Clayton succeeds venture capitalist David Sacks, who resigned from his position as AI and crypto czar in the Trump administration in March this year. Currently, the All-In podcast co-host serves as co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, an advisory committee comprising outside experts on technology, scientific research, and innovation policy.

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Clayton’s appointment follows shortly after AI industry leaders met with Trump at the White House last week, and signed onto an agreement of voluntary safety standards that Trump said was “morally binding.”

It comes in the backdrop of a critical moment for the AI industry as safety concerns have reached a fever pitch, driven by the spate of hacking incidents involving so-called ‘rogue’ AI agents and doomsday warnings from AI researchers. While AI industry leaders such as Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have called for federal guardrails on frontier AI models, Trump has so far opposed regulation.

“The president asked that a group be put together that was going to ensure exactly what he said, which is that we stay the leaders in superintelligence, and that the interests of the American people are put first,” Clayton was quoted as saying by WSJ.

Trump is yet to publicly announce Clayton’s appointment as the new AI czar of the US government. However, in a September post on Truth Social announcing plans to hire an AI czar, he said, “We 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! Only High I.Q. individuals need apply!”

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Who is Jay Clayton?

Walter ‘Jay’ Clayton grew up in Pennsylvania, and has degrees in engineering and law from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master’s in Economics from King’s College, London. He began his career as an attorney specialising in mergers and acquisitions transactions and capital offerings.

Between 1992 to 2001, Clayton worked at the law firm Sullivan & Cromwell and became a partner. During the 2008 financial crisis, he oversaw the sale of business assets of the doomed investment banking firm Bear Stearns to JPMorgan Chase in 2007, Barclay’s in acquiring Lehman Brothers assets following the latter’s bankruptcy, and Goldman Sachs in settling a $5 billion investment by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathway.

In 2016, Clayton’s name was recommended for the post of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair by the legal firm’s then-senior chairman Joseph Shenker to Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. The firm had a prior relationship with Kushner, having long represented his family business, according to a Reuters report.

He chaired the country’s financial market regulator between 2017 and 2020. Clayton is also reportedly golfing buddies with Trump, and in 2020, he made his intent to be the next Attorney of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) known on a golfing trip with the US president.

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Following a confirmation by the US Senate, Clayton got the top job at SDNY and served in the role for a year. The Trump nominee made headlines at the time as the SDNY was a court that had long evaded the president’s interference.

In July 2026, Clayton was confirmed by the US Senate as the new Director of National Intelligence, a role that involves overseeing 18 different US intelligence agencies.