Elon Musk, widely touted as the world’s richest and most influential man and a key figure in Donald Trump’s inner circle, is facing allegations of extensive drug use during the 2024 presidential campaign, according to sources cited by The New York Times and other publications.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO “reportedly’ consumed ketamine so frequently that it damaged his bladder,” a known side effect of chronic use. Sources to the NYT also claim Musk used ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms at private gatherings in the US and abroad and carried a box containing about 20 pills, including some labelled as Adderall, a stimulant for ADHD treatment. The allegations, which Musk has not publicly addressed, have raised concerns about his erratic behaviour and emotional instability during the campaign’s final months.
The revelations mark a spate of bad news for Musk, including a dramatic slump in sales at Tesla, said to have been caused by boycotts of the brand due to widespread dislike of the tech magnate. However, sales in the second quarter of 2025 have shown signs of recovery, and the dip in sales at the beginning of the year has already been largely attributed to the aggressive pricing policy of Chinese electric automaker BYD. The European Union has already been said to be looking into the Chinese company’s trading practices, making a loss on battery manufacturing to get a foothold on the European market.
Musk accused of drug abuse and being a Nazi
In January 2025, a campaign to dub the ex-campaign advisor to President Trump a ‘Nazi’ using the image of Musk giving a vigorous wave to Republican Party faithful and claiming it to be a ‘Nazi salute’ led to extreme reactions, including firebomb attacks on Tesla vehicles in European streets.
At the beginning of May 2025, the Wall Street Journal made claims about Musk stepping down as Tesla CEO by saying that the board of directors ‘had begun searching for a new chief executive officer.’ Tesla refuted this claim as ‘absolutely false’, and Musk himself came out that he’s committed to being Tesla’s chief executive for the next five years.
The 53-year-old Musk had already previously admitted to using ketamine, prescribed for depression, claiming in a March 2024 interview with Don Lemon that he takes it sparingly to maintain productivity. However, NYT sources allege his use was far more frequent, often mixed with other drugs, blurring the line between medical and recreational use.
So, we return to the line ‘reportedly’ consumed ketamine so frequently it damaged his bladder’ and are left asking whether this is just another in a growing line of unsubstantiated claims aimed at slurring the name of Elon Musk for political bias?
