Report: Trump Consulted Musk’s Grok AI Before Operation to Depose Venezuela’s Maduro
President Trump reportedly used Elon Musk’s Grok chatbot to gauge public reaction before the 2026 military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Maduro.
POLICY WIRE — Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump reportedly sought guidance from Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence platform, Grok, in the weeks leading up to the military operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
According to an official present at a meeting between the president and Musk, Trump spent hours questioning the AI about his political legacy and the potential fallout of removing the Venezuelan president. The chatbot allegedly advised that the public would likely welcome the move, characterizing Maduro as an unpopular dictator.
The extraction, codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, commenced on January 2, 2026, following months of strategic planning and U.S. strikes against vessels suspected of drug smuggling. The two-and-a-half-hour mission involved a significant deployment of bombers, fighter jets, and helicopters.
Cuba reported that 32 of its citizens died during the engagement, citing direct combat and aerial bombardment of facilities. By January 3, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were removed from Caracas, transported to a Caribbean assault ship, and routed through Guantanamo Bay before arriving in New York.
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Maduro currently faces charges of narcoterrorism and conspiracy to transport cocaine into the United States. He has denied all allegations and is scheduled to stand trial in June.
Following the operation, Trump reportedly expressed significant satisfaction with the accuracy of Grok’s predictions. Despite past tensions between the president and Musk, the technology remains integrated into federal systems, including the new America.gov chatbot, which utilizes both Grok and Google’s Gemini.
Trump has remained a vocal proponent of artificial intelligence, which he intends to rebrand as Super Intelligence. Aides noted that the president dismissed internal warnings regarding public anxiety over AI, including polling data from Tony Fabrizio suggesting widespread fear of the technology’s economic and existential risks.
The president has maintained his stance on social media, recently declaring on Truth Social that the nation leading in AI development will ultimately secure global dominance. He remains undeterred by surveys indicating that a majority of voters perceive AI as a potential threat to humanity.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
