- Wednesday, June 04, 2025
President Donald Trump claimed he was not aware of Musk’s drug usage. Asked if he was troubled by the report, Trump said: “I’m not troubled by anything with Elon.”
By: India Weekly
ELON MUSK, who announced his departure from government service last week, was engaged in drug consumption “far more intensely than previously known”, New York Times reports.
The world’s richest man regularly consumed ketamine, ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms during his rise to political prominence, the daily added quoting sources.
His drug use reportedly intensified as he donated $275 million to Trump’s presidential campaign.
Musk told people he was taking so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that it was affecting his bladder, a known effect of chronic use.
The daily, however, said it was unclear whether Musk was taking drugs when he was handed the power to slash the federal bureaucracy.
During a farewell event at the White House on Friday (30), a reporter tried to ask Musk about his alleged drug use during the 2024 campaign.
But Musk dodged the question and aimed at the New York Times instead.
“Is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on the Russiagate?” said Musk, referring to claims that Trump’s 2016 election campaign colluded with Moscow.
“Let’s move on. Okay. Next question.”
President Donald Trump claimed he was not aware of Musk’s drug usage, responding to a media report, and described Musk as ‘fantastic’.
Asked if he was troubled by the report, Trump said: “I’m not troubled by anything with Elon.”
In March last year, he acknowledged using prescription ketamine to combat bouts of depression, and had earlier shocked corporate executives by smoking marijuana during a podcast in 2018.
At the joint press conference in White House, Trump lauded Musk’s work as DOGE chief, which has eliminated thousands of jobs and canceled billions of dollars in spending, including the majority of US foreign aid.
“Elon is really not leaving. He’s going to be back and forth,” Trump said.
South-African born Musk stood to his right, wearing a black DOGE hat and a T-shirt that read “The Dogefather” in the style of the movie “The Godfather.”
“I look forward to continuing to be a friend and advisor to the president,” he said.
But many people were more interested in the livid black bruise around Musk’s right eye.
The SpaceX and Tesla magnate said that his son was to blame for the injury.
“I was just horsing around with lil’ X, and I said, ‘go ahead punch me in the face,'” 53-year-old Musk said. “And he did. Turns out even a five-year-old punching you in the face actually is…” he added, before tailing off.
Musk’s family life has grown increasingly tumultuous as he has negotiated overlapping romantic relationships and private legal battles involving his growing brood of children, the New York Times claimed.
The latest in a series of made-for-TV Oval Office events was aimed at putting a positive spin on Musk’s departure.
Musk is leaving Trump’s administration under a cloud, after admitting disillusionment with his role and criticizing the Republican president’s spending plans.
It was a far cry from his first few weeks as Trump’s chainsaw-brandishing sidekick.
He exerted enormous power during the first few weeks of Trump’s term.
DOGE upended the federal bureaucracy, dismantling agencies, shutting down long-standing programs and issuing sweeping mandates with little warning, resulting in tens of thousands of layoffs.
But DOGE’s achievements fell far short of Musk’s original goal of saving $2 trillion dollars.
The White House says DOGE has made $170 billion in savings so far. The independent “Doge Tracker” site has counted just $12 billion while the Atlantic magazine put it far lower, at $2 billion.
Musk’s influence at the White House appeared to wane amid complaints from cabinet members about his approach.
At the same time, he faced mounting pressure from shareholders worried that his expanding political role was becoming a liability for his companies.
Musk is the CEO of car maker Tesla and rocket company SpaceX, and he owns social-media platform X.
Widespread anti-Musk protests at Tesla outlets across the U.S. and Europe contributed to declining sales and a drop in the company’s stock price.
Other ventures in his sprawling empire, including SpaceX and Starlink, were expected to benefit, but they came under scrutiny due to his close ties to Trump. (Agencies)
