[Source/Observer Network, Chen Sijia] Recently, U.S. President Trump and billionaire Musk publicly fell out, engaging in a verbal spat on social media, attracting widespread attention. According to CNN's report on June 7, as their conflict escalated, Trump privately questioned whether Musk was using drugs, asking his aides if they thought Musk's "abnormal behavior" was related to drug use.

On the evening of June 6, during the flight aboard Air Force One to the New Jersey golf club, Trump commented on the dispute. Trump claimed, "To be honest, I have been busy dealing with issues related to China, Russia, and Iran... I haven't been thinking about Elon Musk, I just wish him well."

In response to media reports about Musk's alleged drug addiction, Trump said, "I don't want to comment on his drug use, I don't know his situation."

However, sources revealed that despite Trump's public statement of "not caring" about Musk's criticism, he privately questioned Musk's attitude, attempting to "understand Musk's words." Trump asked his assistants and advisors whether they believed Musk's "behavior in the past 48 hours" was related to his alleged drug use.

Trump being interviewed by American media on Air Force One, video screenshot

The New York Times reported on May 30 that Musk extensively uses ketamine, MDMA, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and prescription drugs, carrying a medicine box with him. It remains unclear whether he used drugs during his tenure at the U.S. "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE). The article also claimed that excessive use of ketamine has caused bladder problems for Musk.

Musk firmly denied the relevant reports. On May 31, he responded on the platform X, saying, "Let me clarify, I am not using drugs! The New York Times is fabricating stories. A few years ago, I tried prescription ketamine and mentioned it on the X platform, so this isn't even news. It helps get out of the abyss of negative emotions, but I haven't used it since then."

Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist in the White House and a long-time critic of Musk, is calling on Trump to investigate Musk's immigration status and "immediately" deport this billionaire born in South Africa, while also investigating Musk's "drug use." In response, Musk retaliated on social media, calling Bannon "stupid beyond belief."

On May 30, Trump and Musk held a press conference at the White House, Visual China

Since Musk left the U.S. "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) in late May, his relationship with Trump has rapidly deteriorated. Recently, Musk has strongly criticized the Republican Party's proposed "Big Beautiful Bill," questioning whether this bill aimed at cutting taxes and welfare will increase the federal deficit. Previously, the bill narrowly passed in the U.S. House of Representatives by one vote.

As Trump and Musk completely fell out, their feud on social media quickly escalated. Trump said he was "very disappointed" in Musk, threatening to terminate Musk's government subsidies and contracts. Musk harshly criticized Trump's tariff policies, stating that they "will lead to an economic recession in the second half of the year," and even threatened to retire SpaceX's "Dragon" spacecraft.

Sources told CNN that a key turning point in this quarrel was when Musk linked Trump to the Epstein case on social media on May 5. Musk claimed that Trump's name "appeared in the Epstein files," and said this was the "real reason" why the files were not made public. Sources indicated that this seemingly destroyed the opportunity for reconciliation between the two.

Musk did not specify how he knew about Trump's connection to the Epstein case or provide any information source. CNN pointed out that the appearance of certain names in court documents does not mean that the person was involved in Epstein's sex trafficking organization; it only indicates that there was some interaction between them.

The conflict between Trump and Musk has raised concerns among Republicans. Representative Michael McCaul expressed worry that their long-term conflict might affect Trump's political agenda. However, McCaul claimed that there was "very reliable intelligence" indicating that Trump and Musk would "soon resolve their disputes."

House Speaker Mike Johnson said on June 6, "I won't take sides for either party. Yesterday afternoon, I discussed part of the progress with President Trump in the Oval Office, and all I can say is that he was very disappointed. That's what he said, and I agree. I hope we can resolve this issue and bring everyone back together; this is important for all of us."

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7513175908414439946/

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