Trump Slams AI Developer for Rejecting Military Use, Calls It "Radical Left" and Orders Halt to Its Use

On February 27 (local time), US President Donald Trump ordered all federal agencies to cease using technology from Anthropic, the developer of the artificial intelligence (AI) platform Claude. This directive came after Anthropic refused a demand from the US Department of War to fully open the scope of military applications for its AI. In response, Trump launched a fierce attack, calling Anthropic a "radical left-wing company."

On the 25th, a TV in the Seoul Station concourse is showing the State of the Union address by US President Trump. February 25, 2026, Yonhap News Agency.

Through his statement on Truth Social, President Trump asserted, "Left-wing fanatics have made a fatal mistake by coercively forcing the Department of War to submit and follow their terms of service instead of the Constitution." He continued, "Their selfishness has endangered the lives of the American people and has put our military and national security at risk," issuing a strong condemnation. Trump added, "The United States will never allow radical leftist 'woke' companies to dictate how our great military should fight and win wars."

President Trump declared, "I am ordering all agencies of the US federal government to immediately cease the use of Anthropic's technology," emphasizing, "We do not need it, we do not want it, and we will never do business with them again."

However, he specified that there would be a six-month phase-out period for the discontinuation of Anthropic's technology. He warned, "Anthropic would be wise to come to its senses and cooperate during this period," adding, "If not, I will use the full authority of the presidency to ensure compliance, and there will be significant civil and criminal consequences."

Currently, Claude is virtually the only AI used within classified US military systems. The Department of War has stated its intention to use Claude without restriction for "all lawful purposes" in the future. In contrast, Anthropic has insisted that its AI models must not be used for mass surveillance of US citizens or for fully autonomous weapons.

Regarding this dispute, former Secretary of War Pete Hegseth criticized Anthropic on social media, stating, "This is a master class in arrogance and betrayal," and described their actions as "a cowardly attempt to prioritize Silicon Valley ideology and corporate moral image over the lives of the American people." He further asserted, "The Department of War must have full and unrestricted access to Anthropic's models for all lawful purposes related to national defense," and emphasized, "Anthropic's position is fundamentally incompatible with American principles."

As a follow-up measure to President Trump's directive, Secretary Hegseth announced that Anthropic would be designated as a company posing a "supply chain risk to national security." This designation takes immediate effect, and he explained that any contractors doing business with the US military would be prohibited from engaging in any commercial activities with Anthropic. However, a six-month grace period will also apply to this measure.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.