Fact Check: Donald Trump personally tipped off The New York Times about Elon Musk's drug use.

Fact Check: "Donald Trump personally tipped off The New York Times about Elon Musk's drug use."

What We Know

The claim that Donald Trump tipped off The New York Times regarding Elon Musk's alleged drug use originates from comments made by journalist Michael Wolff during a podcast interview with The Daily Beast. Wolff stated that Trump has been discussing Musk's drug use in phone calls with associates, claiming that he "dropped a dime" to The New York Times about Musk's alleged drug consumption, which includes ketamine, Adderall, ecstasy, and psychedelic mushrooms (source-1, source-4). The New York Times reported on Musk's drug use based on interviews with multiple sources who have known or worked with him (source-1).

Musk has publicly denied these allegations, stating, "To be clear, I am NOT taking drugs! The New York Times was lying their ass off" (source-2).

Analysis

The reliability of the claim hinges on the credibility of Michael Wolff, who has a history of writing about Trump and his administration. Wolff's assertions are based on his interpretation of Trump's conversations with associates, which he claims to have tracked. However, he also notes uncertainty regarding whether Trump was indeed the source of the information or merely claiming credit for it (source-2, source-5).

The New York Times, which reported on Musk's alleged drug use, based its article on interviews with over a dozen individuals, lending some credibility to its claims (source-1). However, the Times has not confirmed any direct link to Trump as the source of their information. Trump's communications director has dismissed Wolff's claims as false, labeling him a "lying sack of s--t" and asserting that Wolff fabricates stories (source-1).

Given the contentious nature of the relationship between Trump and Musk, and the lack of direct evidence linking Trump to the leak, the claim remains ambiguous.

Conclusion

The claim that Donald Trump personally tipped off The New York Times about Elon Musk's drug use is Partially True. While Wolff's comments suggest that Trump may have claimed to have provided information to the Times, there is no definitive evidence that he was the actual source of the information reported by the Times. The assertion relies heavily on Wolff's interpretation and Trump's own statements, which are not independently verified.