Trump to OSTP’s Kratsios: ‘Blaze a trail’ for science and tech supremacy
President Donald Trump is asking new Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios to “blaze a trail to the next frontiers of science,” writing in a Wednesday letter that he wants to see the country become an “unrivaled” global leader in emerging tech.
In the letter, Trump pointed to four “long years of weakness and complacency” under the Biden administration and pushed Kratisos to revitalize America’s science and tech enterprise while ensuring that science and tech innovation fuel economic growth.
“We have the opportunity to cement America’s global technological leadership and usher in the Golden Age of American innovation,” Trump wrote to Kratsios, who was confirmed as OSTP director Tuesday and is also serving as an assistant to the president for science and technology. “We are not just competing with other nations; we are seeking, striving, fighting to make America greater than ever before.”
Trump said the nation needs to accelerate research and development while also dismantling regulatory barriers, advancing American companies in global markets, and spurring robust private sector investment. The president noted that rival nations are “pushing hard to overtake the United States” and that the administration must “blaze a bold path” to maintain tech supremacy.
Trump continued to emphasize the need for R&D, which was a key focus for Arati Prabhakar, the Biden administration’s OSTP director.
The president said the U.S. needs “new paradigms for the research enterprise” that include innovative models for funding and sharing scientific research.
“We must build an ecosystem that attracts top talent, celebrates merit, protects our intellectual edge and enables scientists to focus on meaningful work rather than administrative box checking,” Trump wrote.
The letter to Kratsios follows the Trump administration’s revocation of former President Joe Biden’s AI executive order, as well as a directive for agencies to review activities stemming from the order and a new approach on how to handle the emerging technology.
Trump touted the “unprecedented advances in America’s scientific and technological leadership” during his first term, including the launch of the American Artificial Intelligence Initiative, which was responsible for coordinating AI research and policymaking across government, industry and academia.
