Elon Musk Explodes in Anger After Being Accused of Abusing Ketamine for Depression

Elon Musk, the polarizing billionaire behind Tesla, SpaceX, and the social media platform X, ended his formal role in the Trump administration with a fiery outburst that underscored the chaotic, unconventional nature of his time in Washington. Standing beside President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, Musk abruptly dismissed questions about an explosive New York Times report that accused him of frequent ketamine use during the 2024 presidential campaign.

Instead of addressing the substance of the allegations, Musk attacked the credibility of the publication itself. “The New York Times. Is that the same publication that got a Pulitzer Prize for false reporting on the Russiagate?” Musk snapped, cutting off a Fox News reporter before turning back to Trump. “Let’s move on.”

The confrontation was emblematic of Musk’s tenure as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a short-lived yet headline-grabbing initiative that sought to gut federal contracts and slash bureaucratic bloat. But now, as Musk exits his official government role, his legacy is increasingly overshadowed by swirling questions about his mental health, pharmaceutical habits, and erratic behavior—accusations he continues to deny with open hostility.

The New York Times report at the center of the firestorm alleges that Musk took ketamine as often as once per day throughout 2024, contradicting his previous claims that he only used a “small amount every other week” to escape depressive episodes. The report cited unnamed insiders who painted a far more troubling picture—one in which Musk’s drug use not only impaired his health, notably affecting his bladder, but also potentially compromised his leadership over some of the most powerful private companies and public initiatives on Earth.

While Musk has previously admitted to Don Lemon that he has a prescription for ketamine and uses it to cope with low moods, his public persona has always leaned on the idea that he is in control. “If you use too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done… and I have a lot of work,” he told Lemon.

That quote has now become the subject of ridicule and concern, as insiders suggest the billionaire may be blending recreational and medical usage to dangerous extremes.

Adding to the gravity of the situation is Musk’s status as a holder of top-secret security clearance, which typically comes with stringent drug testing requirements. If the allegations are accurate, Musk’s daily use of a hallucinogenic substance would constitute a direct breach of the norms surrounding federal clearance and could raise questions about whether proper vetting was conducted before bringing him into Trump’s inner circle as a "special government employee."

Despite these allegations, Musk’s bravado remains undented. He has long dismissed concerns from business associates, journalists, and watchdogs, offering a simple, single-word defense: “execution.”

In Musk’s view, so long as Tesla delivers cars, rockets launch on time, and federal budgets shrink, the public should ignore what he puts into his body or how erratically he behaves online. But even some of his closest allies are now privately whispering that this approach may no longer be tenable.

DOGE, the Department Musk was entrusted to lead, was always more about symbolism than structure. Designed to be a strike force against federal waste and inefficiency, it was built on Musk’s Silicon Valley ethos: move fast, break things, and let the numbers sort themselves out. Trump supporters celebrated early reports that DOGE had saved $170 billion by canceling bloated contracts and purging redundant staff. Musk went so far as to predict he could cut $1 trillion over time.

Yet watchdog groups and analysts counter that many of DOGE’s so-called savings are paper illusions, masking hidden costs such as lost productivity, legal disputes, and structural instability. One report warned that DOGE might end up costing taxpayers hundreds of billions when long-term effects are accounted for.

And yet, the Friday farewell was filled with praise. Trump, always appreciative of loyalty and spectacle, lauded Musk’s contributions. “His role has been without comparison in modern history,” the president declared. Musk stood tall, dressed in his signature all-black outfit, refusing to appear humbled despite the controversies around him.

He accepted Trump’s praise, even hinting that he would continue to advise the president in an unofficial capacity, as a “friend and adviser.”

But the smiling photographs masked deeper tensions. In recent interviews, Musk has admitted to growing disillusioned with parts of Trump’s legislative agenda. He criticized the price tag of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a Trump-backed omnibus bill recently passed by House Republicans. He also confessed to CBS News that he felt “a little stuck in a bind” when he disagreed with the administration’s direction, revealing that the once-cozy alliance between Trump and Musk had frayed at the edges.

Still, it was the mention of ketamine that truly ignited the volcano.

The suggestion that the richest man in the world—trusted with secrets of the state and vast federal influence—might be routinely taking a powerful hallucinogen associated with club scenes and emergency rooms was enough to push Musk into open combat mode. His knee-jerk dismissal of the New York Times, and refusal to engage with the substance of the report, revealed more than any denial could have.

Public health officials have warned for years that ketamine, while medically useful under controlled supervision, is highly dangerous when misused. It has been implicated in numerous deaths, including the high-profile case of actor Matthew Perry.

It can impair judgment, destabilize mood, and, when used recreationally, blur the lines between therapeutic relief and addiction. For Musk to have allegedly taken it so often that it impacted his bladder function paints a chilling picture of a man spiraling under the pressure of public expectation, private despair, and unchecked power.

Whether the ketamine story fades or snowballs remains to be seen. But it has already colored Musk’s departure in Washington with controversy and contradiction.

He entered government as a disrupter, a visionary capitalist who would bring private-sector discipline to bloated bureaucracies. He leaves it a walking paradox: a man who cuts trillion-dollar budgets by day and allegedly consumes illegal stimulants by night.

Even as Musk returns to the boardrooms of Tesla, the launchpads of SpaceX, and the chaos of X, the ketamine cloud will follow him. The public, long accustomed to his strange tweets, unpredictable behavior, and grandiose promises, may begin to reevaluate the man behind the myth.

Is Elon Musk the indispensable genius of the 21st century—or a deeply troubled figure hiding behind a wall of wealth and reputation?

For now, Trump remains loyal. The farewell ceremony ended not with a rebuke but with a declaration of eternal gratitude. “Elon is terrific,” the president posted online, brushing past the controversy as if it were just another liberal media attack. But beneath the surface, the situation has shifted.

The man who once seemed untouchable now walks away from government service bruised—figuratively and, some say, literally—and more exposed than ever before.