On Friday, The New York Instances printed a bombshell report detailing co-President Elon Musk’s drug abuse, saying the malevolent billionaire used psychedelic mushrooms, ecstasy, Adderall, and a lot ketamine that it was negatively impacting his bladder.
However President Donald Trump has embraced and celebrated Musk, regardless of the drug abuse, permitting him to take a sledgehammer to the federal authorities’s capabilities whereas on the similar time selling Musk’s private enterprise ventures.
Trump even plans to rejoice Musk on Friday afternoon, as Musk prepares to depart his function as an unelected bureaucrat to concentrate on his ailing enterprise empire.
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“I’m having a Press Convention tomorrow at 1:30 P.M. EST, with Elon Musk, on the Oval Workplace. This will likely be his final day, however probably not, as a result of he’ll, at all times, be with us, serving to all the best way. Elon is terrific! See you tomorrow on the White Home,” Trump wrote in a put up on Fact Social—an occasion that may most definitely be much more extremely watched now that the Instances’ report dropped and reporters will need to learn about Musk’s drug use.
Whereas Trump has embraced the drug-using Musk—regardless of his erratic habits and sloppy work that has endangered lives and livelihoods—he has on the similar time tried to punish low-income drug customers by making an attempt to strip them of their Medicaid and unemployment insurance coverage.
Throughout his first time period in workplace, Trump needed to permit states to deny individuals Medicaid protection in the event that they had been unlawful drug customers.
He additionally needed to permit states to drug check individuals who misplaced their jobs with a purpose to deny them unemployment insurance coverage—a coverage the ACLU opposed as a result of it seemingly violates Individuals’ Fourth Modification rights to unreasonable authorities searches if there is no such thing as a motive to suspect somebody is a drug consumer.
Now in his second time period, Trump is making an attempt to slash funding for drug therapy and overdose prevention.
His administration has canceled $11.4 billion in “COVID-era funding for grants linked to dependancy, psychological well being and different applications,” NPR reported in March, reducing analysis on drug dependancy in addition to authorities workers working to assist present therapy and assets to drug customers.
In reality, Trump’s administration slashed tons of of jobs from the Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Companies Administration—which seeks to stop substance abuse and supply therapy to assist drug customers get better—and folded the group into the brand new Administration for a Wholesome America.
Trump has so decimated SAMHSA that Democratic senators say it would influence how many individuals can obtain therapy.
“Downsizing SAMHSA into a brand new ‘division’, dismantling its capabilities, and firing over half its workforce places in danger the lives of the 58.7 million Individuals who expertise a psychological well being situation and 48.5 million of those that are impacted by a substance use dysfunction,” Democratic Sens. Alex Padilla of California, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, and Unbiased Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont wrote in a information launch denouncing the cuts.
In the meantime, in Trump’s 2026 price range request, he additionally proposed reducing $56 million in funding for a program that teaches first responders how you can use Narcan—a lifesaving drug that may reverse drug overdose results. And his administration can be eschewing different hurt discount efforts—like offering fentanyl check strips—in favor of 12-step applications to assist drug customers, which consultants say will result in extra overdoses.
“Packages that present overdose prevention schooling and distribute naloxone are additionally top-of-the-line methods to construct belief with individuals who use medication. Suppliers can join them to therapy and get naloxone of their fingers,” the Drug Coverage Alliance mentioned in an April information launch warning of the impacts of Trump’s proposed price range cuts. “These lifesaving assets are all in danger with Trump’s federal funding cuts. With out these providers, we might see a pointy reversal of the progress we’ve made in stopping overdose deaths.”
Finally, the truth that Trump is ok with Musk’s drug use whereas on the similar time making an attempt to punish low-income drug customers can seemingly be boiled down to 1 factor: Musk has been helpful to Trump, bankrolling his marketing campaign to the tune of tons of of tens of millions of {dollars} that helped Trump win and take his profitable grift to the White Home. In the meantime, low-income drug abusers aren’t helpful for him.
