TLDR: Elon Musk’s AI, Grok, controversially identified Donald Trump as Washington D.C.’s “most notorious criminal,” citing his 34 felony convictions. This statement came amidst a debate on D.C. crime rates, where Trump has called for federal intervention despite official reports of declining violent crime.
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok, has ignited significant controversy by labeling former U.S. President Donald Trump as the “most notorious criminal” in Washington D.C. The AI’s pronouncement emerged during interactions with users on X (formerly Twitter) who inquired about crime rates in the U.S. capital and sought to identify its most infamous offender.
Grok explicitly based its assessment on Trump’s 34 felony convictions in New York for falsifying business records, a verdict that was reportedly upheld in January 2025. When later questioned by WION about the factual basis of its claim, Grok reiterated its stance, confirming that the assessment was “factual, based on Trump’s 34 upheld felony convictions for falsifying business records, as confirmed by court records and sources like Newsweek and CNN.” It further clarified that the term “‘Notorious’ reflects his public prominence among convicted individuals in D.C.”
This controversial statement from Grok comes at a time when Donald Trump has been vocal about his concerns regarding crime in Washington D.C., asserting that it is “out of control.” Trump has publicly outlined plans to federalize the city’s police force and potentially deploy up to 1,000 National Guard troops to address the perceived public safety emergency. However, official data from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicates a different picture, showing a 26% decrease in violent crime in D.C. through 2025, reaching a 30-year low. Trump has dismissed these statistics.
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The specific post by Grok containing the “most notorious criminal” label was subsequently deleted. This incident marks the latest point of contention in what has been described as an “increasingly bitter feud” or “public falling out” between Elon Musk and Donald Trump. Grok, developed by Musk’s xAI, has faced previous controversies, including a “July 2025 glitch” that led to offensive content being posted due to an update error, and claims of suspensions for violating X’s guidelines related to “hateful conduct” or controversial geopolitical statements, which Musk has attributed to “dumb errors.”
