Trump says Anthropic is 'shaping up,' open to deal with Pentagon

President Donald Trump stated Tuesday Anthropic "shaping up nicely" expressing openness to Pentagon deal restoring access to Claude models previously restricted for autonomous weapons, mass surveillance applications. Remarks follow April 17 meeting between CEO Dario Amodei, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addressing Mythos cybersecurity concerns.

February executive order mandated six-month phaseout across federal agencies after Anthropic refused "all lawful uses" clause demanded by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Pentagon designated firm supply-chain risk prohibiting contractors from Claude deployment despite $200 million prior contract.

Amodei testified maintaining safeguards protecting warfighters, civilians though recent discussions yielded language clarifying FISA court oversight, autonomous systems reliability thresholds. White House sources indicate Trump views compliance evolution favorably positioning Anthropic alongside OpenAI defense partnerships.

Court filings reveal Anthropic contests risk designation asserting good-faith negotiations supported lawful national security missions absent red-line violations. Federal appeals panel denied injunctive relief April 8 upholding six-month transition though administration signals flexibility.

Pentagon prioritizes Mythos defensive capabilities identified through Project Glasswing though requires unrestricted classified environment access. OpenAI agreement benchmark permits equivalent safeguards securing $500 million classified network contract.

European bank access announcements coincide US reconciliation efforts balancing commercial priorities against national security assurances. Anthropic projects Q3 revenue doubling through enterprise, government verticals.

Trump administration leverages leverage securing favorable terms establishing AI deployment precedents governing Level 4+ capabilities. Anthropic maintains constitutional safeguards though acknowledges operational realities demanding pragmatic accommodations. White House coordination accelerates contract pathways positioning Anthropic strategic defense partner.