President Trump announced on Truth Social that federal agencies should halt the use of Anthropic products following the company’s conflict with the Department of Defense. A six-month period has been set for agencies to phase out the products, but the president stated that Anthropic will no longer be accepted as a federal contractor.
“We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again,” the president noted.
Interestingly, the directive did not include plans to label Anthropic as a supply chain risk, although a later tweet from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed this measure.
“In line with the President’s directive, I am ordering the Department of War to designate Anthropic a Supply-Chain Risk to National Security,” wrote Secretary Hegseth. “Effective immediately, no contractor, supplier, or partner involved with the U.S. military may engage in commercial activities with Anthropic.”
The dispute was rooted in Anthropic’s decision not to allow its AI models to support mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons, terms which Secretary Hegseth viewed as too limiting.
In a public response on Thursday, CEO Dario Amodei maintained his position, unwilling to relent on these two policies.
“We prefer to continue serving the Department and our military personnel — with our two safeguards in place,” Amodei stated. “If the Department chooses to transition from Anthropic, we will facilitate a smooth shift to another provider, ensuring no disruption to ongoing military operations or missions.”
Techcrunch event
Boston, MA
|
June 9, 2026