Overview

• Biographer Michael Wolff told The Daily Beast that Trump privately boasted he tipped off The New York Times to a May report on Elon Musk’s alleged use of ketamine, Adderall, ecstasy and mushrooms during the 2024 campaign.
• White House communications director Steven Cheung accused Wolff of fabricating the claim and insisted the president had no role in the Times exposé.
• The original Times story relied on more than a dozen sources and internal documents, prompting Musk to post a clean drug test on X in rebuttal.
• Elon Musk has escalated his retaliation by threatening to fund primary challenges against Republican supporters of Trump’s $5 trillion spending bill and to form a new political party.
• Observers say the dispute underscores growing tensions over the sway of billionaire donors in government and the tactical use of leaks in partisan warfare.