# Anthropic back on ‘right side’ with Trump admin after Pentagon flap: Howard Lutnick > Source: > Published: 2026-09-02 20:19:03+00:00 # Anthropic back on ‘right side’ with Trump admin after Pentagon flap: Howard Lutnick By Reuters Published Sep. 2, 2026, 4:19 p.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results. [Add The New York Post on Google](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=nypost.com) Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said AI giant Anthropic is “back on the right side” with the Trump administration, [Axios reported](https://www.axios.com/2026/09/02/lutnick-anthropic-trump) on Wednesday citing an interview. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had [blocked Anthropic from certain military contracts](https://nypost.com/2026/03/05/business/pentagon-labels-anthropic-supply-chain-risk-days-after-ceo-lashed-out-at-trump-openai/) because the company refused to allow the US to use its Claude AI models for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons. Anthropic sued in California court. On Aug. 27, a US judge [sided with Anthropic](https://nypost.com/2026/08/28/tech/pentagon-blacklisting-anthropic-ruled-unlawful/) in the company’s fight with the American military over AI safety on the battlefield. Anthropic and the Commerce Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters. Anthropic co-founder Tom Brown appeared on stage at a tech-focused G20 event in North Carolina on Wednesday morning. Brown stressed the importance of data centers at the gathering, urging the gathered officials to grant permits to build them in their countries.