Anthropic AI Ban: US President Announces Federal Agency Shutdown of Claude and Safety Measures

US President Donald Trump ordered federal bodies to stop using Anthropic AI tools. The order widened a row with the Pentagon over AI safety controls. Most agencies must end use at once. The Defence Department got six months. It must remove Anthropic software from classified and operational networks.

Trump said the rule is mandatory and permanent across government. On Truth Social, Trump wrote, "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!" The White House has not released detailed legal documents yet.

The directive followed a tense standoff over Claude in military work. Washington set a Friday deadline for Anthropic to allow broad deployment. This included cases against the firm’s ethical limits. Officials warned emergency federal powers could force access. The dispute focused on how Claude may operate in high-risk defence settings.

A day before the order, chief executive Dario Amodei rejected the Pentagon request. Amodei said some uses are unsafe and unethical. These included broad domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons systems. "We cannot in good conscience accede to their request," Amodei said. Anthropic kept its limits on military use.

Amodei said AI can support security when used responsibly. Amodei also said Claude needs human control when lives are involved. According to Amodei, current tools are "simply not reliable enough" for lethal targeting without people. Military planners argued automated responses can be faster. Anthropic disputed that trade-off.

Trump Anthropic AI ban: national security claims and penalties

Trump framed the order as security policy and presidential authority. "The United States of America will never allow a radical left, woke company to dictate how our great military fights and wins wars!" Trump wrote. Trump added, "That decision belongs to your Commander-in-Chief, and the tremendous leaders I appoint to run our military,"

Trump also accused Anthropic of trying to influence the Department of War. Trump said, "The company's actions were putting American lives at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in jeopardy." Trump warned Anthropic "better get their act together" during the phase-out. Trump also threatened heavy "civil and criminal consequences."

Key aspect	Details
Order issued by	US President Donald Trump
Targeted company	Anthropic
Main AI system involved	Claude
Scope of Trump Anthropic AI ban	All US federal departments and agencies
Pentagon grace period	Six months to remove Anthropic technology
Core dispute	AI safety rules and restrictions on military use
Potential penalties warned by Trump	Civil and criminal consequences for Anthropic

CNN reported the Pentagon and Anthropic still disagree on limits for Claude. The report described Claude as the first AI system used in classified military infrastructure. That detail underlined the sensitivity of AI safety debates in US agencies. The Pentagon may keep relying on Claude during the transition period.

The order left Anthropic’s defence role uncertain and kept the policy fight active. The White House signalled a preference for fewer company limits on military AI. Anthropic continued to argue for guardrails and human oversight. With six months for defence removal, the next steps depend on implementation details.