Trump said he considered Bessent for AI czar last month before naming Clayton

Clayton will lead task force while retaining DNI role

President Donald Trump said last month he considered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent for the artificial intelligence czar post before choosing not to tap him, in part because Bessent was “doing such a great job” at the Treasury Department, according to a UPI report published Sunday.

The same report said Trump named Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to the newly created role on Sunday, tasking him with leading a new task force the administration calls the Super Intelligence Force. Clayton, who was confirmed as national intelligence director in July, will continue to oversee the U.S. intelligence community while taking on the additional AI policy portfolio, according to Trump’s announcement on social media.

In announcing the appointment, Trump wrote that the goal of the task force is “to ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence, which many say is bigger than the Industrial Revolution, and the Internet, and will protect the interests, and improve the lives, of all Americans.”

The Super Intelligence Force will include Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Defense Undersecretary of War for Research and Engineering and Chief Technology Officer Emil Michael, and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor, according to Trump. The roster draws the antitrust regulator, the Pentagon’s research and engineering chief, and the federal personnel agency into the new effort.

The task force will report to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to the announcement, keeping the reporting line inside the executive office of the president.

Trump first previewed the initiative last month, when he said he would create what he initially described as an “AI Force” to support the industry. In a social media post at the time, Trump said the administration “will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry.”

“Rather, we will cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows!” Trump wrote in September.

Trump said last month he had considered tapping Bessent for the AI czar role but ultimately decided against it in part because Bessent was “doing such a great job” at the Treasury Department.

Clayton brings a regulatory background to the new position. He served as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term, leading the federal securities regulator before his confirmation as national intelligence director in July.