Trump Orders Federal Ban on Anthropic
President Trump orders every federal agency to immediately cease all use of Anthropic's technology, calling the company "leftwing nut jobs" on Truth Social and announcing a six-month phaseout.
On February 27, 2026, President Trump posted on Truth Social directing every federal agency in the United States government to immediately cease all use of Anthropic’s technology.
The Truth Social Post
Trump wrote:
“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!”
He called Anthropic “leftwing nut jobs” and announced a six-month phaseout of the company’s products across all government systems.
Scope
The ban went far beyond the original Pentagon contract dispute. While the conflict began over a $200 million Defense Department contract, Trump’s directive encompassed every federal agency — not just defense. Any government use of Claude, across any department, was to be terminated.
Immediate Impact
Claude was the only AI model deployed on the military’s classified networks at the time. It had been used in the operation to capture Nicolás Maduro, and defense officials had praised its capabilities. One Pentagon official admitted it would be “a huge pain in the ass to disentangle” Anthropic from military systems.
Reactions
Senator Mark Warner condemned the action: “The president’s directive to halt the use of a leading American AI company across the federal government, combined with inflammatory rhetoric attacking that company, raises serious concerns about whether national security decisions are being driven by careful analysis or political considerations.”