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Trump Says the DOJ Manages AI Risk, Claims an AI Leader Was Warned of Jail

In CBS's full transcript of his 60 Minutes interview, Trump said an unnamed leader of "one of the big" AI companies was told to "get ready to go to jail." He gave no name, date or conduct, and no confirmation has emerged.

DailyMech Staff

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Trump Says the DOJ Manages AI Risk, Claims an AI Leader Was Warned of Jail
vanleuven0 / Pixabay — Pixabay Content License

Close-up of a black shotgun microphone on a stand against a dark background

Illustrative photo of a shotgun microphone; it is not the CBS interview or any meeting described in this article. Photo: vanleuven0 / Pixabay, Pixabay Content License.

President Donald Trump told CBS's 60 Minutes that the risk from AI "can be managed. And it's managed, you know who? By who? The DOJ." He then said "somebody was reported to us to be doing something bad with AI," and that "we" called the person and said, "Get ready to go to jail." Asked whether it was a leader of a major AI company, he said, "One of the big ones. Yeah."

Trump named no person, company, date or specific conduct, and he did not say who made the call. The exchange appears in the full-interview transcript CBS published, not in its transcript of the broadcast segment. No Justice Department or White House confirmation or comment was found. What is verified is what Trump said, as transcribed by CBS; the event he described is not.

At a glance

Claim Source Status
AI risk "can be managed," by "The DOJ" CBS full transcript Trump's on-record claim
"We" said "Get ready to go to jail" CBS full transcript Trump's claim; event unverified
Person led "one of the big ones" CBS full transcript Trump's claim; nobody named
Who called, when, what conduct Not stated Not established
DOJ or White House comment Business Insider, MadRobot None found
"I don't mind guardrails" Both CBS transcripts, Reuters On record
"China is now one year behind us" CBS full transcript Trump's claim

What Trump said, in context

Interviewer Ross Douthat raised AI builders who warn of, in his words, "a 10% chance it kills humanity," and asked why Trump was not worried. Trump said that if the United States does not build the technology, "China's gonna have it," and claimed, "China is now one year behind us." He said the risk "is not nearly as real as ... they talk."

After naming the DOJ, he continued: "We had a situation where somebody was reported to us to be doing something bad with AI. We called them very strongly and said, 'Get ready to go to jail. Please give your wife a kiss good night.'"

Asked who the person was, or the company, Trump said, "I can't tell you." He recounted lines about "the color orange" and "tomorrow morning ... you're goin' to jail," and said "this person totally changed everything," quoting the person as saying "Yes, sir." He added: "I don't think it was ... done maliciously. But it coulda been malicious."

What the transcript does not establish

Trump said the DOJ manages AI risk, but he said "we" made the call; he did not say whether the Justice Department, the White House or anyone else placed it. Some coverage is firmer: The Verge's summary says Trump claims "the DOJ" told the executive, and Business Insider attributes it to "his administration."

The transcript describes no investigation, charge or legal process, and no source we read identifies the person or company. Online guesses about identity are not evidence, and we do not repeat them. Repetition across outlets does not confirm Trump's account.

CBS's broadcast-segment transcript moves from "the risk can be managed" straight to a question about working with Democrats; the DOJ line and jail account are not in it. Business Insider and MadRobot describe the remarks as aired, which we could not confirm.

Business Insider reported that the White House and Justice Department did not immediately respond to it, and MadRobot said the department had not commented. A recheck on November 9 found no statement from either.

The guardrails line

In the full transcript, Douthat asked whether Trump would work with Democrats if they wanted to "codify this into law." "I would absolutely," Trump said. "I don't mind guardrails. But I don't wanna put us in a deep second position. We're leading number one. And China has no guardrails, by the way." Those lines appear in both CBS transcripts and were reported by Reuters, The Verge and Business Insider.

Only in the full transcript did he add that "we have very brilliant people watching every one of these companies," without saying who. He did not say what guardrails he would accept. The unverified jail anecdote thus sat beside openness to rules, provided they do not cost the U.S. its lead over China.

What to watch

Any Justice Department or White House clarification of who made the call and whether any matter was opened; questions from Congress; any acknowledgment or denial from an AI company; and whether Trump repeats or expands the account.

How we reported this

On November 9 we read both CBS transcripts, The Verge, Business Insider, Reuters via Investing.com, MadRobot, and Techmeme's roundup, whose social-media guesses we did not use. We did not watch the video; quotes are CBS's written transcription, which includes crosstalk. CBS says the interview was recorded at the White House on Friday, November 6; the broadcast segment aired Sunday, November 8. DailyMech contacted no one.

Published and fact-checked November 9, 2026.

Sources

DailyMech used AI tools to help research and draft this article; it was fact-checked by our editors.

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