Vice President JD Vance officially swore in Greek-American Michael Kratsios as Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The oath of office was administered in a small ceremony at the Vice President’s ceremonial office on Thursday, with Kratsios’ wife, Alissa, his mother, Maria, and both current and former White House colleagues in attendance.
His confirmation by the US Senate was resoundingly bipartisan, passing by a vote of 74-25 on March 25—fittingly, Greek Independence Day. At just 38 years old, Kratsios becomes the youngest person in US history to hold this influential role.
It is the honor of my lifetime to be President Trump’s Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. I believe in the promise of a Golden Age for America, and will dedicate myself to fulfilling it.
Thank you, Vice President @VP @JDVance, for your support and… pic.twitter.com/VN2MDPfvXH
— Michael Kratsios (@mkratsios47) March 27, 2025
Michael Kratsios: His role in the Trump Administration and vision for AI
As the President’s chief advisor on science and technology, he will shape national policy on emerging fields such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing, ensuring their strategic development across the federal government and beyond.
“It’s an honor to serve as Director of the @whitehouse Office of Science & Technology Policy,” Kratsios said in a post on the social platform X. “Advancing American dominance in AI, emerging tech, and breakthrough science has never been so critical. Under @POTUS’ leadership, we will unleash the Golden Age of American Innovation!”
During his February confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Kratsios said it was paramount for the US to continue being the world leader in emerging technologies and showed backing for federal funding for research and development. He defended cuts at the National Science Foundation and other agencies.
On announcing Kratsios’ nomination for the post back in December, Trump said: “Together, we will unleash scientific breakthroughs, ensure America’s technological dominance, and usher in a Golden Age of American Innovation!”
In the first Trump Administration Kratsios served as the President’s Chief Technology Officer – only the fourth in our country’s history and led the development and execution of the national technology policy agenda.
He played a key role in shaping the nation’s first AI strategy—the American AI Initiative—while also overseeing an increase in federal funding for AI and quantum research. He contributed to the development of regulatory principles for AI and led U.S. efforts in establishing intergovernmental guidelines for AI policy.
Kratsios, who accompanied former Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on his visit to Greece in 2020, was instrumental in the signing of a ground-breaking science and technology agreement between the two nations.
Kratsios’ Greek roots
Kratsios’ family is from Volissos, Chios, and the city of Kastoria, both in Greece. At his confirmation hearing in the first Trump administration before the United States Senate Commerce Committee, he paid tribute to his Greek roots, which instilled an enduring optimism for a better tomorrow.
“My mother and my grandfather came to the United States from their native Greece in search of a more prosperous future. They instilled in me that enduring optimism for a better tomorrow. And I believe that embracing technological innovation, building new technologies in America and shaping those technologies with American values will lead us to that stronger future,” he stated in his opening remarks.
He graduated from Richland Northeast High School in Columbia, South Carolina, in 2004. He then studied at Princeton University and graduated with a B.A. in politics and a certificate in Hellenic studies in 2008.
Kratsios completed a 125-page long senior thesis, titled “Economics and Voting in the Third Hellenic Republic: An Aggregate and Individual-Level Analysis of the Greek Electorate, 1985-2007,” under the supervision of Markus Prior.