President Donald Trump reportedly spent hours using Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot during a private meeting in December 2025, including asking how Venezuelans might react if President Nicolás Maduro were captured. The conversation took place about a month before U.S. forces carried out an operation in Venezuela on January 3, 2026, that resulted in Maduro’s capture, according to Time.
Trump met Musk roughly seven months after Musk left his role in the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency. A source told Time that Trump asked Grok about public sentiment in Venezuela while the administration was already carrying out military strikes against boats it alleged were involved in drug trafficking.
Grok Reportedly Assessed Public Reaction In Venezuela
According to Time, Grok described Maduro as deeply unpopular and said many Venezuelans would likely celebrate his removal. Trump later viewed the chatbot favorably after celebrations were reported among some Venezuelans following Maduro’s capture, the source said.
The White House identifies the January 3 operation as Operation Absolute Resolve. Administration materials say U.S. forces conducted military operations in Venezuela that resulted in Maduro being taken into U.S. custody for federal prosecution.
Time’s report does not establish that Grok determined the administration’s decision to carry out the operation. It describes the chatbot conversation as one source of information Trump consulted before the January action.
Grok Expands Its Role In Government Work
Musk’s AI company now markets Grok for Government, which offers AI capabilities for government workloads, including real-time search, document analysis, and deployment in classified and unclassified environments.
Grok is one of several commercial AI systems being used across U.S. government and military operations. OpenAI also signed an agreement with the Department of War in February 2026 to deploy its systems in classified environments, subject to restrictions involving domestic surveillance, autonomous weapons, and automated high-stakes decisions.
The Pentagon has also been assessing how newer AI systems, autonomous technologies, and other advanced tools could be incorporated into military operations. Musk and Anduril founder Palmer Luckey were recently selected to participate in a study examining future battlefield technology.
The reported December meeting therefore preceded both the Venezuela operation and a wider expansion of AI use within the U.S. government. Time’s account provides one example of Trump personally using a commercial chatbot while considering questions related to foreign policy and military action.
Featured image credits: Wikimedia Commons
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