Trump says he plans to order federal ban on Anthropic AI after company refuses Pentagon demands

President Donald Trump on Friday said he was ordering every federal government agency to stop using Athropic AI immediately.

"THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL NEVER ALLOW A RADICAL LEFT, WOKE COMPANY TO DICTATE HOW OUR GREAT MILITARY FIGHTS AND WINS WARS! That decision belongs to YOUR COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, and the tremendous leaders I appoint to run our Military," Trump began in a lengthy Truth Social post Friday afternoon.

He added, "The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War, and force them to obey their Terms of Service instead of our Constitution. Their selfishness is putting AMERICAN LIVES at risk, our Troops in danger, and our National Security in JEOPARDY."

The president said he would immediately direct every federal agency to stop using Anthropic technology.

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"We don’t need it, we don’t want it, and will not do business with them again!" he continued.

There will be a six-month phase out period for agencies such as the Department of War, he added.

"Anthropic better get their act together, and be helpful during this phase out period, or I will use the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow," he wrote.

He continued, "WE will decide the fate of our Country — NOT some out-of-control, Radical Left AI company run by people who have no idea what the real World is all about."

Earlier this week, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei refused demands from the Department of War to use its artificial intelligence for "all lawful purposes," but Amodei said no, concerned over the possibility it could be used for "mass domestic surveillance" or "fully autonomous weapons."

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"The Department of War has stated they will only contract with AI companies who accede to 'any lawful use' and remove safeguards in the cases mentioned above. They have threatened to remove us from their systems if we maintain these safeguards; they have also threatened to designate us a ‘supply chain risk’ — a label reserved for US adversaries, never before applied to an American company — and to invoke the Defense Production Act to force the safeguards’ removal," Amodei said in a Thursday statement.

He declared that the "threats do not change our position: we cannot in good conscience accede to their request."

Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs Sean Parnell declared in a post on X that the department does not want to engage in either of those activities but is asking to use Anthropic's AI for all legal purposes.

"The Department of War has no interest in using AI to conduct mass surveillance of Americans (which is illegal) nor do we want to use AI to develop autonomous weapons that operate without human involvement," Parnell said in the post. "Here's what we're asking: Allow the Pentagon to use Anthropic's model for all lawful purposes."

"This is a simple, common-sense request that will prevent Anthropic from jeopardizing critical military operations and potentially putting our warfighters at risk. We will not let ANY company dictate the terms regarding how we make operational decisions. They have until 5:01 PM ET on Friday to decide. Otherwise, we will terminate our partnership with Anthropic and deem them a supply chain risk for DOW," he noted.

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Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael accused Anthropic and Amodei of lying.

In a post on X, Michael called Amodei "a liar" who "has a God-complex." 

"He wants nothing more than to try to personally control the US Military and is ok putting our nation’s safety at risk. The @DeptofWar will ALWAYS adhere to the law but not bend to whims of any one for-profit tech company," he asserted.

In another post he asserted, "Anthropic is lying. The @DeptofWar doesn’t do mass surveillance as that is already illegal. What we are talking about is allowing our warfighters to use AI without having to call @DarioAmodei for permission to shoot down an enemy drone swarms that would kill Americans."

"It is the Department’s prerogative to select contractors most aligned with their vision. But given the substantial value that Anthropic’s technology provides to our armed forces, we hope they reconsider," Amodei said in a statement sent on Thursday to Fox News Digital. "Our strong preference is to continue to serve the Department and our warfighters — with our two requested safeguards in place. Should the Department choose to offboard Anthropic, we will work to enable a smooth transition to another provider, avoiding any disruption to ongoing military planning, operations, or other critical missions. Our models will be available on the expansive terms we have proposed for as long as required."

"We remain ready to continue our work to support the national security of the United States," he added.

Fox News Digital's Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.