TESLA CEO ELON MUSK DEFENDS USING PRESCRIBED KETAMINE FOR ‘NEGATIVE FRAME OF MIND’

In an at-times tense interview with former CNN host Don Lemon, Musk said that he finds the anaesthetic helpful when he is suffering from a “negative chemical state”.

Asked if he thought he had ever abused the drug, Musk, who owns X and runs Tesla and SpaceX, said he did not think so and that he only takes a “small amount” once every other week or so.

“If you’ve used too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done and I have a lot of work – I am typically putting in 16-hour days. That’s normal for me,” Musk said.

“I can’t really get wasted because I can’t get my work done,” he added.

The Don Lemon Show episode 1: Elon Musk

TIMESTAMPS:
(02:23) News on X
(10:07) Donald Trump and Endorsing a Candidate
(13:04) The New Tesla Roadster
(16:46) Relaxation and Video Games
(17:54) Tweeting and Drug Use
(23:19) The Great Replacement Theory
(30:03) Content Moderation… pic.twitter.com/bLRae4DhyO

— Don Lemon (@donlemon) March 18, 2024

Musk also dismissed the suggestion that his drug use could affect his government contracts or the perceptions of investors on Wall Street.

“Tesla is worth about as much as the rest of the car industry combined, from nothing. That’s pretty good. We had the best-selling car on Earth last year. So from investors’ standpoint, if there is something I’m taking, I should keep taking it,” he said.

The 52-year-old billionaire also discussed meeting former United States President Donald Trump in March, which he said came about after an impromptu visit by the Republican candidate to his friend’s house.

“President Trump likes to talk. And so we talked. I don’t recall him saying anything that he hasn’t publicly,” Musk said, adding that Trump had not requested a political donation or other financial support.

Musk said he may endorse a candidate for November’s presidential election in the “final stretch” but had not yet made up his mind.

The South African-born naturalised US citizen said he was not leaning towards a candidate but was “leaning away” from US President Joe Biden.

Lemon, whose interview with Musk included a tense exchange about hate speech on X, said the Tesla CEO’s stated commitment to free speech “seems not to include questions of him from people like me”.

Musk said later on X that Lemon’s approach was “basically just ‘CNN, but on social media’” and “lacked authenticity”.