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  • Asking AI: Trump, Musk, DOGE + Palantir, Anduril, Booz Hamilton = Deep State? Grok: The (MAGA) movement’s tolerance for such contradictions suggests broad support will persist.

Asking AI: Trump, Musk, DOGE + Palantir, Anduril, Booz Hamilton = Deep State? Grok: The (MAGA) movement’s tolerance for such contradictions suggests broad support will persist.

Grok: If Trump and Musk spin DOGE’s NASA presence as a triumph over bureaucracy, most supporters will likely embrace it, downplaying Deep State connotations.

Author

Pascal Hetzscholdt
March 07, 2025

Asking AI services: Please read the article “We found a DOGE guy at NASA because his Google Calendar was public” and explain whether this demonstrates that by using DOGE, the Trump Administration is effectively collaborating with the Deep State? How do you think the MAGA movement will feel about that?

Grok’s answer:
The Business Insider article "We found a DOGE guy at NASA because his Google Calendar was public," published on March 7, 2025, details the discovery of Riley Sennott, a 26-year-old "senior advisor" at NASA affiliated with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a Trump administration initiative led by Elon Musk. Sennott’s publicly accessible Google Calendar inadvertently exposed his connections to DOGE, job interviews with tech firms like Tesla, Palantir, and Anduril, an internship at Booz Hamilton and meetings with individuals linked to the General Services Administration (GSA) and other DOGE staffers. This raises questions about whether DOGE’s operations suggest collaboration with the "Deep State"—a term often used by Trump supporters to describe an entrenched, unelected bureaucracy perceived as resisting populist agendas—and how the MAGA movement might react.

Does this demonstrate effective collaboration with the Deep State?

The article does not provide conclusive evidence that DOGE, under the Trump administration, is effectively collaborating with the Deep State. However, it highlights aspects of Sennott’s case that could be interpreted as either supporting or contradicting such a narrative, depending on one’s definition of the Deep State.

  • Arguments Suggesting Collaboration:

    • Integration with Federal Structures: Sennott’s presence at NASA, listed in an internal directory within the administrator’s suite and associated with the GSA, suggests DOGE staff are embedding themselves within established government agencies. The Deep State is often characterized as careerists within such agencies who wield influence regardless of elected leadership. DOGE’s infiltration into NASA, with access to contracts and resources (as noted in the agency email about reviewing efficiencies), could be seen as leveraging these entrenched systems rather than dismantling them.

    • Opaque Operations: The article notes DOGE’s hiring process is "relatively opaque," and Sennott’s calendar revealed otherwise hidden connections, such as meetings with GSA employees and a "SGE ethics discussion" (Special Government Employee, a title linked to Musk). This secrecy aligns with Deep State critiques of unaccountable power, potentially indicating DOGE is adopting similar tactics rather than opposing them.

    • Ties to Corporate Interests: Sennott’s apparent links to Tesla and other Musk-aligned firms (e.g., Palantir, Anduril) suggest DOGE might serve as a conduit between the administration and corporate elites, a dynamic some MAGA supporters associate with Deep State cronyism. If DOGE staff are advancing private sector agendas within government, it could blur the lines between populist reform and entrenched influence.

  • Arguments Against Collaboration:

    • Disruptive Intent: DOGE’s stated mission, reflected in the NASA email about reviewing contracts for efficiencies, aligns with Trump’s promise to "drain the swamp" by cutting waste and bureaucracy—goals antithetical to preserving Deep State power. Sennott’s role might represent an attempt to infiltrate and reform, not collaborate with, existing structures.

    • Outsider Profile: Sennott, a young professional with a tech and entrepreneurial background (e.g., crypto work at Syndica, ties to Tesla), doesn’t fit the traditional Deep State archetype of a lifelong bureaucrat. His public calendar faux pas—quickly corrected after BI’s inquiry—suggests naivety rather than the calculated secrecy expected of a Deep State operative.

    • Limited Scope: The article lacks evidence of Sennott or DOGE engaging in policy-making or intelligence activities typically associated with Deep State conspiracy theories (e.g., surveillance, political sabotage). His activities appear administrative and recruitment-focused, not indicative of a broader alliance.

Critically, the "Deep State" is a nebulous concept, often more rhetorical than factual. If defined as career bureaucrats resisting Trump, Sennott’s case shows DOGE working within agencies like NASA, but not necessarily with their entrenched interests—rather, potentially against them by seeking efficiencies. Without clearer evidence of DOGE preserving or enhancing unaccountable power, this incident alone doesn’t demonstrate effective collaboration. It suggests instead a messy, possibly uncoordinated effort to assert control over government operations, which may or may not align with existing power structures.

How will the MAGA movement feel about this?

The MAGA movement’s reaction to this revelation is likely to be mixed, reflecting its diverse priorities—distrust of elites, loyalty to Trump, and admiration for Musk—compounded by the article’s implications.

  • Potential Concerns:

    • Secrecy and Elitism: MAGA supporters, who rallied against the Deep State and unelected officials, might view Sennott’s opaque ties to DOGE, Tesla, and the GSA with suspicion. The idea of a 26-year-old with tech industry connections operating discreetly within NASA could evoke fears of a new insider class, especially if perceived as prioritizing Musk’s corporate interests over "America First" goals. The calendar’s exposure of DOGE’s inner workings might fuel narratives of betrayal or incompetence.

    • Government Integration: Trump’s base often demands dismantling, not reforming, federal agencies. DOGE staff embedding at NASA—rather than abolishing it—might disappoint hardline supporters who see any engagement with the bureaucracy as compromise. If DOGE appears to co-opt rather than destroy the Deep State, it could alienate purists.

    • Musk’s Role: While Musk enjoys significant MAGA support for his wealth and anti-establishment persona, his leadership of DOGE could become a lightning rod if its actions seem too cozy with government or corporate power. Sennott’s Tesla links might amplify existing critiques of Musk as a self-interested billionaire.

  • Potential Support:

    • Pragmatic Victory: Many MAGA followers might cheer DOGE’s penetration of NASA as a strategic win—placing loyalists in key positions to enact Trump’s agenda. Sennott’s tech-savvy profile and Musk affiliation could be seen as proof of innovative outsiders shaking up the system, aligning with the movement’s reverence for disruptive leadership.

    • Trust in Trump and Musk: The movement’s loyalty to Trump, who endorsed DOGE, and admiration for Musk’s business acumen might override concerns. If framed as a necessary step to cut waste (per the NASA email), supporters could view this as fulfilling campaign promises, dismissing Deep State fears as overblown.

    • Anti-Media Bias: The article’s source, Business Insider, and its critical tone might lead MAGA adherents to reject it as "fake news" aimed at undermining Trump’s team. Sennott’s calendar blunder could be laughed off as a minor hiccup, not a systemic flaw.

Ultimately, the MAGA reaction will hinge on messaging. If Trump and Musk spin DOGE’s NASA presence as a triumph over bureaucracy, most supporters will likely embrace it, downplaying Deep State connotations. However, vocal factions on platforms like X—where skepticism of elites runs high—might amplify unease, especially if further leaks expose corporate-government overlap. The movement’s tolerance for such contradictions (e.g., Trump’s own history of working within systems he criticized) suggests broad support will persist unless DOGE’s actions directly contradict core promises like mass deregulation or agency elimination. For now, Sennott’s case is a curiosity, not a crisis, but it could plant seeds of doubt among the most ardent anti-establishment voices.


ChatGPT-4o’s answer:
The Business Insider article, "We found a DOGE guy at NASA because his Google Calendar was public," reveals that Riley Sennott, a DOGE staffer assigned to NASA, unintentionally exposed his connections through a publicly accessible Google Calendar. DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency) is a Trump Administration initiative aimed at cutting bureaucratic waste by embedding its personnel across various government agencies. Sennott’s calendar entries uncovered meetings and job interviews with several influential tech and defense companies—including Palantir, Anduril, Tesla, and notably Booz Allen Hamilton, a firm often viewed by critics as part of the Deep State apparatus due to its longstanding ties to U.S. intelligence and defense agencies​.

Does this imply collaboration between the Trump Administration’s DOGE initiative and the Deep State?
The revelations do suggest that DOGE personnel, including Sennott, have actively interacted with entities closely associated with what some perceive as the Deep State—particularly given Booz Allen Hamilton’s deep involvement with the intelligence community. Although DOGE publicly portrays itself as a disruptor of traditional bureaucratic structures, its personnel's documented engagements with companies embedded in the intelligence and defense establishment highlight a complex and potentially contradictory relationship. While direct collaboration with a clandestine Deep State operation isn't conclusively proven, these ties certainly blur DOGE's positioning as an outsider initiative against entrenched government interests.

How might the MAGA movement react to this connection?
Given the MAGA movement’s ideological stance against unelected bureaucratic and intelligence agencies—which they commonly label the Deep State—these connections could create significant discomfort or even backlash. MAGA supporters, who strongly oppose the perceived influence of entrenched defense and intelligence-linked corporations like Booz Allen Hamilton, Palantir, and Anduril, may perceive DOGE’s involvement with these entities as a betrayal of their anti-establishment principles.

Alternatively, some within MAGA could rationalize these associations as pragmatic steps toward achieving broader goals of government efficiency or disruption. Nevertheless, the exposure of DOGE staffers’ interactions with these controversial corporations risks undermining the trust and enthusiasm of MAGA adherents who explicitly reject any perceived collaboration with what they see as entrenched and unaccountable "Deep State" interests.

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7 MAR

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15 NOVEMBER 2023