As artificial intelligence reshapes the boundaries of human capability, a fundamental disagreement has emerged at the highest levels of American power over who — or what — should govern its course. President Trump, rejecting warnings from the very architects of the technology, has declared that executive will alone is sufficient guardrail against AI's risks, framing calls for regulation as a conspiracy that serves China rather than America. The tension between those who built these systems and those who now hold political authority over them may well define the regulatory landscape for one of