Anthropic, Trump officials hold productive talks despite Pentagon blacklist

Anthropic was back in the room with senior Trump officials even after the Pentagon labeled it a supply-chain risk, a sharp reversal for a company that had been pushed into federal court and cast as a national-security problem.

The clash began on February 27, when President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to stop using Anthropic’s technology and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designated the company a supply-chain risk. Anthropic sued in March, arguing against both the designation and the attempted cutoff from federal work. On March 26, U.S. District Judge Rita Lin in California blocked the administration from enforcing the blacklist and ending Anthropic’s work with federal agencies, saying the government’s actions were likely contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious. A federal appeals court later denied Anthropic’s request to pause the designation while litigation continued.

The company’s chief executive, Dario Amodei, met at the White House on April 17 with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, with National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross also involved in the talks. The White House called the meeting “productive and constructive” and said it discussed opportunities for collaboration, shared approaches and protocols to manage the challenges of scaling artificial intelligence. Anthropic said the discussion focused on cybersecurity, America’s lead in the AI race and AI safety.

The shift comes as Anthropic’s newest model, Mythos, has intensified the very national-security concerns that helped trigger the standoff. Officials worry the model could make cyberattacks easier and faster to carry out, and the Commerce Department’s Center for AI Standards and Innovation has been actively testing its hacking capabilities. Staff on at least three congressional committees have also requested or held briefings with Anthropic about Mythos, a sign that Washington’s interest has not faded even as the blacklist fight continues.

The dispute has centered on Anthropic’s refusal to allow unrestricted military use of its models, especially for autonomous weapons and mass surveillance. That position put the company at odds with Trump officials in February, but Mythos has also given Anthropic new leverage in Washington, where cybersecurity concerns and AI competition are now pulling the company back into direct talks with the administration.