Anthropic’s relationship with the Trump administration seems to be thawing
Source: TechCrunch
Image Credits: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg / Getty Images
Despite recently being designated a supply‑chain risk by the Pentagon, Anthropic is still talking to high‑level members of the Trump administration.
Earlier signs of a thaw
Reports indicated that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell were encouraging the heads of major banks to test Anthropic’s new Mythos model.
Anthropic co‑founder Jack Clark later confirmed that the ongoing fight over the supply‑chain risk designation is a “narrow contracting dispute” that would not interfere with the company’s willingness to brief the government about its latest models.
Recent meeting with the White House
On Friday, Axios reported that Bessent and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles met with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. The White House described the encounter as an “introductory meeting” that was “productive and constructive.”
- Source: Axios report on the meeting
The White House statement said:
“We discussed opportunities for collaboration, as well as shared approaches and protocols to address the challenges associated with scaling this technology.”
Anthropic also issued a statement confirming that Amodei met with senior administration officials for a productive discussion on how the company and the U.S. government can work together on key shared priorities such as cybersecurity, America’s lead in the AI race, and AI safety. The company added that it is “looking forward to continuing these discussions.”
Pentagon dispute
The dispute between Anthropic and the Pentagon began after failed negotiations over the military’s use of Anthropic’s models. The AI company sought to maintain safeguards around the use of its technology for fully autonomous weapons and mass domestic surveillance.
- OpenAI announced a separate military deal, leading to consumer backlash:
The Pentagon subsequently declared Anthropic a supply‑chain risk, a label generally reserved for foreign adversaries that could severely limit the use of Anthropic’s models by the government. Anthropic is challenging that designation in court.
- Pentagon labels Anthropic a supply‑chain risk
- Anthropic sues the Department of Defense over the designation
According to an administration source quoted by Axios, “every agency” except the Department of Defense wants to use the company’s technology.