In the Oval Office on Monday, President Donald Trump signed two Executive Orders aimed at speeding U.S. progress in the development of quantum technology.
Surrounded by Cabinet members including Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte, Trump read from the first EO: “The first Executive Order launches a national effort to produce a Quantum Computer capable of performing important scientific calculations, and to develop quantum-enabled sensors and networks in the next 5 years.”
Trump added, “The second order I’m signing directs federal agencies to transition to what is called Quantum cryptography” — he looked up from the paper and asked “does everyone know what that is? we’re going to hear very soon, some are going to find it very interesting, cryptography” — then returned to reading, “for their computer systems by 2031 and to lead the way for the wider adoption of these extremely strong security standards.”
.@POTUS prepares to sign two Executive Orders on Quantum technology at the White House: “The first Executive Order launches a national effort to produce a Quantum Computer capable of performing important scientific calculations, and to develop quantum-enabled sensors and networks… pic.twitter.com/73lj02iRkj
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 22, 2026
When Trump asked Wright to speak, as seen below, the Energy Secretary stumbled a little when he said, “120 years ago, 141 years ago, Albert Einstein, 121 years ago, Albert Einstein published a paper.”
Trump interrupted Wright and said, “Nobody cares,” which triggered laughter from everyone standing behind the President, including Wright.
Wright, who earned degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering from MIT and Berkeley, replied, “Good point, good point.”
Wright eventually said that Einstein’s paper was on the photoelectric effect.
Wright: 121 years ago, Albert Einstein published a paper—
Trump: Nobody cares. pic.twitter.com/BNaZQllpqj
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 22, 2026
Reuters described quantum computing’s power to “process information in ways that can solve certain complex problems far faster than even today’s supercomputers.” It could also “unscramble the encryption that protects computers from hacking, raising fears of aggressive cyberattacks.”
Einstein wrote the paper Wright referenced in 1905 and received his Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his contribution in Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.
The effect is “the foundation of the detectors used in quantum cryptography,” writes EXOSENS, a corporate leader in the quantum space, allowing single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) to function.
EXOSENS writes: “When a photon enters the SPAD, it triggers an avalanche of electron-hole pairs, producing a measurable electrical signal. SPADs are used in quantum key distribution, quantum cryptography, and other applications where photon counting is critical.” They are “high-speed detectors with high sensitivity and low power consumption [and] operate at room temperature.”