{"id":2483312,"date":"2025-09-07T07:03:01","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T11:03:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-ai-vendor-pick-anthropic-faces-scrutiny-over-democratic-ties\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T07:04:56","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T11:04:56","slug":"trump-ai-vendor-pick-anthropic-faces-scrutiny-over-democratic-ties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-ai-vendor-pick-anthropic-faces-scrutiny-over-democratic-ties\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump AI vendor pick Anthropic faces scrutiny over Democratic ties"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-ai-vendor-pick-anthropic-faces-scrutiny-over-democratic-ties%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2483312&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Teh article discusses scrutiny over the Trump governance&#8217;s approval of Anthropic as a federal AI vendor, highlighting that the company&#8217;s CEO, board members, and investors have collectively donated over $174 million to Democratic candidates and causes. CEO Dario Amodei has openly criticized former President Donald Trump and financially supported democratic figures including Joe biden and Kamala Harris. Several major democratic donors, such as Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings and Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz, are linked to Anthropic, along with former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and controversial FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.<\/p>\n<p>Anthropic&#8217;s leadership includes former Biden administration officials, reinforcing perceptions of close ties to Democratic networks. While Amodei has clashed with Trump administration AI policies, the company also engages with the current administration on shared goals like energy security and AI workforce growth. Despite Anthropic being awarded Pentagon contracts, former Trump officials express concerns over national security and political bias, labeling the company as aligned with &#8220;woke AI&#8221; and critical of Trump-era policies.<\/p>\n<p>Anthropic presents itself as a &#8220;safety-first&#8221; AI firm focused on responsible development to manage AI risks and benefits. The General Services Administration (GSA) approved Anthropic, alongside OpenAI and Google, to provide AI services to federal agencies under pre-negotiated contracts as part of a Trump-linked AI initiative aiming to maintain U.S. technological leadership.The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-pitches-comprehensive-crime-bill-while-congress-readies-dc-measures\/\" title=\"... pitches &#039;comprehensive&#039; crime ... while Congress readies DC measures\">article underscores ongoing tensions<\/a> about political influence, security concerns, and AI governance in the rapidly evolving sector. <br \/> <!DOCTYPE html><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Anthropic backers gave $174M to Democrats before firm&rsquo;s federal AI vendor list approval<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2222383\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Trump administration&rsquo;s<\/a> decision to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsa.gov\/about-us\/newsroom\/news-releases\/gsa-propels-government-into-ai-revolution-with-addition-of-leading-solutions-08052025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">approve Anthropic <\/a>as a federal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/artificial-intelligence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">artificial intelligence<\/a> vendor is under scrutiny amid revelations that its CEO, board members, and investors have funneled more than $174 million to Democrats in <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >recent election cycles<\/a>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-indicted-on-charges-related-to-lying-to-purchase-firearm\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden indicted for firearm purchase lies.\">development raises questions<\/a> about political influence and national security at a moment when AI policy is seen as critical to America&rsquo;s global standing.<\/p>\n<p>CEO Dario Amodei has been openly critical of President Donald Trump, calling him a &ldquo;serious and legitimate threat to the rule of law&rdquo; and comparing him to a &ldquo;feudal warlord&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theinformation.com\/articles\/how-will-ai-startups-navigate-a-trump-presidency\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">in a now-deleted<\/a> pre-election Facebook post. Before the 2024 election, he endorsed former Vice President Kamala Harris and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/receipts\/?data_type=processed&amp;contributor_name=amodei%2C+dario\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">donated <\/a>more than $214,000 to Democratic candidates and committees, including former President Joe Biden, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and the Democratic National Committee.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3795552\/police-union-republicans-alarm-kamala-harris-security-detail\/\">Police union, Republicans sound alarm on Kamala Harris&#8217;s makeshift security detail<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3795746\/governor-races-heat-up-nationally-virginia-bellwether\/\">Governor&rsquo;s races heat up nationally with Virginia as early bellwether<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3794942\/ccp-funded-research-flooded-academic-journals-trump-attacks\/\">CCP-funded research has flooded academic journals. Now it&#8217;s being used to attack the Trump administration<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Several of the Democratic Party&rsquo;s largest donors are also tied to Anthropic. Netflix cofounder Reed Hastings joined the company&rsquo;s board in May 2025 after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/elections-overview\/biggest-donors?cycle=2024&amp;view=om\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">giving more<\/a> than $20 million to Democrats, including $7 million to a pro-Harris super PAC. Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz, an early investor, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opensecrets.org\/elections-overview\/biggest-donors?cycle=2022&amp;view=fc&amp;t0-search=moskovitz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">gave $38 million<\/a> to a Harris-aligned super PAC in 2024. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, a longtime Democratic donor and policy adviser, was also an early investor in Anthropic through his family office. Sam Bankman-Fried, the ex-FTX founder now facing fraud charges, put $500 million into the company in 2021 and personally gave $5.6 million to Biden&rsquo;s 2020 campaign.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The company&rsquo;s leadership also includes several figures with ties to the Biden administration, giving Anthropic the look of a Democratic insider network. Former Biden National Security Council official Tarun Chhabra <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hoover.org\/profiles\/tarun-chhabra\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">now leads<\/a> its national security policy, while former White House economic aide Elizabeth Kelly<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/elizabeth-kelly-dc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> serves<\/a> as head of beneficial deployments.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Anthropic website and mobile phone app are shown in New York, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo\/Richard Drew, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Amodei also has clashed with the administration&rsquo;s policy agenda. In a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/06\/05\/opinion\/anthropic-ceo-regulate-transparency.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&amp;referringSource=articleShare\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> June op-ed<\/a> for the <em>New York Times<\/em>, he challenged Trump&rsquo;s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which initially included a 10-year moratorium on state regulation of AI. He urged lawmakers to adopt a national transparency standard instead, requiring companies to disclose how they test and deploy powerful AI models. The moratorium provision was ultimately stripped from the bill before final passage.<\/p>\n<p>The San Francisco-based AI company, best known for its chatbot, Claude, describes itself as a &ldquo;safety-first company,&rdquo; warning that AI could pose &ldquo;unprecedented risks&rdquo; if not developed responsibly but also &ldquo;unprecedented benefits for humanity&rdquo; if managed well, according to the company&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/company\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">website<\/a>. In July, Anthropic was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/news\/anthropic-and-the-department-of-defense-to-advance-responsible-ai-in-defense-operations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">awarded a Pentagon contract <\/a>to develop national security AI capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>A former Trump administration official who remains close to the administration said the approval raises national security concerns.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Anthropic is a safe haven for Biden officials who are diametrically opposed to President Trump&rsquo;s America First AI policy and are trying to weasel their way into the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/its-time-to-treat-social-media-as-a-public-health-emergency\/\" title=\"It\u2019s Time To Treat Social Media As A Public Health Emergency\">national security space<\/a>,&rdquo; the former official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. They added that the company has been &ldquo;at the epicenter&rdquo; of Effective Altruism, a Silicon Valley movement that has funneled billions into efforts to ensure advanced AI is developed safely, reflecting concerns that it could pose catastrophic risks.<\/p>\n<p>The former official also argued that Anthropic is &ldquo;actively campaigning against this administration&rsquo;s policies&rdquo; while seeking government contracts, and warned that its product is often seen in Washington as a &ldquo;woke AI&rdquo; platform. &ldquo;There needs to be very serious scrutiny over any company that is going to have access to our national security elements, especially [the Department of Defense], when they are acting in a way that is still propping up Biden-era policies that hurt American innovation,&rdquo; they said.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, Anthropic has sought to build bridges with the Trump administration. The company has <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AnthropicAI\/status\/1948105498194014303\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">supported<\/a> the White House&rsquo;s AI Action Plan and was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/articles\/2025\/07\/wide-acclaim-for-president-trumps-visionary-ai-action-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">highlighted<\/a> in administration communications. It issued <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/news\/build-ai-in-america\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an energy report<\/a> aligned with Trump-era priorities, including expediting environmental permitting for energy and infrastructure projects.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Amodei <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/news\/investing-in-energy-to-secure-america-s-ai-future\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">joined the president at an energy event <\/a>in Pittsburgh, while Chief Product Officer Mike Krieger, the Instagram cofounder, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/news\/anthropic-signs-cms-health-tech-ecosystem-pledge-to-advance-healthcare-interoperability\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attended<\/a> a White House healthcare event where Trump mentioned Anthropic by name. The company has also signed on to the Pledge to America&rsquo;s Youth and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/news\/anthropic-signs-pledge-to-americas-youth-investing-in-ai-education\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">participated<\/a> in this week&rsquo;s White House AI Education Taskforce event.<\/p>\n<p>Anthropic has said it values the opportunity to work with the administration on shared priorities such as energy security, maintaining an edge over China, and preparing the workforce for an AI-driven economy, emphasizing that its focus is on outcomes rather than politics.<\/p>\n<p>Executives at rival firms added to the AI vendor list have also had complicated relationships with Trump. OpenAI cofounder Sam Altman <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2016\/06\/20\/trump-is-evoking-memories-of-hitler-and-this-is-his-big-lie-commentary.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">once compared<\/a> Trump to Adolf Hitler in 1930s Germany and donated heavily to Democrats, including<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxbusiness.com\/politics\/openai-ceo-sam-altman-donated-200000-biden-campaign\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> $200,000 <\/a>to Biden&rsquo;s 2024 campaign.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>But after Trump announced his &ldquo;Stargate&rdquo; AI venture, Altman softened<span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">. He&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/sama\/status\/1882234406662000833\" target=\"_blank\">wrote<\/a><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/sama\/status\/1882234406662000833\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">  on X<\/a> that &ldquo;watching [Trump] more carefully recently has really changed my perspective&rdquo; and predicted he could be &ldquo;incredible for the country in many ways.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Google CEO Sundar Pichai has also clashed with Trump, rejecting claims of anti-conservative bias in Google search results and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2017\/01\/28\/google-chief-sundar-pichai-chides-trump-over-immigration-order-affecting-nearly-200-staffers.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">criticizing <\/a>the 2017 immigration ban, which he called &ldquo;painful&rdquo; for affected employees.<\/p>\n<p>But the former Trump administration official argued that Anthropic takes it further.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As far as I can tell, they have the only CEO who was so brazen to call the president names such as a feudal warlord,&rdquo; the person said, noting that Anthropic and its backers have funneled more than $175 million into Democratic campaigns. They added that the company&rsquo;s alignment with the Effective Altruism movement, which emphasizes caution and safety in AI development, is at odds with Trump&rsquo;s vision of rapidly expanding U.S. dominance in the field.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The General Services Administration<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gsa.gov\/about-us\/newsroom\/news-releases\/gsa-propels-government-into-ai-revolution-with-addition-of-leading-solutions-08052025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> approved<\/a> Anthropic, along with OpenAI and Google, in early August as part of a new AI initiative tied to Trump&rsquo;s July 23 technology blueprint. That plan lays out nearly 90 recommendations to maintain U.S. dominance over China, expand AI exports to allies, and limit state-level restrictions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The GSA said the approvals mean federal agencies can access these AI platforms under pre-negotiated contracts, with applications ranging from basic research assistants to mission-specific tools. It added that it is prioritizing models &ldquo;that prioritize truthfulness, accuracy, transparency, and freedom from ideological bias.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/technology\/3791373\/melania-trump-artificial-intelligence-education-task-force-meeting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>MELANIA TRUMP URGES AI EDUCATION AT TASK FORCE MEETING: &lsquo;NO LONGER SCIENCE FICTION&rsquo;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Trump has described AI as &ldquo;the fight that will define the 21st century,&rdquo; framing it as essential to U.S. security and competitiveness. The White House referred the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> to the GSA when asked about Anthropic&rsquo;s political connections.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;GSA is committed to working with top-tier companies to help execute the President&rsquo;s AI Action Plan. Our focus remains on delivering outstanding results for American taxpayers,&rdquo; a GSA spokesperson said in a statement provided to the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Anthropic backers gave $174M to Democrats before federal AI approval<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2657,"featured_media":2483313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP24142326765113.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[51738,62774,62775,4108,3634],"class_list":["post-2483312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-ai-2","tag-anthropic","tag-democratic-ties","tag-scrutiny","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/AP24142326765113.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2483312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2657"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2483312"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2483312\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2483316,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2483312\/revisions\/2483316"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2483313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2483312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2483312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2483312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}