According to a report by the UK’s Independent newspaper on July 3, American writer Michael Wolff claimed that US President Trump revealed that it was himself who provided The New York Times with the information about Musk’s drug use. Previously, The New York Times reported that Musk had used various prohibited drugs in 2024, but this was denied by Musk himself.
On July 2 local time, Wolff said in an interview with The Daily Beast website’s podcast that Trump had recently called people he knew multiple times, complaining about Musk and repeatedly asking, “Do you think Musk is crazy?” According to Wolff, his experience writing Trump’s “White House biography” allowed him to meet many people who were in frequent contact with Trump. These people said that Trump mentioned Musk’s “long-term drug use” multiple times during the phone calls. When it came to The New York Times, Trump claimed, “Actually, we are the ones who leaked the news of Musk’s drug use to The New York Times.”
On May 30th of this year, The New York Times reported that Musk frequently used various prohibited drugs during the 2024 US presidential election, including ketamine, ecstasy, and magic mushrooms. The report claimed that the information was based on interviews with more than ten people who knew or worked with Musk and private information obtained. Musk then denied it on social media, emphasizing “I don’t take drugs! The New York Times is completely making up stories,” and revealed that he tried to use prescription ketamine to treat depression years ago but has not used it since.
Wolff expressed on July 2nd that he had not directly spoken with Trump himself but learned about Trump’s statements from multiple phone conversations. In response, Steven Zhang, the director of the White House Communications Liaison Office and President Trump’s assistant, refuted the claim, accusing Wolff of being a “lying liar” who often tells fabricated stories because he suffers from severe “psychosis syndrome” and has corroded his peanut-sized brain.
Recently, the dispute between Trump and Musk has escalated again. Musk publicly criticized Trump’s “big and beautiful” tax and spending bill and threatened to form a new political party to challenge Republican candidates if the bill is passed by Congress. Trump even claimed that he was “considering” deporting Musk.