The debut episode of The Don Lemon Show was posted on X/Twitter and other platforms this morning, featuring the former CNN anchor’s contentious interview with Elon Musk.
Their sit down, running just over an hour, led to Musk canceling a deal he had with Lemon to post some exclusive content on X. Lemon is still free to post on X, but it won’t be part of a paid agreement.
Elon Musk has defended taking prescribed ketamine to treat his “negative frame of mind,” suggesting that his use of the drug is good for Tesla’s investors.
In an at-times tense interview with former CNN host Don Lemon, Musk said that he finds the anaesthetic helpful when he is suffering from a “negative chemical state”.
There are times when I have… depression that is not linked to any negative news, and then ketamine is helpful for getting one outside out of a negative frame of mind,” Musk said during an interview released on X on Monday.
Asked if he thought he had ever abused the drug, Musk, who owns X and runs Tesla and SpaceX, said he did not think so and that he only takes a “small amount” once every other week or so.
“If you’ve used too much ketamine, you can’t really get work done and I have a lot of work – I am typically putting in 16-hour days. That’s normal for me,” Musk said.
“I can’t really get wasted because I can’t get my work done,” he added.
Musk also dismissed the suggestion that his drug use could affect his government contracts or the perceptions of investors on Wall Street.
“Tesla is worth about as much as the rest of the car industry combined, from nothing. That’s pretty good. We had the best-selling car on Earth last year. So from investors’ standpoint, if there is something I’m taking, I should keep taking it,” he said.
Musk added that he had discussed his use of ketamine, which can be prescribed by doctors to treat depression and pain, in the past because he thought it could help other people.
The 52-year-old billionaire also discussed meeting former United States President Donald Trump in March, which he said came about after an impromptu visit by the Republican candidate to his friend’s house.
“President Trump likes to talk. And so we talked. I don’t recall him saying anything that he hasn’t publicly,” Musk said, adding that Trump had not requested a political donation or other financial support.
Musk said he may endorse a candidate for November’s presidential election in the “final stretch” but had not yet made up his mind.
The South African-born naturalised US citizen said he was not leaning towards a candidate but was “leaning away” from US President Joe Biden.
X announced a content partnership with Lemon in January but Musk abruptly cancelled “The Don Lemon Show” last week ahead of the airing of the first episode.
Lemon, whose interview with Musk included a tense exchange about hate speech on X, said the Tesla CEO’s stated commitment to free speech “seems not to include questions of him from people like me”.
Musk said later on X that Lemon’s approach was “basically just ‘CNN, but on social media’” and “lacked authenticity”.
What to know about ketamine
Ketamine, a hallucinogenic anesthetic drug, was first approved in 1970 as an anesthetic for use by medical doctors and veterinarians.
Since then, ketamine has been shown to have powerful effects on the brain, particularly for people suffering from depression, according to Dr. William Prueitt, director of the Ketamine Treatment Program at Silver Hill Hospital in Connecticut.
There’s growing evidence that ketamine can be very effective for patients with depression who have not responded to other treatments,” Prueitt told Fox News Digital.
Ketamine is best suited for patients with moderate to severe depression who haven’t responded to other types of treatments or therapy, the doctor said.
“There’s growing evidence that ketamine can be very effective for patients with depression who have not responded to other treatments.”
Ketamine provides rapid relief of symptoms, sometimes in as little as a few weeks,” said Prueitt
Patients can experience improved mood, renewed optimism and reduced negative thoughts.”
When administered in an “appropriate treatment setting” with an experienced medical team, ketamine is generally “very safe,” according to Prueitt.
“That is one proposed reason why it’s often successful where other medications are not,” he said.
The drug can be administered in multiple ways, but the primary methods are by nasal spray (esketamine) or IV infusions (ketamine).
Peoplesmind