President Trump Orders Federal Agencies to Cease Use of Anthropic Products
In a recent announcement on Truth Social, President Trump issued a directive for all federal agencies to discontinue the use of Anthropic products following a public dispute with the Department of Defense. The president has given a six-month phase-out period for departments currently utilizing Anthropic’s products, but made it clear that the company is no longer welcome as a federal contractor.
“We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not engage in any future business dealings with them,” stated the president in his post.
Interestingly, the announcement did not mention any intentions to invoke the Defense Production Act or label Anthropic as a supply chain risk. Instead, President Trump urged the company to cooperate during the transition period, warning of potential “major civil and criminal consequences” if they fail to comply.
The core of the dispute revolved around Anthropic’s refusal to allow its AI models to be used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons, a decision that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth deemed overly restrictive.
CEO Dario Amodei reaffirmed his position in a public statement released on Thursday, standing firm on the two key points of contention.
“Our priority is to continue serving the Department and our military personnel with the necessary safeguards in place,” Amodei stated. “Should the Department opt to part ways with Anthropic, we are committed to facilitating a smooth transition to another provider to avoid any disruptions to ongoing military operations or critical missions.”
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