Elon Musk interrupted a reporter who started to ask about a New York Times story alleging he used a copious amount of drugs and travelled with a pill box that appeared to contain Adderall last year as he ramped up his donations to President Donald Trump—blasting the paper, but stopping short of denying the report.
Elon Musk stopped short of denying the Times report
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Key Takeaways
- Musk stopped the reporter mid-question when he started to ask about the story, saying “is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on Russiagate?” during a joint press conference with Trump in the Oval Office to mark his last day at the White House, referring to the paper’s reporting on Russian interference in the 2016 lawsuit and Trump’s defamation suit against the Pulitzer Prize Board.
- The report—published hours before the press conference—alleges Musk told confidants he was taking so much ketamine it affected his bladder, according to unnamed sources who said Musk also took ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms.
- The Times also reported it viewed a photo that showed a medication box Musk travelled with containing about 20 pills, including Adderall.
- The alleged drug use overlapped with his campaign activity last year on behalf of Trump—with an endorsement in July followed by $250 million to help elect him.
- Neither Musk nor his lawyer responded to The Times’ request for comment, but Musk has said previously he was prescribed ketamine for depression and took small amounts as prescribed.
- The White House praised Musk’s work at DOGE but did not acknowledge the drug accusations, according to a statement The Times issued after the story was published.
Tangent
The Wall Street Journal reported last year that Musk’s use of recreational drugs including LSD, cocaine, ecstasy, mushrooms and ketamine, concerned some executives and board members at his companies.
Key Background
Musk has scaled back his role in the Trump administration in recent weeks after brief but tumultuous run at DOGE, taking a heavy-handed approach to government cuts that raised eyebrows among Republicans and led to numerous lawsuits. Before endorsing Trump in July and becoming his largest donor, Musk was relatively uninvolved in politics and sometimes donated to Democrats. He said earlier this month he would spend “a lot less” on politics and on Wednesday, announced that he was exiting the White House. While Musk and Trump still appear to be on good terms, the Tesla CEO broke with the president earlier this week when he criticized Trump’s signature policy bill for adding to the federal deficit, telling CBS he is “disappointed” in the legislation.
Big Number
54%. That’s Musk’s unfavorability rating, according to Nate Silver’s Silver Bulletin, a 14-point decline since mid-July.
Forbes Valuation
We estimate Musk, the richest person in the world, is worth $428 billion.
