President Trump’s Date With Destiny?

Gary Marcus published a post titled "President Trump's Date With Destiny?" on September 14, 2026, stating that September 24 could change everything if handled correctly. He said Trump and Xi speak on September 24, with AI on the agenda, and called it Trump's shot.

Marcus cited a post by David Shuster saying he was told White House aides are advising Trump to give a national TV address within 72 hours, declare certain aspects of the AI race an "imminent threat to humanity," and announce regulations pausing the things tech companies want paused. Marcus described this as probably a long shot. He wrote that AI stocks are falling and public opinion is turning virulently anti-AI, and that former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon has joined Sanders in the opposition.

He referenced a post by Annmarie Hordern saying ex-Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Bannon will join forces at an event on Tuesday to push for human-controlled AI. He also cited the Financial Times reporting that Bannon and Sanders united in an AI safety call. Marcus wrote that Trump was all in on AI the day before, but might change his mind if the market or his polls keep falling and enough former allies turn on him.

Marcus said the most consequential decision of Trump's presidency may be whether to make a deal with China around AI. He said he previously wrote that Trump could win a Nobel if he plays his cards right, and that even Sam Altman thinks that. He said he lays out a strategy in The Economist focused not on chip deals but on collaborating on AI for good, and shared an excerpt: "Trump and Xi speak September 24. AI is on the agenda. This is his shot."