Trump Says US Is Cutting Off Anthropic for Refusing to Drop AI Safeguards

BREAKING: Trump Unleashes Fury on Anthropic in All-Caps Tirade Over AI Safeguards

In a jaw-dropping escalation of the ongoing feud between the Trump administration and the AI industry, President Donald Trump has fired off a blistering, all-caps tirade against Anthropic, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company, accusing it of endangering American lives and threatening to unleash “major civil and criminal consequences” if the company doesn’t comply with his demands. The controversy centers on Anthropic’s refusal to remove safeguards from its flagship AI model, Claude, which prohibit the Department of Defense from using the technology for domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems.

The showdown began when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued an ultimatum to Anthropic: drop the safeguards or face being labeled a “supply chain risk”—a designation unprecedented for an American company. Hegseth even threatened to invoke the Defense Production Act, a move that would theoretically allow the government to force Anthropic to strip its ethical guardrails. But Anthropic stood its ground, sending a defiant letter to the Pentagon on Thursday stating it would not comply.

Trump, never one to shy away from a public confrontation, took to his Truth Social platform to vent his frustration in a post that could only be described as a digital declaration of war. “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA WILL NEVER ALLOW A RADICAL LEFT, WOKE COMPANY TO DICTATE HOW OUR GREAT MILITARY FIGHTS AND WINS WARS!” Trump thundered. “That decision belongs to YOUR COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, and the tremendous leaders I appoint to run our Military.”

The president didn’t stop there. He went on to label Anthropic’s leadership as “leftwing nut jobs” and claimed their actions were putting American lives at risk. “The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE trying to STRONG-ARM the Department of War [sic], 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,” he wrote.

Trump’s post also included a directive for all federal agencies to “IMMEDIATELY CEASE” using Anthropic’s technology, a move that could have far-reaching implications for the company’s government contracts. However, in a move that critics are calling a “soft ban,” Trump granted a six-month “phase out period” for agencies like the Department of Defense that are currently using Anthropic’s products. “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 wrote. “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.”

The controversy has sparked a fierce debate over the role of private companies in national security and the ethical implications of AI in warfare. Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI researchers, has long positioned itself as a leader in AI safety and ethics, implementing safeguards to prevent its technology from being used in ways that could harm civilians or violate human rights. The company’s refusal to remove these safeguards has been hailed by some as a principled stand, while others see it as an obstruction to national security.

Sen. Mark Warner, the Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued a statement condemning Trump’s rhetoric as “inflammatory” and raising concerns about the politicization of national security decisions. “President Trump and Secretary Hegseth’s efforts to intimidate and disparage a leading American company – potentially as the pretext to steer contracts to a preferred vendor whose model a number of federal agencies have already identified as a reliability, safety, and security threat – pose an enormous risk to U.S. defense readiness and the willingness of the U.S. private sector and academia to work with the [Intelligence Community] and DoD, consistent with their own values and legal ethics,” Warner said.

The feud between Trump and Anthropic is the latest in a series of high-profile clashes between the administration and the tech industry. From Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover to the ongoing debates over social media regulation, the relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington has never been more fraught. With the 2024 election on the horizon, the stakes are higher than ever, and the outcome of this battle could have profound implications for the future of AI regulation and national security.

As the dust settles on this explosive confrontation, one thing is clear: the battle over AI ethics and national security is far from over. With Anthropic refusing to back down and Trump doubling down on his threats, the coming months are sure to be filled with more drama, more controversy, and more questions about the role of technology in shaping the future of warfare.

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