Topline
Anthropic has repaired its relationship with the White House, according to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick—after a dramatic clash earlier this year surrounding the Pentagon’s use of its AI models.
Anthropic co-founder Tom Brown listens to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during the G20 Innovation Ministerial on September 2, 2026 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Lutnick said Anthropic has “done what we asked” and is “back on the right side,” adding “we trust Anthropic” when prompted by Axios on the sidelines of a G20 Innovation Ministerial in North Carolina.
At the summit, Anthropic co-founder Tom Brown praised President Donald Trump’s support for controversial data centers, telling the audience, “I really love Trump’s post from earlier this week . . . where he was pointing out that data centers are just an enormous source of prosperity.”
The company feuded with the Trump administration earlier this year when it insisted there be guardrails in the military’s use of its AI models, including prohibiting the Pentagon from using its products on mass surveillance of Americans and autonomous weaponry.
Trump then directed all federal agencies to stop using Anthropic, calling it a “radical left, woke company,” and accusing Anthropic’s “Leftwing nut jobs” of making a “disastrous mistake trying to strong-arm” the Department of Defense.
The Pentagon then took the extraordinary step of labeling the company a supply chain risk in March, and Anthropic sued over the designation, accusing the Trump administration of an “unlawful campaign of retaliation.”
A federal judge ruled in favor of Anthropic last week, determining the Pentagon illegally punished the AI company for criticizing the government.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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