Time’s up: Trump orders government to stop using Anthropic “immediately”
US President Donald Trump ordered the US government to immediately stop using Anthropic’s technology on Friday, as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he would direct the Department of War to designate the AI company a supply-chain risk.
The decision came roughly an hour before the 5:01 p.m. ET Friday deadline set for Anthropic to decide whether to loosen certain guardrails on its AI systems.
“The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY,” Trump wrote on his alt-tech social media platform TruthSocial.
“Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology. We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again!” he added.
Trump said that there will be a 6-month window for agencies to phase out their use of Anthropic products and emphasized that the company “better get their act together, and be helpful during this phase out period” unless they want to face “major civil and criminal consequences.”
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“WE will decide the fate of our Country — NOT some out-of-control, Radical Left AI company run by people who have no idea what the real World is all about,” Trump wrote.
The dispute stems from Anthropic refusing to loosen ethical and safety guidelines on its Claude AI. Particularly, this includes the use of its tools for mass domestic surveillance and powering autonomous weapon systems.
On Thursday, the Claude AI maker’s CEO, Dario Amodei, said that the Department of War had threatened to remove Anthropic from their systems if they maintain these safeguards and designate the company a “supply chain risk”, which, Amodei said, is a term used for US adversaries that has never been applied to an American company before.
Despite the tensions, Amodei stated that the company “cannot in good conscience accede to their request.”
In a message posted on X shortly after the deadline passed, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed that he is directing the Department of War to designate Anthropic a supply-chain risk to national security.
He said that the Department of War must have full, unrestricted access to Anthropic’s models for every lawful defense purpose, and that by refusing to comply, the company has “attempted to strong-arm the United States military into submission.”
This week, Anthropic delivered a master class in arrogance and betrayal as well as a textbook case of how not to do business with the United States Government or the Pentagon.
undefined Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) February 27, 2026
Our position has never wavered and will never waver: the Department of War must have full, unrestricted…
The Pentagon contract with Anthropic, worth up to $200 million, still makes up a relatively modest portion of its $14 billion in revenue. However, it’s not clear how the tensions could affect Anthropic’s deals with other partners, especially as the company wants to go public this year.
The AI firm has also received support from other tech firms and leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who wrote in a memo viewed by CNBC that OpenAI shares the same red lines as Anthropic.
“We have long believed that AI should not be used for mass surveillance or autonomous lethal weapons, and that humans should remain in the loop for high-stakes automated decisions,” Altman wrote. “These are our main red lines.”
In addition, as of late Friday, nearly 600 OpenAI and Google employees have signed a “We Will Not Be Divided” petition that aims to “create shared understanding and solidarity in the face of this pressure from the Department of War.”
