Back
Trump orders U.S. government to stop using Anthropic but gives Pentagon six months to phase it out while Hegseth adds supply-chain risk designation
webCredibility Rating
3/5
Good(3)Good quality. Reputable source with community review or editorial standards, but less rigorous than peer-reviewed venues.
Rating inherited from publication venue: Fortune
This 2026 news article documents a significant U.S. government policy action affecting Anthropic, relevant to understanding how political dynamics shape AI governance, procurement, and the relationship between AI safety organizations and state actors.
Metadata
Importance: 52/100news articlenews
Summary
The Trump administration ordered U.S. government agencies to cease using Anthropic's Claude AI, with the Pentagon granted a six-month phase-out period. Defense Secretary Hegseth additionally designated Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, escalating tensions between the administration and the AI safety-focused company. This represents a significant geopolitical and regulatory development affecting government AI procurement.
Key Points
- •Trump administration issued an order banning U.S. government use of Anthropic's Claude AI system across federal agencies.
- •The Pentagon received a six-month grace period to phase out Claude, suggesting significant existing integration in defense contexts.
- •Defense Secretary Hegseth added a supply-chain risk designation to Anthropic, a formal security classification with procurement implications.
- •The move signals a political standoff between the Trump administration and Anthropic, a leading AI safety company.
- •This could reshape government AI vendor relationships and affect which AI systems receive federal contracts and security clearances.
Cited by 1 page
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Anthropic-Pentagon Standoff (2026) | Event | 70.0 |
1 FactBase fact citing this source
| Entity | Property | Value | As Of |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anthropic-Pentagon Standoff (2026) | Incident Date | Feb 2026 | — |
Cached Content Preview
HTTP 200Fetched Apr 7, 202610 KB
Trump orders U.S. government to stop using Anthropic but gives Pentagon 6 months to phase it out | Fortune Home
Latest
Fortune 500
Finance
Tech
Leadership
Lifestyle
Rankings
Multimedia
AI Military Trump orders U.S. government to stop using Anthropic but gives Pentagon six months to phase it out while Hegseth adds supply-chain risk designation
By Jason Ma Jason Ma Weekend Editor Down Arrow Button Icon By Jason Ma Jason Ma Weekend Editor Down Arrow Button Icon February 27, 2026, 4:20 PM ET Add us on Dario Amodei, cofounder and CEO of Anthropic, in December 2025. David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images President Donald Trump said Friday he will shut out Anthropic from the federal government after the AI company refused to compromise on how its technology could be used by the U.S. military.
Recommended Video
But he is also giving the Pentagon a six-month period to phase out Anthropic’s technology as it is one of the few AI companies allowed to operate in classified settings.
In a Truth Social post , Trump called Anthropic “woke” and “leftwing,” claiming it is endangering troops and jeopardizing national security by not acceding to the Defense Department’s demands.
“Therefore, I am directing EVERY Federal Agency in the United States Government to IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology,” he wrote. “We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again! There will be a Six Month phase out period for Agencies like the Department of War who are using Anthropic’s products, at various levels.”
Trump added that if Anthropic doesn’t obey, he will use “the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply.”
The San Francisco startup had refused to let users deploy its Claude models for mass domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons, while the Defense Department demanded the right to use the technology in all lawful cases.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to revoke Anthropic’s $200 million contract with the U.S. military or label the company a supply-chain risk.
On Friday, he said on X that he is designating the company as “Supply-Chain Risk to National Security.” This prevents companies that do business with the Pentagon from using Anthropic’s technology, putting the AI firm in a category normally applied to firms associated with foreign adversaries such as China and Russia.
Hegseth added that the Pentagon’s six-month phaseout period will allow for “a seamless transition to a better and more patriotic service.”
Previously, he also raised the possibility of invoking the Defense Production Act to force Anthropic to hand over an unrestricted version of Claude on national security grounds.
“These threats do not change our position: We cannot in good conscience accede to their request,” Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei said in a letter Thursday.
Emil Michael, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for research and engineering, called Amodei “a liar” with a “God complex” i
... (truncated, 10 KB total)Resource ID:
kb-38e2cec7773343fd | Stable ID: sid_qrjj28hfzD