US President Donald Trump has privately asked aides if Elon Musk’s recent behavior could be linked to alleged drug use, as he tries to make sense of the tech billionaire’s attacks, a source told CNN. Publicly, however, Trump has downplayed the feud, signaling that he is uninterested in engaging further.
The president told CNN’s Dana Bash in a brief phone call Friday morning he was “not even thinking about Elon” and wouldn’t be speaking to Musk “for a while.”
Though the source said Trump had privately inquired about Musk’s alleged drug use, the president declined to weigh in on the matter publicly.
“I don’t want to comment on his drug use. I don’t know - I don’t know what his status is,” he said on Air Foce One, adding that New York Times reporting on the matter “sounded very unfair”
Trump stated that he is not wasting any time thinking about the man who, just a week ago, was honored with a giant golden key in the Oval Office and has since directed insults at its occupant.
Despite this, questions continue to arise about the very public fallout between them.
Speaking to reporters on Air Force One Friday night, Trump said he would “take a look at” canceling some of Musk’s government contracts, referencing his earlier post on Truth Social.
“The US can survive without almost anybody – except me,” he said, adding that he was joking on the latter point.
The New York Times reported that Musk’s drug use intensified significantly as he became more involved in Trump’s inner circle in 2024, with sources saying he frequently used ketamine sometimes daily and combined it with other substances.
In a 2024 interview with Don Lemon, Musk admitted to taking “a small amount” of ketamine, prescribed to help manage negative moods, but said his busy schedule limited how much he could use.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
