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Tesla CEO Elon Musk has lashed out at The New York Times following allegations of regular recreational drug use, calling the news organization "pure propaganda" in a recent post.
The paper says the X owner regularly used ketamine, along with MDMA and psychedelic mushrooms, while on the campaign trail for Donald Trump last year. "The line between medical use and recreation was blurry, troubling some people close to him," the paper says.
When asked about the report during an Oval Office appearance on Friday, Musk dodged the question and instead attacked the New York Times. He then pivoted to Trump's lawsuit against the Pulitzer board for awarding prizes to the NYT and Washington Post for investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election and connections to the Trump campaign.
Later, Musk tweeted, "The New York Times is pure propaganda. Can’t wait until they have to return their Pulitzer for their deliberate lies about the Russia hoax. That will be a good day."
Concerns about Musk's drug use are not new. Tesla and SpaceX executives have raised concerns, The Wall Street Journal reported last year. That came after the WSJ reported that Musk—as well as other tech CEOs—micro-dosed ketamine "as gateways to business breakthroughs." About a month after that published, Musk tweeted that "occasional use of Ketamine is a much better option [than antidepressants], in my opinion. I have a prescription for when my brain chemistry sometimes goes super negative."
At issue are Musk's security clearances. SpaceX has federal spaceflight contracts, and the Drug-Free Workplace Act requires federal and non-federal workplaces with contracts of $100,000 or more to implement a Drug-Free Workplace Program, which includes drug testing requirements (even if the drug in question is legal in the state). NASA tests for marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, opioids, and PCP, according to NASA documentation.
According to the NYT, Musk received advanced warning of random drug tests.
On Friday night, Musk tweeted that he meets with "dozens to hundreds of people" every day and is "photographed constantly," so any drug use "would have been extremely obvious."
President Trump, meanwhile, was asked if he was troubled by reports of Musk's drug use last night. "I'm not troubled by anything with Elon; I think he's fantastic," Trump responded.
Musk was in the Oval Office on Friday, ostensibly to bid adieu to DOGE, though Trump said he's "really not leaving" and will be "back and forth." The NYT says it's unclear if Musk was using drugs while working at the White House.
Musk and Trump have a long history of attacking publications that publish unflattering stories about them or their businesses.