Trump shrugs off claims about Musk’s drug use - but the White House is ‘happy to see him go’
Musk was ‘a source of consternation’ for some Trump officials, CNN political analyst Maggie Haberman said
President Donald Trump brushed off allegations of Elon Musk’s alleged drug use on the campaign trail, but the White House is “happy to have him go,” according to reports.
As he was contributing millions to Trump’s re-election bid, the world’s richest person was allegedly using ketamine, ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms and Adderall, and traveled with a daily medication box that held about 20 pills, sources told the New York Times. The sources were unable to confirm whether his drug use continued as he led the Department of Government Efficiency.
Upon Musk’s departure from his role at DOGE, the president downplayed the explosive report on Friday, saying he was “not troubled by anything with Elon.” Asked if he was aware of Musk’s drug habits, Trump told reporters: “No, I wasn’t. I think he’s fantastic. I think Elon is a fantastic guy.”
The president was then pressed on whether he was troubled by the report. He replied: “I’m not troubled by anything with Elon. I think he’s fantastic. Did a great job. And, you know, DOGE continues. And by the time it’s finished, we’ll have numbers that’ll knock your socks off. It’s gonna be uh, he did a fantastic job. And he didn’t need it. He didn’t need to do it.”
Some White House officials, however, are “happy” to see Musk exit the administration, according to Maggie Haberman, a CNN political analyst and New York Times reporter. The journalist pointed to "consternation" over his massive social media presence and controversial headlines stemming from his efforts at the cost-cutting agency.
One such questionable claim was the “savings” DOGE found in Social Security payments after allegedly discovering that many dead people were still receiving benefits. That claim has now been debunked.
Asked whether the White House believed the alleged “savings” that DOGE touted, Haberman said Musk was “a source of consternation” for some Trump advisers because he “would make statements about fraud and waste that he was finding in the Social Security network, that there were examples of tons of people who were dead receiving benefits. But then he would not produce that information.”
She continued: “Those headlines were problematic for Trump, politically, in their minds. They are happy… to have him go because, look, there are things [Musk] did that some of them are happy with. A bunch of them in Trump’s world came around to Musk. Many others, however, were not so happy.”
Haberman then turned to his large social media presence. For example, Musk, who owns X, got into a public spat with Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro over tariffs last month. “Mostly, he was a source of tension, and he commanded this social media presence where he could intimidate any of them as well. And so I think, you know, they are happy to see this chapter end,” she said.
Trump suggested that Musk, whose 130 days as a special government employee came to an end this week, isn’t putting the White House in the rearview mirror entirely. "Elon's really not leaving. He's going to be back and forth, I think, I have a feeling,” the president said Friday. Referring to DOGE, he continued: “It's his baby, and I think he's going to be doing a lot of things."
Vice President JD Vance added: “Elon will continue to be an important adviser for both me and the president.”
Asked about the Times’ report on Friday, Musk took aim at the publication: “Is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on the Russiagate?” said Musk, referring to the paper’s coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 election. “That New York Times? Let’s move on,” Musk said.
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