Trump Says Anthropic Pentagon Deal is ‘Possible’
April 21, 2026 – 3:15 pm
The US president told CNBC on Tuesday that Anthropic is ‘shaping up’ following a White House meeting last Friday at which the company’s CEO Dario Amodei discussed its Mythos AI model with Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
The Pentagon’s Blacklisting of Anthropic Remains in Legal Limbo
President Donald Trump told CNBC’s Squawk Box on Tuesday that a deal allowing Anthropic’s AI models to be used within the Department of Defense is “possible,” describing the company as “shaping up.”
"They came to the White House a few days ago, and we had some very good talks with them, and I think they’re shaping up. They’re very smart, and I think they can be of great use."
This comment marks a striking rhetorical reversal from a president who, in late February, posted on Truth Social ordering all federal agencies to “IMMEDIATELY CEASE all use of Anthropic’s technology” and declared that his administration would “not do business with them again.”
Trump’s Remarks Follow a White House Meeting
Trump’s remarks follow a White House meeting on Friday 18 April at which Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei met Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to discuss the company’s new Mythos model, a frontier AI system Anthropic has described as highly capable at cybersecurity tasks.
The White House described the conversation as “productive and constructive.” Anthropic said Amodei had a “productive discussion” with administration officials about how the company and the US government can “work together on key shared priorities such as cybersecurity, America’s lead in the AI race, and AI safety.”
When reporters asked Trump about the meeting on a runway in Phoenix, he responded “Who?” and said he had “no idea” Amodei had been there.
Background of Dispute
The meeting took place against the backdrop of a dispute that has few precedents in the relationship between Washington and the technology industry.
In July 2025, Anthropic signed a $200 million contract with the Pentagon, becoming the first AI lab to have its models approved for use on the DOD’s classified networks. But as negotiations over Claude’s deployment on the department’s GenAI.mil platform began in September, talks broke down. The Pentagon demanded that Anthropic grant unfettered access to its models for all lawful purposes.
Anthropic drew two firm lines: its AI would not be used in fully autonomous weapons systems that select targets without human intervention, and it would not be used for domestic mass surveillance of Americans.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded by designating Anthropic a “supply chain risk to national security” in late February 2026, a label previously reserved for companies associated with foreign adversaries.