Utah Gov. Spencer Cox criticized the Trump administration’s approaches to prediction markets and artificial intelligence on Thursday — as well as the president’s lack of interest in unifying the country.
During an interview at POLITICO’s 2026 Governors Summit, the Republican governor and occasional critic of President Donald Trump pushed back on the Trump administration’s recent efforts to limit states’ abilities to regulate gambling and AI, saying the federal government “coming in and trying to tell us” to back off state-level fixes is “preposterous.”
“Look, this is a joke, and I can’t believe he tried to say this with a straight face,” Cox said, referring to CFTC Chair Mike Selig’s announcement earlier this week that the agency has singular authority to regulate prediction markets.
“I’m concerned about these new technologies, and what they’re doing to our kids,” Cox added. “It’s one thing if we’re fighting China, and you’re developing your model. But once you start selling sexualized chat bots to kids in my state, now I have a problem with that, and I’m going to get involved there, and the Supreme Court is going to back me up.”
Last week, the White House sent a letter to the Utah Legislature warning lawmakers that a Republican-led AI regulation bill clashes with federal policy. Trump also signed a December executive order that warned states of consequences for attempting to regulate the fast-growing industry.
Cox said his approach does not conflict with his belief that the U.S. should win “the AI arms race with China and Russia,” and thus states and municipalities should support construction of data centers across the country.
“Let’s use this technology to benefit humankind, and let’s regulate it to make sure they don’t destroy humankind,” Cox said.
He also made it clear he differs with Trump’s approach toward bringing together Americans from different perspectives. Shortly after Trump’s attempted assassination in Butler, Pennsylvania, in 2024, Cox endorsed him, saying he hoped Trump could bring the country together.
Cox said Thursday that hope had been “aspirational.”
Trump is “someone who, if he put his mind to it, could unify” the country, Cox said. “He’s not putting his mind to it. He has said very clearly that he’s not, and that’s okay. That’s different than me.”
Cox also critiqued the growing “Heritage American” movement within his party, saying the nativist message is a recipe for electoral failure.
“I worry about it because that’s a future where we lose a lot of elections in a very ugly way,” Cox said. “I worry about it because that’s not where most Americans are. It’s certainly not where I am.”
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