoenix, December 4, 2025.
⁸ Ibid.
⁹ "'AI Week' crashed by Trump-DeSantis battle over regulation: What's next?" Florida Phoenix, December 9, 2025.
¹⁰ Ron DeSantis, X post, December 8, 2025.
