Trump Threatens ‘Criminal Consequences’ for Anthropic Over AI Safety Guard Fight

President Donald Trump unleashed an all-caps screed against Anthropic on Friday, threatening criminal consequences for the AI company if it didn’t comply with his demands.

The president is upset that Anthropic has refused to drop safeguards in Claude that prohibit the Department of Defense from using its AI model for domestic surveillance or completely autonomous weapons systems.

“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 on Truth Social.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had given Anthropic an ultimatum to drop all safeguards or be labeled a “supply chain risk,” something that’s never happened to an American company before. Hegseth also threatened to invoke the Defense Production Act, which would theoretically allow the U.S. government to demand that those safeguards be stripped.

The president went on to describe the people at Anthropic as “leftwing nut jobs” and made a bizarre claim that the AI company was putting American lives in danger.

“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,” wrote Trump.

There’s nothing in U.S. law that requires a private company to adjust its terms of service to make the Defense Department happy, as long as they’re not violating sanctions.

“Therefore, 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!” wrote Trump.

And then came the big caveat. Trump wrote that they’d be given six months for a “phase out period,” which sounds an awful lot like the president just pushed the deadline back rather than actually banishing Anthropic from military work.

“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. 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,” Trump wrote.

“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. Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated with further information…