Musk’s bizarre behavior quickly overshadowed the substance of his remarks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference Thursday.
Elon Musk’s erratic behavior quickly became the story of the night Thursday during his appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
He took the stage while decked out in sunglasses, a gold chain and a T-shirt underneath his blazer that read: “I’m not procrastinating I’m doing side quests”—just moments before Argentinian President Javier Milei popped out from backstage to gift the billionaire a bedazzled chain saw, an apparent reference to Musk’s recent efforts to downsize the U.S. federal government.
“I am become meme,” he declared at one point.
“My mind is a storm,” he added.
During the live interview with Newsmax host Rob Schmitt, Musk also struggled at times to form coherent sentences, sparking concern for his well-being online. The sentiments were especially pronounced on X, the social media site Musk owns, where “Ketamine” began trending just minutes into the Tesla CEO’s appearance.
Musk has been public about his use of the drug in the past.
“Grimes” was also at the top of the site’s trending list—a reference to his ex-girlfriend’s simultaneous public plea Thursday to contact her about an urgent health emergency affecting one of their children.
The bulk of the billionaire’s meandering interview with Schmitt focused on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the advisory panel helmed by Musk that President Donald Trump has empowered to make sweeping and at times chaotic cuts across the federal government.
Musk stressed the importance of cutting costs in D.C. and in one notable exchange criticized Social Security for what he claims are widespread fraudulent payments.
listen to this. Elon can barely form a sentence right now. pic.twitter.com/u9Su0gbKZN
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 20, 2025
In between the DOGE fodder, however, Musk went on a slew of tangents, including the state of comedy. At one point, he claimed “the left wanted to make comedy illegal.”
“Comedy sucks! Nothing’s funny, you can’t make fun of anything,” Musk said, imitating people’s supposed frustrations with the industry. “It’s like, legalize comedy!”
He also seemed to suggest that Fort Knox’s gold depository was not real, seemingly piggybacking off comments made by Trump Wednesday when he said he wanted to visit the world-famous military base to “make sure the gold is there.”
Musk reiterated the bizarre sentiment, saying, “We just wanna see it and make sure somebody didn’t spray paint lead or something.”
Moderator: What is it like inside your mind?
Musk: My mind is a storm pic.twitter.com/D6ShkYRMJc
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 20, 2025
Elsewhere in the interview, Schmitt probed Musk on what it feels like to be newly “vilified” by the media, to which the Tesla CEO replied: “When they’re chanting for my death I suppose that’s a little…you know.”
“And then like the songs aren’t even that good,” he jested. “It’s like, you call that a death chant? It’s nothing please.”
The interview also dove into what goes on in the mind of the world’s richest man.
“I am become meme,” Musk said of himself. “I’m living the meme. There’s living the dream and there’s living the meme and it’s pretty much what’s happening.”
“My mind is a storm,” he added.
Musk: I am become meme pic.twitter.com/43jd2saFPE
— Acyn (@Acyn) February 20, 2025