--- title: "Trump Handlers Cut Event When He Gets Asked an Extremely Awkward AI Question" description: "Donald Trump abruptly ended a press scrum when a reporter began to challenge his previous stance on rogue AI being a \"hoax.\"" date: "2026-09-30" modified: "2026-09-30" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins.md" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/donald-trump-press-media-ai-safety-hoax-billionaires" categories: - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" --- # Trump Handlers Cut Event When He Gets Asked an Extremely Awkward AI Question ![US president Donald Trump is shown at an event.]() *Shutterstock / Mark Reinstein* On Tuesday, US president Donald Trump hosted a discussion with some of the richest and most powerful tech billionaires who've pushed the AI buildout, including Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, and SpaceX's Elon Musk. His post-meeting press scrum was cut short, however, when a reporter challenged Trump on his [recent comments]() that any AI safety threat is a flat out "hoax." "Mr President you've also called AI a 'hoax,' why should..." an unknown reporter hollered as Trump fielded questions. The event was already winding down, but it clearly wasn't a question Trump wanted to deal with. White House staffers immediately ran over to begin corralling the media out of the room, prompting one woman to quickly — it's unclear if she was with the media or the administration — [grab the camera]() supplying the feed used by *Fox News*. https://twitter.com/Acyn/status/2105005860326183247?s=20 It's not clear if Trump understood just how awkward the question was. Over the past year, after [previously expressing concern]() about the dangers of AI, the president has emerged as the final boss of opponents to AI regulation — even as many of the executives he was sharing the stage with, including such diametrically different figures as Amodei and Musk, call for a slowdown as they say the tech is getting too dangerous. (As icing on the cake, Trump has also [thrown his support behind data centers](), which are [extremely unpopular with both]() Democrats and Republicans.) In a more sane world, a thoughtful elected official might seize on a question like the one presented to Trump to explore the nuances of a pressing issue that has many voters deeply concerned. But in Trump's White House, it was clearly time to cut and run. **More on Trump:** *[Reading the Room Perfectly, Donald Trump Becomes Greatest Defender of Data Centers]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()