Trump says he will form 'AI Force' and appoint an AI czar; Bessent reported frontrunner
Trump announced plans in a Sept. 19 Truth Social post for an 'AI Force' and AI czar; Semafor reports Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is the frontrunner.
Why it matters
The AI czar would be a single official coordinating AI policy across federal agencies, a job Bitcoin Insider says is currently split among the Commerce and Defense departments and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. If Bessent, who as Treasury Secretary already oversees financial stability, sanctions policy and increasingly digital asset regulation, took the role, policy influence would concentrate in one cabinet-level official. No appointment has been announced, so the practical effect remains speculative.
Where the sources disagree
How far Bessent is ahead of other candidates
Report first surfaced by Cointelegraph
Bitcoin Insider
Semafor reported it, citing three people familiar with the matter
Cointelegraph, Crypto.News
Cointelegraph and Bitcoin Insider call Bessent the frontrunner, while Crypto.News describes him as a leading candidate among those being considered.
Key facts
President Donald Trump said on Sept. 19 he will form an 'AI Force' and appoint an AI czar.
Reported by Cointelegraph
Trump wrote on Truth Social that the AI Force would manage the fast-growing sector without adding regulations that could slow innovation.
Reported by Cointelegraph
Trump did not say whether the AI Force would be a military command, a civilian agency or a department, the New York Times reported, and he offered no details or timeline, the BBC said.
Reported by Cointelegraph
Semafor reported on Sept. 22, citing three people familiar with the matter, that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is the frontrunner for the AI czar role.
Reported by Cointelegraph
Other reported candidates are Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor, a former Andreessen Horowitz managing partner, and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross.
Reported by Cointelegraph
White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Semafor that reporting on personnel decisions not officially announced by the administration should be regarded as baseless speculation.
Reported by Cointelegraph
No appointment has been finalized and the AI czar role's scope has not been publicly detailed.
Reported by Crypto.News
Trump previously appointed David Sacks as his AI and crypto czar; Sacks stepped down from the role earlier this year after reaching his service limit as a special government employee.
Reported by Cointelegraph
What happened
President Donald Trump said on Sept. 19 he will form an 'AI Force' and appoint an AI czar, posting on Truth Social that the project would manage the sector without adding regulations that would slow innovation and offering no detail on its structure or timeline. Days later, Semafor reported, citing three people familiar with the matter, that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is the frontrunner for the AI czar role. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross were also named as reported candidates. White House spokesperson Kush Desai told Semafor that reporting on personnel decisions not yet officially announced should be regarded as baseless speculation, and no appointment has been finalized. Trump previously tapped David Sacks as his AI and crypto czar; Sacks left the role earlier this year after reaching his service limit as a special government employee.
How the story developed
- Official statement
Trump announces 'AI Force' and AI czar plans on Truth Social
Trump said the project would manage the sector without adding regulation that slows innovation and gave no details on the AI Force's structure or timeline.
- First report
First report by Cointelegraph
Trump says US will form ‘AI Force’ and appoint AI czar: Reports
- Update
Semafor reports Bessent is the frontrunner, citing three sources
Semafor reported on Sept. 22 that Bessent was under consideration alongside Kratsios, Kupor and Cairncross.
- Official statement
White House spokesperson Kush Desai calls the reporting baseless speculation
Desai told Semafor that reporting on personnel decisions not officially announced should be regarded as baseless speculation.
- Update
Cointelegraph and Crypto.News pick up the Bessent story
Cointelegraph and Crypto.News each published their own accounts of the Semafor report.
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by Crypto.News
US treasury secretary Scott Bessent reportedly in running to become Trump’s AI czar
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 20 Sept 2026, 12:00 UTC: Cointelegraph — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 23 Sept 2026, 06:34 UTC: Crypto.News — 2 independent sources, 3 reports
- 23 Sept 2026, 06:36 UTC: Bitcoin Insider — 3 independent sources, 4 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: Elon Musk, U.S. Congress, Andreessen Horowitz, Chainlink
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cointelegraph Crypto media | Trump says US will form ‘AI Force’ and appoint AI czar: Reports | Original | |
| Cointelegraph Crypto media | US Treasury secretary emerges as frontrunner for Trump’s AI czar role: Report | Independent | |
| Crypto.News Crypto media | US treasury secretary Scott Bessent reportedly in running to become Trump’s AI czar | Independent | |
| Bitcoin Insider Aggregator | Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Reportedly Frontrunner for Trump’s AI Czar Role | Syndicated |
Related events
Chainalysis reports US net bitcoin imports and Canada stablecoin remittance surge
Chainalysis data shows the US became a net bitcoin importer for the first time since 2022 while Canada's crypto remittances to India, China, and the Philippines jumped 141% to $2.36 billion.
Report claims BlackRock's BUIDL fund expanded multi-chain liquidity infrastructure
One uncorroborated item says BlackRock's BUIDL fund expanded multi-chain liquidity infrastructure, naming no filing type, blockchain or amount.
Trump and six AI leaders sign voluntary White House accord on outside safety audits
President Donald Trump and six AI firm leaders signed a voluntary White House accord calling for outside safety audits of frontier models, with no penalties, no disclosure rule and no deadline.
Trump-Xi summit ends with tariff cut on $30 billion of goods and no new AI restrictions
Trump and Xi ended their summit with an agreement to cut tariffs on roughly $30 billion of goods and to set up a US-China AI dialogue, with no new AI restrictions.
Trump administration reportedly weighs joint ventures for overseas dollar stablecoins
The Trump administration reportedly weighs public-private ventures to expand dollar-backed stablecoins overseas, with greater demand for U.S. Treasuries as a stated goal.
Bessent Says AI and Trade Talks With China Went Very Well as Trump-Xi Summit Nears
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent called AI and trade talks with China successful ahead of the Trump-Xi summit at the White House on September 24.
