Trump meets with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for first discussion
The private dinner marks a potential turning point after months of public disagreement over AI safety and development speed
President Trump hosted Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for a private dinner on September 27, marking the first one-on-one meeting between two figures who have spent recent months on opposite sides of the AI safety debate. The sit-down came weeks after the Pentagon classified Anthropic as a “supply chain risk,” effectively banning the company’s models from military use.
From public feuding to private dining
Amodei recently published an essay advocating for a more cautious approach to AI development and deeper collaboration between AI companies and government regulators. Trump’s response was to double down on his position that the US needs to move fast, not slow, to keep its edge over China.
Trump has previously stated the US leads China in AI by “maybe a year and a half.” In his view, pumping the brakes on development is equivalent to handing the lead to Beijing.
Yet during the dinner, Trump reportedly described Amodei as “highly respected.” The compliment is notable given the context: just three days earlier, Amodei was conspicuously absent from a White House state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24. That event drew a lineup of tech heavyweights including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and xAI’s Elon Musk.
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The Pentagon problem
A federal appeals court recently upheld the Pentagon’s “supply chain risk” designation for Anthropic, a classification that bars the company’s AI models from being used in military applications. The designation stems from Anthropic’s refusal to participate in projects involving fully autonomous weapons systems.
A bigger meeting looms
The private dinner appears to be something of a warm-up act. A broader White House meeting is scheduled for September 29, bringing together House Speaker Mike Johnson and other senior AI executives to discuss policy directives and regulatory strategies for the sector.
Amodei has consistently argued that safety and speed aren’t mutually exclusive. His essay outlined a vision where government and industry collaborate on specific safeguards without imposing blanket restrictions that could stifle innovation.