Anthropic's Democratic ties under fire as Trump admin severs Pentagon contracts
The high-profile fight between the AI company Anthropic and the Trump administration has led to claims that the company is "woke" and put a spotlight on the Democratic ties of its employees.
On Feb. 26, just ahead of the launch of Operation Epic Fury, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei outlined his company's discussions with the Department of War, saying the company had flagged two issues that had not been and should not be included in contracts with the Pentagon: "mass domestic surveillance" and "fully autonomous weapons." This sparked an argument between the AI giant and the Pentagon over who should control how AI is used in the military.
The next day, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social saying that Anthropic was "woke" and accusing it of endangering national security, saying that the U.S. would never allow it "to dictate" how wars are fought. The president said in the post that he was directing all federal agencies to cease all use of Anthropic's technology, adding, "we don't need it, we don't want it, and will not do business with them again!"
"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 wrote.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced on Feb. 27 that Anthropic was designated a supply chain risk to national security, severing the firm's ties with the government and making it the first U.S. company to be hit with this designation.
"Our position has never wavered and will never waver: the Department of War must have full, unrestricted access to Anthropic’s models for every LAWFUL purpose in defense of the Republic," Hegseth said. "The Terms of Service of Anthropic’s defective altruism will never outweigh the safety, the readiness, or the lives of American troops on the battlefield."
In response, Anthropic filed a lawsuit over the designation, claiming the Department of War's actions amounted to a "pretextual form of retaliation" that violated the company's First Amendment rights. The documents show that Anthropic is seeking a court order to reverse its blacklisting and restore its federal contracts.
This dispute has brought a spotlight on the company's Democratic and left-leaning connections.
Earlier this month, the company announced Sarah Heck would become the Head of Public Policy. Heck worked on the National Security Council during the Obama administration and also served as advisor to the Obama Foundation. The announcement of her appointment sparked backlash from conservatives like Katie Miller, the wife of top White House advisor Stephen Miller.
In 2020, Heck posted an article in which then-Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan explained why he rejected Trump's help with obtaining COVID-19 tests and captioned it: "Important read from @LarryHogan (a Republican!) on the importance of international ties and leadership in government. #diplomacy #DumpTrump."
However, Heck recently came out as a supporter for the Trump administration's Rate Payer Protection Pledge, which ensures that American families don't foot the bill for AI companies' power needs.
"American families shouldn't pick up the tab for AI. In support of the [White House] rate payer protection pledge, Anthropic has committed to covering 100% of electricity price increases that consumers face from our data centers," Heck wrote.
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Other Anthropic employees have similar ties to Democratic officials.
Brian Peters, Anthropic's head of North America Government Affairs, previously worked for former Rep. Jay Inslee, D-Wash. Inslee would later become governor of the state.
The AI giant brought on Maxwell Young to serve as its head of policy communications. Young previously worked for Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and handled communications for former New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Additionally, Maya Humes, who handles policy communications for Anthropic, previously served as the North Carolina communications director for the 2020 Biden-Harris campaign and went on to work in the administration, both at the White House and the State Department, for President Joe Biden's entire term in office.
Anthropic's Head of External Communications Chris Nulty previously spent 10 years working at Airbnb as one of the company's senior communications directors. In 2021, while Nulty was working at Airbnb, the company announced that Airbnb PAC would withhold contributions from lawmakers who voted to challenge the Electoral College results of the 2020 presidential election. Nulty also reposted tweets in support of deplatforming Trump after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, including a post from Hillary Clinton.
While Anthropic's employee roster includes several individuals who previously worked in Democratic politics, the company has brought in a number of Republicans, including some who worked in the first Trump administration.
That includes Jared Powell, who works in policy and federal affairs for the company and previously served in the offices of Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., and former Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., as well as Mary Croghan, who served in the first Trump administration, and Leah Graham, who served in former President George W. Bush's administration and worked at the Republican National Committee. Croghan handles public policy for Anthropic, and Graham handles federal public policy for the company.
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The company's National Security and Public Sector Advisory Council includes several former Republican operatives, including former Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., and Josh Hodges, who served as House Speaker Mike Johnson's national security advisor. Chris Liddell, a former Trump administration official, sits on the board of directors.
Hodges told Fox News Digital that, in his view, Anthropic was "putting America first."
"Their tools have been used in cyber defense and other missions critical to national security, including Venezuela, including Iran, arguably two of the most complex operations in recent history… It's the only company that's walked away from hundreds of millions in revenue, cutting off ties to CCP-linked firms. In my opinion, that's not a woke company. That's a company that is putting America first," Hodges said.
"I agree it's reasonable to call out companies that are showing an active bias, but cutting off America's world-leading AI company over vibes, hands China a win we can't afford right now," he added.
In October 2025, Amodei issued a statement affirming "Anthropic's commitment to American AI leadership," asserting that the company's view was that managing AI "should be a matter of policy over politics."
"Anthropic is committed to constructive engagement on matters of public policy. When we agree, we say so. When we don’t, we propose an alternative for consideration. We do this because we are a public benefit corporation with a mission to ensure that AI benefits everyone, and because we want to maintain America’s lead in AI," Amodei said.
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However, Amodei's personal politics appear to be clearly on the left. According to The Information, Amodei called Trump a "serious and legitimate threat to the rule of law" in a now-deleted 2018 Facebook post. The Anthropic CEO also reportedly endorsed then-Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 and has made extensive donations to Democrats.
In his famous October 2024 essay, "Machines of Loving Grace: How AI Could Transform the World for the Better," Amodei credited prominent liberal writer Matt Yglesias as one of the people who reviewed drafts and provided feedback for the essay.
In a leaked memo first published by The Information earlier this month, Amodei reportedly suggested that the Trump administration was retaliating because the AI giant had failed to give the president "dictator-style praise."
Amodei later apologized in a statement on Anthropic's website, saying that the company "did not leak this post nor direct anyone else to do so." He added that it was "not in our interest to escalate this situation" with the Pentagon.
Several major Democratic donors have also been tied to Anthropic, including Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings, who gave $20 million to Democrats, including $7 million to a pro-Harris super PAC, according to the Washington Examiner. Another Anthropic backer, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, reportedly gave $38 million to a Harris-aligned super PAC in 2024.
Fox News Digital reached out to Anthropic for comment.
Fox Business' Madison Alworth contributed to this report.