Elon Musk was using a cocktail of drugs on the campaign trail as his messy personal life spilled over into his work, according to a report from the New York Times.
Musk stormed into politics as President Donald Trumps chainsaw-brandishing sidekick tasked with slashing the federal bureaucracy, but the tech tycoon has found himself on the chopping block just four months into his stint in government.
The Tesla CEO has previously said he was prescribed ketamine for depression and was taking the drug roughly every two weeks.
But insiders allege Musk, 53, was taking the powerful anesthetic, which is known to have hallucinogenic properties, so frequently that it was affecting his bladder, the bombshell report claims.
He also took ecstasy, psychedelic mushrooms and travelled with a daily pill box that contained about 20 different drugs, including Adderall, sources allege.
Those around him claim that his consumption blurred the lines between medicinal and recreational, with Musk allegedly having taken drugs at private gathering across the US and in at least one foreign country, according to the NYT report which was based on a series of texts the outlet reviewed, as well as interviews with insiders.
Musk has claimed in interviews that he only takes a small amount of ketamine and that I really dont like doing illegal drugs, but his erratic behaviors, including making an apparent Nazi salute at Trumps election day event, seemingly suggest otherwise.
It is unclear if Musk was taking drugs when Trump put him in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which he announced he was stepping down from on Wednesday.
Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Musk and the White House for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Elon Musk (pictured during a White House cabinet meeting on April 30) was using a cocktail of drugs on the campaign trail as his messy personal life spilled over into his work, according to an explosive report from the New York Times
Musk stormed into politics as President Donald Trumps chainsaw-brandishing sidekick tasked with slashing the federal bureaucracy, but has found himself on the chopping block just four months into his stint in government. He and Trump are pictured in Mar-a-Lago on March 14
Musks aerospace firm SpaceX, which is a large government contractor, requires its workforce to be drug free and randomly administers drug test.
The tech billionaire however, would receive advance warning of those tests, insiders with knowledge of the testing process told the newspaper.
It is unclear if Musk was forced to undergo drug testing by the White House, but Trumps top aide Stephen Miller told CNN on Friday I dont have any concerns about the NYTs explosive report.
Miller, noting that Trump would be hosting a joint press conference with Musk later in the day, said: All I can say is that DOGE has done an extraordinary job rooting out systemic waste, graft, graft and corruption from the federal government.
And youre going to hear from the president today his thanks to Elon Musk for leading that effort to save taxpayers billions of dollars.
Miller was pressed again about the report after he arrived at the White House.
Are you concerned about drug use by Elon Musk?, a reporter asked, but Miller doubled down, saying: The drugs that were concerned about are the drugs running across the southern border.
Musk was frequently exhibiting wild behaviors, including brandished a chainsaw at a the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) on February 20, 2025, a month after Donald Trumps inauguration
He also made an apparent Nazi salute during a his speech at the inaugural parade inside Capitol One Arena, in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2025
In addition to his alleged drug habit, Musks stint at DOGE was intertwined with private legal battles involving his ex-partners and children.
Claire Boucher, known professionally as Grimes, is understood to be fighting with Musk over his public flaunting of their five-year-old son X, which she alleges violates the pairs custody agreement.
He also was accused of fathering a secret 14th child with conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair. Musk has allegedly denied paternity of the child.
In recent weeks Musk had shown growing disillusionment with the obstacles faced by DOGE, even as it cut a brutal swath through the US bureaucracy.
He leaves far short of his original goal of saving $2 trillion dollars, with calculations suggesting he saved just one thousandth of that, despite tens of thousands of people losing their jobs.
Musk will now focus on his Space X and Tesla businesses, as well as his goal of colonizing Mars.
Trump hailed Musk as terrific as he announced that they would hold a joint press conference on Friday as the SpaceX founder leaves DOGE.
This will be his last day, but not really, because he will, always, be with us, helping all the way, Trump said on his Truth Social network on Thursday.
But the warm words could not hide the open frustrations that Musk, had expressed in recent weeks about his controversial cost-cutting role.
Musk quickly became Trumps so-called First Buddy and was constantly at his side. Trump listens as Musk speaks in the Oval Office at the White House on February 11
Trump even turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla dealership on March 11, 2025 after protesters targeted Musks electric car business
Musk was the biggest donor to Trumps 2024 election campaign and the pair bonded over conservative politics and a desire to root out what they believed was a wasteful deep state.
He quickly became Trumps so-called First Buddy and was constantly at his side.
The tycoon appeared with his young son X on his shoulders during his first press conference in the Oval Office. He attended cabinet meetings.
He and Trump rode on Air Force One and Marine One together and they watched UFC fights together.
But the tech tycoon was frequently exhibiting wild behaviors. He brandished a chainsaw at a conservative event, boasting of how easy it was to save money, and separately made what appeared to be a Nazi salute.
But Trump himself remained publicly loyal to the man he called a genius.
The president even turned the White House into a pop-up Tesla dealership after protesters targeted Musks electric car business.
Yet Musk struggled to get a grip on the realities of politics.
He is understood to have insulted cabinet members during meetings and would routinely get into fights with his opponents, according to the report.
The impact on Musks businesses also began to hit home with a series of Space X launches ended in fiery failures and Tesla shares dropping drastically.
Elon Musk, who had shown growing signs of frustration with the obstacles faced by his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has parted ways with Donald Trump
Musk started musing about stepping back earlier this year saying that, DOGE is a way of life, like Buddhism that would carry on without him.
He finally showed the first signs of distance from Trump himself this week, saying he was disappointed in Trumps recent mega spending bill. Musk also said he would pull back from spending time on politics.
The end came in a post by Musk on Wednesday on the X network, which he bought and then turned into a MAGA campaign platform.
As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending, Musk tweeted.
The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.
