U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled a significant shift in his administration’s posture toward AI startup Anthropic, saying he no longer views the company as a potential national security threat after it moved quickly to comply with government demands restricting foreign access to its most advanced models.
The comments, made in an interview with The Axios Show published Friday, offer fresh insight into how the White House is approaching the regulation of frontier artificial intelligence systems and underscore the growing willingness of governments to treat leading AI companies as strategic national assets rather than ordinary technology businesses.
Asked whether he viewed Anthropic or its chief executive, Dario Amodei, as a threat to national security, Trump replied: “Well, not now, but a week ago, maybe.”
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The remark follows a dramatic confrontation between the administration and Anthropic over access to the company’s newest AI systems, Fable 5 and Mythos 5, which are regarded as among the most capable models currently available.
The dispute emerged after Trump ordered Anthropic to block foreign nationals from accessing the advanced models, citing national security concerns surrounding frontier AI capabilities. In response, Anthropic last week disabled access to both Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all users, a move that shocked parts of the technology industry and intensified debate over government intervention in AI development.
Trump suggested the company’s response helped ease White House concerns. According to the Axios interview, the president said Amodei responded to the administration’s export-control directive “very quickly” and “responsibly.”
That indicates that Anthropic’s willingness to cooperate may have prevented a deeper confrontation with federal authorities.
Senior technical staff from Anthropic were reportedly scheduled to meet administration officials earlier this week to discuss the restrictions and broader concerns surrounding access to frontier AI models.
National Security Is Becoming Central to AI Policy
The episode illustrates how rapidly artificial intelligence has moved from a commercial technology issue to a national security concern in Washington. Only a few years ago, debates around AI focused primarily on innovation, productivity, and competition among technology companies.
Today, policymakers see advanced AI systems through the same lens applied to semiconductors, defense technologies, and critical infrastructure.
Anthropic itself has contributed to that shift.
In recent months, Amodei has repeatedly warned that next-generation AI systems pose serious risks to cybersecurity, financial systems, critical infrastructure, and national security. The company has also advocated stronger government oversight of advanced AI development and has argued that frontier models may eventually require safeguards similar to those applied to other strategic technologies.
Ironically, some industry observers argue that those warnings helped create the political environment that led to the administration’s intervention.
Trump Keeps Pressure on the Table
Although Trump’s latest comments were more conciliatory, he stopped short of ruling out further government action. According to Axios, the president did not exclude the possibility of invoking powers under the Defense Production Act (DPA), a Cold War-era law that gives the federal government broad authority to direct private-sector activity in matters deemed critical to national security.
When asked about the possibility, Trump said: “I have the power to use a lot of things.”
He added: “But I’m not sure I have to do that.”
The statement suggests that while the administration may be satisfied with Anthropic’s cooperation for now, it wants to retain leverage over companies developing frontier AI systems. The possibility of using the Defense Production Act against an AI company would represent an extraordinary escalation in government involvement in the sector and could establish a precedent for future intervention.
The issue surfaced during a week in which Trump and other world leaders met technology executives at the G7 summit in France. Amodei was among the AI leaders who participated in discussions with government officials, reflecting the growing influence of AI firms in geopolitical and economic policymaking. The meetings come as countries race to establish leadership in artificial intelligence, a competition increasingly viewed as central to future economic growth, military capability, and technological influence.
Anthropic responded cautiously to Trump’s comments, emphasizing collaboration rather than confrontation.
A company spokesperson said, “We are grateful to the administration for their ongoing partnership in working to get this matter resolved as quickly as possible.”
The spokesperson added: “We remain committed to working alongside them towards our shared goals of protecting critical infrastructure and making sure the U.S. leads in AI.”