Trump Consulted Musk’s AI Chatbot Grok Before Maduro Operation

U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly consulted Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, before finalizing plans to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to a report by Time magazine.

The report states that in December 2025, about a month before the U.S. military operation in Caracas, Trump spent several hours asking Grok a range of questions, including how Venezuelans might react if Maduro were captured by U.S. forces.

According to Time, the chatbot responded that Maduro was a deeply unpopular leader and that many Venezuelans would likely welcome his removal. However, the report emphasizes that there is no evidence that Grok directly influenced Trump's final decision to launch the operation. The episode nonetheless highlights the growing role of artificial intelligence in discussions surrounding government decision-making and national security.

In January 2026, U.S. forces carried out an operation in Caracas, detaining Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. They were subsequently taken to the United States, where federal prosecutors filed narcoterrorism and drug trafficking charges against them. Reports of celebrations in parts of Venezuela following the operation reportedly impressed Trump, who viewed Grok's earlier assessment as accurate. Even so, it remains unclear whether the chatbot's responses played any role in shaping his final decision.