Trump meets OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at GOP convention

President Donald Trump and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman crossed paths at a Republican convention, a meeting that underscores an increasingly close relationship between the White House and the most prominent company in artificial intelligence. The sit-down is the latest in a series of interactions between the two that stretches back to at least mid-2024, when Altman began actively engaging with Trump and senior GOP figures on AI policy. From handshakes to hundreds of billions In January 2025, Trump hosted Altman at the White House to announce the Stargate AI infrastructure project, a sprawling initiative involving hundreds of billions of dollars in investment aimed at building out the physical backbone needed to keep the US competitive in artificial intelligence. Altman has been meeting with key lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, including a session with House Speaker Mike Johnson in June 2026 following an executive order on AI. In that meeting, Altman reportedly advocated for the order’s balanced approach. Agreeing to disagree (politely) Trump’s position has been fairly straightforward: the US must dominate AI development, full stop. His administration has consistently framed the AI ra...