❯ Trump hosts Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Sunday after saying he won’t slow AI for safety

Setting terms before dinnerAccording to Axios, President Trump was scheduled to host Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei at a private White House dinner on Sunday evening U.S. Eastern time, their first one-on-one meeting; what was discussed had not been disclosed at press time. Beforehand, speaking to Fox News at a golf tournament in Illinois, Trump confirmed the meeting but, as Reuters reported, reaffirmed his opposition to slowing AI: “We’re about maybe a year and a half up on China… why should we give that up?” He acknowledged Amodei’s concern that moving too fast could raise risks, but said keeping the edge over China matters more.

Hot and cold all yearAmodei missed last week’s state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping, which Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai and other tech CEOs attended, and Trump then invited him personally. Anthropic’s relationship with the administration has been unsteady all year, with brief warm spells that quickly soured; just last week, Trump allies circulated material to the White House highlighting Amodei’s ties to the effective altruism movement. Axios says Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson also plan to meet top AI CEOs at the White House on Tuesday.

Safety meets speedAnthropic has long pushed for stronger AI safety rules, while Trump equates slowing down with handing the lead to China. The dinner shows the White House is willing to talk; the remarks beforehand show that if Anthropic wants safety rules in federal policy, it first has to answer whether they would slow America down.

▪ SIGNALOne dinner won’t change a policy stance; what Anthropic has to prove is that it can argue for regulation and still win over the White House.