Anthropic's Claude AI remains top free app on Apple US App Store 2 days after Donald Trump ‘bans’ company's AI tech

Anthropic's Claude artificial intelligence app rocketed to the top of Apple's US free app rankings late Saturday (February 28) and has remained at the top spot two days after US President Donald Trump banned it from all government departments. The app captured the number 1 spot riding a wave of public attention generated by a high-profile dispute with the Trump administration over the limits of its AI technology’s use by the Pentagon.The jump to No. 1 first came just 24 hours after President Donald Trump lashed out at the AI startup on Truth Social, accusing the company of overreach in its refusal to allow its models to be used for mass domestic surveillance or fully autonomous weapons systems. This is a notable jump by considering the fact that as recently as January 30, the app sat at No. 131 in the US. It climbed into the top 20 for much of February before this weekend’s surge to the top spot, CNBC cited data from analytics firm Sensor Tower.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini among top free apps in US

OpenAI's ChatGPT, which has dominated the charts and now counts over 900 million weekly users, was pushed to No. 2 on Saturday. While Google's Gemini ranked No. 4 on Saturday, it jumped one spot to No. 3, followed by Instagram’s Threads.

What pushed Claude at top of the free app charts

The firestorm between Anthropic and the Pentagon, which led to the Trump administration block government agencies’ adoption of the startup’s AI technology, is likely the reason why the app grew in popularity.

“The Leftwing nut jobs at Anthropic have made a DISASTROUS MISTAKE,” Trump wrote on Friday with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth escalating the confrontation, announcing that he had requested that Anthropic be designated a supply-chain risk to national security – a label that would bar US defense contractors from using the company's tools. This is also the designation for banned Chinese companies like Huawei. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei struck a measured tone in response. “It is the Department's prerogative to select contractors most aligned with their vision. But given the substantial value that Anthropic's technology provides to our armed forces, we hope they reconsider,” he said in a statement.