A series of new headlines reveal how Tesla CEO Elon Musk made extensive use of drugs while working as head of the Dept. Of Government Efficiency. But his use of ketamine and other controlled substances began long before Musk began working for Pres. Donald Trump. And it has contributed to what many observers have seen as erratic personal behavior and corporate mismanagement. Headlight.News has more.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has come under increasing fire since joining the Trump administration.
Elon Musk’s short tenure in Washington appeared to end on a positive note during a White House ceremony last week, Pres. Donald Trump praising his outgoing lieutenant for delivering “colossal change” as head of the Dept. of Government Efficiency.
But Musk’s departure was far less upbeat than that session in the Oval Office was meant to suggest. In the run-up to his departure, the South African-born entrepreneur reportedly got into a shouting match with other members of the Trump cabinet who questioned Musk’s claims of saving $1 trillion through DOGE. At one point, Musk shoved 62-year-old Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, long-time Trump loyalist Steve Bannon told Britain’s Daily Mail.
Other reports have begun raising concerns about Musk’s mental health from the time he came onboard as a major fixture in Trump’s 2024 reelection bid – donating more than $270 million. Sources indicate the Tesla CEO acknowledged doing drugs like ketamine and Ecstasy, enough to affect his health and, potentially his judgement after taking on the DOGE role.
As Headlight.News reported in 2024, Musk’s drug use appears to date back a number of years. Some critics contend it impacted his behavior, both as an executive, and in his personal life where he has now fathered at least 14 children by a number of different women.
“Well beyond occasional use”
Musk raised fresh concerns about his status during a remote interview from a 5-20-25 conference in Qatar.
“Mr. Musk’s drug consumption went well beyond occasional use,” the New York Times reported on Friday. “He told people he was taking so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that it was affecting his bladder, a known effect of chronic use. He took Ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms. And he traveled with a daily medication box that held about 20 pills, including ones with the markings of the stimulant Adderall, according to a photo of the box and people who have seen it.”
The Times report could not confirm whether Musk continued using drugs after coming onboard as DOGE – but the paper did add that, “he has exhibited erratic behavior, insulting cabinet members, gesturing like a Nazi and garbling his answers in a staged interview.”
Concerns about Musk’s drug use actually date back some time, as reflected in report on Headlight.News posted on February 5, 2024. It cited sources indicating Musk not only used drugs by himself but also shared them with members of the closely knit Tesla board of directors.
”Drug-fueled events”
Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s ties to Pres. Donald Trump are now seen as hurting the brand.
Musk has done little to hide his use of intoxicating substances. He smoked marijuana during an appearance on the widely watched Joe Rogen podcast. A February 2024 report by the Wall Street Journal also indicated Musk used cocaine, LSD, ecstasy and hallucinogenic mushrooms. The report claims Musk used some of those substances at “drug-fueled events,” including parties in Mexico and the Burning Man Festival.
According to the Journal the problem got bad enough, the publication reported over the weekend, that “The former Tesla director (Ellison) invited Musk to Hawaii to dry out from drugs.” It also noted that the Oracle founder described himself as ‘very close friends’ with the Tesla CEO.”
One irony to Musk’s apparent, routine use of intoxicating substances is that this has largely been ignored by authorities, potentially including the president himself. At the same time, At the same time, the administration’s FBI Director Kash Patel has launched an investigation into a small amount of cocaine that was found in the White House during former Pres. Joe Biden’s administration.
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DOGE benefits under question
Musk’s apparent Nazi salute, along with his role with Trump’s DOGE, has triggered widespread opposition.
One of the most immediate questions is whether drug use has clouded Musk’s judgement, both in his personal and corporate life, as well as during his four-month tenure in Washington. That issue has become a topic even inside the Trump administration, it seems.
During last week’s farewell event, Musk praised his DOGE team for “doing an incredible job,” Trump echoing that by saying the Tesla boss has led to “a colossal change in the old ways of doing business in Washington”
But despite repeated claims of massive savings, accompanied by major employment cuts across the federal government, the results are coming under close scrutiny. The original target of $2 billion in savings was dropped by Musk to $1 trillion and have since come down by 80 to 90%. Yet some reports by CBS News, Inc. and CNN warn that the savings are countered by unexpected costs that eventually could wipe out the DOGE savings – potentially even cost more than the agency said it saved.
“You promised us a trillion dollars (in cuts), and now you’re at like $100 billion, and nobody can find anything, what are you doing?” Treasury Secretary Bessent reportedly said to Musk during a heated White House meeting. That led to Musk shoving the cabinet official.
Despite his public show of support, meanwhile, several reports citing White House insiders say the president himself has grown highly skeptical. “Was it all bullshit?” Trump reportedly asked his aides
A Cybertruck shown pulling a SpaceX rocket engine.
Covering his tracks
For his part, Musk responded to the New York Times report of his alleged drug use, calling it “pure propaganda.”
In a post on his social media site, X, Musk wrote, “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.”
But few who have spent time with the executive dismiss the paper’s reports, as several have said on deep background with Headlight.News.
SpaceX
SpaceX has been hit by catastrophic explosions on several recent launch attempts, adding to Musk’s problems.
“I really don’t like doing illegal drugs,” Musk told his biographer, Walter Isaacson.
There are numerous reasons why the 53-year-old Musk might have problems with being outed as a user. Among the most serious, rocket company SpaceX has numerous contracts with the federal government that require all of its employees pass drug tests.
Failure to comply could, at least on paper, could cost the company tens of billions of dollars in government contracts – though that would create a nightmare for NASA which, among other things, now relies on SpaceX to get astronauts to and from the International Space Station. The alternative would be for the company to somehow sever itself from Musk.
So far, it appears, Musk has passed his drug tests, a questionable situation considering his public use of marijuana and private concessions reportedly involving ketamine and other drugs. In its report last week, the Times claimed that SpaceX regularly gave advance warning to Musk to prepare him for “random” drug tests.
Though it can be challenging, there are ways to pass. Drinking massive amounts of water ahead of a test can reduce or eliminate drug residues from urine. In some instances, those hoping to cover up drug use have provided “clean” urine obtained from someone else who is not a drug user. The same can be done to cover up when drug tests rely on hair, rather than urine, samples.
A family affair
Elon Musk with one of his sons at the White House.
Musk’s critics routinely cite a litany of concerns about his behavior. Among other issues: his increasing focus on raising the U.S. birth rate, apparently kicking that campaign off personally.
“If people don’t have more children civilization is going to crumble,” the executive said recently.
“He’s obsessed with having more children and multiplying himself,” an ‘insider’ told Parade magazine in an exclusive report.
Musk is known to have at least 14 children by a number of different women. He has been seeking out additional candidates who often have little to no contact with the executive after they give birth. He has been facing legal challenges by some alleging problems with child support, while Ashley St. Clair, a conservative influencer, filed suit seeking full custody for her child. In legal documents filed earlier this year she claimed Musk had only seen their child three times in the months after its September 2024 birth.
A bad start
Tesla stock plunged during the first four months of this year.
The year got off to a bad start for Tesla investors, the stock in March falling almost 60% from the $488.54-a-share high set in the weeks after Trump’s reelection. The numbers began to rebound early in May when Musk promised to return to Tesla, subsequently promising to stay in the CEO role for at least five years.
But reports of the executive’s drug use, among other concerns, appear to be taking a bite out of that rebound. After surging to a peak $364.08 last week, shares opened on Monday down more than $20 – and have tumbled more during Monday trading.
Even before Musk left for Washington, a number of analysts and key investors began questioning Musk’s focus on Tesla, influential Ross Gerber of Gerber Kawasaki breaking pattern by declaring the Tesla board should find a replacement for the CEO.
Questionable judgement
Overall, Tesla sales have sharply tumbled in all key markets, losing 49% in Europe during the first four months of this year. The year-over-year U.S. numbers are expected to be down by double-digits for the second quarter.
There are a number of reasons why sales have tumbled, starting with the spectacular, ongoing failure of the CyberTruck – which is now being outsold by the Ford F-150 Lightning. Tesla, meanwhile, waited too long to update its core products, the Models 3 and Y,” added Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst at Telemetry Research.
Then there’s the backlash to Musk’s support of Trump and, in particular, his role with DOGE. This has triggered ongoing protests – and some vandalism – targeting Tesla showrooms. And there’s been a surge in existing owners selling off their Tesla vehicles, sometimes at a sizable loss.
The decision to become so political, especially by taking a hardcore conservative position contrasting with the politics of the typical EV owner clearly showed questionable judgement, Anthony Johndrow, CEO of Reputation Economy Advisors, told Headlight.News last month.
“Reuters is lying”
Tesla CEO Musk shown introducing an early CyberCab prototype.
It isn’t helping that Musk has made other questionable moves – and reportedly then lied about them.
Last year, the Reuters news service reported Musk had killed plans for a $25,000 EV, a product many analysts saw as essential – especially in the face of mounting competition from Chinese brands like BYD.
“Reuters is lying,” Musk responded. But a report by the news service this Monday indicates it was Musk who was lying, notably to the public and his own shareholders. Even now, the exact plans for a cheaper Tesla, often called the Model 2, remain uncertain.
Musk continues to promise it will arrive later this year. But the company has a long history of missing target dates, Cybertruck arriving two years late – and then coming to market with far less range than promised, and at a substantially higher price.
Can Musk deliver
Tesla claim its robot could fill a wide variety of roles especially in commercial enviroments.
While reports of Musk’s drug use clearly seem to have shocked investors, Tesla shares remain well above the lows seen in March and April. Wall Street appears to be willing to give the CEO a chance to get his head cleared and deliver on the golden future he continues to promise.
In particular, Musk is betting that Tesla will move beyond just being an EV company. He sees bigger opportunities for its battery storage business, for on things. And he’s pushing into sci-fi territory with AI projects. But the real emphasis covers two other upcoming projects:
- There’s the CyberCab, a fully driverless vehicle Tesla expects retail customers to purchase and then put into the field when they don’t need the vehicle, challenging Google’s Waymo robocab service;
- Optimus Prime, a humanoid robot that Musk claims he’s ready to produce in the millions, both for factory and personal use.
CyberCab is set to debut this month. How well it performs could be critical. If Tesla misses the mark it could put even more focus on Musk’s vision – and his personal peccadillos – and increase pressure on the company to move him out of the CEO role.
TESLA needs to rid itself of Musk and pray that the U.S. never opens up to Chinese EV’s.