Commerce Secretary: Anthropic Has 'Restored Relations' with Trump Administration

According to Axios, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the Trump administration has regained trust in artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, signaling a clear turnaround in relations after months of disputes over national security and AI safety.

Lutnick, in an interview with Axios on Tuesday, was asked whether he trusts Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. He responded directly: "We trust Anthropic. They have done what we asked of them and have returned to the right side, so the answer is yes."

This statement comes as Anthropic co-founder Tom Brown has become more actively involved in the company’s engagement with the White House. On Wednesday, at the G20 Innovation Ministers Meeting in North Carolina, Lutnick personally introduced Brown to attending officials and invited him to explain Anthropic’s development journey.

During the meeting, Brown publicly endorsed Trump’s data center policy announced this week on Truth Social. He stated that data centers can create significant jobs and tax revenue, and with proper planning, can also add power supply to the grid. Anthropic also supports the Trump administration’s commitment to protecting electricity consumers.

Earlier this year, Anthropic and the Trump administration clashed sharply over national security and AI protection restrictions, and differences in leadership personalities further strained relations, ultimately leading the U.S. to impose broad export controls on Anthropic’s most advanced models.

Axios notes that Brown has been a key figure in repairing the relationship. He has held multiple discussions with Lutnick and U.S. National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross, helping to ease tensions between the company and the government.

Meanwhile, in August, a U.S. federal judge ruled that the Pentagon’s decision to blacklist Anthropic as a supply chain risk violated its constitutional rights, thus overturning the related sanctions. However, Anthropic is still challenging, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, the Pentagon’s individual determination made under another law.

Axios analyzes that Brown’s rising role offers a fresh start for this AI company, once at odds with the White House. For the tech industry, improving relations with the Trump administration could help advance its policy objectives.