A week ago, the President hinted that a top AI firm might be a threat to the country. This week, he says it is not.
In between, that firm shut off its best AI models. It even cut access for its own users around the world.
The shift came in a talk with Axios. He was asked if he saw Anthropic or CEO Dario Amodei as a threat.
Trump said "not now, but a week ago, maybe." That softer tone came after the firm moved fast. Trump had told it to block foreign users from its newest models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5.
Anthropic then cut off those models for everyone, a step Trump said Amodei took "very quickly" and "responsibly."
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The clash is really about who gets to use the most powerful AI. The government worries that top models could help rival nations.
So it asked Anthropic to lock foreign users out of its best tools. That kind of order is rare.
It shows how closely Washington now watches AI, since one rule can reshape who a firm sells to overnight. Investors in AI now have to watch policy as closely as products.
The fight is not fully over. Senior Anthropic staff were set to meet administration officials this week to settle who can use its top models.
Trump also kept a strong tool on the table, since he did not rule out the Defense Production Act. That law lets the government boss around private firms in an emergency.
"I have the power to use a lot of things," he said. "But I'm not sure I have to do that."
The export fight is just one piece of a bigger clash with Washington. Anthropic has also gone to federal court over a Pentagon blacklist.
That list tagged the firm as a supply chain risk. Against that backdrop, the sudden truce stands out.
A week ago the government forced its best products offline. Now the President is praising how fast it moved.
For investors, the truce is not the real story. The real story is how fast things can flip for an AI firm.
One order took its top models offline worldwide, and one talk changed the mood days later. Anthropic struck a calm note about all of it.
A spokesperson said the firm is grateful for the partnership and wants to keep the U.S. ahead in AI. Amodei even sat with Trump and other G7 leaders in France this week.
For now, the bond looks fixed.
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