White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller told CNN Friday he has no concerns over a New York Times report that Elon Musk used drugs more extensively than previously known.
“I don’t have any concerns, but also I believe there’s a press conference today with Elon Musk, so everyone will be having an opportunity to ask these questions themselves,” Miller told CNN’s Pamela Brown in an interview.
He quickly pivoted to complimenting Musk’s efforts to cut government spending as head of the Department of Government Efficiency.
“All I can say is that DOGE has done an extraordinary job rooting out systemic waste, graft, grift, and corruption from the federal government, and you’re going to hear from the President today, his thanks to Elon Musk for leading that effort to save taxpayers billions of dollars,” Miller added.
The New York Times on Friday reported that Musk – who’s been a ubiquitous presence at the White House as part of a broad mandate to slash federal funding – was “using drugs far more intensely than previously known,” as he rose to prominence in Trump’s inner circle in 2024, citing people familiar with his activities.
The Times noted that it wasn’t clear whether that drug use extended to his time at Trump’s side at the White House this year.
In a 2024 interview with Don Lemon, Musk acknowledged he took “a small amount” of ketamine to treat negative moods, under a prescription, but that a heavy workload prevented him from using too much. But the Times reported that Musk was “using ketamine often, sometimes daily, and mixing it with other drugs,” according to people familiar.
CNN has reached out to Musk’s representative. Neither Musk nor his lawyer responded to the Times’ request for comment about his drug use.
On Friday, Miller – whose wife Katie Miller, a top adviser and spokesperson for DOGE, also left her position and is now working with Musk – wouldn’t say if drug testing was required for Musk during his tenure as special government employee.
“The drugs I’m concerned about are the drugs that are coming across the border from the criminal cartels that are killing hundreds of thousands of Americans,” Miller told CNN.
