In December 2025, just weeks before the United States launched an invasion of Venezuela to capture President Nicolás Maduro, President Trump held a confidential meeting with Elon Musk, as reported by Time magazine. This occurred approximately seven months after Musk stepped down from his position at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) within the Trump administration.
During their discussion, Trump spent considerable time engaging with Musk’s Grok chatbot, inquiring specifically about how Venezuelans might react to the removal of their president. Earlier, in September, Trump had initiated military strikes against Venezuelan vessels he accused of participating in drug trafficking.
At that time, many had sought insights from Grok regarding the military actions and the political situation in Venezuela. The chatbot informed Trump that Maduro was widely disliked and that many citizens would likely welcome his removal, according to Time.
When celebrations did indeed take place following the U.S. invasion on January 3, Trump reportedly concluded that Grok was remarkably insightful, as stated by a knowledgeable source.
It should be noted that, in June of this year, the head of AI at the Pentagon revealed that Grok was utilized to identify and strike targets during the conflict in Iran.
While Grok is not the only AI system aiding the Department of Defense—OpenAI and Anthropic are also involved in discussions about their technologies’ roles in military operations—Grok may gain greater prominence under the current administration. Recently, the Pentagon announced that Musk and Anduril’s Palmer Luckey would be co-leading a study focused on the application of advanced technologies in combat scenarios.
