Elon Musk used drugs, had family drama during 2024 presidential campaign with Trump: Report
'Is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on the Russiagate?' Musk says in response
HOUSTON, United States
Elon Musk used drugs when he was on the 2024 campaign trail with President Donald Trump and was consumed with family drama, according to a New York Times report released Friday.
The article said that "Musk's drug consumption went well beyond occasional use."
"He told people he was taking so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that it was affecting his bladder, a known effect of chronic use. He took Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms. And he traveled with a daily medication box that held about 20 pills, including ones with the markings of the stimulant Adderall, according to a photo of the box and people who have seen it," the Times reported.
It said that Musk's family life had "grown increasingly tumultuous as he has negotiated overlapping romantic relationships and private legal battles involving his growing brood of children," according to documents and interviews collected by the Times.
Musk, 53, deflected when asked about the article during an Oval Office news conference alongside Trump.
"Is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on the Russiagate? Is it the same organization? I think it is," said Musk. "I think the judge just ruled against New York Times for their lies about the Russiagate hoax and that they might have to give back that Pulitzer Prize that New York Times. Let's move on."
The article was published in the wake of Musk's announcement Wednesday that he was leaving the Trump administration after spearheading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created after the president was inaugurated in January.
According to the New York Times, Musk has previously said he was prescribed ketamine for depression, taking it about every two weeks. He has also described some of his mental health issues in interviews and on social media, saying in one post that he has felt "great highs, terrible lows and unrelenting stress."
The report went on to say that a person familiar with the habits of the billionaire who owns Tesla and SpaceX said: "He plays video games for hours on end. He struggles with binge eating. And he posts day and night on his social media platform, X."
The Wall Street Journal reported last year that Musk has a history of recreational drug use and that some Tesla board members worried about his use of drugs, including Ambien, a sleep medication.
Musk denounced traditional therapy and antidepressants and told his biographer, "I really don’t like doing illegal drugs," according to the New York Times.
