Musk’s AI chatbot Grok reportedly encouraged Trump to capture Venezuela’s president

Grok's Growing Influence in Geopolitics

A new report from Time magazine claims that President Trump consulted with Elon Musk's Grok AI chatbot in December 2025, just one month before the U.S. invasion of Venezuela. During a secret meeting, Trump reportedly questioned Grok for hours about how Venezuelans would react to the capture of their president, Nicolás Maduro. The incident highlights the increasing reliance on commercial AI systems for sensitive geopolitical and military assessments, blurring the lines between consumer technology and national security instruments.

From Presidential Counsel to Battlefield Deployment

According to a source cited by Time, Grok advised Trump that Maduro was a “deeply unpopular dictator and that many Venezuelans would likely celebrate his downfall.” When celebrations followed the U.S. invasion on January 3, Trump was reportedly impressed, viewing the AI as “ingenious.” This event appears to have solidified Grok’s standing within the administration. By June 2026, the Pentagon's head of AI confirmed that the military had used a specialized version, Grok Gov, to deploy and strike targets during the Iran War.

• December 2025: President Trump reportedly consults Grok on the potential U.S. invasion of Venezuela.
• January 2026: The U.S. invades Venezuela, and the public reaction aligns with Grok's prediction.
• June 2026: The Pentagon acknowledges using Grok Gov for targeting in the Iran War.
• September 2026: Elon Musk and Anduril's Palmer Luckey are chosen to co-lead a Pentagon study on advanced battlefield technology.

The embrace of Grok signals a significant trend in defense procurement and strategy. While other AI firms like OpenAI and Anthropic also have relationships with the Department of Defense, Musk's direct involvement appears to be deepening. The recent Pentagon announcement that Musk and Anduril CEO Palmer Luckey will co-lead a new study on advanced battlefield technology further cements their influence. This positions xAI and Anduril as central players in defining the future of AI-driven warfare and national defense policy for the U.S. government.

The direct consultation of a commercial AI by a head of state for a military decision marks a pivotal moment, shifting large language models from analytical tools to active participants in the chain of command. This sets a powerful precedent for the integration of private-sector AI into statecraft and defense operations.