Summary
- President Trump revealed the formation of a "Super Intelligence Force" aimed at overseeing federal AI strategy, with Jay Clayton, the Director of National Intelligence, as its head.
- During his tenure as SEC chair in Trump's first term, Clayton initiated 57 legal actions against crypto entities and notably sued Ripple regarding XRP.
- Following his SEC role, Clayton advised crypto companies and later prosecuted Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm as the interim U.S. attorney in Manhattan.
The architect of the SEC's aggressive stance on cryptocurrency is now at the forefront of the U.S. government's artificial intelligence strategy.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump announced via Truth Social the establishment of a "Super Intelligence Force," which will spearhead the federal government's initiatives to maintain the nation's competitive edge in AI.
Myriad: Predict the future of XRP's price. Click here!.Trump referred to AI technology as "Super Intelligence," designating Jay Clayton, the Director of National Intelligence, as a primary leader and the administration's AI czar.
This task force will facilitate collaboration between the federal government and various stakeholders, including consumers, public interest groups, religious organizations, critical infrastructure providers, and AI companies. Alongside Clayton, the team includes Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael, and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor. The task force will report directly to Trump and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
This announcement follows what Trump termed the "Historic White House Accord on Super Intelligence," where major tech firms acknowledged their obligations to the American public, according to Trump. Leaders from AI companies met with Trump at the White House recently.
Clayton is a well-known and contentious figure in the cryptocurrency space. While serving as SEC chair during Trump's first term, he implemented a regulation-by-enforcement policy, leading to 57 cases against cryptocurrency firms, initial coin offerings (ICOs), and other blockchain-related entities, a record he highlighted upon leaving the agency.
His most significant action came at the end of his term when he filed a $1.3 billion lawsuit against Ripple in December 2020, claiming the company sold XRP as an unregistered security. This case set a precedent for numerous lawsuits later initiated by the SEC under Gary Gensler against key token issuers and exchanges.
Since leaving the SEC, Clayton's stance on crypto has shifted. In 2021, he became a crypto advisor for One River Asset Management and joined the advisory board of the crypto custodian Fireblocks.
Trump initially sought to appoint Clayton as the U.S. attorney for Manhattan in 2020 while he was still leading the SEC. In 2025, Clayton was named interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, where his office continued the prosecution of Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm.
Details regarding the mandate and timeline for the Super Intelligence Force remain unspecified in Trump's announcement.