Trump-Musk ties strain as Isaacman ousted, Musk exits DOGE; NYT alleges drug use
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US president Donald Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk appear to be drifting apart after a series of high-profile moves involving their close associates, political roles, and a damaging media report. Trump withdrew his pick of Jared Isaacman to lead NASA, while Musk exited his advisory role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).Trump on Saturday said he was rescinding the nomination of Isaacman, a private astronaut and payments entrepreneur, to head the US space agency.'After a thorough review of prior associations, I am hereby withdrawing the nomination of Jared Isaacman to head NASA,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. 'I will soon announce a new Nominee who will be Mission aligned, and put America First in Space .'Isaacman, founder of Shift4 Payments, has worked closely with Musk's SpaceX and is known for leading the first all-civilian space mission. His ties to Musk reportedly played a key role in his nomination.The New York Times reported that Trump decided to pull back after learning that Isaacman had previously donated to well-known Democratic candidates.Responding to that report, the White House told AFP in an email, 'It is essential that the next leader of NASA is in complete alignment with president Trump's America First agenda. The Administrator of NASA will help lead humanity into space and execute president Trump's bold mission of planting the American flag on the planet Mars.'Appointed by the president himself, Musk became in-charge of DOGE, a key project aimed at cutting government spending. His appointment made headlines and sparked strong reactions from both supporters and critics.Although many expected Musk to step down, his exit came shortly after he publicly disagreed with parts of Trump's policy plans. That added to growing concerns about his role in Washington.During his time at DOGE, Musk pushed for major spending cuts. Several government agencies were shut down and thousands of jobs were cut. These changes led to public protests and raised questions about whether it was appropriate for someone running large private companies to be involved in such decisions.While Musk led DOGE, his companies, including Tesla, SpaceX and Neuralink, continued to operate, Tesla shares fell sharply, and protests erupted following DOGE's sweeping budget cuts and the closure of several federal agencies.Meanwhile, Musk hit back at a New York Times report that accused him of regular drug use during the 2024 campaign period.The newspaper reported that Musk had used ketamine, ecstasy, and mushrooms and even developed bladder issues from frequent ketamine use. It said he carried a pill box and it was unclear whether he continued using drugs after joining the Trump administration in January.Musk rejected the claims on Saturday. 'To be clear, I am NOT taking drugs. The New York Times was lying their ass off,' he wrote on X.He added, 'I tried 'prescription' ketamine a few years ago and said so on X, so this is not even news. It helps for getting out of dark mental holes, but haven't taken it since then.'When asked by a reporter if he knew about Musk's alleged drug use, Trump replied, 'I wasn't. I think Elon is a fantastic guy.'
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